T.J. Lebbon (HarperCollins)

Set in the beautiful Monmouthshire countryside, this dark and bloody thriller is something of an oxymoron: from dinner parties and school runs to suspenseful car chases and a bloody rampage across the Welsh landscape, T.J. Lebbon creates a suspenseful chase/actioner. As a renowned author he wrote the horror/supernatural Pay The Ghost, the film adaption of which starred Nicholas Cage; his debut thriller The Hunt is a prequel to The Family Man, in which some of the characters return, but does not spoil the read if you haven’t read the first one.

Lebbon takes the reader through the idyllic lives of Emma and Dom and their young daughter Daisy as they go about their normal day to day business. Dom leads a relatively boring life: he regularly cycles, meets up with his mate for cross-country rides and drinks in the pub, and that’s about as exciting as it gets. He begins to realise he is dull, and embarks on a crazy, out-of-character event which leaves him and his family in mortal danger from a relentless, sadistic gang of thugs. The picture Lebbon paints of the Welsh country side is picturesque against the subsequent violent aftermath that Dom and Emma endure is both shocking and utterly convincing.

How a normal family can be thrown into abject horror and come into contact with the violent underbelly which exists is terrifying. Fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, or Harlan Corben, will love this fast-paced thriller and will recognise many of the locations across Wales.

Price: £7.99. Info: www.harpercollins.co.uk

words EMMA CLARK