The Underground man, by Mick Jackson (Picador, £6.99 in UK)

Ageing and solitary, the old Duke lives on his old family estate. Preoccupied by an increasingly bizarre collection of interests, he also keep a journal. In many ways a gentler, more reflective variation of Patrick McGrath's outstanding gothic yarn the Grotesque, it initially succeeds through its elegant prose and the Duke's thoughtful narrative voice pondering the business of dying. A melancholic period atmosphere is deftly evoked. Various onlookers contribute their observations of the Duke, so a sense of expectation is created. Unfortunately, the novel collapses long before its conclusion because of an unconvincing twist in the plot. It was shortlisted for last year's Booker Prize, but impresses mainly as a cautionary example of a potentially fine book losing its direction.