Our top six books this week: the rise and fall of fashion visionary Alexander McQueen and more

Kaleidoscope City by Piers Moore Ede. An evocative and rich account of a year in Varanasi, India’s spiritual capital. We meet the pilgrims who come to bathe in the Ganges, silk weavers, sweet makers, weary bureaucrats and musicians. Ede discovers a place where “holiness and corruption walk side by side”. (Bloomsbury, February 26)

The Rise of Islamic State by Patrick Cockburn. After the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the Arab Spring, a new extremist threat emerged – ISIL. On-the-ground report from the foreign correspondent of the UK’s The Independent, which examines not just the chilling threat the group brings but the total failure of western policy. (Verso, February 3)

Lay Me Down by Nicci Cloke. Elsa and Jack move from London to San Francisco. Jack has landed his dream job working on the Golden Gate Bridge but no one told him about the jumpers – those who leap to their deaths. One in particular begins to haunt him and his life beings to unravel. (Vintage Original February 5)

The Chimes by Anna Smaill. Set in an alternative London where life is orchestrated by a vast musical instrument that renders people ­unable to form new memories. A boy arrives in the city to find out what happened to his parents but discovers he has a gift that could change everything. (Sceptre, February 12)

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma. Set in 1990s Nigeria, this tells the story of four young brothers. When their father must travel long distances for work, they skip school and go fishing. But an encounter with a madman at a forbidden river will change their lives forever. New and promising voice from Africa. (One, February 26)

Here’s a look at what we’re reading this week.