The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

In these ten bracingly transgressive tales, Hilary Mantel fully engages her gifts of characterisation and observation, ushering concealed horrors into the light.

Stories range from childhood cruelty behind the bushes in 'Comma', nurses clashing in 'Harley Street', to the title story where staying in for the plumber turns into an ambiguous and potentially deadly waiting game.

Whether set in a claustrophobic Saudi Arabian flat or on a precarious mountain road in Greece, the tales share insight into the darkest recesses of the spirit, displaying Mantel's unmistakable style and wit.