I was so completely absorbed in the world of the Oregon Trail in the 1840s that I could hear the creak of the wagons, smell saddle leather and horses.

Dream way to spend Sunday afternoon: In the archive at the Sponza Palace – if only it opened at weekends.

Favourite book: Last week it was Me Before You, this week it’s Good Girl Bad Blood. Who knows what next week will bring? Isn’t that the joy of reading?

Greatest extravagance: Most likely his last girlfriend, Didi.

Contents of her handbag: Antibac liquid, antibac wipes, mask, packed lunch – homemade by her gran, purse, phone, lip gloss… and another bottle of antibac, just in case.

This book, this wonderful book, is absolute perfection. Spare, taut, yet rich in detail, it builds layer on layer, each scene perfectly crafted and tensioned. The incredibly talented Claire Dyer at her absolute best.

Alexandra Walsh’s best book yet, with strong echoes between the timelines. The history is impeccably researched, bringing an entirely new angle to The Gunpowder Plot, and how it might have played out for the women behind the scenes.

No chiselled macho matinee idol here, but a genuine guy, battered by life but with a heart that’s still open to the world.

One of the biggest arcs of character growth I have read in a very long time, and so ambitious to undertake. Yet it works, and the subplots around it make the book all the more rewarding.

This is an ambitious debut novel. Part family saga, part romance, part mystery thriller… but best not to try to pigeonhole it, rather just say it’s a cracking story.