For a refreshing take on the detective series, look no further than Abir Maukherjee;’s Sam Wyndham books and his latest, Death In The East. The action is split between London in 1903 where constable Sam Wyndham longs to solve the locked room mystery surrounding the murder of his old flame, Bessie and 1920’s Calcutta and Assam where Sam, now a Captain, seeks treatment for his opium addiction and sees a ghost from his past. Ably assisted by Sergeant Bannerjee, this series has great characters, intriguing mysteries and is set against the backdrop of the Indian battle for independence against the British Raj. One caveat, it is better to have read the first three books in the series, but once you’ve read Death In The East, you’ll want to read them anyway.

(Harvill Secker, out November 14th)