The Green Mile, by Stephen King (Orion, £10.99 in UK)

In this good-versus-evil Death Row thriller, first published in monthly instalments two years ago, Stephen King showed that he had a sure grip on the art of the cliff-hanger. Now that it has been Sellotaped back together and is being sold in a single volume, there are occasional untidy overlaps between chapters, but it is still the sort of book you want to devour at a sitting - and at almost 500 pages, that's some sitting. Ideal light reading for those who are averse to the gorier end of the King oeuvre, being much closer to stories such as The Shawshank Redemption than to his blood-and-guts horror offerings, The Green Mile is also, perhaps thanks to its initial appearance in serial form, mercifully free of padding; although one does get a little tired of Mr Jingles, the - wait for it - talking mouse.