In his tense and darkly comic new novel Norton casts a light on the relationship between mothers and daughters, and truth and self-preservation with unnerving effect.

Settling in with one of his novels is akin to sitting down with an enormous cup of tea at the end of a very long day. There are plenty of references to the location - particularly in the phrases used by the characters.

The inclusion of the dry, snickery humor this author is so well-known for is an added bonus and pure-delight. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

It seems there are secrets in Declan's past, strange rumors that were never confronted, and suddenly the house they shared takes on a more sinister significance that affects them all. If there are secrets and rumours standing in the way of her daughter's happiness, she intends to confront them. He’s seemingly revelling in a second chance at a relationship, too, given the wife of his two adult children mysteriously disappeared years ago. The relationship is met with disapproval from the locals, but Carol and Declan are determined to make it work.It’s a while since I’ve sat down and read a series of short stories; it’s curiously liberating, like a brief fling, enjoyable and without commitment! I loved the main character’s mother, Moira, and some of the side characters were entertaining as well. Graham Norton has won 9 BAFTAs for Best Entertainment Performance, and Best Entertainment Programme.

Graham Norton creates a claustrophobic world of intrusion and intrigue in the small fictional town of Ballytoor, in West Cork. They start erasing her from their family and ignoring the fact that their father loved and cherished her. Why I'm reading this: I enjoyed the tv series based on Norton's previous novel, Holding, so thought I'd give his latest book a whirl. There's a large cast of characters from: Carol, a divorced teacher, her easy-going boyfriend Declan, Carol's energetic and opinionated mother, Moira (who I enjoyed and laughed about), Carol's father, her only son, and Declan's selfish, adult children: one is a gay son married to his partner and the other is a fractured daughter.Declan’s children, Killian and Sally resent Carol and with Power of Attorney put his house up for sale, leaving Carol to move back in with her comfortably off parents, Moira and Dave. Neither family is excited about their relationship and the small town gossips can't understand why Carol would be into a man like Declan. Although I feel like this novel is quite a different kind of story from Graham Norton's other novels (not sure why exactly - perhaps just because we're focusing on a woman as the main character this time? Norton’s previous publication, Home Stretch, is to some extent auto-fiction, concentrating as it does on a young man growing up gay under the restrictions of a society trammelled by strict adherence to the rule of the local priests. Graham Norton an Irish broadcaster, presenter, comedian and author, best known for his multi-BAFTA-winning The Graham Norton Show and his bestselling novel A Keeper.