Debut author Lucy Dawson plays a clever game in this chick-lit novel with a difference.

Although it is based on the age old theme of jealous lover, the twists and turns in this plot about the dark side of relationships set it apart from the usual modern romance.

Dawson's heroine is the rather likeable Mia, a thinking kind of girl who understands that relationships need a bit of hard graft to make them work.

She is not so young that she does not recognise that in grown-up partnerships, the first flush of passion often gives way to something less spontaneous - but ultimately more rewarding and more lasting.

Clever and sassy Mia thought she had found Mr Right when she moved in with Pete but when she trips over his phone one night she reads a text message from another woman which makes her blood run cold.

She could simply confront him about the mysterious 'Liz' but instead, alone in the dark with her world crashing down around her, she hatches a plan that sends her straight into the eye of a storm.

In the ensuing game of deceit, trickery and lies, things are not always as they seem and Pete is not the only one who is playing to win.

Dawson has the enviable knack of being able to draw in her readers so that they feel they are living through Mia's dilemma. We might not always agree with the decisions she makes, but we just have to find out what the consequences will be...

Full of wry humour and neat observations on life and relationships, His Other Lover has an interesting psychology and a knowing edge. Dawson, it seems, is a new author to watch.

(Sphere, paperback, £6.99)