Without Prejudice Andrew Rosenheim (Arrow, £7.99) Anyone wanting to know the roots of Barack Obama’s rise to power could do no better than read this electrifying thriller by Oxfordshire writer Rosenheim, who himself grew up a stone’s throw from Obama’s childhood home. Rosenheim’s hero Robert has returned from Britain to his native Chicago when he receives a call from Duval, the son of his beloved childhood nanny. Duval has been released from a 20-year jail term for the horrific rape and assault of a young nurse. Is he, like many innocent black men, a victim of misscarriage of justice? It’s a story which doesn’t give easy answers, but raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions about communities divided by race.

Victor Frankenstein Pater Ackroyd (Vintage, £7.99) Victor Frankenstein came to Oxford University from Switzerland, drawn by its reputation in the burgeoning growth of scientific experiments. He began his experiments on the animal kingdom in Headington, where a farmer lent him a small barn, surrounded by trees and away from prying eyes. Ackroyd’s version of the Dracula story, with a hint of Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde, ends with a dramatic twist, and keeps us guessing to the end.

Newes from the Dead Mary Hooper (Definitions, £6.99) Oxford’s scientific community, of an even earlier vintage, features in this book, based on the true story of Anne Green, a servant girl from Woodstock hanged for killing her illegitimate baby. The body is carried to the College of Physicians, down a lane at the back of Christ Church, for dissection. As the doctors assemble for the grand, theatrical autopsy, a strange rattle is heard in her throat. Hooper gives a dramatic account of the doctors’ struggle to save her life, opposed all the way by the university authorities.

Swindled Bee Wilson (John Murray, £9.99) Despite all the recent food scandals this book makes you glad to be alive today, safe from the clutches of pink margarine, fake tea leaves and flavour injections. Wilson brings a humorous touch to the history of swindlers who have tampered with our food.