STARTING in 17th century England and ending in modern-day London, Titania Hardie's first novel, The Rose Labyrinth, magically interweaves three tales - a riddle to unravel, a legacy to unearth and a heart to mend (published in hardback by Headline Review, £16.99).

When Diana dies of cancer she leaves her youngest son, Will, a brief letter, a mysterious piece of parchment paper dating back to the 17th century and a silver key.

Determined to unravel the mystery, Will, a freelance photojournalist whose relationship with long-term girlfriend, Sian,has ended, jumps on his beloved Ducati motorbike and begins his quest. With a copy of the historic text and a treasured key tucked into his jacket pocket, he heads to the first reference in the document, Campo de' Fiori in Italy, to unlock the secret.

Part thriller, part historical novel, part myth and part treasure hunt, this is a compelling page-turner, which includes a replica of the parchment left to Will and clues that allows the reader the unique opportunity to solve the mystery first.

Before his death in 1609, Elizabethan spy, astrologer and mathematician John Dee hid many of his papers from the world believing it was not ready for his ideas.

Through the centuries, the secret has been passed down generations of daughters, until spring 2003 when, in the absence of any girls, Diana is forced to hand the legacy to one of her two sons.

While Will travels around Europe attempting to decipher the clues in the ancient document and find a lock to fit the key, seriously ill Lucy King awaits heart surgery in London. It is a search that will leave them inextricably linked.

Packed with well-researched references, this literary labyrinth never fails to surprise and entertain as the reader and characters embark on a thrilling adventure to discover the secrets behind the Rose Labyrinth. This is a fascinating debut from Britain's favourite white witch, who has written more than 20 best-selling books of divination and spells.

Tanya Russell

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Factory Records - The Complete Graphic Album by Matthew Robertson, (published in paperback by Thames and Hudson, £18.95) offers a comprehensive resume of artwork that, as much as the music, defined Factory Records, one of the most important British record label of the last three decades.

From the earliest creation, Fac 1 - a poster advertising gigs in May/June 1978 that featured the Duretti Column, Cabaret Voltaire and Joy Division - to the last, Fac 372, being the cover of a 1992 Happy Mondays single, Sunshine and Love, the artists, designers and musicians involved established a canon of arresting and distinctive imagery.

The early iconography of in-house graphic genius Peter Saville laid the foundations for more than a decade of visual innovation. His work helped to embolden the populace of Manchester, granting it artistic licence to assert its identity in a rapidly changing nation.

Saville, along with subsequent cohorts such as Mark Farrow and Trevor Johnson, took inspiration from dada, surrealism, abstract expressionism and pop art. These ingredients created a melange that exploded in luminescent colour that lit up the grey austerity of the post-industrial North.

Indeed, Factory's artwork was infused by the city itself, culminating notably in the creation of the Hacienda, one of the most famous nightclubs in history and a temple of futurist design, a decade in advance of its contemporaries in cosmopolitan London.

The art is beautifully illustrated in this book, which has a foreword by the label's departed creator, Tony Wilson, and the layout enables the reader to chart the fluxing mores of both the label and the times in which it lived.

This book - itself given a Factory catalogue number, Fac 461 - is vivid and energising. A must read.

Rob Evans