Foursome, Jane Fallon, Penguin, £7.99

The third novel by Ricky Gervais's other half, also an award-winning producer behind This Life and Teachers, touches upon adultery, relationships, love and friendships. Rebecca, Daniel, Isabel and Alex are a cosy and inseparable foursome who have known each other since university. When Alex walks out on Isabel it sets off a chain of events, leading to broken hearts and fractured friendships. Enjoyable chick-lit.

★★★★

The Double Comfort Safari Club, Alexander McCall Smith, Little Brown, £16.99

Leading Botswana detective Mma Ramotswe and her bespectacled sidekick, Mma Makutsi, set off to interview a safari guide who has been left money by an English lady.

Among the story strands is a thread about Makutsi's fiance having his foot amputated – but his tyrannical aunt refuses to let the assistant detective see her intended until Ramotswe intervenes. It's hard not to love the world McCall has created.

★★★

The Snowman, Jo Nesbø, Harvill Secker, £12.99

This is Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbo's fifth yarn featuring alcoholic cop Harry Hole to be published in this country. The stereotypical Scandinavian cop – messy private life and a strained relationship with his bosses – is pitting his wits against a serial killer, dubbed the Snowman, who is slicing his way across the country's female population.

The plot is a tad clichéd but fans of the genre should find enough here to warrant the cover price.

★★★