Exiles by Anita Burgh, (Orion, £9.99)

Exiles takes up the story of the novelist Kate Howard, one of her best-loved characters from Advances.

Kate's life was turned upside down when her first book was published and she discovered her husband was having an affair with her best friend.

Now she is an established author living in a beautiful and luxurious French villa with her fun and attentive lover Stewart and seems to have the world at her finger tips.

But Kate is again thrown into turmoil when her latest novel is rejected by the publishers. Is it her imagination or is Stewart becoming irritable and quick to reach for the bottle?

Her retreat to France has done nothing to ease her constant worries over her daughter's mysterious disappearance.

This is an assured page-turner which evokes the glamour and success of a brilliant author but also examines the insecurities of age and relationships which all women can relate to.

Burgh's success is in the warm and engaging characters she creates. It is their unpredictable lives which enthral the reader.

Critical acclaim for her previous novels, Distinctions of Class and Breeders, includes a shortlisting for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award.