Aimi Engineer
Aimi Engineer began bookselling in her gap year and never quite managed to stop. She is the only member of staff who doesn’t cycle, but she gets plenty of reading done on the tube.
Current reading
R.J. Ellory, A Simple Act of Violence (Pb, £6.99)
Ellory is an Englishman but this seemed to me to be a note-perfect American crime story. Four women have been found murdered in Washington and a serial killer seems to be at work. However, the investigation reveals an unexpected link to CIA operations in Nicaragua during the Reagan administration. The gradual revelation of the conspiracy is satisfying and, unlike so many novels in this genre, Ellory maintains the suspense until the very end
A favourite
Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic (Pb, £7.99)
Set in New England in a ramshackle house, this is the story of the latest generations of Owens women, Sally and Gillian. Alice Hoffman writes fairy tales for grown-ups. Her characters exist in the everyday world but one threaded with magic. Her books are perfect comfort reading, and this one is perhaps the best.