Poppet by Mo Hayder

Reading Mo Hayder is a singularly visceral experience. I can only describe it as like the bit on a rollercoaster when you’re inching up the track, knowing that any moment you’ll plunge downwards at terrifying speed, leaving your insides miles behind you – the anticipation is terrifying, and the outcome… well. You can work it out. I read Hanging Hill when it first came out and the ending to that story still makes me go ice cold when I think about it – it was a brilliant piece of thriller writing. And Poppet didn’t disappoint – I was hooked from the first graphically nasty opener to the shock ending.

It starts as a horror story – the residents of the secure psychiatric hospital are being tormented by a small, vicious ghost they call the Maude, which is driving them to self-harm in horrendous ways. But psychiatric nurse AJ LeGrande – Average Joe – isn’t convinced that the cause is supernatural. Could it be one of the patients themselves? Calling on Detective Inspector Jack Caffrey for help, AJ is determined to stop the culprit before anyone else gets hurt. But his mission is complicated by his new romance with the unit’s boss, Melanie, whom he fears may be the next target of the Maude….

Meanwhile Jack Caffrey has his own problems, both with murder and with love. You don’t need to have read the previous books in this series to get a sense of this complicated cop and the moral nightmare in which he’s caught; he’s an intriguing character and his story arc is tense and compulsive.

Hayder does not shirk away from nastiness but her descriptions are just short enough of graphic detail to leave you breathless for more, rather than stomach-churningly off-putting. They are tautly plotted with lots of twists and turns that keep you hooked throughout – there are no lulls, no bits to skip, she keeps you right there in the action all the time. I loved AJ’s character and was vicariously living the story through his eyes all the way. And the ending was brilliant – so right, so satisfying, and yet so sad. I loved this book and it’s creepy cover – and yes, that shiver is still firmly in my spine. Rating: ****

Bantam Books, 2013, ISBN 9780857500762

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman

Noughts and Crosses was one of the most popular and powerful books I shared with students in my days as a school librarian, and its uncompromising depiction of racism assured that Malorie Blackman has a devoted following amongst a generation of young people. Noble Conflict will be enjoyed equally. It tells the story of Kaspar, an eager young recruit to the Guardians, who is trying not to rely on his parents’ reputation as Guardians before him. Kaspar is determined to make his mark and defend his world, which is beset by seemingly random but terrifying terrorist attacks by the rebels that live beyond the city. But he uncovers instead a horrifying conspiracy, which threatens all that he believes in. How far will he go to protect his world, when nothing is as it seems?

This is a thought-provoking story with a genuinely horrible twist; action-packed and well-paced. Kaspar is a good hero, and for once the Librarian (a figure much maligned in literature!) is also shown as both clever and cool. The ending hints at a possible sequel, but this stands well alone. I enjoyed the subtle critique of modern warfare transposed to a science fiction scenario, and teenagers will find much to get their teeth into here. Again, Malorie has shown that she has the power to make young people think for themselves – and from there, change the world. Rating: ***

Corgi, 2014, ISBN 9780552554626