My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

One of the vanishingly rare crime novels to be longlisted for the Booker and shortlisted for the Women’s prize, this is a darkly funny, dizzyingly enjoyable read. Set in Lagos, it opens as Korede is summoned by her sister, Ayoola, who has dispatched yet another boyfriend (her third) in “self-defence”. Korede brings the bleach and the rubber gloves, and starts cleaning, but when Ayoola’s eye lands on the doctor Korede has long adored, her sister’s murderous propensities really start to concern her. A ridiculous amount of fun, this manages to be both blackly hilarious and enjoyably disturbing, with the relationship between the two sisters its beating heart.

British Book Awards 2020: Crime and Thriller Book of the Year shortlist reviews