The Monopolists by Mary Pilon. Inside the complex story of one of the world's most popular board games, revealing the forgotten original creator of the game and its questionable origins. Incisive examination of American corporate greed over the last century and the people who won, and lost. (Bloomsbury, April 9)
Words Without Music by Philip Glass. From travelling in India, to driving a cab in New York to working with Martin Scorsese, this is the story of how the son of a music shop owner became one of the world's top composers of symphonies, operas and film scores. A highly anticipated biography. (Faber, April 2)
The Story of Alice by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst. The children's fairy tale written by Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, is 150 years old this year and remains as popular as ever. Here, the complex tale of Carroll, the quiet academic, and Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired the novel, is explored in all its complexity. (Harvill Secker, April 2)
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney. One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who live on the fringes of society in a bleak, recession-devastated Ireland. From drugs to crime to religion, this promises to be a dark comedy about a country struggling to deal with legacy attitudes to church, family and society. (John Murray, April 9)
The Fugitives by Panos Karnezis. In the remote Latin American rainforest, tensions are rising between the native people and those they view as outsiders – a Catholic priest, an archaeologist and squatters. The novella explores enduring themes of progress, violence and justice. (Cape, April 16)
The Snow Kimono by Mark Henshaw. Retired police inspector Auguste Jovert receives a letter from a woman claiming to be his daughter. The same day a mysterious Japanese professor turns up on his doorstep. Who is this man and what does he want? A thriller about fractured friendships, orphaned children and a body in the snow. (Tinder Press, April 9)
