Published May 9th, 2024 by Orion Cozy Mystery, Literary Fiction, Puzzles, Coming-of-Age Story, Domestic Fiction, Gay Fiction
Today I’m my review for this charming and uplifting debut that was one of our SquadPod Featured Books this month. Thank you to Orion for the gifted proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
Tune in on the SquadPod Instagram account tonight at 7.30pm to here me chat with Samuel about the book.
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BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Utterly beautiful. I adored it’ JOANNA CANNON
‘Hugely uplifting and wonderful’AJ PEARCE
‘A ripping yarn full of warmth and wonder’BETH MORREY
Sometimes finding your place in the world is the greatest puzzle of all…
Clayton Stumper is an enigma.
He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt.
Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution.
When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.
Yet as Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve – and it’s a secret that will change everything…
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MY REVIEW:
Sometimes, finding your place in the world is the greatest puzzle of all.
Sometimes you only have to look at a book and know you’re going to love it. The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers was everything I’d hoped for and more. Cryptic, quirky and uplifting, this magnificent debut is an absolute gem. An ode to friendship, community, love and finding your place in the world, this hit the sweet spot where you want to devour it whole but also never want it to end.
Clayton Stumper is not your average 25-year-old. He was abandoned at birth and found in a hatbox on the steps of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by its founder, Pippa, and has been raised there ever since. But when Pippa passes away she leaves behind one final puzzle to be solved: the mystery of Clayton’s parentage. Can Clayton follow the clues to finally solve the puzzle that has eluded even the brightest minds of the country?
Debut novelist Samuel Burr has set the bar sky-high with this phenomenal debut and I will be buying anything he writes from now on. It is cleverly written, shrewdly plotted and steadily paced, keeping the reader guessing with misdirection and surprising revelations. The story moves smoothly between dual timelines and narrators, following Clayton on his journey of self-discovery in the present, while the past details the Fellowship’s conception and events leading up to the day Clayton was discovered on their doorstep. But what I loved most about this book was how Burr intricately weaves puzzles into every aspect of the story, including making it so the reader can play along and try to solve the clues alongside the characters. But, don’t worry if you don’t like puzzles, because you can also flip to the answers at the back. I’m a puzzle fan and enjoyed trying to solve the clues, but I did use the answer sheet for some of them, too.
Burr has created an eclectic cast of wonderful and fascinating characters who fit together like puzzle pieces despite coming from different boxes. I enjoyed their friendships that slowly blossomed into a found family. Clayton and Pippa were excellent protagonists who were both likeable, relatable, easy to root for, and had compelling backstories. I loved seeing Clayton slowly emerge from his self-imposed cocoon like a butterfly as he followed Pippa’s clues and enjoyed looking for ones that might be hidden in the flashbacks. Pippa was a nurturing, caring and supportive character, and I loved how she brought everybody together by creating a place where they could do what they love without judgement. It reminded me of finding my people in the book community, and when Pippa and the Puzzlers spoke about how puzzling makes them feel, it was as if I was speaking about my love of reading.
Charming, warm, joyful, and addictive, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is feel-good fiction at its finest. Add this to your TBR now!
Rating: 🧩🧩🧩🧩🧩
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Samuel studied at Westminster Film School and now works as an author and freelance TV executive. He has developed and produced popular-factual shows including Channel 4’s Genderquake and The Greatest Shows on Earth, BBC Two’s Eight Go Rallying and The Secret Life of Cleaners, and the BAFTA-nominated Secret Life of 4-Year-Olds.
A documentary he shot inside a retirement village when he was eighteen years old launched his career in television and inspired his debut novel, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. Samuel’s writing was shortlisted for Penguin’s WriteNow scheme and in 2021 he graduated from the Faber Academy.
In his spare time, Samuel volunteers for the elderly charity Age UK. He lives in London with his partner Tom and their cat Muriel.
May is another month filled with exciting new releases, including new books from favourite authors such as Laura Purcell, Jennifer Saint, Sarah Perry, John Marrs and M. J. Arlidge, and enthralling debuts from Samuel Burrs, Anne Corlett and Fiona McPhillips.
Here are the books I’m most anticipating:
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Published May 2nd by Jonathan Cape Gothic Fiction, Religious Romance, Spiritual Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends
***AN OBSERVER FICTION BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024***
‘A complete masterwork’ SARAH HALL
‘A beautifully nuanced novel of love in all its aspects’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN
Thomas Hart and Grace Macauley are fellow worshippers at the Bethesda Baptist chapel in the small Essex town of Aldleigh. Though separated in age by three decades, the pair are kindred spirits – torn between their commitment to religion and their desire for more. But their friendship is threatened by the arrival of love.
Thomas falls for James Bower, who runs the local museum. Together they develop an obsession with the vanished nineteenth-century female astronomer Maria Veduva, said to haunt a nearby manor, and whose startling astronomical discoveries may never have been acknowledged. Inspired by Maria, and the dawning realisation James may not reciprocate his feelings, Thomas finds solace studying the night skies. Could astronomy offer as much wonder as divine or earthly love?
Meanwhile Grace meets Nathan, a fellow sixth former who represents a different, wilder kind of life. They are drawn passionately together, but quickly pulled apart, casting Grace into the wider world and far away from Thomas.
In time, the mysteries of Aldleigh are revealed, bringing Thomas and Grace back to each other and to a richer understanding of love, of the nature of the world, and the sheer miracle of being alive.
Published May 2nd by Abacus Historical Ficiton, Historical Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘I was blown away by this dark, enchanting story of witchcraft, power and injustice. ..nothing short of brilliant’ Mary Chamberlain Erzsébet Báthory, whose infamous place in history characterises her as the ‘Blood Countess’, was accused of the murder of over 600 peasant girls in Hungary, 1610. The Nightingale’s Castle tells the story of a woman fighting for her survival and the complicated, often cruel, household over which she presides.
In 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gave birth to an illegitimate child. The infant, a girl, was swiftly bundled up and handed to a local peasant family to be brought up in one of the hamlets surrounding the Castle. Many years later, 15-year-old Boróka reluctantly leaves the safety of the only home she has ever known in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Trusted members of the countess’s household have been sent out to gather new serving girls, and the kindly old man who has taken care of Boróka for almost all her life knows that it is dangerous to turn them away.
Boróka struggles to find her place at Cachtice Castle: she is frightened of the countess’s reputation as an alleged murderer of young girls, and the women who run the castle are terrifyingly cruel. When plague comes into the heart of the castle, a tentative bond begins to form between Boróka and the Countess Báthory. But powerful forces are moving against a woman whose wealth poses such a threat to the king: can the countess really trust the women who are so close to her? And when the show trial begins against the infamous ‘Blood Countess’ where will Boróka’s loyalties lie?
Published May 2nd by Bantam Press Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
SYNOPSIS: “I’m not here for prestige. I’m here for revenge.”
Lou Manson is an outsider when she joins the final-year class at Highfield Manor, Dublin’s most exclusive private school. Beyond the granite pillars and the wrought-iron gates is a world of wealth, privilege and potential. But Highfield is also hiding a dark secret – and Lou is here to expose it.
When Lou befriends the beautiful and talented Shauna Power, her plans are thrown into turmoil. Speaking out against the school would mean betraying Shauna, and Lou soon discovers that the Highfield elite will go to any lengths to protect their own reputation…even when the consequences are fatal.
Thirty years later, Lou is called to testify in a new lawsuit against Highfield. But telling the truth means confronting her past – and there is one story she swore she’d never tell…
For fans of GIRL A, MY DARK VANESSA and ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, When We Were Silent is a propulsive, bold exploration of power, corruption and retribution.
Published May 2nd by Abacus Humorous Fiction, LGBTQ Literature, Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: The funniest, wildest and most original debut novel of 2024
‘Gobby, barbed and garrulous’ Eley Williams
‘Truly original’ Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies
‘Genuinely hilarious’ Keiran Goddard, author of Hourglass
It’s Natwest’s last day before he leaves for university, and there’s only one thing on his mind: the deeply embarrassing package he ordered to his house – which still hasn’t arrived. He won’t leave town without it. Any alternative is too distressing to consider …
This is the story of twenty-four hours in the life of NATWEST, and his small-town odyssey in pursuit of the missing package. And yet it’s also the story of a MIDDLE-AGED DENTIST who dreams of being a respected artist – but the only thing he can seem to paint is the human mouth. And it’s the story of a TORTURED IMAM involved in a quasi-romantic entanglement with the local vicar; and an OCTOGENARIAN mourning the death of her secretive husband; and a TROUBLED TEENAGER whose nudes have leaked on the internet. It’s the story of Natwest’s obnoxious EX-BOYFRIEND, and his CLASS-TRAITOR MOTHER and her CHILDHOOD BOYFRIEND, and the life-changing secrets he knows about Natwest’s past.
Alternating between Natwest’s idiosyncratic inner world and the perspectives of the other characters – and dazzling in its energy, imagination and originality – this is an outrageously funny and tenderly moving story about being connected to everyone and everything at all times; about love, friendship, and the lies we tell ourselves; about unhappy endings, happy endings – and whether anything really is as simple as one or the other.
Every Time I Go On Vacation ,Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
Published May 2nd by Pan Macmillan Mystery, Crime Fiction, Humorous Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Ten days. Eight suspects. Six cities. Five authors. Three bodies. One trip to die for.
Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series, is on a book tour along the gorgeous Amalfi Coast when life starts imitating art as her ex-boyfriend (and book protagonist) Connor Smith is targeted by a killer.
Eleanor’s sleuthing skills are about to be put to the ultimate test as – among literary rivals, rabid fans, a crazed stalker and another ex-flame on tour with her – suspicions are flying faster than paperbacks off a bestseller shelf. But who is really trying to get away with murder?
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is The White Lotus meets Only Murders in the Building and the first in an irresistible and whip-smart mystery series.
Eleanor Dash will return in the next book in the Vacation Mysteries series, No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding.
Published May 2nd by Pan Macmillan Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Susepense, Crime Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Dystopian Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘John Marrs is a writer at the top of his game and The Family Experiment is his best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever.’ – Claire Douglas, author of The Woman Who Lied
Some families are virtually perfect . . .
The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let alone raise them.
But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality tv show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the chance of a real baby . . .
Set in the same universe as John Marrs’s bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate ‘tamagotchi’ – a virtual baby.
Published May 9th by The Borough Press Historical Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Romance Novel, Magical Realism, Dark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: The whole world disappears when you enter
THE SILENCE FACTORY
‘I loved it. A delicately woven novel with an utterly original premise, it ensnared me from the very first page’ EMILIA HART ____________
Henry dreams of silence.
A world without the clattering of carriages through cobbled streets, the distant cries of drunken brawls, the relentless ticking of the clock.
Then he meets a fascinating, mysterious gentleman who sells just that. Precious silk that can drown out the clamour of the world – and everything Henry is so desperate to escape.
Summoned to Sir Edward’s secluded factory to try to cure his young daughter’s deafness, Henry is soon drawn deeper and deeper into the origins of this otherworldly gift: a gift that has travelled from ancient Mediterranean glades to English libraries.
Ignoring repeated warnings from the girl’s secretive governess, he allows himself to fall under the spell of Sir Edward and his silk… but when he learns its true cost, will it be too late to turn back?
From the #1 bestselling author of THE BINDING, this is an enthralling story about complicity, desire and corruption – a novel to lose yourself in.
Published May 9th by Raven Books Historical Thriller, Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Delicious … dark … sinister’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of number one bestseller, Pandora ‘Thrilling’ Emilia Hart, author of Sunday Times bestseller Weyward ‘Stunning’ Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels ‘Marvellous‘ Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings
Deep in the woods, something is stirring.
When Miss Catherine Symonds arrives to take up a position as governess at remote Locksley Abbey in the foothills of the Black Mountains, where England bleeds into Wales, she is apprehensive.
It is not the echoing, near empty house with its skeleton staff that frightens her, nor the ancient woods that surround the Abbey or even the dogs that the owner, Sir Rowland, encourages to stalk the grounds, baying for blood. It is Catherine herself who fears scrutiny: her reference and very identity are fraudulent. She is travelling in disguise to investigate the fate of the last governess at the house, who took her own life out in the woods. For that governess was Catherine’s own sister, but until now she had believed Emily had died many years before, when they were just children.
In Rosie Andrews’s extraordinary follow up to the bestselling The Leviathan – one of the biggest debuts of 2022 – an isolated forest becomes the unsettling, beguiling backdrop to a tale of myths, memory and murder.
Published May 9th by Orion Cozy Mystery, Coming-of-Age Story, Literary Fiction, Puzzles and Quizzes
SYNOPSIS: The extraordinary, gloriously uplifting and hotly-anticipated debut novel from Samuel Burr – available to pre-order now!
‘Utterly beautiful. I adored it’ JOANNA CANNON
‘Hugely uplifting and wonderful’AJ PEARCE
‘A ripping yarn full of warmth and wonder’BETH MORREY
Sometimes finding your place in the world is the greatest puzzle of all…
Clayton Stumper is an enigma.
He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt.
Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution.
When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.
Yet as Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve – and it’s a secret that will change everything…
Published May 9th by Avon Books Psychlogical Thriller, Serial Killers, Police Biographies, Murder Biographies
SYNOPSIS: What would you do if you found out the man you loved was rotten to the core?
Prepare to be hooked by Alice Hunter’s addictive new novel – so shocking it should come with a warning…
Trusted officer. Family man. Monster.
Becky Lawson’s life has been shattered.
When she discovered her husband, John – a trusted policeman – was a monster, she reported him. But her faith in the system was crushed when it didn’t lead to any charges or consequences.
Now, John lives freely with a new girlfriend and her young daughter, while Becky battles guilt over missing the obvious signs.
Determined for justice, Becky hunts him down. But John wants her silenced – at any cost. Becky knows only one of them can survive, and she’ll do anything to make sure it’s her.
Becky must tread carefully though, because John isn’t the only bad apple lurking in the shadows…
A gripping psychological suspense about betrayal, courage, and the darkness that can hide behind a seemingly trustworthy façade. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, B.A. Paris and the Netflix hit TV series You.
Published May 9th by Viking Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural
SYNOPSIS: I guess you’re probably wondering about the next girl. Because there’s always another girl, right? A girl waiting to be taken. To be swept away. I’ll tell you about her.
It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun lost her sister, and she’s been searching ever since: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. Happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.
Until one day, local teenager Ellie Black is found in Washington State woods. Two years after her disappearance, she’s an echo of herself, but alive.
But something’s not right about this girl. Where has she been, and who is she protecting?
Chelsey has to find out. For herself, for her sister, and before the next girl is taken.
Published May 9th by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From the Observer debut novelist of the year, comes a blistering, heart-wrenching new novel of complicity and atonement, delving into one nurse’s experience of the little-known history of conversion therapy and the heart-breaking betrayal of the AIDS crisis.
March 2020. Annie is alone in her house as the world shuts down, only the ghosts of her memories for company. But then she receives a phone call which plunges her deeper into the past.
1959. Annie and Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Working long, gruelling hours, they soon learn that the only way to appease their terrifying matron is to follow the rules unthinkingly. But what is happening in the hospital’s hidden side wards? And at what point does following the rules turn into complicity – and betrayal?
1983. Annie is reeling from the loss of her husband and struggling to face raising her daughter alone. Following a chance encounter, she offers a sick young man a bed for the night, a good deed that soon leads to another. Before long, she finds herself entering a new life of service – her home a haven for those who are cruelly shunned. But can we ever really atone?
The powerful and captivating new novel from the celebrated author of KEEPER and YOUNG WOMEN, HOLD BACK THE NIGHT is Jessica Moor’s most powerful and commercial book to date. A darkly compelling character-led novel, drawing on themes of complicity and betrayal, it is bursting with talking points and absolutely perfect for reading groups.
Published May 9th by Headline Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Sunday Times bestselling novelist Alison Weir returns with the spellbinding story of Mary I.
A DESTINY REWRITTEN. A ROYAL HEART DIVIDED.
Adored only child of Henry VIII and his Queen, Katherine of Aragon, Princess Mary is raised in the golden splendour of her father’s court. But the King wants a son and heir.
With her parents’ marriage, and England, in crisis, Mary’s perfect world begins to fall apart. Exiled from the court and her beloved mother, she seeks solace in her faith, praying for her father to bring her home. But when the King does promise to restore her to favour, his love comes with a condition.
The choice Mary faces will haunt her for years to come – in her allegiances, her marriage and her own fight for the crown. Can she become the queen she was born to be?
MARY I. HER STORY.
Alison Weir’s new Tudor novel is the tale, full of drama and tragedy, of how a princess with such promise, loved by all who knew her, became the infamous Bloody Mary.
Published May 9th by Tor Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel, Lesbian Literature, Cozy Fantasy, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A heart-warming, sapphic journey brimming with jeopardy, magic and a love of tea – for fans of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes and TJ Klune.
Two women wanted to open a cosy bookshop. They discovered a world of adventure.
Reyna and Kianthe dream of opening a friendly book shop together, serving the very best tea and cakes. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters – all complemented by love and good company. But Reyna is an elite bodyguard to a vengeful queen, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives behind seems . . . impossible. Yet they flee to Tawney, a town nestled in the icy peaks of dragon country. There, they open the bookstore they’d always wanted.
What follows is a tale of mishaps, mysteries, dragons, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. Through it, these two women will discover what they mean to each other – and their world.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a gorgeous treat of a book, filled with cosy adventure, sapphic romance and good feelings. The story continues in the swashbuckling A Pirate’s Life for Tea.
Published May 14th by Sceptre Romance Novel, Time Travel Fiction, Time Travel Romance, Science Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Fast moving and riotously entertaining, a genre-busting blend of wit and wonder’ 10 best new novelists for 2024, Observer
A 2024 literary highlight in the Sunday Times, BBC, Grazia, Dazed, Sunday Express, GQ, i-D, Stylist, Bookseller and Literary Friction
A BOY MEETS A GIRL. THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE. A FINGER MEETS A TRIGGER. THE BEGINNING MEETS THE END. ENGLAND IS FOREVER. ENGLAND MUST FALL.
In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering ‘expats’ from across history to test the limits of time-travel.
Her role is to work as a ‘bridge’: living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as ‘1847’ – Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as ‘washing machine’, ‘Spotify’ and ‘the collapse of the British Empire’. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more.
But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?
Published May 16th by Hutchinson Heinmann Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
SYNOPSIS: London, 1833
Doctress Hester Reeves has been offered a life-changing commission.
But it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in Kings Cross and move to Tall Trees – a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia.
If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of.
But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her. Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades – including one that will leave Hester’s own life forever changed…
Pre-order here*
Girls by Kirsty Capes
Published May 16th by Orion Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Everyone has heard of Girls. But what happened to the women they became?
At the time of her death, the press wrote many things about Ingrid Olssen:
She was a brilliant artist. She was a terrible mother to her girls, Mattie and Nora. And that her legacy would live on forever.
Even so, it’s unlikely the world will ever see another Ingrid Olssen exhibition – her last request to her daughters was to throw her ashes in the canyon and her paintings in the sea.
But as Mattie and Nora reluctantly embark on an all-or-nothing trip to fulfil her wishes, they start to unpick the painful scars of their past.
And soon they begin to realise that the ties that bound them, might also break them…
Perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. GIRLS is as devastating as it is hilarious, as tender and moving as it is shocking – this is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the final pages.
Pre-order here*
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Sheilds
Published May 16th by Orbit Romantic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ Literature
SYNOPSIS: ‘Reading The Honey Witch is like dreaming in a fragrant sunlit garden while bees sing around you. It’s a gorgeous book, with a lovely cottagecore ambience and a heart-warming sapphic romance intertwined with unique magic that enchants the imagination‘ India Holton, internationally bestselling author
The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.
Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who’ve tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.
When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home-at the risk of losing her magic and her heart..
A delicious debut that combines the swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton and the whimsical sorcery of Practical Magic, with a dash of The Secret Life of Bees thrown in for good fun.
Pre-order here*
Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger
Published May 16th by Doubleday Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: For fans of Elizabeth Strout and Barbara Kingsolver: Beautifully observed portrait of marriage, divorce and reconciliation as an estranged couple go on a road trip to uncover a family mystery.
‘Sarah Leipciger is a consummate storyteller’RACHEL JOYCE ‘A wonderful, beautiful book – fierce, tragic, lyrical. I just loved it’ CLAIRE FULLER ‘Deeply humane. Tough, tender, wonderful‘ JOANNA QUINN, author of The Whalebone Theatre ____________________________
It’s irksome to her, how well she knows this man, how much he has changed and how exactly the same he is …
Kathleen and Yannick have not spoken for nineteen years, not since what happened with their daughter.
Now, there’s unexpected news from the other side of the country, and the call for a road trip they can only make together.
As they rattle over two thousand miles in a pick-up, through forests, over mountains and into service stations, an alluring history reveals itself: of fierce love, complicated ex-wives and headstrong children, and of a unique bond that never really went away.
As they drive, argue, gossip and reminisce, an unexpected future for this once estranged couple begins to emerge.
MOON ROAD captures the wonder and grief of watching our children grow up; of recovering from long buried pain, and rediscovering those closest to us when we think we know all there is to know; and of learning to live and love in a completely new way.
Pre-order here*
Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates
Published May 21st by Harper Collins Horror Fiction, Suspense, Historical Ficiton, Psychological Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From one of our most accomplished storytellers, an extraordinary and arresting novel about a women’s asylum in the nineteenth century, and a terrifying doctor who wants to change the world
In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr. Silas Weir, “Father of Gyno-Psychiatry,” as he ascends from professional anonymity to national renown. Humiliated by a procedure gone terribly wrong, Weir is forced to take a position at the New Jersey Asylum for Female Lunatics, where he reigns. There, he is allowed to continue his practice, unchecked for decades, making a name for himself by focusing on women who have been neglected by the state–women he subjects to the most grotesque modes of experimentation. As he begins to establish himself as a pioneer of nineteenth-century surgery, Weir’s ambition is fueled by his obsessive fascination with a young Irish indentured servant named Brigit, who becomes not only Weir’s primary experimental subject, but also the agent of his destruction.
Narrated by Silas Weir’s eldest son, who has repudiated his father’s brutal legacy, Butcher is a unique blend of fiction and fact, a nightmare voyage through the darkest regions of the American psyche conjoined, in its startling conclusion, with unexpected romance. Once again, Joyce Carol Oates has written a spellbinding novel confirming her position as one of our celebrated American visionaries of the imagination.
Published May 23rd by Wildfire Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Greek Mythology, Literary Ficiton, Psychological Fiction
SYNOPSIS: The enthralling tale of a powerful Greek goddess maligned in both myth and ancient history, as told by Sunday Times bestselling author Jennifer Saint.
‘A brilliant read’Women & Home | ‘A spirited retelling’Times | ‘Beautiful and absorbing’ Fabulous | ‘A vivid reimagining of Greek mythology’Harper’s Bazaar | ‘Jennifer Saint has done an incredible job’Red
When Hera, immortal goddess and daughter of the ancient Titan Cronus, helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, she dreams of ruling at his side.
As they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera suspects that Zeus might be just as ruthless and cruel as the father they betrayed.
She was always born to rule, but must she lose herself in perpetuating this cycle of violence and cruelty? Or can she find a way to forge a better world?
Often portrayed as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother, this retelling captures the many sides of Hera, vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and most importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.
Pre-order here*
Moonstone by Laura Purcell
Published May 23rd by Magpie Gothic Fiction, Gothic Romance, Horror, Paranormal Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From award-winning bestseller Laura Purcell comes her YA debut, MOONSTONE.
Don’t misbehave. Beware the moon. And never go out after dark . . .
Following a scandal at the Vauxhall pleasure gardens, Camille is sent to the woods to live with her reclusive godmother and her strange daughter, Lucy. Cast out from polite society, she must learn to live by her godmother’s strict rules.
Camille has never met anyone quite like Lucy before, and as they grow closer and cross forbidden boundaries, strange things begin to happen. Mysterious deaths, claw marks raking the doors, and the nights are pierced by the howls of a creature that sounds almost . . . otherworldly.
Should Camille be more afraid of what’s hiding in the woods – or her own heart?
From the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Silent Companions, Moonstone is a haunting gothic romance with real bite.
Pre-order here*
The Theatre of Glass and Shadows by Anne Corlett
Published May 23rd by Black & White Publishing Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: ‘Marvellous’ Bridget Collins, TheSunday Times bestselling author of The Binding
Sometimes the greatest spectacle hides the darkest secrets . . .
In an alternate London, the city’s Theatre District is a walled area south of the river where an immersive production – the Show – has been running for centuries, growing ever bigger, more sprawling and lavish. The Show is open to anyone who can afford a ticket but the District itself is a closed world; even the police have no jurisdiction within its walls.
Juliet’s mother died when she was a baby. Brought up by her emotionally distant father and even more distant stepmother, she has never felt wanted. It’s only when her father passes away that Juliet – now nineteen – learns her birth was registered in the District. Desperate to belong somewhere at last, she travels to London where she hopes to unearth the truth about her identity, her mother’s death and her father’s years of silence – and claim her birthright.
But in the District, there is only one central truth: the Show must go on. And in a world where illusions abound, and powerful men control the narrative, Juliet has no idea of just how far some will go to ensure certain stories are never told . . .
For fans of The Miniaturist and The Doll Factory, The Theatre of Glass and Shadows is a place where nothing is as it seems.
‘Original and captivating’ Karen Coles, author of The Asylum
Pre-order here*
Glass Houses by Francesca Reece
Published May 23rd by Tinder Press Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Psychlogical Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Somewhere, in a box in Margot Yates’ attic there’s a video of Gethin by the lake at Ty Gwydr. He’s young – nineteen, maybe twenty. It’s late spring and dusk, and a low sun leaks white light into the horizon behind the dark fringe of trees. Olwen is filming. Gethin narrows his eyes at the camera. Her bodiless voice says to him, I love it here. He says, good. This place is ours.
Forester Gethin Thomas is struggling to make ends meet in his rural hometown in North Wales. Bright, charming, but unambitious, the thing that keeps him going is Ty Gwydr, a beautiful lakeside house that he keeps an eye on for absent English owners. The house has been empty for so long he’s come to think of it as his own.
That is until the owners decide to sell, sending Geth into freefall. And when he discovers that Olwen, his first love who left him and their small town for a new life in London, has returned to North Wales with her husband, Geth and Olwen will find themselves pulled back into the past and what could have been – or still could be.
But soon mysterious messages start arriving at the house, and they must question whether this is the love story they thought it was, or whether there might be something altogether more sinister lurking beneath the surface.
Published May 23rd by Orenda Books Mystery, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: When Mathilde is forced to leave her teaching job in Oslo after her relationship with eighteen-year-old Jacob is exposed, she flees to the countryside for a more authentic life.
Her new home is a quiet cottage on the outskirts of a dairy farm run by Andres and Johs, whose hobbies include playing the fiddle and telling folktales – many of them about female rebellion and disobedience, and seeking justice, whatever it takes.
But beneath the surface of the apparently friendly and peaceful pastoral life of the farm, something darker and less harmonic starts to vibrate, and with Mathilde’s arrival, cracks start appearing … everywhere.
Published May 23rd by Headline Satire, Hunour, Dark Comedy, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Psychologcial Thriller, Crime Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Domestic Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Their hangovers may fade, but this is a hen party they’ll never forget…
Lauren, Saskia, Dominica, Farah and Tansy have been friends since nursery. They wonder if that was the last time they all actually liked each other.
Reunited as bridesmaids at Tansy’s spiritual hen party in the woods, it doesn’t take long before old grudges begin to surface. Not to mention the secret they’ve been hiding for twenty years.
But what starts as a weekend of macramé and contraband vodka ends in murder when Tansy chokes to death on a poisoned cacao drink.
As the body count keeps climbing, the friends realise that one of their group must be the killer – and if any of them want to make it down the aisle, they need to watch their sash-covered backs.
Who will be left standing when the bouquet is thrown?
Published May 23rd by HQ Suspense, Mystery, Psychlogical Thriller, Crime Ficiton, Police Procedural
SYNOPSIS: Once secrets catch… they spread…
Deadly fires are lighting up Brighton, and the latest case is alarmingly close to home for DC Eve Starling. The blaze was deliberately set, and a mother and daughter didn’t make it out of the smoke.
Eve’s investigation takes her deep into her own uncomfortable past. When her key witness disappears, and with the killer always one step ahead, Eve is desperate to solve the case – whatever the cost.
But Eve has no idea how close she is to the flames, and playing with fire can get you burned…
Published May 23rd by Fourth Estate Urban Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romantic Comedy
SYNOPSIS: From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein
‘A stunning exploration of sisterhood and grief, addiction and recovery, pain and pleasure. Captivating’ TESS GUNTY
‘In Blue Sisters, grief is rendered with gorgeous particularity’ RAVEN LEILANI
The Blue sisters have always been exceptional – and exceptionally different.
Avery, a strait-laced lawyer living in London, is the typical eldest daughter, though she’s hiding a secret that could undo her perfect life forever.
Bonnie was a boxer but, following a devastating defeat, she’s been working as a bouncer in LA, until one reckless night threatens to drive her out of the city.
And Lucky, the rebellious youngest, is a model in Paris whose hard-partying ways are finally catching up with her.
Then there was Nicky, the beloved fourth sister, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie and Lucky reeling. When, a year later, the three of them must reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, they find that it’s only by returning to each other that they can navigate their grief, addiction and heartbreak―and learn to fall in love with life again.
Published May 30th by Orion Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: When 3-month-old Max is abducted, his parents are plunged into their worst nightmare. Devastated mum Sarah only took her eyes off him for a second, but that doesn’t stop her guilt. Even husband Jake can’t hide his anger that their little boy went missing on her watch.
By contrast there are smiles and celebration at a caravan park in Lincolnshire, as baby Blaze is introduced to the Star family. Jenna and Gary are delighted with the new addition to their family. He is their fourth child and a real object of delight to their eldest – fifteen-year-old Willow – who once again will raise the child.
But trouble is brewing for the Star family. Willow is concerned by the desperate online appeals from Sarah and Jake, baby Max has neonatal diabetes and without regular treatment will die. As baby “Blaze” becomes seriously ill, Willow makes a shocking discovery. What is the truth about her family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret?
Published March 14th, 2024 by Orenda Books Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Hardboiled, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural, Supernatural Fiction, Crime Series
It’s a few days late, but today I’m sharing my review for the dark, beguiling and shadowy gothic thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and Orenda for the proof copy.
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SYNOPSIS:
An investigative reporter gives up her job when her young twins are killed in a fire, but when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, she’s thrust into a chilling investigation that will leave no one unscathed…
‘An extraordinary debut: intriguing, unsettling, heavy on atmosphere and with a formidable leading lady … Suzy Aspley is one to watch’ Mari Hannah
‘A gripping piece of contemporary gothic, Crow Moon signals the arrival of a hugely promising new talent’ Kevin Wignall
‘A nerve-tingling thriller that both enchants and terrifies. Aspley weaves sinister folklore into a tense murder investigation that has you looking over your shoulder as you turn each page’ Eve Smith
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When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…
Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.
Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back…
When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha… Both a nerve-shattering, enthralling and atmospheric thriller and a moving tale of grief and psychological damage, Crow Moon is a staggeringly accomplished debut and the start of an addictive, unforgettable series.
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MY REVIEW:
When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…
Dark, shadowy, eerie and beguiling, Crow Moon is an outstanding debut gothic thriller steeped in folklore, dripping with suspense and pulsing with fear. It centres around Martha Strangeways, a former investigative journalist who gave up her job following the death of her young twins in a tragic house fire. But her journalistic intrigue is awakened when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, his body covered in a strange poem about crows. When another teenager goes missing Martha teams up with DI Derek Summers to investigate and soon discovers there is more to this than they first thought and no one in the village of Strathbran is safe…
There’s a new queen of gothica in town. Suzy Aspley’s chilling debut is the apex of suspense writing and a spectacular start to an exciting new series. Filled with folklore, fear, loss and grief, the dark horror instantly gripped me; the atmosphere charged with dread and emotion as Aspley held me in a vice-grip, drip-feeding information and rationing the reveals to keep me guessing. The evocative imagery she draws plays an important role too, transporting me to this small village in the Scottish Highlands where whispers of witchcraft provide a dark heartbeat that lurks under the surface of this ordinary place. With each page I fell further and further into this eerie tableau of horror and mystery and was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, breathless with anticipation as I awaited the big reveal.
“People believed there was magic in these woods, and local tourist guides still told tales of witches. They knew nothing, he thought. But the stories meant they didn’t want to be here after dark, which was just as well.”
Legend and folklore play a central role in this story and provide a lot of the story’s eerie ambience and nerve-jangling fear. When Martha discovers Fraser’s body she notices writing on him which she later learns from DI Summers that this was the second of a four verse poem called Feannag Dhubh, a strange legend that originated from the Scottish witch trials of the 17th Century about a local woman who could turn herself into a crow. As she investigates Martha finds more and more links between the ancient story, her former home and current occurrences. While she doesn’t believe in the folklore, it is clear that there is someone who does, and as the crow moon gets closer the danger escalates and there’s a race against time to find this person before it’s too late.
Martha Strangeways is a compelling new protagonist. The investigative journalist lives with her teenage son, Dougie, and is still trying to wade through the darkness of her grief after losing her twins in the fire. She hasn’t worked in the time since the tragedy but can’t shake the intrigue that is sparked by the disappearance and terrible murder of her son’s friend. As someone of a similar age with sons near to Dougie’s age, I found Martha easy to connect with, and my heart broke for her after the loss of her other children. Throughout the book we also have the perspective of Fraser’s kidnapper. They are written like a murmur and the man’s desperation to rid himself of whatever haunts him is palpable. Danger radiates from him as we see he will go to perilous lengths to make that happen and this menacing villain sent chills scissoring up my spine each time he was on the page.
So, if, like me, you enjoy stories that are hauntingly atmospheric, drenched in gothica, gleaming with malice, and radiating tension, this is for you.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Originally from the north east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in Scotland for almost 30 years. She writes crime and short stories often inspired by the strange things she sees in the landscape around her. She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted in the London Capital crime festival’s new voices award. In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Her novel Crow Moon was also long listed this year for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series featuring journalist Martha Strangeways. When she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs dreaming up more dark stories.
Published February 15th by Hutchinson Heinmann Mystery, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
Here’s my review for a book you HAVE to read. Thank you Hutchinson Heinemann for the proof copy.
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SYNOPSIS:
THE BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
‘To read it is to feel that little bit better about life‘ ELIZABETH DAY
‘A beautiful mystery with heart’ ROB RINDER
‘This is a heart-warming book’ EMMA HEALEY
‘A gorgeous, page-turning book’ I PAPER
Yorkshire, 1979
Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.
Because of the murders.
Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?
So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don’t.
But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families – and between each other – than they ever thought possible.
What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?
THE PERFECT DEBUT NOVEL TO DISCUSS IN BOOK CLUBS
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MY REVIEW:
‘We’ll make a list,’ I said. ‘A list of the people and things we see that are suspicious. And then… And then we’ll investigate them.’
If you’ve not read The List of Suspicious Things then you need to add it to your TBR right now! A coming-of-age meets slice of life and mystery novel, this debut was a good book that became SPECTACULAR with its conclusion. So much so that I sat hugging it to my chest for ages just repeating ‘Wow’ after finishing it.
Yorkshire, 1979. Margaret Thatcher is the new Prime Minister, mills are closing, and a terrifying serial killer is stalking local women. It is against this bleak backdrop that The List of Suspicious Things is set, following twelve-year-old Miv as she and her best friend, Sharon, set out to find the Yorkshire Ripper in order to stop Miv’s family moving ‘down south’. But are they prepared for what they will discover?
What a book! Jennie Godfrey is a masterful storyteller and a talent to watch, crafting an unforgettable story about family, friendship, community, secrets, suspicion, and the loss of innocence. And how could this Yorkshire girl, born in 1979, resist that premise? The familiar dialect places and characters created a sense of home for me, and I loved the feelings of nostalgia it evoked. Miv is a great protagonist who I related to from the start. She took me right back to being that age with all the same feelings and confusion about the world. I loved the child-like innocence and wide-eyed wonderment about the world that shines through in Miv’s chapters, something that is balanced by the adults’ points of view, which not only give us a greater perspective, but also help add to the sense of community that flows throughout the book. There are a number of sensitive and difficult subjects explored in this book and I liked that Godfrey handled them with honesty and compassion. One example is the ever-looming presence of the Yorkshire Ripper. I appreciated that Godfrey focuses on the impact of his crimes and the atmosphere of fear, danger, suspicion and distrust he created rather than the man himself.
A phenomenal debut that left me reeling, everyone needs to read this book.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jennie Godfrey was raised in West Yorkshire and her debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, is inspired by her childhood there in the 1970s. Jennie is from a mill-working family, but as the first of the generation born after the mills closed, she went to university and built a career in the corporate world. In 2020 she left and began to write. She is now a writer and part-time Waterstones bookseller and lives in the Somerset countryside.
Published January 4th, 2024 by Simon & Schuster UK Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Police Procedural, Crime Series, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction, Science Fiction
I’m finally sharing my review for the brilliant In the Blink of an Eye, which was a Squadpod Reviews book. Thank you Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
As seen on BBC 2’s BETWEEN THE COVERS
‘I devoured this in one sitting’ Rob Rinder, as featured on BBC 2’s Between the Covers
‘Terrifyingly timely and provocative’ Val McDermid
‘The most original crime novel you’ll read this year’ Clare Mackintosh
In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds. Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye.
DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal.
AI versus human experience. Logic versus instinct. With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic?
In the Blink of an Eye is a dazzling debut from an exciting new voice and asks us what we think it means to be human.
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MY REVIEW:
I’m a sucker for a crime series and In the Blink of an Eye is the first book in a crime series like nothing you’ve read before.
DCS Kat Frank is picked to lead a pilot programme where she will be partnered with AIDE (Artificial Intelligence Detective Entity) Lock. Kat isn’t a fan of AI or Lock, but when the two cold cases they are investigating become active investigations and things take a personal turn, she finds Lock is the only one willing to help her.
Fast-paced, tense, twisty and gripping, this is an exciting and original take on the familiar detective buddy trope. I’m a big fan of these kinds of books but always enjoy finding something a bit different and Jo Callaghan’s debut really does stand out from the crowd. It explores whether AI and logic are superior to human experience and gut feelings when it comes to solving crimes, the truth about loss, and what it means to be human. The story is narrated by Kat but every so often we have a section that is narrated by an unknown man who is being held captive. His terror leaps from the pages and as the story gets darker the tension goes through the roof, my heart racing as I tried to predict what would happen next.
I’ll admit that, like Kat, I had some apprehension about a robot detective. I needn’t have worried. In Lock Jo Callaghan has created a character who is obviously AI while also breathing the right amount of life and humanity into him to make him compelling. I liked that Kat is his total opposite and is a no-nonsense detective who relies on her instincts. I related to her in many ways on a personal level and enjoyed discovering more about her backstory. I enjoyed the banter between her and Lock and watching them learn how to work together rather than being at odds. The rest of Kat’s team were equally as well written and I am looking forward to returning to the whole cast of characters in the next instalment next month.
Thought-provoking, thrilling and addictive, In the Blink of an Eye is a strong start to what promises to be a great new series. Highly recommended.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jo Callaghan works fulltime as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce.She was a student of the Writers’ Academy Course (Penguin Random House), was long listed for the Myslexia Novel Writing Competition and Bath Novel Competition. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, her debut crime novel. Published to critical-acclaim, it selected by Val McDermid for her New Blood panel of the best debuts of 2023 and for BBC Two’s Between the Covers Book Club. TV rights were sold in a major acquisition.
Published March 2nd, 2023 by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Greek Mythology
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SYNOPSIS:
Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent . . . meet Clytemnestra, the ancient world’s most wronged woman . . . ‘Vivid with fury, passion and strength, this is a fabulous myth retelling’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘A blaze of a novel, fiery and furious – and alight with murderous revenge’ DAILY MAIL
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She is born to a king but marries a tyrant.
She watches helplessly as he sacrifices her child to the gods.
She bides her time. She plots revenge. She knows how to play this game.
If power will not be given to her, then she will take it for herself.
She is Clytemnestra.
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MY REVIEW:
Mother. Queen. Wronged Woman. Murderer. Heroine. It’s time for Clytemnestra to tell her story in this glorious feminist retelling.
Before reading this book I’d only heard Clytemnestra’s story as part of the background to the stories of her sister, Helen of Troy, and her daughter Elektra. So I was excited to learn more about this strong and fascinating woman. Though she was born to a King, Clytemnestra always felt second best as the sister to Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. She manages to find love but it is soon snatched away in a despicable act of betrayal by the cruel tyrant Agamemnon, who is determined to make her his wife at any cost. And so she becomes a woman motivated by vengeance, spending her life plotting and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Exquisitely written, evocative and atmospheric, this isn’t a book you simply read, but one you step into. This phenomenal debut highlights Costanza Casati as a talent to watch and I will certainly be reading whatever she writes next. I listened to it on audiobook and I was hooked from the start. It consumed me, feeling alive as it burned with fury. And although I knew a lot of the things that happened in these myths, I was still on the edge of my seat, listening with baited breath to discover what would happen next, as if it was all new rather than a retelling, something that is a testament to Casati’s masterful storytelling.
Now, let’s talk about the woman at the heart of it all: the eponymous Clytemnestra. Fierce, feisty, intelligent, passionate, and unforgiving, she is a remarkable heroine who refuses to be broken or shackled by the rules of the patriarchal society. The fire inside her radiated from the page, Casati making me feel her heartache, rage, vengeance and strength so vividly that it was like it was coursing through my own veins. I wanted Agamemnon dead. Right now! I rooted for her at every step as she bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and avenge all of the betrayal. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. And when Clytemnestra’s vengeance is served, it is glacial.
A furious, devastating, enthralling and magnificent retelling you won’t want to put down, Clytemnestra is a must-read.
Rating: 🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Costanza was born in Texas in 1995, grew up in a village in Northern Italy and lived in the UK for five years. Before moving to London, she attended a classical Liceo in Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, for five years. Costanza is a graduate of the Warwick Writing MA programme, where she studied under Sarah Moss, and currently works as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. The art and history documentary she wrote on the 16th century painter Tintoretto had over 1 million viewers. Costanza’s short fiction has appeared in the collective Nothing in the Rulebook and broadcast on RAW1251 Warwick Radio.
It’s time for part two of my most anticipated February releases. There’s so many exciting books here, including new releases from Louise Fein, Nicci French and Paul E. Hardisty, and debuts such as Butter and A Fate Inked in Blood.
So, here’s the rest of my most anticipated books out next month:
To Cage A God(Those Monstrous Gods 1) by Elizabeth May
Published February 20th by Daphne Press Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: Join the rebellion to burn down a cruel tyrant in this heartracing new fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone and The Wolf and the Woodsman.
To cage a god is divine. To be divine is to rule. To rule is to destroy.
Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a thousand years, the sisters have been raised as living weapons. Now, the time has come for them to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.
With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.
Forced into a desperate plan, Sera reunites with her estranged lover who now leads the rebellion, while Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down.
Published February 20th by Hodder & Stoughton Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS: THE TENSION-FILLED NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF NUMBER ONE DIGITAL BESTSELLER THE PRISONER . ‘Expertly plotted and compellingly told – a cautionary tale that will put you off ever having anyone to stay with you again. I raced through it!’ HARRIET TYCE
Iris and Gabriel have just got home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their dearest friends, Laure, is in their house – sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris’ clothes, even rearranging the furniture. She has walked out on her husband – and their good friend – Pierre over his confession of an affair.
Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive. But as Laure’s mood becomes more unpredictable, her presence begins to unravel secrets in all their pasts – until things reach breaking point …
A Tempest of Tea(Blood & Tea Book 1) by Hafsah Faizal
Published February 22nd by Pan Macmillan Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Vampire Ficiton, YA Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times-bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes A Tempest of Tea, the first book in a hotly-anticipated new fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it-and she can’t do the job alone.
Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.
Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.
Published February 22nd by Penguin UK Historical Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, YA Fiction
SYNOPSIS: House of Hollow meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, THE BAD ONES is a page-turning supernatural thriller about four mysterious disappearances in a town haunted by a sinister magical history – and one girl searching for the truth.
A GAME GONE WRONG. A MISSING FRIEND. A TOWN OF BURIED SECRETS . . .
Goddess, Goddess, count to five. In the morning, who’s alive?
One town. One night. Four people gone.
Nora’s best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to piece together the truth, she uncovers dark events in her high school’s history and a string of coded messages Becca has left for her. These clues point to another missing girl thirty years previously and a sinister urban legend: a goddess figure, who played an eerie role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games . . .
As Nora struggles to unravel the mystery, it’s clear there are dark forces at work in her town – and they’re willing to stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried deep.
Published February 22nd by Hodder & Stoughton Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance Novel, Lesbian Literature, Domestic Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘What a sumptuous, evocative triumph of a novel!’ JENNY ASHCROFT
At the golden hour, hidden truths and desires come to light . . .
In the genteel squares of late-Victorian Brighton, Ellen and Reynold Harper – twins, companions, colleagues – ply their trade as portrait photographers.
But at the golden hour, the models arrive to pose for the lucrative – and illicit – photographs that really keep the Harpers’ business afloat. This is the other, shadowy world of the city: a world of erotic tableaux, boundary-crossing music hall performers, and the sinister figure of the local gangster, the Croc.
When Ellen is drawn into the orbit of unhappy newly-wed Clementine, she finds herself torn between loyalty to her brother, her dangerous attraction to new model, Lily, and her burgeoning friendship with Clem. And as the two worlds of Brighton collide, the three women discover that there is only a knife edge between the promise of freedom, and the threat of ruin . . .
Atmospheric, sensual and powerfully moving, The Golden Hour is a spellbinding portrait of three women determined to find their freedom – perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Doll Factory and The Essex Serpent.
Published February 22nd by Picador Saga, , Contemporary Horror,Ghost Horror, Political Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, the future of Teresa Cepeda Valverde’s family is changed for ever.
Now, twenty-seven years later, Teresa and her daughter Lyra are still picking up the pieces. Lyra wants nothing to do with Teresa, but is desperate to find out what happened to her family that fateful night. Teresa, haunted by a missing husband and the bitter ghost of her mother, is unable to reconcile the past. What unfolds is a story of a mother and daughter trying to forgive what they do not yet understand, and the mystery at the heart of one family’s rupture, steeped in machismo, jealousy and greed.
Where There Was Fire brims with ancestral spirits, omens and the forces of nature. John Manuel Arias’s extraordinary debut novel weaves a brilliant tapestry of love – lost and found again – and, ultimately, redemption.
Published February 22nd by Sandycove Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Two mothers. Two daughters. Two sides to the story.
When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie’s sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested – particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground.
After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa’s daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn’t an accident.
With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed? And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter?
Published February 23rd by Bookouture Psychological Thriller, Saga
SYNOPSIS: On a sunny Friday afternoon, beloved teacher Mrs. Walker and her eight-year-old son wave goodbye to their friends in the school playground. But they never make it home…
It’s only been a week, but the bright little faces at the picture-perfect school I’ve stepped into have captured my heart. Their big doe eyes, their paint-covered fingers and clinging hugs. They’ve been through so much, with their favourite teacher and classmate still missing…
I’m doing all I can to help them adjust, but I can’t avoid the swirling rumours that say Cate Walker’s charismatic husband, Oliver – our headteacher – is involved in her disappearance. The thought makes me shudder. But the more I find out about Cate, the more I wonder if she was also hiding a terrible secret…
I’m determined to uncover the truth about what really happened. I have to protect these other innocent children from the same fate – it’s my duty as their teacher.
That is, until an anonymous note turns up threatening me if I don’t stop looking. Until my home is broken into while I sleep.
I know the longer I stay here, the more danger I’m in.
But whoever’s trying to scare me doesn’t know who I am – or why I’m really here.
Or just how far I’ll go to protect the people I love…
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller, where no one is who they seem, that will get your heart pounding! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
A Fate Inked In Blood(Saga of the Unfated Book 1) by Danielle L. Jensen
Published February 27th by Del Rey Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel, Fantasy Fiction, Viking Romance, Norse Muthology
SYNOPSIS: A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king – while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son – in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: she possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which gives her magic capable of repelling any attack. A magic that was foretold would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath a king-the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders his son, Bjorn, to protect Freya from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. Except the greatest test of all may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
Published February 29th by Wildfire Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: **The spellbinding, bold new retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys, from the perspective of Claire Clairmont, the incredible woman that history tried to forget.** ‘Beautifully written, Clairmont tells the sensuous hidden story of an influential historic woman.’ Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year
‘An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.’ Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta
‘An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism’s forsaken muses – an artfully told story that lingers in the mind far beyond the last page’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
1816. A massive volcanic eruption has caused the worst storms that Europe has seen in decades, yet Percy and Mary Shelley have chosen to visit the infamous Lord Byron at his villa on Lake Geneva. It wasn’t their idea: Mary’s eighteen year old step-sister, Claire Clairmont, insisted.
But the reason for Claire’s visit is more pressing than a summer escape with the most famous writers in the world. She’s pregnant with Byron’s child – a child Byron doesn’t want, and scarcely believes is his own.
Claire has the world in her grasp. This trip should have given her everything she ever dreamed of. But within days, her life will be in ruins.
History has all but forgotten her story – but she will not be silenced.
Published February 29th by Harper Muse Historical Fiction, Thriller, Romane Novel, Domestic Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From the bestselling author of Daughter of the Reich, an historical drama set in London about a bookshop involved in an espionage network.
“An utterly atmospheric and completely compelling read!” —Julia Kelly, international bestselling author of The Lost English Girl
Two courageous women. One astonishing secret. A world on the brink of war.
London, 1962: The world is teetering on the brink of nuclear war but life must go on. Celia Duchesne longs for a career, but with no means or qualifications, passes her time working at a dusty bookshop. The day a handsome American enters the shop, she thinks she might have found her way out of the monotony. Just as the excitement of a budding relationship engulfs her, a devastating secret draws her into the murky world of espionage.
France, 1942: Nineteen-year-old Anya Moreau was dropped behind enemy lines to aid the resistance, sending messages back home to London via wireless transmitter. When she was cruelly betrayed, evidence of her legacy and the truth of her actions were buried by wartime injustices.
As Celia learns more about Anya—and her unexpected connection to the undercover agent—she becomes increasingly aware of furious efforts, both past and present, to protect state secrets. With her newly formed romance taking a surprising turn and the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation, Celia must risk everything she holds dear, in the name of justice.
Propulsive and illuminating, The London Bookshop Affair is a gripping story of secrets and love, inspired by true events and figures of the Cold War.
Published February 29th by Haper Muse Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, War Story, Adventure Fiction, Nautical Fiction
SYNOPSIS: The Titanic was only the beginning. What she survived has become legend.
Violet Jessop is Miss Unsinkable.
After her mother becomes too ill to work, the responsibility to provide for the family falls to Violet as the oldest of nine. When the world enters the Great War, she serves as a nurse, helping men who could very well be her brothers. Working as a stewardess and wartime nurse, Violet not only survives a shipwreck but also two sinkings, one on the infamous Titanic. No one can understand why she would return to sea, but something keeps drawing Violet back to the tumultuous waters, where she struggles to put the tragedies of her past behind her and pursue a life and love all her own.
Daphne has survived calamity of her own.
Daphne Chaundanson grows up as an unwanted child after her mother died in a tragedy. She throws herself into education, collecting languages like candy in a desperate attempt to finally earn her father’s approval. When the Special Operations Executive invites her to be an agent in France in World War II, her childhood of anonymity and her love of languages make her the perfect fit. She sees it as an opportunity to help the country she loves and live up to her father’s expectations. But the dangers of war challenge Daphne in ways she never could have expected, and the secrets from her own past must be faced for her to truly have a future beyond the conflict—if she can survive it.
Inspired by true stories of Violet Jessop and the thirty-nine women of the Special Operations Executive. Two unsinkable women. Two stories of survival, family, and finding one’s own happiness. One connection that reshapes both their lives forever.
Published February 29th by Harper North Historical Fiction, Alternative History, LGBTQ Literature, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Gunpowder, treason and a plot to destroy the British Empire…
**AN OBSERVER TOP 10 DEBUT NOVELIST OF 2024**
‘Couldn’t put this book down. Beautiful, tender, and ruthless’ HANNAH KANER
__________
1770. Delphine lives in the shadows of London: a secret, vibrant world of smugglers, courtesans and small rebellions. Four years ago, she escaped enslavement at great personal cost. Now, she must help her brother Vincent do the same.
While Britain’s highest court fails to administer justice for Vincent, little rebellions are no longer enough. What’s needed is a big, explosive plot – one that will strike at the heart of the transatlantic slave trade. But can one woman, one fuse and one match bring down an Empire?
An incendiary alternative history, Remember, Remember is a gripping story of conscience, conspiracy, queer identity and courage in the face of injustice.
Published February 29th by Simon & Schuster UK Suspense, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Classic Nicci French: an unputdownable missing-persons thriller that’s also a searing examination of family, memory and grief. A big-skied, full-blooded, broken-hearted book’ Erin Kelly
She’s loved by all who meet her. But someone wants her gone . . . Then
When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s 50th birthday party, her kids are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass and there’s still no word from Charlie, her daughter, Etty, and her sons, Niall, Paul and Ollie, all struggle to come to terms with her disappearance. How can anyone just vanish without a trace? Left with no answers and in limbo, the Salter children try and go on with their lives, all the while thinking that their mother’s killer is potentially very close to home.
Now
After years away, Etty returns home to the small East Anglian village where she grew up to help move her father into a care home. Now in his eighties, Alec has dementia and often mistakes his daughter for her mother. Etty is a changed woman from the trouble-free girl she was when Charlie was still around – all the Salter children have spent decades running and hiding from their mother’s disappearance. But when their childhood friends, Greg and Morgen Ackerley, decide to do a podcast about Charlotte’s disappearance, it seems like the town’s buried secrets – and the Salters’ – might finally come to light.
After all this time, will they finally find out what really happened to Charlotte Salter?
Published February 29th by Bantam Press Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psycholgical Thriller, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Eight contestants. One killer. Can you find the traitor?
‘Wow! What a page-turner. I’m a Celebrity meets Lord of the Flies.’ Emma Curtis
‘The pace never slackens.’ Faith Martin
‘Dark, disturbing and addictive.’ L. C. North
Everything is a clue. Bonnie arrives on a remote sea fort off the coast of England to take part in a mysterious reality TV show. Competing against seven strangers, she must solve a series of puzzles to win the prize money, but this is no game – and the consequences of failure are deadly.
No one leaves. Under scrutiny from the watching public, the contestants quickly turn on one another. Who will sacrifice the most for wealth and fame? And why can’t Bonnie shake the creeping sense that they are not alone?
The only way out is to win. When the first contestant is found dead, Bonnie begins to understand the dark truth at the heart of this twisted competition: there’s a killer inside the fort, and anyone could be next. If Bonnie wants to escape, she needs to win…
Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Published February 29th by Michael Joseph Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Cozy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Dark Comedy
SYNOPSIS: ‘Clever, satisfying, impossible to put down and gloriously inventive. It’s fantastic’ STUART TURTON
SIX WRITERS. FIVE DETECTIVES. FOUR DAYS. THREE WEAPONS. TWO MURDERS. ONE TRAIN…
When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.
The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:
the debut writer (me!) the forensic science writer the blockbuster writer the legal thriller writer the literary writer the psychological suspense writer.
But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.
Or commit one…
But how do you catch a killer, when all your suspects know how to get away with murder?
Published February 29th by Hutchinson Heinmann Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘A thrillingly suspenseful novel that reveals its riches, layers and secrets through effortlessly elegant prose . . . I was hooked right through to the shocking end‘ BERNARDINE EVARISTO
‘Obsessed‘ KERRY WASHINGTON
‘A shimmering success’ DIANA EVANS
Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos and a glamorous group of friends. She left London and a troubled family past behind to become part of a community of expat wives.
But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her aunt Claudine flies to Nigeria to take matters into her own hands. As she digs into her niece’s life, she uncovers a hidden truth. But the more she finds out about Nicole, the more Claudine’s own buried history threatens to come to light.
Published February 29th by Fourth Estate Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Translated Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Compelling, delightfully weird, often uncomfortable’ PANDORA SYKES
‘Unputdownable, breathtakingly original’ ERIN KELLY
‘Delicious’ i-D Magazine
‘Luscious … I devoured this’ IMOGEN CRIMP
The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.
There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.
Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.
Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, “The Konkatsu Killer”, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.
‘A salty morsel with one hell of a bite’ ALICE SLATER
‘A tour de force that will leave readers satisfied‘ RYŌ ASAI
Published February 29th by Hemlock Press Mystery, Suspense, Psychologcial Thriller, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: The brand new edge-of-your-seat thriller from the author of the smash hit bestseller The Woman in the Window.
“I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.”
This is the chilling invitation from Sebastian Trapp, renowned mystery novelist, to his long-time correspondent Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. Welcomed into his lavish San Francisco mansion, Nicky begins to unravel Trapp’s life story under the watchful eyes of his enigmatic wife and plainspoken daughter.
But Sebastian Trapp is a mystery himself. And maybe – probably – a murderer.
Two decades ago, his first wife and son vanished, the case never solved. Is the master of mystery playing a deadly game? If so, who will be the loser?
And when a body surfaces in the family’s garden, they all realize the past isn’t buried – it’s waiting.
Published February 29th by Orenda Books Science Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Polictical Fiction, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A young man and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet to uncover the origin of the events that set the world on its course to disaster … The prescient, deeply shocking prequel to the bestselling, critically acclaimed Climate Emergency thriller, The Forcing.
Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the planet on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, The Forcing.
But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, and then stumbles across an account by someone close to the men who forced the globe into a climate catastrophe, he knows that it is time to find out for himself.
Determined to learn what really happened during his mother’s escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku’s father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.
The Descent is the devastating, nerve-shattering prequel to the critically acclaimed thriller The Forcing, a story of survival, hope, and the power of the human spirit in a world torn apart by climate change.
Death Flight (The Jonny Murphy Files Volume 2) by Sarah Sultoon
Published February 29th by Orenda Books Crime Fiction, Thriller, Political Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Cub reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of victims of Argentina’s Dirty War, when a headless torso has washed up on a city beach, thrusting him into a shocking investigation…
Argentina. 1998. Human remains are found on a beach on the outskirts of Buenos Aires – a gruesome echo of when the tide brought home dozens of mutilated bodies thrown from planes during Argentina’s Dirty War. Flights of death, with passengers known as the Disappeared.
International Tribune reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of the missing, desperate to keep their memory alive, when the corpse turns up. His investigations with his companion, freelance photographer Paloma Glenn, have barely started when Argentina’s simmering financial crisis explodes around them.
As the fabric of society starts to disintegrate and Argentine cities burn around them, Jonny and Paloma are suddenly thrust centre stage, fighting to secure both their jobs and their livelihoods.
But Jonny is also fighting something else, an echo from his own past that he’ll never shake, and as it catches up with him and Paloma, he must make choices that will endanger everything he knows…
Published February 29th by Penguin UK Hisotorical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller, Mystery,
SYNOPSIS: THREE LOST SOULS. A LONG-BURIED SECRET. THE TRUTH THAT COULD SET THEM FREE…
—–
London, 1915: Tarot reader Katerina is trying to hold her life together amid the wartime chaos. When she opens a bakery that offers divination alongside sweet treats, she is hailed as a beacon of hope. But Katerina is hiding a dark truth that could cost her everything.
Germany, 1918: A mute British soldier is taken to a prisoner of war camp where he meets Miriam, a researcher. She is drawn to his gentle manner and secretly vows to help him. But soon she will have to make an impossible choice: will she save the one she loves, or herself?
Cornwall, Present Day: Recently widowed Edie is astonished to discover a mysterious box hidden in the wall of her newly renovated cottage. As Edie starts to investigate, she uncovers a secret that has lain hidden for over a century…
A long-held secret ties the tales of three women, from the cobbled streets of war-time London to an isolated German WWI camp, and the sea-swept cliffs of Cornwall. Beautifully told, moving and unforgettable.
Published February 29th by Phoenix Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Regency Romance, Christian Fiction, Religious Fiction, Regency Fiction
SYNOPSIS: SELECTED FOR THE BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB WINNER OF THE MSLEXIA NOVEL COMPETITION
‘Beautifully written . . . I raced through it’ HILARY MANTEL
‘As exquisitely and tenderly rendered as a Gainsborough painting’ TRACY CHEVALIER
‘A moving exploration of the familial ties that bind us and the grief of a life half-lived . . . a wonderful debut that lingered with me’ ELIZABETH MACNEAL
1759, Ipswich. Sisters Peggy and Molly Gainsborough are the best of friends and do everything together. They spy on their father as he paints, they rankle their mother as she manages the books, they tear barefoot through the muddy fields that surround their home. But there is another reason they are inseparable: from a young age, Molly has had a tendency to forget who she is, to fall into mental confusion, and Peggy knows instinctively that no one must find out.
When the family move to Bath, the sisters are thrown into the whirl of polite society, where the merits of marriage and codes of behaviour are crystal clear, and secrets much harder to keep. As Peggy goes to greater lengths to protect her sister from the threat of an asylum, she finds herself falling in love, and their precarious situation is soon thrown catastrophically off course. The discovery of a betrayal forces Peggy to question all she has done for Molly – and whether any one person can truly change the fate of another.
The Antique Hunter’s Guide To Murder by C. L. Miller
Published February 29th by Pan Macmillan Mystery, Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘A bold, bright and delightful jaunt back to the golden age of detective fiction’ Janice Hallett
‘A delicious read – who could resist a treasure hunt with murder at its core?’ SJ Bennett
‘It’s a delight!’ Katie Fforde
What antique would you kill for?
Freya, it’s down to you to finish what I started . . .
Freya Lockwood has avoided the quaint English village in which she grew up for the last 20 years. That is until news arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and Freya’s estranged mentor, has died . . . and the circumstances seem suspicious.
You will uncover an invitation, I implore you to attend . . .
But when a letter from Arthur is delivered, sent just days before his death, and an ordinary pine chest concealing Arthur’s journals are revealed, Freya finds herself sucked back into a life she’d sworn to leave behind.
But beware, trust no-one. Your life depends on it . . .
Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Arthur’s staunch best friend, Freya follows both clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an ‘antiques enthusiasts weekend’. But not is all as it seems; the antiques are bad reproductions and the guests all have something to hide.
Can Freya and Carole solve the mystery and unearth the killer before they strike again?
Published February 29th by Orbit Fantasy Fiction, Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, Romatic Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: ‘Prepare to be engulfed. Chan has superbly created a world as real and complex as our own, where oppression has no easy solutions and there is no success without sacrifice. Fast-paced action combined with true social depth make this an unforgettable, must-read fantasy’ Shelley Parker-Chan
Revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk who live in its waters. This gloriously imaginative debut fantasy, inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, is a novel of magic, rebellion and change.
Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk – sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas – who live in the polluted waters below.
For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk princess – is exiled to the city, under Mira’s watch. When extremists sabotage a city festival, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.
Published February 29th by Magpie Romantic Fantasy, Historical Romance, Fantasy Fiction, Paranormal Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy.
On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.
Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?
Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.
Published February 29th by Penguin UK Fantasy Fiction, Fairy Tales, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, YA Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: ‘Where the Dark Stands Still is a triumph; a deeply romantic debut with spiralling, atmospheric prose that swept me up and away to the enchanted forests of Polish folklore. You’ll never want to leave this beautiful, magical world’.Sarah Underwood, NYT Bestselling Author of Lies We Sing to theSea
A sweeping gothic fairytale romance for fans of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace and Gallant by V.E. Schwab.
Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters.
After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood – the Leszy – who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish.
Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain and all of her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past.
Those who enter the wood do not always return . . .
Published February 29th by Fleet Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Humorous Fiction
SYNOPSIS: *AN OPRAH DAILY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024*
‘Incandescent, astonishing, a miracle. I’m elated and deeply grateful this book exists’ R. O. Kwon
‘Katherine Min is a singular, wildly talented voice and this is a trailblazing novel’ Sharlene Teo
‘Fiercely intelligent, perfectly crafted, and brimming with wit’ Lisa Ko A provocative, hilariously savage, and poignant novel by acclaimed author Katherine Min, to be published posthumously, about a daughter’s revenge on the man whom she believes drove her mother to her death . . . and nothing goes as planned.
The rain has made everything cold and damp, and it’s the perfect evening for Kyoko to exact her revenge. After years of rage and grief over her mother’s death, Kyoko has decided who is to blame: a man named Daniel, a fellow violinist who had wooed her mother, Emi, during their time together in an orchestra, and then dropped her – driving her to her death. Kyoko follows the unsuspecting Daniel home and manages to get her rash kidnapping plot off the ground . . . and really, what could go wrong?
The Fetishist is the story of three people – Kyoko, a young singer in a punk band who cannot find enough ways to channel her angry sorrow; Daniel, a seemingly hapless man who finally faces the wreckage of his past; and Alma, the love of Daniel’s life, long adored for her beauty and talent, but who spends her final days examining if she was ever, truly, loved. It’s a beautiful, piercing and timely story that confronts race, ideals of femininity, complicity and visibility. Written and completed before the celebrated author’s death in 2019, it’s startlingly relevant and prescient, as wise and powerful as it is utterly moving.
Published February 29th by Mudlark Biography, Autobiography, Literary Reference
SYNOPSIS: The captivating true story of an underdog business – a feminist bookshop founded in Thatcher’s Britain – from a woman at the heart of the women’s liberation movement.
An Independent and Stylist Best Non-Fiction Book for 2024
What was it like to start a feminist bookshop, in an industry dominated by men? How could a lesbian thrive in Thatcher’s time, with the government legislating to restrict her rights? How do you run a business when your real aim is to change the world?
Silver Moon was the dream of three women – a bookshop with the mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe space for any woman. Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia and misogyny, it was a testament to the power of community, growing into Europe’s biggest women’s bookshop and hosting a constellation of literary stars from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to Angela Carter. While contending with day-to-day struggles common to other booksellers, plus the additional burdens of misogyny and the occasional hate crime, Jane Cholmeley and her booksellers created a thriving business. But they also played a crucial and relatively unsung part in one the biggest social movements of our time.
A Bookshop of One’s Own is a fascinating slice of social history from the heart of the women’s liberation movement, from a true feminist and lesbian icon. Written with heart and humour, it reveals the struggle and joy that comes with starting an underdog business, while being a celebration of the power women have to change the narrative when they are the ones holding the pen.
Maurice and Maralyn : A Whale, a Shipwreck, a Love Story by Sophie Elmhirst
Publshed February 29th by Chatto & Windus Biography, True Stories
SYNOPSIS: ***A Waterstones Book You Need to Read in 2024 *** Guardian Biggest Nonfiction of 2024 *** Observer Nonfiction to Look Out for 2024 ***
‘One of those very special books that makes you put everything on hold so you can get back to it’ RACHEL JOYCE * ‘Beautiful, moving and genuinely unputdownable’ JOANNA CANNON * ‘Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer’ ELIZABETH DAY * ‘Easily one of the most captivating works of narrative nonfiction I’ve ever read’ OLIVER BURKEMAN
What begins as an eccentric English love story turns into one of the most dramatic adventures ever recorded…
Maurice and Maralyn couldn’t be more different. He is as cautious and awkward as she is charismatic and forceful. It seems an unlikely romance, but it works.
Bored of 1970s suburban life, Maralyn has an idea: sell the house, build a boat, leave England — and its oil crisis, industrial strikes and inflation — forever. It is hard work, turning dreams into reality, but finally they set sail for New Zealand. Then, halfway there, their beloved boat is struck by a whale. It sinks within an hour, and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
On their tiny raft, over the course of days, then months, their love is put to the test. When Maurice begins to withdraw into himself, it falls upon Maralyn to keep them both alive. Their pet turtle helps, as does devising menus for fantasy dinners and dreaming of their next voyage.
Filled with danger, spirit and tenderness, this is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive — not just at sea, but in life.
February is so packed full of amazing new releases that I’ve had to split it into two parts. There’s new releases from some of my favourite authors like John Marrs, Tina Baker, Margaret Atwood, Dorothy Koomson, Alex Michaelides, Lizzie Pook and Milly Johnson, and exciting debuts such as Anna O, Frank and Red, A Sign of Her Own, Deadly Aminals, Meet Me at the Surface, and The List of Suspicious Things. On February 1st alone there are 15 books in my most anticipated list! That is just crazy. I swear that publishers don’t want us to finish our TBRs.
So, here is part one of my most anticipated February releases:
The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs
Published February 1st by Thomas & Mercer Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS: A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.
Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims―sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.
The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.
It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever―or has that been his plan all along?
Published February 1st by Harper Collins UK Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Medical Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
ANNA O – THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME
‘Reads like a dream but unsettles like a nightmare’ A J FINN
‘Certain to be on of the year’s best thrillers’ LEE CHILD
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*The instant global phenomenon*
*Publishing in over 30 territories*
*The thriller that will wake up the nation*
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ANNA O HASN’T OPENED HER EYES FOR FOUR YEARS
Not since the night she was found in a deep sleep by the bodies of her best friends, suspected of a chilling double murder.
For Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist on London’s Harley Street, waking Anna O could be career-defining. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind; the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious.
As he begins Anna O’s treatment – studying his patient’s dreams, combing her memories, visiting the site where the horrors played out – he pulls on the thread of a much deeper, darker mystery.
Awakening Anna O isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.
Published February 1st by Michael Joseph Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Mystery
SYNOPSIS: Totally original and utterly compelling, with a voice all of its own, this is the outstanding new thriller from the no.1 internationally bestselling author of The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides.
‘My favourite Alex Michaelides yet –the undisputed master of the twist’ Lucy Foley ‘The king of all unreliable narrators, enough twists and turns to power two novels’ David Baldacci ‘You’ll think you know where it’s going and you couldn’t be more wrong’ Linwood Barclay ‘A very special bookand highly recommended’ Janice Hallett ‘The best novel yet from Alex Michaelides’ Sophie Hannah Even better than The Silent Patient… Alex Michaelides is a magician’ JP Delaney _______
‘There were seven of us in all, trapped on the island. One of us was a murderer . . .’
On a small private Greek island, former movie star Lana Farrar – an old friend – invites a select group of us to stay.
It’ll be hot, sunny, perfect. A chance to relax and reconnect – and maybe for a few hidden truths to come out.
Because nothing on this island is quite what it seems.
Not Lana. Not her guests.
Certainly not the murderer – furiously plotting their crime . . .
But who am I?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
Published February 1st by Headline Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: It takes one moment to call for help. So why did he wait?
‘The rare gift that delivers it all’ ASHLEY AUDRAIN ‘Truly gripping and deeply satisfying’ CHRIS WHITAKER ‘I was hooked’ JANE CORRY ‘A new thriller writer to watch’ ROBYN HARDING ‘Left me in awe’ JO LEEVERS ___________
THE QUESTION For the last ten years, the small town of West Wilmer has been struggling to answer one question: on the night of the crash that killed his sister, why did it take Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help? If he’d called sooner, Phoebe might still be alive.
THE SECRET As the anniversary of Phoebe’s death approaches, Grant is consumed by his memories and the secret that’s been suffocating him for years. But he and Phoebe weren’t the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there too – she’s the only other person who knows what really happened. Or is she?
THE TRUTH Everyone remembers Phoebe, but local girl June also lost someone that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and, now that her mother is dead, June has no one left – no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who knows what really happened that night. And they are ready to tell the truth.
With a shocking twist that will leave you breathless, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed.
Published February 1st by Faber & Faber Mystery, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
OPRAH DAILY’S #1 Book of 2023 A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK FINALIST FOR THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD AMAZON EDITOR’S CHOICE & TOP TWENTY NOVEL OF THE YEAR ‘A Brilliant, satisfying, compassionate mystery.’ GABRIELLE ZEVIN ‘I can’t remember a book with more layers. . . I was riveted through the last page.’ JODI PICOULT ‘Gorgeous . a layered and innovative exploration of family, love, happiness, and race.’ JEAN KWOK
We didn’t call the police right away. Later, I would blame myself, wonder if things might have turned out differently if I hadn’t shrugged it off, insisting Dad wasn’t missing missing but just delayed, probably still in the woods looking for Eugene.
Mia Parkson’s life is turned upside down when her stay-at-home dad, the family’s anchor, goes missing. The only witness? Eugene – her younger, nonspeaking teenage brother.
As the Police struggle for leads, and her mother and twin brother struggle to keep things together at home, Mia gains access to key clues about her father’s disappearance. Headstrong, hyper analytical, and with secrets of her own, she decides to try and solve the case. But could Mia’s impulsive actions be putting her whole family in danger?
Published February 1st by Picador Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Victorian Gothic, Historical Thriller, Literary Fiction, Adventure Ficiton
SYNOPSIS: ‘Grisly, addictive fun . . . I devoured it in 24 hours’ – Emilia Hart, author of Weyward
In deepest winter, beware the coldest hearts . . .
London, 1850. Constance Horton has disappeared.
Maude, her older sister, knows only that Constance abandoned the apothecary they call home, and, disguised as a boy, boarded a ship bound for the Arctic. She never returned. ‘A tragic accident’, the Admiralty called it. But Maude Horton knows something isn’t right.
When she finds Constance’s journal, it becomes clear that the truth is being buried by sinister forces. To find answers – and deliver justice for her sister – Maude must step into London’s dark underbelly, and into the path of dangerous, powerful men. The kind of men who seek their fortune in the city’s horrors, from the hangings at Newgate to the ghoulish waxworks of Madame Tussaud’s.
It is a perilous task. But Maude has dangerous skills of her own . . .
‘Brilliant! Stuffed with adventure’ – Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Published February 1st by Wildfire Humorous Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Sometimes, the friend you need is the one you never saw coming.
‘A lovely feel-good treat’ The Times | ‘Simply perfect’ Daily Mirror | ‘Hilariously funny… and beneath it all really quite lovely’ The Metro | Brilliant, just brilliant’ Huffington Post
Frank and Red are a mess.
Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the ‘ghost’ of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate.
And then Red moves in next door.
Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he’s got a trampoline. From the moment Red’s blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born.
. . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.
Published February 1st by Tinder Press Historical Fiction, Alternative History, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Absolutely brilliant. Ellen Lark is unforgettable’ Emilia Hart, author of Weyward ‘Illuminating… Excellently conveys the experience of being deaf in a hearing world’ Priscilla Morris, Women’s Prize Shortlisted author of Black Butterflies ‘A fantastic novel. Shines a light into a hidden corner of history’ Louise Hare author of This Lovely City and Miss Aldridge Regrets Ellen Lark is on the verge of marriage when she and her fiancé receive an unexpected visit from Alexander Graham Bell.
Ellen knows immediately what Bell really wants from her. Ellen is deaf, and for a time was Bell’s student in a technique called Visible Speech. As he instructed her in speaking, Bell also confided in her about his dream of producing a device which would transmit the human voice along a wire: the telephone. Now, on the cusp of wealth and renown, Bell wants Ellen to speak up in support of his claim to the patent to the telephone, which is being challenged by rivals.
But Ellen has a different story to tell: that of how Bell betrayed her, and other deaf pupils, in pursuit of ambition and personal gain, and cut Ellen off from a community in which she had come to feel truly at home. It is a story no one around Ellen seems to want to hear – but there may never be a more important time for her to tell it.
The Unfinished Life of Eadie Browne by Freya North
Published February 1st by Welbeck Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A powerful love letter to youth from Sunday Times bestselling author of Little Wing.
When your present meets your past, what do you take with you – and what do you leave behind?
Eadie Browne is an odd child with unusual parents, living in a strange house neighbouring the local cemetery. Bullied at school – but protected by her two best friends Celeste and Josh, and her many imaginary friends lying six feet under next door – Eadie muddles her way through.
Arriving in Manchester as a student in the late 1980s, Eadie confronts a busy, gritty Victorian metropolis a far cry from the small Garden City she’s left behind. Soon enough she experiences a novel freedom she never imagined and it’s seductive. She can be who she wants to be, do as she pleases, and no one back home needs to know. As Manchester embraces the dizzying, colourful euphoria of Rave counterculture, Eadie is swept along, blithely ignoring danger and reality. Until, one night, her past comes hurtling at her with ramifications which will continue into her adult life.
Now, as the new Millennium beckons, Eadie is turning 30 with a marriage in tatters. She must travel back to where she once lived for a funeral she can’t quite comprehend. As she journeys from the North to the South, from the present to the past, Eadie contemplates all that was then – and all that is now – in this moving love letter to youth.
Published February 1st by W&N Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A BEST BOOK OF 2024 IN STYLIST, DAILY MAIL, THE I,IRISH TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND RED
‘incredibly funny. Every sentence sparkles’ CAITLIN MORAN ‘This year’s Sorrow and Bliss. Hilarious and heartbreaking’ DAILY MAIL ‘The debut of the year’ THE I PAPER ‘Witty as Fleabag, psychologically insightful as Sally Rooney’ LUCIE WHITEHOUSE
Hera is in her mid-twenties, which seems young to everyone except people in their mid-twenties.
Since leaving school, she has been trying to kick and scream into existence a life she cares about, but with little success so far.
Until she meets Arthur.
He works with her, he is older than her, he is also married. But in her soulless office – the large cold room she feels destined to spend her life in – he is a source of much-needed sustenance.
And though Hera has previously dated women, she soon falls headlong into a workplace romance that will quickly consume her life.
Laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving and whip smart, Green Dot is a story about the terrible allure of wanting something that promises nothing and the winding, torturous, often hilarious journey we take in deciding who we are and who we want to be.
Published February 1st by HQ Mystery, Dark Comedy, Psychological Thriller, Satire, Suspense, Contremporary Romance, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From the author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It, don’t miss this wickedly witty and utterly addictive novel, perfect for fans of Bella Mackie, Dawn O’Porter and Killing Eve.
Something bad happened last night.
I’ve woken up with the hangover from hell, a stranger in my bed, and I’ve gone viral for the worst reasons.
But I can’t remember a thing…
My best friend Posey is dead. The police think it was a tragic accident. I know she was murdered.
There’s only one thing stopping me from dying of shame. I need to find a killer.
Published February 1st by Legend Press Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographical Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘One of the best novels I have read this year’ Iris Costello ‘A luminous, pin-sharp portrait of a true trailblazer’ Zoe Howe
Societies are oiled with the unpaid, unaccounted for, work of women. It is the very glue that binds us together, and yet we are blind to it; a woman’s work remains invisible.
Rosalind Franklin knows that to be a woman in a man’s world is to be invisible. In the 1950s science is a gentleman’s profession, and it appears after WWII that there are plenty of colleagues who want to keep it that way.
After being segregated at Cambridge, then ignored and put down in the workplace, she has no intention of being seen as a second-class citizen and throws everything into proving her worth. But despite her success in unlocking the very secret of life, the ultimate glory is claimed by the men she left in her wake.
Inspired by the true story of a woman so many tried to silence, Rosalind is a tale of hope and perseverance, love and betrayal … of real-life lessons in chemistry.
Published February 1st Bantam Press Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Richard Osman meets MasterChef. In this cookery school, murder is on the menu…
‘Delicious fun!’ Tess Gerritsen ‘Knife Skills for Beginners is a joy.’ S. J. Bennett ‘A deliciously dark slice of murder and mystery.’ Chris Whitaker ‘If Ruth Rendell had teamed up with Delia Smith they’d have produced something like this.’ J. M. Hall ‘Dazzlingly sharp with a wit that sparkles off the page.’ Jane Corry
A recipe for disaster. When chef Paul Delamare takes a job teaching at an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia, the only thing he expects his students to murder is his taste buds. But on the first night, the unthinkable happens: someone turns up dead…
The school rests on a knife-edge. The police are convinced Paul is the culprit. After all, he’s good with a blade, was first on the scene – and everyone knows it doesn’t take much to push a chef over the edge. To prove his innocence, he must find the killer. Could it be one of his students? Or the owner of the school – a woman with secrets and a murky past?
It all boils down to murder. If Paul can’t solve the mystery fast – as well as teach his students how to make a perfect hollandaise sauce – he’ll be next to get the chop.
Published February 1st by One More Chapter Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Gothic Fiction, Crime Fiction, Horror Ficiton
SYNOPSIS: ‘Wickedly fun and highly addictive… a delicious read with all the elements of a perfect whodunit’ Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage
‘House on Haunted Hill mixed with Agatha Christie’ NetGalley Reviewer
The brand new locked-room thriller for fans of Ruth Ware and Freida McFadden.
You are cordially invited to the Beechwood Castle for a night you’ll never forget…
Six people find a thick cream envelope on their doorstep. Inside is an invitation to spend 24 hours in a crumbling manor house and be in with the chance to win a portion of one million dollars. The catch: Beechwood Castle was the site of one of the most horrific murders in modern history.
The smell of blood, decay and death still hangs heavy in the air.
Six people walk into the house. One of them is an imposter, all of them are traitors, which of them will survive the night?
Published February 1st by Avon Books Romance Novel, Saga, Humorous Fiction, Domestic Ficiton
SYNOPSIS: If you were to build a library that has shaped your life, which books would you choose?
For forty-two years, Sally Harrison has been building a library.
Each year, on her daughter’s birthday, she adds a new book to her shelves – with a note in the front dedicated to her own greatest work.
But Ella – Sally’s only child – fled to Australia twenty-one years ago after a heated exchange, and never looked back. And though Sally still dutifully adds a new paperback to the shelves every time the clock strikes midnight on July 11th, her hopes of her daughter ever thumbing through the pages are starting to dwindle.
Then disaster strikes and Ella is forced to return to the home she once knew.
She is soon to discover that when one chapter ends, another will soon follow.
All you have to do is turn the page…
Journey through the pages of this heartwarming novel, where hope, friendship and second chances are written in the margins. Perfect for book lovers everywhere and fans of Sally Page’s The Keeper of Stories.
Published February 6th by Chatto & Windus Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A BBC, Financial Times and Cosmopolitan What to Read in 2024 pick
Set in a New York apartment building, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive novel with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of neighbours has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice – from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng.
One week into lockdown, the tenants of a run-down apartment building in Manhattan have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbours gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned pails. Gradually the tenants – some of whom have barely spoken to each other before now – become real neighbours.
A dazzling, heartwarming and ultimately surprising narrative, Fourteen Days is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection.
Includes writing from: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capo Crucet, Pat Cummings, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, DeShawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer
Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander
Published February 6th by Constable Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS: THEY CALL ME THE LUCKY ONE. THEY DON’T KNOW I LIED.
‘My favourite debut of the year . . . utterly compelling’ LUCY CLARKE
‘Glossy, clever and unsettling’ ANDREA MARA
‘One of the most chilling reads of the year’ M. W. CRAVEN
‘Totally gripping’ RACHEL ABBOTT
‘The breakout debut thriller of 2024’ CELIA WALDEN __________________________________________
Nine years ago, Charlie Colbert’s life changed for ever.
On Christmas Eve, as the snow fell, her elite graduate school was the site of a chilling attack. Several of her classmates died. Charlie survived.
Years later, Charlie has the life she always wanted at her fingertips: she’s editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry.
But when a film adaptation of that fateful night goes into production, Charlie’s dark past threatens to crash into her shiny present.
Charlie was named a ‘witness’ in the police reports. Yet she knows she was much more than that.
The truth about that night will shatter everything she’s worked for. Just how far will she go to protect it?
THE GRIPPING DEBUT THRILLER OF 2024. A dark and deeply compulsive read that will keep you racing through the pages late into the night, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Gillian McAllister and Girl A by Abigail Dean.
Published February 8th by Sphere Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction
SYNOPSIS: THE ESSEX SERPENT MEETS AMMONITE IN THE STUNNING HISTORICAL NOVEL EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT:
‘Singular and astonishing . . . I’ve never met a character quite like Ada’ ANNIE GARTHWAITE ‘The Bone Hunters has cemented Joanne Burn’s place as one of my favourite writers’ SONIA VELTON ‘Joanne Burn is fast becoming my go-to historical fiction writer’ EMMA CARROLL ‘The Bone Hunters is that rare combination . . . beautifully written but also a gripping page-turner’ LAURA SHEPPERSON ________
In 1824, Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters – poor, peculiar and brilliant – uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believes she has found the answer to her scientific frustrations and her family’s financial struggles.
Meanwhile, Doctor Edwin Moyle has come to Dorset in search of the discovery that will place him amongst the greatest geologists of the age. What he finds instead is a strange young woman who seems to hold the key to everything he desires.
But what is the creature that Ada and Edwin seek to unearth? And will it lead them to greatness, or destruction?
Published February 8th by Hodder & Stoughton Historical Fiction, Erotic Literature, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS: THE ENCHANTING NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF THE 2022 WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR, THE FAIR BOTANISTS.
You wouldn’t suspect it, but scandalous secrets are being kept on Blythswood Square…
1846. Glasgow is a city on the cusp of great social change, but behind the curtains, neighbours are watching, and rumours of improper behaviour spread like wildfire on the respectable Blythswood Square.
When Charlotte Nicholl discovers that the fortune she has been bequeathed by her father is tied up in a secret collection of erotic art, she is faced with a terrible dilemma: sell it and risk shaming her family’s good name or lose her home.
An encounter with Ellory McHale, a talented working-class photographer newly arrived in Glasgow, leads Charlotte to hope she has found not only someone who might help her, but also a friend. Yet Ellory is hiding secrets of her own – secrets that become harder to conceal as she finds herself drawn into Charlotte’s world.
As the truth begins to catch up with both women, will it destroy everything they’ve fought to build – or set them both free?
Until one night after a work event she suffers an unspeakable attack.
As she tries to confront what happened to her, she finds herself caught between her parents who can’t understand, her boyfriend who feels betrayed, and her job that expects silence. The world Jade has constructed starts to crumble.
This raw, darkly funny novel explores the ‘grey-area’ of consent and recovery that’s far from linear, and will leave you asking yourself: what would you have done in Jade’s situation?
‘JADED is a thoughtful, hard-hitting exploration of race, identity, and the rippling effects of sexual assault. Ela Lee writes with an urgency and clarity that will have you hooked until the last page.’ ? Cecile Pin, Women’s Prize longlisted author of Wandering Souls
Content warning: this novel features themes of sexual assault and violence.
Published February 8th by Viking Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS: DISCOVER THE THRILLER KEEPING EVERYONE AWAKE
‘The most gripping thriller I have ever read’ GILLIAN McALLISTER ‘As tender as it is terrifying’ ABIGAIL DEAL ‘I am trying to think of a book that has grabbed me by the throat more quickly’ LINWOOD BARCLAY ‘You won’t be able to look away’ SHARI LAPENA ‘Heart-thumping and mesmerizing’ ASHLEY AUDRAIN
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There was someone in the house.
Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. Then she hears a noise – old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this sound is disturbingly familiar: it’s the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs…
In that split second, she has three choices.
Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?
Published February 8th by Footnote Press Literary Fiction, LGBTQLiterature, Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Mongrel is so beautiful that I became lost in it . . . Simply, it must be read’ LISA TADDEO ‘A brilliant explosion of writing and storytelling . . . This feels like reading an Oscar-winning film’ AISLING BEA ‘Heart-shatteringly visceral and precise . . . a triumphant tribute to the self’ WIZ WHARTON ‘This compulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous debut will utterly consume you. Read it now’ STEPHANIE SCOTT
Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing not only her heritage but her growing desire for her best friend Fran.
Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Far from home and in an unfamiliar city, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.
Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo’s nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in the city’s sex district. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . . .
Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of desire, isolation, belonging and ultimately, hope.
Published February 8th by Head of Zeus Fantasy Fiction, Gothic Ficiton, Contemporary Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
SYNOPSIS: ‘A dizzying dream ride you will never forget’ LEIGH BARDUGO ‘An astonishing, gorgeous novel’ HOLLY BLACK ‘An incredible achievement’ CASSANDRA CLARE
FROM PULITZER-PRIZE FINALIST KELLY LINK
Supernatural beings and chaos descend on the small seaside town of Lovesend, Massachusetts, in the wake of the unexpected return of three missing teenagers.
Laura, Daniel and Mo disappeared without trace a year ago. They have long been presumed dead. Which they were. But now they are not. And it is up to the resurrected teenagers to discover what happened to them.
Revived by Mr Anabin – the man they knew as their high school music teacher – they are offered a chance to return to the mortal realm. But first they must solve the mystery of their death and learn to use the magic they now possess. And only two of them may stay.
What they do not realise is their return has upset a delicate balance that has held – just – for centuries.
Published February 13th by Quercus Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fairy Tale
SYNOPSIS: Some people think foxes go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .
Manchuria, 1908: A young woman is found frozen in the snow.
Her death is clouded by rumours of foxes, believed to lure people into peril by transforming into beautiful women and men. Bao, a detective with a reputation for sniffing out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until, perhaps, now.
Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all, she’s a mother seeking vengeance. Hunting a murderer, the trail will take her from northern China to Japan, with Bao following doggedly behind.
And as their paths draw ever closer together, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur.
The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depth of maternal bonds, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.
Published February 13th by Titan Books Gothic Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Fairy Tale, Dark Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: Set in the same universe as the acclaimed All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns (one of Oprah Daily’s Top 25 Fantasy Novels of 2022), this beautifully told Gothic fairy tale of ghosts, witches, deadly secrets and past sins, will be perfect for fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid.
Ellie Briar is the first non-witch to be born into her family for generations. The Briar family of witches run the town of Silverton, caring for its inhabitants with their skills and magic. In the usual scheme of things, they would be burnt for their sorcery, but the church has given them dispensation in return for their protection of the borders of the Darklands, where the much-feared Leech Lords hold sway.
Ellie is being trained as a steward, administering for the town, and warding off the insistent interest of the church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie’s cousin Audra rises to the position of Briar Witch, propelling Ellie into her new role. As she navigates fresh challenges, an unexpected new ability to see and speak to the dead leads her to uncover sinister family secrets, stories of burnings, lost grimoires and evil spells. Reeling from one revelation to the next, she seeks answers from the long dead and is forced to decide who to trust, as a devastating plot threatens to destroy everything the Briar witches have sacrificed so much to build.
Told in the award-winning author’s trademark gorgeous, addictive prose, this is an intricately woven tale of a family of witches struggling against the bonds of past sins and persecution.
Published February 15th by Viper Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychcological Thriller
SYNOPSIS: ‘Haunting and atmospheric’ – DAILY MAIL ‘Tina Baker’s best yet’ – JANICE HALLETT ‘Compelling and suspenseful’ – LISA HALL Everyone brings their secrets to the island…
On the beautiful and windswept island of Tresco, two worlds live side by side. The wealthy visitors come by helicopter to stay at their lavish time-share properties. The estate staff travel by boat, and work all hours to keep them happy, to keep the money flowing in.
But while the blue skies and savage waves make the island seem a wild paradise, under the surface the inhabitants are concealing more than they dare reveal. The truths about their marriages, their love affairs, and what they do in the darkness while their neighbours are sleeping.
As black clouds come rolling in and a storm hits the island, truths and rumours begin to tumble out, wreaking terrible damage. In the midst of the tempest, two women are attacked and one goes missing. The secrets of this fragile community can no longer be hidden if it hopes to survive. The islanders must finally reveal what they did in the storm, no matter the cost.
From the #1 bestselling author of Call Me Mummy comes a dark and luscious thriller, perfect for readers of Harriet Tyce, Amanda Jennings and Louise Candlish.
Published February 15th by Headline Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Master of the jaw-dropping twist’ S MAGAZINE
Please take care of my baby. But don’t try to find me. You’ll put him in danger. x
Profiler and therapist Kez Lanyon is shocked when she finds a baby on the backseat of her car, with an unsigned note asking her to take care of him.
Kez has a pretty good idea who the mother is – Brandee, a popular social media star with a troubled background, who once lived in Kez’s house.
Brandee recently dropped out of the limelight and if the internet rumours are true, Kez knows Brandee’s life is in danger.
Kez is torn. Should she simply take care of the baby as she’s been asked, or should she risk her whole family by using contacts from her previous job to save this young woman?
Time is running out for Brandee. Can Kez find her before it’s too late?
This is the heart-stopping new novel from The Queen Of The Big Reveal.
Published February 15th by Zaffre Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Police Procedural
SYNOPSIS: DISCOVERTHE GRIPPING 2024 BRITISH CRIME NOVEL EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT:
‘Utterly mesmerising’ – PETER JAMES ‘A crime novel I wish I had written’ – LYNDA LA PLANTE ‘Marie’s writing is beautiful’ – BELINDA BAUER ‘Exceptional in every way’ – CHRIS WHITAKER ‘A dark glittering gem of a book’ – LISA GRAY ‘Gloriously dark, deadly and deathly’ – C. J. SKUSE ‘An incredible debut. Damn near perfect’ – SUSI HOLLIDAY ‘A masterpiece’ – WILLIAM HUSSEY
Thirteen-year-old Ava Bonney possesses an unusual intellect far beyond her years. While her friends play, Ava’s fascination lies in the intricate process of animal decomposition, studying roadkill found in the streets around her home.
But, one night, Ava’s secret nocturnal routine takes a chilling turn when she stumbles upon the lifeless body of fellow schoolmate, Mickey Grant.
As Detective Seth Delahaye takes charge of the perplexing case, Ava refuses to sit idle. Determined and resourceful, she embarks on a daring quest to unveil the truth behind the string of chilling deaths plaguing her community.
Armed with her unique skills and unrivalled local knowledge, Ava becomes an unlikely force in the race to apprehend the elusive killer before more lives are claimed.
‘Deadly Animals is a shockingly beautiful, rare and heartbreaking gem. I really can’t recommend it highly enough’ – CHRIS WHITAKER
Published February 15th by Fourth Estate Fairy Tale, Horror Fiction, Lesbian Literature
SYNOPSIS: A haunting ode to Cornish folklore and the secrets of the places we call home
‘An astonishing debut … Rhythmic, atmospheric and enduring’ CHARLIE CARROLL
‘A book where language feels like hands reaching into the soil, where landscapes feel alive, where sentences, houses and memory are suffused with the uncanny’ TOM DE FRESTON
Everything that comes from the ground has to go back down… eventually
Merryn grew up on the wilds of Bodmin moor, raised by her mother and her aunt in an old farmhouse. Here, the locals never leave the village, fear for the future of their farms and cling desperately to the folkloric tales that are woven into their history. Except Merryn, who has escaped to Manchester for university, briefly untethering herself from her past.
When Merryn returns home for the memorial service of her ex-girlfriend Claud, she finds her childhood home stranger and more secretive than ever. She’s sure that her mother is hiding something. The villagers are hunting on the moors at night, but for what? And then there’s a notebook, found in an old chest of drawers, full of long-forgotten folklore that seems to be linked somehow to Claud…
Published February 15th by Magpie Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Mystery
SYNOPSIS: An unputdownable tale of obsession, jealousy and heartache against the backdrop of WW2
May 1945 and at long last, Rosamund Caradon is feeling optimistic. As she returns the last few evacuees to London from her Devonshire manor, she vows to protect dance-obsessed daughter Jasmine from further peril.
But a chance meeting with a Sadler’s Wells ballet dancer changes everything.
When the beautiful, elusive Briar Woods bursts into Rosamund’s train carriage, it’s clear her sights are set on the immediately captivated Jasmine. And Rosamund cannot shake the eerie feeling this accidental encounter is not what it seems.
For Briar may be far away from the pointe shoes and greasepaint of the Sleeping Beauty ballet that is so much a part of her, but her performance for Rosamund might just be her most successful yet.
This, Briar feels, is a show for a mother and daughter. A dance that could turn deadly…
One of Lucy Popescu’s Books to Look Forward to in 2024 in Camden New Journal
Published February 15th by Hutchinson Heinmann Mystery, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
SYNOPSIS: ‘Funny, poignant and drawn with real compassion. This is a heart-warming book’ EMMA HEALEY
‘A heartwarming tale about the power of human connection, written with empathy, warmth and care. To read it is to feel that little bit better about life’ ELIZABETH DAY
‘Profoundly original and dazzlingly written. A beautiful mystery with heart’ ROB RINDER
Yorkshire, 1979
Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.
Because of the murders.
Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?
So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don’t.
But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families – and between each other – than they ever thought possible.
What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?
Published February 15th by Piatkus Contemporary Romance, Humororus Fiction, Domestic Fiction
SYNOPSIS: From the bestselling author of Everything Is Beautiful, comes an utterly heartwarming new novel, about what it truly means to belong to those you love.
‘Gripping, endearing and thought-provoking, this beautifully woven novel championing family, solidarity and friendship is full of warmth and heart. A joy from start to finish – one not to miss’ HOLLY MILLER ‘Heartfelt and heartwarming, this uplifting read is full of characters to cherish and cheer for’ PHAEDRA PATRICK
‘The Art of Belonging is a gorgeous read . . . Eleanor Ray has created a warm hug of a book that will capture your heart’ HEATHER CRITCHLOW
………………………………………… Sometimes you need to open your heart to find where you truly belong . . .
When unexpected circumstances bring Grace’s estranged daughter, Amelia, and granddaughter, Charlotte, to live in her home, complicated feelings start to emerge, revealing a messy and emotional past which drove this family apart.
It will take a school mystery, an exquisite miniature railway and some brave decisions to help them each find not only themselves, but also each other – and to appreciate what it truly means to belong together.
This uplifting novel will warm your heart and touch your soul, and remind you of all the reasons humans can be downright wonderful.
Published February 15th by Pan Macmillan Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Medical Fiction, War Story
SYNOPSIS: Soon to be a major motion picture!
‘Astonishing. Compelling. Powerful’ – Delia Owens, bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing
‘Stuns with sacrifice. Uplifts with heroism’ – Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
From the worldwide bestselling author of The Four Winds, The Nightingale and Firefly Lane (a Number One series on Netflix),The Women is a story of devastating loss and epic love.
It would be the journey of a lifetime . . .
‘Women can be heroes, too’. When twenty-year-old nursing student, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on California’s idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the young men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed America. Frankie will also discover the true value of female friendship and the heartbreak that love can cause.
Published February 15th by Hodder & Stoughton Historical Fiction, War Story
SYNOPSIS: Jersey, 1943. Once a warm and neighbourly community, now German soldiers patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule on the people of the island.
Grace La Mottée, the island’s only librarian, is ordered to destroy books which threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, postwoman Bea Rose, she wants to fight back. So she forms the wartime book club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and escapism of reading.
But as the occupation drags on, the women’s quiet acts of bravery become more perilous – and more important – than ever before. And, when tensions turn to violence, they are forced to face the true, terrible cost of resistance . . .
Based on astonishing real events, The Wartime Book Club is a love letter to the power of books in the darkest of times – as well as a moving page-turner that brings to life the remarkable, untold story of an island at war.
Published February 15th by Simon & Schuster UK Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: What if you could write your own perfect storyline…? The heartwarming, feelgood novel from the much-loved Sunday Times bestselling author, Milly Johnson.
‘Gloriously funny, witty, wise and wonderful, this book is a total joy!’ Alexandra Potter ‘A delicious warm hug of a book’ Jill Mansell ‘An escapist, uplifting read full of heart’ Libby Page ‘Funny and brilliant and gorgeously warm, Milly Johnson always, always delivers’ Paige Toon ‘Takes you on a classic transformative journey in the most wonderful and original way. What a joy!’ Julietta Henderson
Polly Potter is surviving, not thriving. She used to love her job – until her mentor died and her new boss decided to make her life hell. She used to love her partner Chris – until he cheated on her, and now she can’t forget. The only place where her life is working is on the pages of the novel she is writing – there she can create a feistier, bolder, more successful version of herself – as the fictional Sabrina Anderson.
But what if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?
After a set of unforeseen circumstances, Polly ends up believing she really IS Sabrina, living at the heart of a noisy Italian family restaurant by the sea. Run by Teddy, the son of her new landlady Marielle, it’s a much-loved place, facing threat of closure as a rival restaurant moves in next door. Sabrina can’t remember her life as Polly, but she knows she is living a different life from the one she used to have.
But what if this new life could belong to her after all?
Published February 15th by Transworld Books Contemporary Fantasy, Romance Novel, Magical Realsim, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Time Travel Fiction
SYNOPSIS: ‘Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure.’ STUART TURTON
‘A clever and beautiful novel about the power of books.’ SUNYI DEAN
‘Full of magic, wonder and heart.’ ANITA FRANK
‘A magical, mesmerising adventure from the very first page.’ A. J. WEST
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Because some doors should never be opened.
New York bookseller Cassie Andrews is not sure what she’s doing with her life. She lives quietly, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Izzy. Then a favourite customer gives her an old book. Full of strange writing and mysterious drawings, at the very front there is a handwritten message:
This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.
Cassie is about to discover that the Book of Doors is a special book – a magic book. A book that bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever possesses it. And she is about to learn that there are other magic books out there that can also do wondrous – or dreadful and terrifying – things.
Because where there is magic there is power and there are those who will stop at nothing to possess it.
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is Drummond Fox who has a secret library of magical books hidden in the shadows for safekeeping, a man fleeing his own demons. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .
Sunbringer (The Fallen Gods Trilogy, Book 2) by Hannah Kaner
Published Februayr 15th by Harper Voyager High Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Religious Science Fiction
SYNOPSIS: The thrilling epic fantasy sequel to No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller, GODKILLER.
War is coming, godkiller.
Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Now they are stirring, whispering of war. Godkiller Kissen sacrificed herself to vanquish the fire god Hseth and save her friends, but gods cannot be destroyed so easily – and neither can godkillers.
Reeling from the loss of Kissen, young noble Inara and her little god of white lies, Skedi, seek answers to the true nature of their bond. The secrets they uncover could determine the outcome of the war.
Meanwhile, Elogast, no longer a loyal knight of King Arren, has been charged with destroying the man he once called friend. The king vowed to eradicate all gods, but has now entered into an unholy pact with the most dangerous of them all.
The kingdom is on the brink of destruction. What will they each sacrifice to save it?
Published April 19th, 2018 by Orion Literary Ficiton, Romance
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SYNOPSIS:
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
Meet Rosemary, 86, and Kate, 26: dreamers, campaigners, outdoor swimmers…
Rosemary has lived in Brixton all her life, but everything she knows is changing. Only the local lido, where she swims every day, remains a constant reminder of the past and her beloved husband George.
Kate has just moved and feels adrift in a city that is too big for her. She’s on the bottom rung of her career as a local journalist, and is determined to make something of it.
So when the lido is threatened with closure, Kate knows this story could be her chance to shine. But for Rosemary, it could be the end of everything. Together they are determined to make a stand, and to prove that the pool is more than just a place to swim – it is the heart of the community.
‘Feel-good and uplifting, this charming novel is full of heart’ LUCY DIAMOND
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MY REVIEW:
“It is raining smiles.”
Emotional, heartwarming and uplifting, The Lido is a truly special book. A story about the restorative power of friendship, the power of community, life, love, and loss, it warms you from the inside like Ready Brek and was the perfect book to chase away the cold January blues.
Rosemary, 86, has lived in Brixton her whole life and has swum at the lido every day since she was a child. It’s the place she met her beloved late husband, George, and remains the centre of her world. Rosemary isn’t your typical elderly woman. She’s feisty, fiercely independent, and has an unquenchable zest for life. The lido is her lifeline to friendship, freedom and community, and its potential closure would mean losing a part of herself.
Kate, 26, is a reporter for the local newspaper who was assigned to report on the potential closure. She’s recently moved to Brixton and hasn’t managed to make any friends. She’s lonely, filled with self-doubt, and crippled with anxiety and depression, but hasn’t told anyone. The two women forge a strong friendship and join forces with members of the local community to try and save the lido.
This book had languished on my shelves for far too long and I am so glad I finally took the plunge (excuse the bad pun). Libby Page’s writing is alluring, uplifting and emotionally resonant. She takes you through a rainbow of emotions, creating an overwhelming feeling of warmth and positivity despite the loneliness and sadness that runs through the story. But it’s the characters that are my favourite part of this book. I love an intergenerational friendship and the one between Rosemary and Kate is one of the best I’ve read. They were fascinating characters individually but even better together. I loved how Rosemary got Kate on board her quest to save the lido by getting her to swim and the ways they both enriched each other’s lives. I listened to this book on audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and story to life. I was bereft when the story was over and am excited to read the follow up, The Lifeline, which is out in April.
So if you’re looking for a book to brighten your day, The Lido is the book for you.
Rating: 🏊♀️🏊♀️🏊♀️🏊♀️
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
From Libby’s official website:
I’m Libby Page, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido, The 24-Hour Café, The Island Home and The Vintage Shop of Second Chances. The Lifeline, a follow-up to The Lido, will be published in the UK in April 2024.
Before writing The Lido I worked as a journalist and in marketing. I live in Somerset with my husband and young son.
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Published July 22nd, 2021 by The Borough Press Thriller, Supsense, Dark Comedy, Satire
Welcome to my review of the delciously dark How To Kill You Family. This is my first audiobook and backlist book of 2024. Thank you to The Borough Press for the copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS: THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN
‘An antiheroine able to best villainous male protagonists such as Patrick Bateman any day’ OBSERVER
‘Chilling, but also laugh-out-loud funny. Another corker’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them.
Meet Grace Bernard. Daughter, sister, serial killer… Grace has lost everything. And she will stop at nothing to get revenge.
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MY REVIEW:
“I have killed several people, some brutally, others calmly, and yet I currently languish in jail for a crime I did not commit…”
Grace Bernard is currently in prison for a notorious crime that she didn’t commit. Ironically, her real crimes are unknown and Grace is actually a serial killer who has calmly and meticulously murdered six members of her family and will stop at nothing in her quest for revenge.
A deliciously dark and deadly debut, How To Kill Your Family is a gripping story of familial dysfunction, vengeance and murder. After it languished on my shelves for far too long I decided to listen to it as my first audiobook of the year. And I’m so glad I did. Bella Mackie has created a story dripping with jet-black humour and a compelling anti-hero you won’t forget. It was one of those great audiobooks that are easy to listen to because both the story and narration are so good and I got completely lost in this story. I thought I knew where it was headed and listened safe in that knowledge. But I was completely wrong and was left reeling with my jaw on the floor. Also, how could she end it there?! So cruel.
Mackie takes us deep inside Grace’s mind, allowing us to understand her behaviours even if we don’t agree with them. She’s a fantastic anti-hero: flawed, unforgiving, bitter, emotionally detached, unpredictable, calculated and untroubled by guilt or remorse yet she has a charm and magnetism that makes you root for her. It’s easy to understand why she’d want revenge on those who destroyed her life and I think we’ve all fleetingly considered how to get revenge on those who’ve hurt or betrayed us. But while we’d move on Grace doesn’t and methodically plans and carries out her complex plans, taking her time to avoid being caught instead of acting rashly and making mistakes. She’s consumed by her obsession and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever truly feel satisfied even after her plans were complete.
Witty, entertaining and addictive, How To Kill Your Family is a brilliant satirical debut that I highly recommend.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Bella Mackie is a former journalist who previously worked for The Guardian and Vice News. She writes a twice monthly Vogue column. Her first book, Jog On, was a memoir about mental health and running. It was a number two bestseller (just underneath Michelle Obama, which is a hallowed spot).
Since then she’s written an accompanying journal to encourage others to try exercise more for their minds than their bodies. Bella’s first foray into fiction, How To Kill Your Family, came out in July 2021 and ended up in the number one bestseller spot. Bella lives in London and spends a lot of time wrangling her large stupid dog.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 