10 best e-books to download during lockdown

Best-known for her Me Before You trilogy, Jojo Moyes is on stellar form in this story of an unworldly Englishwoman who marries a wealthy American on a whim and moves to the US in search of adventure. Alice Wright’s new husband turns out to be a terrible disappointment – weak and dominated by his overbearing father. But Alice’s life changes when she joins a band of women who deliver books on horseback to remote, mountainous outposts. It’s gruelling work and as the packhorse librarians trek through the wilds, read to the sick, and share books with forgotten communities, they face hostility, danger and heartbreak. Set in the 1930s, this big-hearted tale will stay in your head long after you have finished reading it.

Former journalist Sarah Vaughan scored a huge success with Anatomy of a Scandal and her latest novel is equally as powerful. This time she focuses on the demands of motherhood. Liz is a senior registrar in paediatrics at a London hospital and has always regarded her friend Jess as the perfect mother – a woman with boundless reserves of patience, energy and love for her three young children. But when Jess brings her 10-month-old daughter Betsey into A&E, Liz starts to question everything she knows about her friend – and about herself. This insightful and compelling story of every mother’s nightmare is impossible to put down.

Known as the “Kindle queen”, LJ Ross is the first self-published author to be nominated for a British Book Award. Imposter, her 2019 thriller, will vie with books by Lee Child, Val McDemid and Lucy Foley in the crime and thriller category and the winner will be announced in June. Holy Island was her debut e-book – the first of 16 novels featuring DCI Ryan, a hard-nosed detective who seeks sanctuary on Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland, after being ordered to take a sabbatical. But when a young student is found dead in the priory ruins, Ryan finds himself investigating a series of chilling murders. Former lawyer LJ Ross has sold more than 4.5 million books worldwide and this is an enthralling, pacey read. If you want more, the 16th DCI Ryan story will be out later this month (April).

Dysfunctional families, shocking secrets and a glamorous wedding – The Guest List has the lot. Guests have gathered on a remote island off the Irish coast to celebrate the wedding of TV star Will Slater and magazine publisher Jules Keegan. The champagne is on ice and the couple are looking forward to exchanging their vows but before long age-old resentments and jealousies raise their ugly heads. The situation is made worse by a sinister game that the groom and his ushers have played since their schooldays. Told in alternating chapters by the bride, groom and their guests, Lucy Foley’s dark and deadly crime thriller kept us gripped till the very last page.

Marian Keyes’s novels are warm, witty and wise. Even when she’s writing about hard hitting subjects like divorce, depression or alcoholism, she’s never preachy or pious. Grown Ups, her latest, is the story of the Caseys, a close-knit family of three brothers, their wives and their children. Described by her publisher as “inimitable Marian Keyes”, her 14th novel explores everything from family life and infidelity to bulimia, and tricky finances. A wonderful story, filled with heartbreak, empathy and humour.

Cara Hunter has built up a huge following for her DI Adam Fawley crime series – and justifiably so. All the Rage is the fourth book and will keep you turning the pages for hours. Detectives are perplexed when teenager Faith Appleford is found in a distraught state wandering along an Oxford Road. She’s been attacked, had a plastic bag tied over her head and taken to an isolated spot – but she miraculously manages to escape. The police are convinced that Faith knows the identity of her abductor, but she refuses to press charges. A top-notch crime novel, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

If romantic fiction is your cup of tea, you’ll love this touching story of a pair of 20-somethings who meet at a language school in Rome. Letty and Alf have two things in common – they’re the only English speakers in the class and they are both passionate about dance. Alf is a former ballroom dancing champion while Letty had dreams of becoming a ballet dancer only to have her ambitions ruined by injury. Drawn to each other from the start, they are both hiding painful secrets that could destroy their happiness. Kate Eberlen’s previous book, Miss You, was a bestseller and Only You is just as good, with wonderful descriptions of Rome’s iconic landmarks.

The novel's protagonist is a barrister named Alison who has everything she could wish for – a caring husband, an adorable young daughter and a brilliant career. Even so, her life is a mess. She drinks far too much, stays out till all hours, neglects her family and is in the throes of a raunchy affair with a solicitor colleague. Sure enough, it can’t be long before everything implodes. The characters in Harriet Tyce’s debut novel aren’t exactly likeable but Blood Orange is an electrifying read that will shock you to the very core. Domestic noir at its best.

Rosamund Lupton’s nail-biting literary thriller starts at 9.16am precisely in a rural Somerset school. The day has begun like any other, with pupils settling down for lessons, whether it's taking part in a Macbeth rehearsal, studying in the library or immersed in a pottery class. Then suddenly, the unthinkable happens. A shot is fired, and the school finds itself under attack from gunmen. As children and teachers barricade themselves into any corner they can find, the headmaster lies wounded, unable to help his students and staff. Told over a period of three hours and from the perspectives of teachers, pupils, parents and police in turn, Lupton’s fourth novel is an extraordinary achievement and kept us on the edge of our seats from start to finish.

Taffy Brodesser-Akner is an award-winning journalist who writes for the New York Times Magazine. Her first novel follows the toxic relationship of Toby Fleishman and his ex-wife Rachel. Finally free from his 15-year marriage, Toby is looking forward to a life of online dating and weekend-only parental duties. But his life is turned upside down when Rachel drops their two children off at his place and doesn’t return. Published in 2019 to widespread acclaim, Brodesser-Akner’s debut has been shortlisted for the British Book Award’s fiction debut of the year and longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize.