Country of the Blind, by Christopher Brookmyre (Abacus, £6.99 in UK)

Second outing for Scottish investigative journalist Jack Parlabane, he of the decidedly un-PC methods and elastic moral conscience. When tabloid owner Roland Voss - at whose hands Parlabane has suffered in the past - is found murdered, along with his wife and two bodyguards, our intrepid hero is not exactly overcome with grief. A gentleman burglar and his three accomplices are arrested for the crime, but Parlabane's acute nose sniffs out a conspiracy, one that involves senior political figures, and he's soon up to his elbows in the stuff that hit the fan. Author Brookmyre writes a sharp, sassy prose, full of one-liners and in-jokes, but his use of impenetrable Glasgowese dialogue sometimes irritates. Still, a good and entertaining read in the modern manner of thrillers.