Hot read: The Shadow Cartel (The Dominic Grey Series) by Layton Green; The sins of the past always return. Called upon by a former love to look into the death of a family friend in Miami, veteran investigator Dominic Grey is sucked into the darkest reaches of international narcotics trafficking. The murders of multiple drug dealers during a bizarre religious ceremony, combined with the appearance of a mythical assassin, take DEA agent Federico Hernandez and CIA operative Lana Valenciano down the same deadly path. Lying in wait is an enemy known only as the General - a criminal mastermind whose uncanny ability to avoid detection while cowing even the most ruthless of rival cartels has made him a legend. Thrown together on a covert manhunt, Grey and the two government agents race across the Americas to unearth a dark chapter in the history of the CIA that has spilled into the present - and put them in the crosshairs of an underworld puppeteer with a frightening reach.

Belladrum: The Manic Street Preachers have joined Belladrum’s line-up.

The multi award-winning chart-toppers are making their debut appearance at the sold-out festival alongside other first-timers The Stranglers and New Model Army.

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas will also be bringing their Motown and R&B classics to the Garden Stage where they will be joined by Hayseed Dixie - with their hillbilly versions of ACDC/hard rock covers and original tracks, Stornoway - the melodic alt-indie folk band from Oxford, and Fife singer-songwriter King Creosote.

Killie trio Fatherson will be making a much anticipated return to Bella. Other additions to the line-up include John Langan Band, RURA, Vigo Thieves, Vukovi, JP Cooper, Louis Berry, James Brown Is Annie, Hector Bizerk, Miss Irenie Rose, AKAska, The Dolly Parton Story, The Skull Kids, Siiga, Elephant Sessions, Have Mercy Las Vegas, The Shee, Rhythm Wave, Silver Coast, Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders, Dorec-a-Belle, Caledonian Ceilidh Trail, Head North and Junebug - winner of Bella’s Got Talent 2014.

A new VIP enclosure has also been created in a leafy woodland glade near a burn at the festival called ‘The Hielan’ Coo Club’ after the event’s mascot of a highland cow. It will feature a cocktail bar and chill-out zone, covered seating, posh loos, massage, beauty and makeup area, yurt sauna, and special food and drink. Tickets for adults (£45) and 12 & unders (£25) are available online.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival will take place 6-8 August 2015, Belladrum, Beauly.

Although sold-out, people still wanting to purchase weekend or three-day e-tickets to Belladrum can email support@skiddle.com where they will go on a waiting list in case tickets are returned. The same goes for those who have tickets to the festival, but want to acquire camper/caravan e-tickets.

For more information, head to www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk.

Annie Mumolo: Annie Mumolo has joined the cast of Universal’s new comedy Michelle Darnell. Mumolo - who co-wrote the Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig - will re-team with the film’s stars Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone. Falcone - who’s married to McCarthy in real-life - will direct the movie, which follows Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) who is sent to prison after she’s caught for insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget. As well as Mumolo, the cast includes Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, Kathy Bates, and Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell.

Suicide Squad: Suicide Squad director David Ayer tweeted the first picture of Jared Leto as the Joker in the upcoming blockbuster. Leto looks ghoulish as the Clown Prince of Crime with the villain’s trademark green hair and red lips. He’s also rocking blackened teeth, dozens of ‘HAHA’ tattoos across his body and ink on his forehead that reads ‘Damaged’. With Margot Robbie as his side-kick and love-interest Harley Quinn, I cannot wait for this to hit the big screen next year.

Plug in and play: With festival season just around the corner it’s time to gather the essentials. As well as a good pair of wellies and waterproof rain mac, punters should look to invest in a set of earplugs. For some, a night out on the town going to a club or attending a concert can end with ringing in their ears. Tinnitus can be caused by a number of factors – including loud music and shouting in ears when trying to be heard over the noise. When your ears have been overloaded, they need plenty of rest to avoid the risk of permanent hearing damage. Taking busy social lives into consideration, Alpine has developed earplugs specifically suitable for festivals, parties and gigs. Take the time to look around you during a music event. More and more punters are wearing earplugs because it’s always extra loud and during that one, banging track, the decibels tend to explode. With Alpine’s PartyPlug earplugs you’ll be able to enjoy yourself for longer and better – with no nasty ringing noises or a deaf sensation during performances. They are made of AlpineThermoShape™ material that takes on the shape of your ear canal. This gives you perfect absorption, without pressure on your ears or the feeling that you are isolated from the world. The smart AlpineAcousticFilters™ only filter the harmful noise, allowing you to enjoy the music to the fullest, while still being able to talk to your friends. So, to avoid taking home an awful festival souvenir of hearing loss, go to www.alpine.eu/partyplug to find your nearest Alpine PartyPlug stockist now.

PartyPlug review: “Love them! Aesthetically they look good, are soft, flexible and comfortable. I’ve used Alpine’s earplugs for a number of years now - wearing them to numerous gigs and concerts, popped them in during work to drown out my colleagues, and overnight to filter the sounds of my snoring housemate. They do the job nicely and you can still gossip with your mates over loud music if you want to. The last time I reviewed these earplugs, I stated that I’d never had any kind of trouble with my hearing before. Sadly, I forgot to take them to a family-friendly festival last July and ended up with a burst eardrum because of the loudness of a boisterous community choir - not one of my better stories. Since then my eardrum has healed and my hearing returned. I want to keep it that way, so Alpine’s PartyPlug earplugs will definitely be part of my festival kit this summer. For convenience, they also now come with a free minibox so you can store them safely and discreetly.

Mass Effect 4: A Mass Effect 4 leak claims to include information on the setting and premise of the new title for Xbox One and PS4. Appearing on Reddit, the survey is reportedly from BioWare asking the opinion of multiple features in the game. It will allegedly take place in the Helius Cluster, a melange of solar systems “far removed by time and space from Commander Shepard’s heroic acts”. The game will cast the player as a “pathfinder”, whose task is to travel into the cluster in search of a new planet where humanity can live. It’s said the cluster will be four times the size of the game map from Mass Effect 3. The survey goes on to say that Mass Effect 4 will include Strike Team missions, which will involve defending human settlements from attack, training your team for battle and recovering artefacts left behind by the “Remnant”. These missions will be single-player and multiplayer. There’s also talk of a Horde Mode, which will be a multiplayer feature where players are assaulted by wave upon wave of enemies. One of my best mates posted a link on my Facebook wall highlighting the rumour that the ME4 map could possibly be four times bigger than the last game. My other-half ‘liked’ the post, which is hilarious because Morgan complains whenever I switch on my PS4 - except when we play COD together - and will no doubt turn into a Moaning Myrtle when the new game is released with the amount of time I plan to spend on it.

American horror story: Evan Peters has checked in to American Horror Story: Hotel. Showrunner Ryan Murphy confirmed that the AHS alum and fan favourite would be returning for series five of the FX anthology. Peters, who has had a central role in all four of the previous seasons, will join Lady Gaga, Matt Bomer, Kathy Bates, Chloe Sevigny, Wes Bentley, Cheyenne Jackson and Sarah Paulson as “the baddest girl of them all”. Hotel, set to debut in October, will mark the show’s first season without leading lady Jessica Lange.

Hannibal: With just over a month to go until Hannibal is back on the box in the States, NBC has released a new poster of our favourite serial killer. With a sly grin, Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson) looks ready for the chase as the new series picks up from the explosive season two finale, where multiple characters may or may not have lost their lives. All I can trust is that Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is bound to be back in action at some point because season three will feature Red Dragon/Tooth Fairy himself, the frightening Francis Dolarhyde. I’m crapping myself already.

Top tracks: Alabama Shakes - Shoegaze Brand New - Mene GRRL PAL - Radar Passion Pit - My Brother Taught Me How To Swim Mumford & Sons - Snake Eyes