So much for journalistic competition: even as we were racing into print with our review of JK Rowling's debut for adults, The Casual Vacancy, our readers were with us neck and neck. First to the post was DrRatanBhattacharjee, who was not overly impressed by a "dark comedy with occasional elements of fun interspersed with suicide, cruel activities and even online pornography described in gynaecological detail." Less than four hours later, Jane Mccourt followed with a more indulgent review: "This novel accurately reflects elements of our society and psyches which demand reflection," she writes.

Also quick off the mark was Christopher Philip Howe, who pipped Val McDermid, and this week's books podcast, with his review of Attica Locke's new thriller The Cutting Season. Though he felt she occasionally tries too hard, he was impressed by many aspects of Locke's story of crime in the canefields of America's deep south:

It undoubtedly falls within the crime fiction genre – it is the first title in the Dennis Lehane crime imprint at HarperCollins – but it comes with a serious take on slavery and immigration in American history and culture, and a quality and style of writing that puts it firmly in the "literary" canon.

Whether the same could be said of Michael Connelly's Mullholland Dive is a moot point, judging by Lakis's review of this story collection.

"I'm a big fan of Michael Connelly," he writes, "and as such I guess I should wear a kind of blindfold when it comes to his work, but alas that is not the case ... in my humble opinion, Mulholland Dive is not as good as his two previous three-story ebook collections, Suicide Run and Angle of Investigation."

Oh well. As any good criminal lawyer could tell you, some you win, some you lose.

And that's all for this week. If I've mentioned your review, drop me an email at claire.armitstead@theguardian.com, and I'll send you something thrilling from our books cupboard.