Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy (Weidenfeld & Nicolson £20, 288pp)
Nick and Jenny have been having an affair for six years, meeting at least once a month to have sex but never spending the night together.
Tonight, however, they are breaking this rule because Nick, a partner in a law firm, has booked a luxurious room at a swanky new hotel in Manhattan. He has a wife and daughter at home while Jenny has a husband and two sons.
The lovers are excited, but when the fire alarm goes off soon after arrival, a very different kind of evening ensues.
Although they've been intimately acquainted for some time, it turns out Nick and Jenny don't know each other that well at all. They share truths, frustrations and real feelings for the first time, all while trapped in a burning building, tuning into news bulletins to find out what's happening. Fascinating.
The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland (B&W £16.99, 336pp)
I raced through this compelling story about four strangers taking part in an experimental weekly group therapy treatment intended to heal their broken hearts.
Until she joined the group, young carer Mischa was so isolated it had been a while since she even had a conversation. Callum is a famous 29-year-old musician who looks for answers to life's questions at the bottom of a bottle.
Middle-aged Victoria is a senior partner at a big law firm who refuses to accept she is grieving. Thirtysomething Freya’s marriage is in crisis and she is profoundly depressed.
Awkward at first, the group gradually gels. The narrative races along and there’s a huge twist which I did not see coming. Thought-provoking.
Sister Europe by Nell Zink (Viking £14.99, 208pp)
Set in contemporary Berlin over the course of one big night out, this fun, fast-paced novel is full of interesting characters.
Author Musad is being celebrated for his achievements at a literary party sponsored by a princess. Sadly, not as many people as hoped plan to attend, so the princess asks Musad to extend the invitation as widely as he can. The resulting group is an unlikely mix, mostly motivated by the idea of being wined and dined for free.
The guests include Demain, his daughter Nicole, a trans woman who has spent the afternoon pretending to be a sex worker; their friend Livia and her 'bodyguard', a huge poodle called Mephistopheles.
There's also a 57-year-old playboy who publishes books about rock stars. He has invited a girl nicknamed 'the flake' who he didn't expect to turn up - she does, however, and joins the raucous rollercoaster. Clever and quirky.