Published January 15th, 2026 by Headline
Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Nobody knows she’s checked into Room 706.
Caught in the wrong place at precisely the worst time, Kate must face the most confronting situation of her life – and discover what matters most – in this deeply suspenseful and thought-provoking novel.
If she knew it would end this way, would it ever have begun?
‘I devoured it… I haven’t stopped thinking about it’ Jennie Godfrey
‘An ending that demands to be talked about’ Erin Kelly
‘Poignant, heart-breaking and utterly human’ Joanna Cannon
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Kate stretches her legs and turns on the TV while James washes away the traces of their morning. She watches in horror at the unfolding news: the hotel they are staying in has been taken under siege.
She should be making her way home, working on appearing normal, getting ready to re-enter family life with her loving husband Vic and their two adored children. Instead, she is trapped somewhere she shouldn’t be, with a man she definitely doesn’t love.
How will she begin to tell Vic what she is doing here? If her body is found, will it give up the secret of what she’s been up to? She’s been so careful hiding the evidence of her affair: write nothing down, leave no trace. Will he begin to understand why?
For now, Kate can only hide, take a deep breath, and reflect on the series of choices she’s made that have brought her to this moment.
What will her marriage and her life look like, if she makes it out?
Discover the most gripping and original novel you’ll read this year, from an incredible new talent in fiction.
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MY REVIEW:
Multi-layered, tender, tense and claustrophobic, Room 706 is an explosive debut. Morally ambiguous and thought provoking it follows Kate, who has just enjoyed a day of illicit love-making with her lover, James. As he showers she turns on the TV in the hotel room and the news is reporting a story about a siege under way at a hotel. Horrorstruck, Kate realises it is their hotel. Now, instead of making her way home and collecting her children from school, she’s stuck in a hotel room with her lover. How will she explain this to her husband? And will they make it out of there alive?
How on earth is this a debut? Ellie Levenson writes like a seasoned veteran. Her storytelling is nuanced, raw and sensitive, her characters achingly human and flawed, her plot cleverly choreographed and tightly paced, and her twists surprising. I’ll admit that I went into this expecting a thriller, but while it is full of fear and tension, it isn’t a thriller. Levenson describes it as ‘fiction for the clever but tired woman’, which is the perfect description. I was in Ellie’s thrall, glued to the pages as we moved between events in the hotel room and flashbacks that tell the story of both of Kate’s relationships. And that ending! I almost threw the book across the room and can see why so many people are talking about it.
The moral ambiguity of this story is at the heart of its charm. Kate loves her husband and her affair is simply self-care for her. An escape from the monotony of marriage and motherhood. She recognises how wrong it is but also isn’t willing to give it up. And whatever your thoughts on the morality of her choices, it’s impossible not to like and root for this lady and feel sad for her as she’s trapped in a terrifying situation totally unsupported. Something I loved about Kate was how even when she’s fearing for her life she still worries about things like the food shopping, buying her son a costume for school and uploading family photos to the cloud. It’s definitely what I could imagine myself doing in her situation.
A riveting and unforgettable debut by an author who is one to watch, Room 706 is a must for your TBR.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
Thank to Headline for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ellie Levenson has worked as a journalist, writer and lecturer for many years.
Her freelance work as a feature writer and columnist saw articles published across national newspapers, consumer magazines and specialist publications, with a special focus on writing accessibly about politics, language and social issues.
Ellie has extensive experience as a lecturer in journalism at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and has been a guest lecturer at many other institutions. She has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at the London programmes of Boston University and Syracuse University. She is completing a PGCHE and is interested to hear about any guest lecturing opportunities in journalism, ideas generation and creative writing.
Before becoming a novelist, Ellie wrote non-fiction books for adults and non-fiction and picture books for children. These include Politics in 100 words (Quarto, 2020), Creativity and Feature Writing: How to get hundreds of new ideas every day (Routledge, 2015), The Election (Fisherton Press, 2015) and The Noughtie Girl’s Guide to Feminism (Oneworld, 2009).
Ellie lives with her husband and children in East London. (Up the O’s!)
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx
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