First thoughts

Newly published this week

Little Girl Lost

Brian McGilloway

Macmillan; £12.99 Kindle; £7.19

Review: Sandra Mangan

A LITTLE girl is found wandering in snowy woodland, wearing only her pyjamas, and unable or unwilling to speak, meanwhile, the search continues for another teenage female who has been snatched from her home.

So begins the latest crime novel from the award-winning pen of Northern Irish writer Brian McGilloway — and it’s an intriguing start to a totally engrossing read.

McGilloway is best known for his extremely popular Inspector Devlin series, but Little Girl Lost is a stand-alone book featuring DS Lucy Black.

Lucy has a complicated family life, and families — and their dysfunctions — are a recurring theme throughout the novel.

The story is well plotted, with a clear sense of place and history which sets it apart from the run of the mill.

This is a highly recommended read from a greatly accomplished author.

Letters To A Young Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke

Penguin Classics; £8.99

Review: Lauren Turner

WHEN young cadet Franz Xaver Kappus wrote a letter to poet Rainer Maria Rilke in the autumn of 1902, asking for his opinion on his own creative output, he cannot have imagined the long, intimate correspondence that it would spark between the pair.

This new Penguin Classics reprint of Rilke’s letters includes an introduction by Lewis Hyde, author of The Gift. It proves a thoughtful preface, and is also invaluable in terms of the context in which they were written.

The 10 letters themselves can be seen as a meditation on creativity, and are far-reaching in their musings on art, love, and what it means to be alive.

It is touching to feel the bond between the two men through the words written by Rilke as he imparts his advice, telling the younger man how “art too is only a way of living”.

It is easy to see why this book is so loved by poets and artists, with fans as diverse as JD Salinger and Lady Gaga.

The letters are as relevant to today’s world as they were when received by Kappus, who was the one to collate them and first publish them, more than 100 years ago.

The Ritual

Adam Nevill

Macmillan; £12.99 Kindle £6.78

Review: James Cleary

WITH a growing reputation for strong supernatural thrillers, Adam Nevill’s offering focuses on four friends hiking in a remote part of northern Sweden.

Following a psychological thriller, Blair Witch Project-style format, the friends find themselves fighting for survival against an unknown force.

The sense of dread is immediate, with the reader’s sense of foreboding increasing with every new page.

Scenes where they take refuge in a secluded house add to the tension and the writer’s conveyance of some of the gorier details is deserving of the big screen.

Unfortunately the story is let down by the second half, failing to live up to expectations. The sense of tension evaporates, with an increasing number of plot holes emerging. This makes for a flat conclusion and for horror aficionados, the ending will disappoint after such a strong start.