Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

This is a real page-turner. A psychological thriller which keeps the reader on tenterhooks throughout. I found it hard to put down.

Christine has lost her memory and, each morning, wakes with no recall of anything that has gone before. She is encouraged to write a journal by a mysterious doctor, and, by reading this every day, gradually builds up a picture of her life and what happened to cause her loss of memory. Events are recounted in the first person, as if read/written by Christine in her journal; therefore the story is told as it happens, which adds to the tension.

The reader is kept guessing: who is she? Who are the people in her life? Why are there so few photos of her family...? Our sympathies alter constantly as we gather more information and discover that nothing - and no-one - is as they first appear.

I have to say that, early on, I correctly predicted the outcome of the mystery, which could have been the author's intention; but it's no worse for that, as there are many loose ends to be tied up - and they are, eventually; with a happy ending of sorts.

Peaches for Monsieur le Cure by Joanne Harris

This a sequel to Chocolat, set eight years later in the same place. Vianne Rocher returns to the village where things have changed: new people have moved in, bringing with them a new set of questions for both Vianne and her old protagonist the curate.
As with the other novel, both characters and setting are strongly drawn and the plot is, if anything, even better: there's certainly more going on. Contemporary vibes in the shape of cross-religious relationships set this novel clearly in the present, yet the people's way of life is curiously old-world, with only the references to mobile phones to bring the reader anything like close to the present day. Natural, seasonal change is manifestly present, as with many of Harris's novels, and there's more than a hint of magic in the air. The twist at the end is a genuine surprise.