THE LYING APE by Brian King, Icon £7.99 Last month contained a special day called National Tell the Truth Day – the brainchild of Brian King who says it s very difficult to be totally truthful all of the time. In fact psychologists reckon that, on averag

THE LYING APE by Brian King,

Icon £7.99

Last month contained a special day called National Tell the Truth Day - the brainchild of Brian King who says it's very difficult to be totally truthful all of the time. In fact psychologists reckon that, on average, we lie six times a day - untruths from "the cheque's in the post" to "of course I'd love your mother to come on holiday with us dear".

This book is all about lying and you'll soon realise how untrue the world is. And how we're all to blame.

PULP FICTION: THE CRIMEFIGHTERS edited by Otto Penzler, Quereus £8.99

Introduced by bestselling Harlan Coben, this anthology features 14 tales from the golden days of pulp fiction - legendary writers you've heard of (Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler etc) sit happily alongside those you probably haven't but should have (George Harman Coxe, Horace McCoy). Whether you're a pulp novice or a hard-boiled fan, there's plenty of interest in here.

ANCESTORS by Paul Crooks, Blackamber £7.99

Published to coincide with the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade, Crooks has produced a fictionalised account of the life of his own great-great-great-grandfather who was, at the age of 10, captured and put aboard a slave ship bound for Jamaica. The book takes us from 1798 to 1838, the year that slaves in the British West Indies were set free. Not sure how accurate it is, but it's certainly well-researched.

David Crozier