The three novels today showcase the power of words and images. In "Universality," language is weaponized, while "A Trial in Three Acts" brings legal proceedings and a theater play together. "The Violet Hour" takes on the contemporary art scene.

"Universality" by Natasha Brown

It’s hard to believe that this is only the second novel from Natasha Brown. Assembly was universally acclaimed when it came out a few years ago. A slim volume, critics were impressed with the depth of thought, the language, and the thematic precision - the novel was made up of the thoughts of a smart African-British woman about to enter the home of her white boyfriend. With this new novel, Brown takes on a bigger canvas, writing about the state of journalism, social media, popularity, and how these arenas are now driven by topicality, clicks, and not so much about conviction and principles. It all starts with an incident on a Yorkshire farm, when a man is bludgeoned close to death with a gold bar.

It turns out the bar was left on the mantle of the farm, owned by a banker/landlord. The one hit on the head was the putative head of a radical anarchist movement squatting on the farm, while the one wielding the weapon is the son of an icon of a newspaper columnist, known for her penchant for switching sides and being anti-woke just to be talked about and fiercely adopted by those of the same line of thought. Our protagonist is the young journalist who seeks to uncover the truth and make her own mark in online journalism. What Brown does so well is delve into the motives of our cast of characters, then put a timeline on it - we revisit the young journalist a year later, when the story has become stale, and she’s back struggling with her career.

"A Trial In Three Acts" by Guy Morpuss

If, like me, you’ve always been fascinated by good court dramas and the theatricality of the proceedings, then this novel has your name on it. The bonus to this crime fiction from Morpuss is how he injects a theater play and a cast of actors into the proceedings. Our narrator is defence barrister and King’s Counsel Charles Konig. When we first meet Charles, he’s a rather uptight, ultra-conservative individual, fastidious to a fault, but with a romantic streak in him - he’d much rather be trekking on some Himalayan mountain range in between cases than bonding with other barristers. And he’s out to set a personal record in how many times his letters to The Times will get printed. As for the new case he takes on, it’s a beauty.

Alexandra Dyce is a stage actress in the hit play, Daughter of the Revolution. It’s staged in a Chapel situated in a London cemetery, and this is all to add to the atmosphere. Dyce’s ex-husband is the famous Hollywood actor Leo Lusk, and he has bankrolled the production, along with a biotechnology company managed by their daughter, Francesca. Francesca dabbles with the stage and has a role in the play. The ‘crime’ occurs during one performance when the trick guillotine actually beheads Alexandra, to the shock of the audience that night. Leo is charged with the murder, and Konig is brought in, along with a female lawyer from the USA, to handle Lusk’s defence. What follows is a tight legal procedural that’s highlighted by sharply drawn characters we get to care about.

"The Violet Hour" by James Cahill

We often read about the contemporary commercial art scene, driven by well-attended art fairs all around the globe. It’s an inner world where everyone seems to be rich and glamorous, or idiosyncratic and temperamental. From the artists, to the gallery owners and managers, to the collectors and patrons of the Arts, this novel would blow away the covers, and expose us to what this demi-monde is really all about. Cahill was the author of "Tiepolo Blue" and has worked in the art world for over 15 years. At the center of the novel is the artist of the day, Thomas Halle. He’s the proverbial artist bestowed with both talent and popularity - but it all hides the emotionally challenged core that lies beneath the mask of untouchable genius.

We meet Lorna, a former lover and mother to a child, who until recently, represented Thomas and guided him to the pinnacle. Or so she and the public think. There’s a rich collector, American Leo Hoffman, obsessed over owning the Haller paintings, and creating a New York art event in honor of his wife, which becomes a central event in what transpires in this novel. There’s a new manager at Haller, who’s hiding a dark secret about their past. And there’s the unfortunate Luca, a staff member of the art gallery now representing Haller, and whose suicide haunts all that happens here. It’s a brilliantly written story about moral corruption, money, and jealousy, and about how art and materialism is employed to console our longing for something more.