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Emma's Anticipated Treasures

Emma’s Anticipated Treasures – June 2024

June is almost upon us and it’s another month jam-packed full of exciting new releases from some of my favourite authors and debuts I can’t wait to read.

Here are the 50 books I’m most anticipating:

The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal

Published June 6th by Picador
Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
From Elizabeth Macneal, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory, The Burial Plot is a spellbinding Gothic thriller about murder and manipulation.

London, 1839. With the cemeteries full and money to be made in death, tricksters Crawford and Bonnie survive on wicked schemes and ill-gotten coin. But one blistering evening, their fortunes flip. A man lies in a pool of blood at Bonnie’s feet and now she needs to disappear.

Crawford secures her a position as lady’s maid in a grand house on the Thames. As Bonnie comes to understand the family – the eccentric Mr Moncrieff, obsessively drawing mausoleums for his dead wife, and their peculiar daughter Cissie, scribbling imaginary love letters to herself – she begins to question what secrets are lying behind the house’s paper-thin walls and whether her own presence here was planned from the beginning.

Because Crawford is watching, and perhaps he is plotting his greatest trick yet . . .

Pre-order here*

Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg

Published June 6th by Tinder Press
Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
An Observer top ten best new novelist for 2024

A simmering debut, heady with the possibilities of language and the righteousness of female rage’
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies
‘A modern-day Dionysian cult of women in the woods – haunting and exhilarating’
Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne
______

They thought they knew everything about us. The kind of women we were.

It was a place for women. A remote farm tucked away in the Kent Downs. A safe space.

When Iris – newly single and living at home with her mother – meets the mysterious and beguiling Hazel, who lives in a women’s commune, she finds herself drawn into the possibility of a new start away from the world of men who have only let her down. Here, at Breach House, the women can be loud and dirty, live and eat abundantly, all while under the leadership of their gargantuan matriarch, Blythe.

But even among the women, there are power struggles, cruelty and transgressions that threaten their precarious way of life. When a group of men arrives on the farm, the commune’s existence is thrown into question, hurtling Iris and the other women towards an act of devastating violence.

Fierce and unapologetic, Spoilt Creatures is an intoxicating debut about transgression, sisterhood and the seductive nature of obsession. It pulls back the skin of patriarchal violence and examines the female rage that lurks beneath.

Pre-order here*

The King’s Witches by Kate Foster

Published June 6th by Mantle
Historical Fiction, Religious Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The King’s Witches by Kate Foster is a compelling and beautiful historical novel that gives voices to the women at the heart of the real-life witch trials in sixteenth-century Scotland.

Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive.

1589. Princess Anna of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland. Before they can wed, Anna must pass the trial period: one year of marriage to prove herself worthy of being Scotland’s new Queen. Determined to fulfil her duties to King and country, Anna resolves to be the perfect royal bride. Until she meets Lord Henry . . .

By her side is Kirsten Sorenson, her loyal and pious lady-in-waiting. But, whilst tending to Anna’s every need, Kirsten has her own secret motives for the royal marriage to succeed . . .

Meanwhile, in North Berwick, young housemaid Jura practises the healing charms taught to her by her mother. When she realizes she is no longer safe, she escapes to Edinburgh, only to find herself caught up in the witchcraft mania that has gripped not just the capital, but the new queen …

Will Anna, Kirsten and Jura be able to save each other and, in doing so, save themselves?

Pre-order here*

Shadowstitch (Threadneedle 2) by Cari Thomas

Published June 6th by Harper Voyager
Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Horror Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Anna survived the attempt to bind her magic, but Anna and her coven aren’t free from danger yet.

Haunted by her aunt’s death, living in fear of her curse, and fated to love the one man she can never have, the last thing Anna needs is a witch hunt. Now she must conceal her magic once more or risk losing everything.

But when deadly hysteria strikes across the capital, and in her own school, the coven are left dangerously exposed. Delving deeper into the magical underworld of London, Anna and her twin sister Effie must find a way to work together to protect the coven.

But as the witch hunt intensifies and the hysteria spirals out of control, can Effie and Anna truly trust each other?

Pre-order here*

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken

Published June 6th by Canongate
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
In thirteenth-century Ireland, a woman with power is a woman to be feared.

When a young Alice Kyteler sees her mother wither under the constraints of family responsibilities, she vows that she won’t suffer the same fate. Soon Alice discovers she has a flair for making money, and builds a flourishing business. But as her wealth and stature grow, so too do the rumours about her private life. By the time she has moved on to her fourth husband, a blaze of local gossip and resentment culminates in an accusation that could prove fatal.

Inspired by the first recorded person in Ireland to have been condemned as a witch, Bright I Burn gives voice to a woman lost to history, who dared to carve her own space in a man’s world.

Pre-order here*

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Published June 6th by HarperCollins UK
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Fairy Tale, Coming-of-Age Story

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
WELCOME TO THE MANOR

THE PARTY’S ON FIRE

_______________________

**Book your place at the table … The brand new murder mystery thriller from the No.1 bestseller**

Midsummer, the Dorset coast

In the shadows of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor: a beautiful new countryside retreat.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. And the candles have barely been lit for a solstice supper when the body is found.

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…

THE MIDNIGHT FEAST

Pre-order here*

The Chamber by Will Dean

Published June 6th by Hodder & Stoughton
Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The master of intense suspense, Will Dean, is back! THE CHAMBER follows the success of Richard & Judy Book Club pick THE LAST PASSENGER.

HIGH PRESSURE OUTSIDE
On a boat heading out into the North Sea, Ellen Brooke steels herself to spend almost a month locked inside a hyperbaric chamber with five other divers. They are all being paid handsomely for this work – to be lowered each day inside a diving bell to the sea bed, taking it in turns to dive down and repair oil pipes that lie in the dark waters. It is a close knit team and it has to be: any error or loss of trust could be catastrophic.

EXTREME PRESSURE INSIDE
All is going to plan until one of the divers is found unresponsive in his bunk. He hadn’t left the chamber. It will take four more days of decompression, locked away together, before the hatch can be opened. Four more days of bare steel, intrusive thoughts, and the constant struggle not to give way to panic. Mind games, exhaustion, suspicion, and, most of all, pressure. And if someone does unlock the door, everyone dies…

And Then There Were None meets The Last Breath in this tense and suspenseful locked-room thriller from the author of the “astonishing” (Ian Rankin) The Last Passenger.

Pre-order here*

How To Solve Your Own Murder (Violet Hamilton Book 2) by Hannah Dolby

Published June 6th by Aria
Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Woemen Sleuths

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Violet Hamilton is no ordinary lady.

She is a Lady Detective, who spends her time solving mysteries and unveiling scandals in the bustling seaside town of Hastings and St Leonards, a popular spot for the Victorian middle classes.

But when the body of a local woman is found on the beach, Violet’s efforts to investigate are blocked at every turn.

Is that because, as a woman, she can’t possibly be allowed to think or act for herself? Or is it because someone sinister has Violet in their sights?

Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes in this delightful mystery of manners that will steal your heart, and transport you to a world of seaside scandal and moonlit balls; dubious doctors and duplicitous crooked lords; adventurous escapades and stolen kisses.

Pre-order here*

The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan

Published June 6th by Aria
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Family Saga

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Bestselling Irish writer, Faith Hogan, has created another gripping saga of friendship, betrayal and secrets in this story of a widow in search of answers to a shocking confession by her dying husband.

Joy Blackwood has no idea why her French art dealer husband has left a valuable painting to a woman called Robyn Tessier in Ballycove, a small town on the west coast of Ireland, but she is determined to find out.

She arrives in Ballycove to find that Robyn runs a rather chaotic and unprofitable bookshop. She is shy, suffering from unrequited love for dashing Kian, and badly in need of advice on how to make the bookshop successful.

As Joy becomes entangled in the daily dramas of Ballycove, uncovering the secrets behind her husband’s painting grows increasingly challenging. When she finally musters the courage to confront the truth, her revelation sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community she’s grown to love.

Pre-order here*

Scripted by Fearne Cotton

Published June 6th by Michael Joseph
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Jade Shaw has lost control of her life.

Pushed around by her warring family, and taken for granted by a boyfriend who’s more interested in his “brand” than their relationship, she knows that somewhere along the path to being an adult she’s lost her way.

The last place she expects to find answers is on the floor outside her flat. But there it is: a script. Containing
her name, and her boyfriend’s, and showing yet another excruciating argument in which he calls all the shots.
The weird thing is: this argument hasn’t happened yet.

The row becomes reality. Jade feels more frustrated than ever. Then more scripts appear; infuriating scenes in which Jade’s boss, mum, and bridezilla sister walk all over her.

The future is painfully familiar. But it’s not a future Jade likes.

Is it too late for her to re-write the script?

Pre-order here*

Welcome To Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal

Published June 6th by Chatto & Windus
Romance Novel, Medical Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Humorous Fiction,

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A magical novel, so uplifting, heartwarming, funny … Feels as if it was written specifically to give comfort’ MARIAN KEYES

Sail to the tropical paradise where secrets don’t stay hidden for long …

Zoologist Charlotte Walker has taken up a fellowship on the tiny, remote island of Tuga de Oro to study the endangered gold coin tortoises in the jungle interior. She can claim the best of reasons for this year in paradise – what better motivation than to save a species? – but the reality is more complex. For Charlotte has a secret that connects her to the island and has finally determined to solve the mystery …

A complete and vivid world to escape to, Welcome to Glorious Tuga celebrates a fictional island, and the warm-hearted families who live there. Enchanting, uplifting and very funny, this is a captivating novel about love, belonging, and what it really means to come home.

Pre-order here*

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Published June 6th by Doubleday
Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Discover the joyful summer read from the bestselling author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Nora Ephron

____________

One week in Cape Cod. The perfect family holiday. What could possibly go wrong…?

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their rustic beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, its quirky furniture and mismatched pots and pans greeted like old friends.

Now, sandwiched between her children who are adult enough to be fun but still young enough to need her, and her parents who are alive and healthy, Rocky wants to preserve this golden moment forever. This one precious week when everything is in balance; everything is in flux.

But every family has its secrets and hers is no exception.

With her body in open revolt and surprises invading her peaceful haven, the perfectly balanced seesaw of Rocky’s life is tipping towards change…

Pre-order here*

Experienced by Kate Young

Published June 6th by Fourth Estate
Contemporary Romance, Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction, Lesbian Literature, Erotic Literature

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Clever, sexy and joyful. I loved it’ BETH O’LEARY, AUTHOR OF THE FLATSHARE

‘A fizzing roller-coaster of a rom-com. The sexiest book you’ll read all year and the most heartening’ CAROLINE O’DONOGHUE, AUTHOR OF THE RACHEL INCIDENT

Bette loves Mei, but Bette and Mei are on a break, so Bette can catch-up on the decade of dating experiences she missed before she came out.

So Bette is (reluctantly) on a dating odyssey: a quest to have lots of casual sex with lots of hot women and come back to Mei more experienced and more certain about what she wants. And now she has new friend Ruth as her dating guide, she can’t possibly fail. It’s just three months, then she’ll be back with Mei.

It’s the perfect plan … isn’t it?

Pre-order here*

Going Home by Tom Lamont

Published June 6th by Sceptre
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Meltingly warm’
OBSERVER, 10 BEST NEW NOVELISTS FOR 2024

Local boy Téo Erskine is back in the north London suburb of his youth, visiting his father – stubborn, selfish, complicated Vic. Things have changed for Téo: he’s got a steady job, a brand-new car and a London flat all concrete and glass, with a sliver of a river view.

Except, underneath the surface, not much has changed at all. He’s still the boy seeking his father’s approval; the young man playing late-night poker with his best friend, unreliable, infuriating Ben Mossam; the one still desperately in love with the enigmatic Lia Woods.

Lia’s life, on the other hand, has been transformed: now a single mum to two-year-old Joel, she doesn’t have time for anyone – not even herself.

When the unthinkable happens, Joel finds himself at the centre of an odd constellation of men – Téo, Vic, Ben – none of whom is fully equipped to look after him, but whose strange, tentative attempts at love might just be enough to offer him a new place to call home.

Pre-order here*

D is For Death by Harriet F. Townson

Published June 6th by Hodder & Stoughton
Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Contemporary Romance

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Meet Dora Wildwood: runaway bride, book lover, and aspiring detective.
Likes: solving crimes, peppermint creams, trousers and her own independence.
Dislikes: cracked book spines, tyrannical behaviour, beetroot.

1935. Dora’son the first train to London, having smuggled herself out of the house in the middle of the night to escape her impending marriage. But unluckily for her, Dora’s fiance is more persistent than most and follows.

As Dora alights at Paddington station, she is immediately forced to run from the loathsome Charles Silk-Butters. She ducks into the London Library to hide and it is there, surrounded by books, where she should feel most safe, that Dora Wildwood stumbles across her first dead body.

Having been thrown into the middle of a murder scene, it’s now impossible to walk away. Indeed, Dora’s certain she will prove an invaluable help to the gruff Detective Inspector Fox who swiftly arrives on the scene. For as everyone knows, it’s the woman in the room who always sees more than anyone else: and no one more so than Dora herself…

D is for Death heralds the launch of a brilliant historical crime series that marries the quality of Dorothy L. Sayers with the ingenuity of Janice Hallett – and in Dora Wildwood introduces a character with the spark and gusto of Enola Holmes and the detective skill of Miss Marple. It is the debut crime novel from bestselling author Harriet Evans, writing as Harriet F. Townson.

Pre-order here*

Knife River by Justine Champine

Published June 6th by Manilla Press
Suspense, Thriller, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Beautifully written and soaked with atmosphere, KNIFE RIVER is the debut novel of an exciting new voice in literary crime.

First, there were my mother’s bones . . .

A young woman returns home to the small, claustrophobic town of Knife River. When Jess was thirteen, her mother went for a walk and did not return – now, fifteen years later, bones have been discovered in the woods nearby.

Jess’s sister has remained in their childhood home – her life, their home and the town itself seemingly frozen in time. As days turn into weeks, Jess’s understanding of the past, her sister, and herself becomes more and more complicated – and the list of suspects responsible for her mother’s terrible fate more and more ominous . . .

‘A twisting, engrossing and beautiful mystery. Thrilling, yet also deeply moving, layered and powerful’
CHRIS WHITAKER

‘A delicious smoke curl of a novel: atmospheric, sharp, and skilled at twisting the reader’s guesses in unimaginable ways’
JODI PICOULT

Pre-order here*

The Wreckage of Us by Dan Malakin

Published June 6th by Viper Books
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
It’s always the husband… Isn’t it?

Astrid Webb is missing. The police have found her car crashed near the woods, the driver’s door open, the seat spotted with blood. But there’s no sign of Astrid herself, a sick woman who rarely left her house, who surely couldn’t have left the scene of the accident without help.

Her husband Bryan is sure that she’s alive – after all, this isn’t the first time she’s vanished, only to reappear without explanation. But as the days pass, Bryan starts to look like a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, perhaps in her murder. Because Bryan isn’t telling the police the whole truth. Not about Astrid’s stalker, their broken-in back door, or the threatening messages she received. And it seems as if both Astrid and Bryan have something to hide.

Then a woman’s body is found in the woods, her face terribly disfigured. By staying silent, is Bryan protecting Astrid, or protecting himself?

From the bestselling author of The Regret and The Box, this heart-pounding thriller is perfect for readers of Harlan Coben, Mark Billingham and Alex North.

Pre-order here*

The Winner by Teddy Wayne

Published June 6th by The Borough Press
Suspense, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A razor-sharp novel that skewers the life of the uber-rich in the vein of The White Lotus, with shades of The Talented Mr Ripley and The Graduate

Conor is a recent graduate from a law school no one has heard of. Without any job prospects and needing to support his chronically ill mother, he takes a summer job teaching tennis at the affluent gated community of Cutters Neck, Massachusetts. One of his first students is Catherine, a magnetic divorcée keen to hire him for more than advice on her serve. What begins as a transactional arrangement soon develops into an intoxicating sexual relationship.

Things become even more complicated when Conor encounters Emily, with whom he has his first taste of real intimacy. Against his better judgment, he soon finds himself living a double life that inevitably leads to disaster.

Conor knows how hard it is to win against those with money and power. In his fight for survival, he has to put emotion aside and play with only his wits – after all, in tennis, love means nothing.

Pre-order here*

I Want To Die But I Still Want To Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee

Published June 6th by Bloomsbury Publishing
Self-Help Book, Mental Health Biographies

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The sequel to the Sunday Times and international-bestselling South Korean therapy memoir, translated by International Booker Prize-shortlisted Anton Hur

When Baek Sehee started recording her sessions with her psychiatrist, her hope was to create a reference for herself. She never imagined she would reach so many people, especially young people, with her reflections. I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki became a runaway bestseller in South Korea, Indonesia, and the U.S., and reached a community of readers who appreciated depression and anxiety being discussed with such intimacy.

Baek’s struggle with dysthymia continues in I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki. And healing is a difficult process; the inner conflict she experiences in treatment becomes more complex, more challenging. With this second book, Baek Sehee reaches out to hold the hands of all those for whom grappling with everyday despair is part of a lifelong project, part of the journey.

Pre-order here*

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

Published June 11th by Fourth Estate
Psychological Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Lesbian Literature

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
From the bestselling author of Our Wives Under the Sea, a haunting novel of three sisters navigating queer love and faith at the end of the world.

There’s no way to bury a body in earth which is flooded

It is a fact consigned to history along with almost everything else

It’s been raining for a long time now, for so long that the lands have reshaped themselves. Old places have been lost. Arcane rituals and religions have crept back into practice.

Sisters Isla, Irene and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their estranged father dies. A famous architect revered for making the new world navigable, he had long cut himself off from public life. They find themselves uncertain of how to grieve his passing when everything around them seems to be ending anyway.

As the sisters come together to clear the grand glass house that is the pinnacle of his legacy, they begin to sense that the magnetic influence of their father lives on through it. Something sinister seems to be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always been unusually interested in their lives. Soon, it becomes clear that the sisters have been chosen for a very particular purpose, one with shattering implications for their family and their imperilled world.

Pre-order here*

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Published June 11th by Sphere
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Humorous Fiction, Urban Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTIONS:
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science – from Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on; the financial stability she yearned for as a kid; and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through – and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business – one that plays for keeps.

Pre-order here*

Under Her Roof by A. A. Chaudhuri

Published June 13th by Hera
Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Lesbian Literature

BOOK DESCRIPTIONS:
It seems too good to be true…

When struggling writer Sebastian finds a room to let in a palatial Hampstead residence he cannot believe his luck. The rent is ridiculously cheap and he immediately feels a connection with his beautiful widowed landlady, Adriana.

It is.

Things take a dark turn when he finds out what happened to the last lodger. Could this be why the house is a fortress of security, and why Adriana seems so fragile? Adriana doesn’t want to talk about the death and sadness that seem to follow her wherever she goes and Sebastian has secrets of his own.

Now someone is watching their every move and there is nowhere to hide.

This house of light becomes a dark nightmare as the threat ramps up – what does the watcher want? And how far will they go to get it?

A gripping, twisty thriller perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Shari Lapena and Lucy Foley. If you were hooked by Netflix series You or The Watcher then you will love this.

Pre-order here*

The Modern Faeries by Clare Pollard

Published June 13th by Fig Tree
Historical Fiction, Fairy Tales, Mythology

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Elegant and decadent, vulgar and clever, enchanting and dark. The love child of Angela Carter and Anaïs Nin – the book I really really needed’ SARAH PERRY, author of The Essex Serpent

Why don’t they tell you it is the beautiful princess who becomes the evil queen; that they are just the same person at different points in their story?


Versailles, 1682: a city of the rich, a living fairy-tale, Louis XIV’s fever dream. It’s a place of opulence, beauty, and power. But strip back the lavish exterior of polite society, and you’ll find a dark undercurrent of sexual intrigue and vicious gossip. Nobody is safe here – no matter how highly born they are.

No one knows this better than Madame Marie d’Aulnoy. Each week, a rogue group of intellectuals gather at her Parisian home to debate, flirt and perform Contes de Fées – fairy tales – that challenge the status quo, at a salon that will change the course of literature forever. But while they weave tales of glass slippers, enchanted beasts and long-haired princesses, a wolf is lurking, who threatens to destroy the members of the salon one by one.

Brilliant and bawdy, romantic and provocative, The Modern Fairies is a dazzling novel inspired by real events, about the delights and dangers of storytelling in dark times.

Pre-order here*

When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

Published June 13th by HarperVoyager
Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Fairy Tale, High Fantasy, Romance Novel, Paranormal Fantasy

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
☽ MAGIC. DRAGONS. ROMANCE. THE FANTASY PHENOMENON OF THE YEAR ☽

’An absolutely stunning fantasy world’ Raven Kennedy, author of international bestseller, The Plated Prisoner Series

‘A wild ride that thrills as much as it enchants … An instant classic’ Thea Guanzon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars
___________

He’s fire and brimstone.
I’m shattered ice …
I’ll gladly burn beneath him until the world comes crumbling down.

As an assassin for the rebellion, Raeve’s job is to complete orders and never get caught. When a rival bounty hunter shatters her world, Raeve finds herself captured by the Guild of Nobles – a group of powerful fae.

Crushed by the loss of his great love, dragon rider Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to quell the never-ebbing ache in his chest, a clue lures him into the capital’s high-security prison where he stumbles upon the imprisoned Raeve …

Together, they seek truths that threaten to unravel everything they knew about their world – and each other.

Bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched will transport you into a world filled with magic, dragons and a love that blazes through the ages…

Pre-order here*

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin

Published June 18th by Tor
Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fairy Tale, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Urban Fantasy

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
An irresistibly dark, atmospheric reimagining of 1930s Shanghai filled with glamour, gods and gangsters. From Rosalie M. Lin, perfect for fans of S. A. Chakraborty and Fonda Lee.

‘I was utterly swept up . . . seductive, sprawling, full of malice’ – Kendare Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

In Shanghai, danger wears many faces . . .

1932, Shanghai. By day, Jingwen delivers bones for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most formidable gang in the city. By night, she dances at the Paramount, a lavish cabaret club, competing ruthlessly to charm the wealthy patrons.

Then mysterious attackers start to target the club, stealing the faces of their victims – and selling them onto the powerful elite. Jingwen fears she could be next. To protect herself and her fellow performers, she has no choice but to delve deeper into the city’s glittering underworld.

In this treacherous realm of cut-throat businessmen, silver-limbed gangsters and vengeful gods, Jingwen soon learns that she must become something far stranger and more dangerous than she ever imagined, if she hopes to survive . . .

Pre-order here*

Redemption by Jack Jordan

Published June 20th by Simon & Schuster UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Gay Fiction, Adventure Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
THE LATEST PULSE-POUNDING THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE MORAL DILEMMA AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, JACK JORDAN.

Aaron Alexander has just been released from jail after serving eleven years for causing the death of Joshua Moore in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is stay on the straight and narrow and leave his troubled past behind him.
But for Joshua’s mother Evelyn, eleven years in jail isn’t nearly enough. Consumed by grief and rage, she has been waiting for Aaron’s release, counting down the days until she can exact the revenge he deserves. And now that time has come.
But as Evelyn and her husband Tobias embark on a road trip to track Aaron down, they find themselves caught on two different sides of a gripping game of cat-and-mouse. Because Tobias knows what Evelyn is planning, and he will do anything to save her from herself.
Even if it means protecting the man who killed their son.

Locked in a collision course set in motion eleven years ago, Aaron, Evelyn and Tobias are about to find out whether the road they have chosen leads to redemption . . . or to retribution.

Pre-order here*

This Is Why We Lied (Will Trent Book 12) by Karin Slaughter

Published June 20th by Harper Collins UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Psychological Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The incredible new thriller featuring Will Trent and Sara Linton from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author!

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?

Welcome to the McAlpine Lodge: a secluded mountain getaway, it’s the height of escapist luxury living.

Except that everyone here is lying. Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.

Then one night, Mercy McAlpine – until now the good daughter – threatens to expose everybody’s secrets. Just hours later, Mercy is dead.

In an area this remote, it’s easy to get away with murder. But Will Trent and Sara Linton – investigator and medical examiner for the GBI – are here on their honeymoon.

And now, with the killer poised to strike again, the holiday of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…

Pre-order here*

The Witness by Alexandra Wilson

Published June 20th by Sphere
Suspense, Psychololgical Thriller, Legal Thriller, Political Thriller

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The remarkable debut novel by prominent young mixed-race barrister Alexandra Wilson is a moving, twisty legal thriller for the 21st century.

SHE SAW IT ALL
BUT SHE CAN NEVER TELL


A young black man is arrested for murder. The case against him is strong – a mum and a teacher saw him standing over a body in a park, a knife still in hand.

But his up-and-coming barrister Rosa knows how people prejudge, but most of all, she suspects something is amiss. This boy comes from her neighbourhood. From a good family. So she begins to dig…

As Rosa discovers secret upon terrible secret, she moves closer to finding a testimony that could win the case – or bring the whole establishment down on her.

The Witness is a frightening thriller about how we judge guilt, about the strength of a young woman, and is the start of a groundbreaking new series.

Pre-order here*

Lucky Day by Beth Morrey

Published June 20th by Harper Collins UK
Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of SAVING MISSY, comes a fierce, joyful and uplifting novel about putting life on pause, pleasing yourself, and getting your own back. Whatever it takes.

CAN SHE SAY F*CK IT, JUST FOR ONE DAY?

After a morning that starts with a terrible migraine, an accidentally strong concoction of painkillers, and a bump on the head, Clover Hendry is not quite herself.

And as she walks out of work at 9.47am, for once Clover isn’t worrying about anything. She is taking some much-deserved me-time, and everyone else had better get out of her way.

As she crashes from once incident (a deliciously illicit swim) to the next (art theft), Clover is on a one-woman mission to do exactly as she pleases – consequences are for tomorrow!

It’s a day of joyful recklessness, but behind the chaos, a plan is afoot. Will her new-found freedom uncover long-buried secrets?

A euphoric, raging, galvanizing story about putting life on pause, pleasing yourself, and getting your own back – whatever it takes.

Pre-order here*

How To Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

Published June 20th by Bantam Press
Humorous Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Uplifting, heartwarming and joyful. Restored my faith in humankind‘ – Ruth Jones

When age makes you invisible, secrets are easier to hide

Daphne knows that age is just a number. She also knows that society no longer pays her any attention – something she’s happy to exploit to help her hide a somewhat chequered past.

But finding herself alone on her 70th birthday, with only her plants to talk to and neighbours to stalk online, she decides she needs some friends. Joining a Senior Citizen’s Social Club she’s horrified at the expectation she’ll spend her time enduring gentle crafting activities. Thankfully, the other members – including a failed actor addicted to shoplifting and a prolific yarn-bomber – agree.

After a tragic accident, the local council threaten to close the club – but they have underestimated the wrong group of pensioners…and with the help of a teenage dad and a geriatric, orphaned dog, the incongruous gang set out to prove it.

As long as their pasts don’t catch up with them first…

Pre-order here*

I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill

Published June 20th by HQ
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Coming-of-Age Story

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
An epic story of love, loss and pining for fans of One Day.

It’s the year 2000. I’m fourteen. I’m trying really hard to be a grunger right now in a Foo Fighters t-shirt and a spiked choker. There were rumours that the world was going to end. It hadn’t as of yet but I still had reasons to believe that was true.

❤ ❤ ❤

Ella and Lowe are teenagers when they first meet in summer 2000. For her, it’s love at first sight. But it’s safest to love from afar, where the friendship zone is her safety net and she can’t get hurt.

Certain that the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen couldn’t possibly feel the same, Ella counts herself lucky to have him as her best friend. Over the next fifteen years they share everything: bottles of cider and cigarettes in the rain, gossip and laughter, grief and fear.

But every time Lowe kisses another girl, Ella feels her heart break just that little bit more. She’ll have to choose whether it’s enough to be just friends with the love of her life, or if she’s prepared to let the terrifying, beautiful, all-consuming truth come to light.

From a unique new voice in adult fiction, I Love You, I Love You, I Love You is a glorious nostalgia trip for anyone who has ever known the exquisite pain and pleasure of first love.

Pre-order here*

Maybe, Perhaps, Possibly by Joanna Glen

Published June 20th by The Borough Press
Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
From the Costa-shortlisted author of THE OTHER HALF OF AUGUSTA HOPE and ALL MY MOTHERS

The story of two people who have no idea how to fall in love…

On the tiny island of Rokesby, Addie helps her mother run a women’s retreat. Dreaming daily of escape, she consoles herself by swimming in the ocean that surrounds them.

On the neighbouring island, joined to Rokesby by a bridge at low tide, Sol has sought refuge at a wind-swept prayer house, grieving both his mother’s death and his father’s devastating betrayal. Alone and anxious, he takes comfort in birdwatching, books and the sounds of the sea.

Introverts with turbulent pasts and wary hearts, Sol and Addie are both drawn to nature far more than to people – until they catch sight of one another in the wild. Can they break free from past lessons in love to risk a better future together?

From the Costa-shortlisted author of THE OTHER HALF OF AUGUSTA HOPE and ALL MY MOTHERS, this is a beautifully observed and life-affirming novel about finding yourself, and then allowing someone else to find you.

Pre-order here*

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd

Published June 20th by Pan Macmillan
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Crime Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Some women can’t be erased from history . . .

A story of love and madness, of obsession and revenge.

Paris, 1938: Runaway heiress Juliette Willoughby perishes, with her married lover, in an accidental studio fire alongside her Surrealist masterpiece, Self-Portrait as Sphinx.

Cambridge, 1991: Two art history students stumble across proof something sinister was at play in Juliette’s death, threatening to expose the long-buried secrets of the artist’s aristocratic family.

Dubai, now: An art dealer is accused of the brutal murder of his oldest friend – the last surviving member of the Willoughby dynasty.

Three suspicious deaths over the course of a century.

Is the key to unlocking them all hidden in Juliette Willoughby’s lost painting?

Pre-order here*

The Wrong Hands (Dectective Miller Book 2) by Mark Billingham

Published June 20th by Sphere
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Had me laughing out loud one minute and emotional the next. I’m excited to have found a new favourite detective’ — CLAIRE DOUGLAS

This is one case Miller won’t want to open . . .

Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Still desperate to solve the murder of his wife, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands.

Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne’er do well Wayne Cutler – a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife’s death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.

Chuck in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.

Pre-order here*

Murder Ballad by Lucy Ribchester

Published June 20th by Black & White Publishing
Mystery, Thriller, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller, Women Sleuths

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Edinburgh, 1791. Isobel Duguid and her friend Clessidro are the stars of the Edinburgh Musical Society. Clessidro sings opera and Isobel sings famously dark Scottish ballads, despite her cavalier attitude to holding a tune. They roam the streets of Edinburgh, enjoying an opulent lifestyle.

One night a note arrives from the mysterious Mrs Abercorn, asking if Isobel’s most notorious song, The Fiddler’s Wrath, might be included in a book. It’s the tale of a prima donna who died of heartbreak after her husband committed murder and was sent to the gallows. Isobel is intrigued. But Mrs. Abercorn’s curiosity about the ballad is far more than a fickle interest. When Clessidro goes missing, Isobel is forced to confront her past and the truth about The Fiddler’s Wrath begins to emerge.

Using the geography of Edinburgh to guide us through the story, this dark tale becomes more complicated than anyone could have imagined and awakens the chilling retribution of a once buried secret.

Pre-order here*

The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson

Published June 20th by Doubleday
Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The gripping historical debut about a family separated by the Berlin wall – perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot SeeIn Memoriam and Alone in Berlin

‘A tautly plotted, deeply involving novel that packs a real emotional punch … I can’t recommend this novel highly enough’ Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
_____

Imagine waking up and a wall has divided your city in two. Imagine that on the other side is your child…


Lisette is in hospital with her baby boy. The doctors tell her to go home and get some rest, that he’ll be fine.

When she awakes, everything has changed. Because overnight, on 13 August 1961, the border between East and West Berlin has closed, slicing the city – and the world – in two.

Lisette is trapped in the east, while her newborn baby is unreachable in the west. With the streets in chaos and armed guards ordered to shoot anyone who tries to cross, her situation is desperate.

Lisette’s teenage daughter, Elly, has always struggled to understand the distance between herself and her mother. Both have lived for music, but while Elly hears notes surrounding every person she meets, for her mother – once a talented pianist – the music has gone silent.

Perhaps Elly can do something to bridge the gap between them. What begins as the flicker of an idea turns into a daring plan to escape East Berlin, find her baby brother, and bring him home….

Based on true stories, The Silence in Between is a page-turning, emotional epic that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

Pre-order here*

Boys Who Hurt (Forbidden Iceland Book 5) by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir xxx

Published June 20th by Orenda Books
Mystery, Thriller, Icelandic Noir, Hard-Boiled, Women Sleuths, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTIONL
Fresh from maternity leave, Detective Elma finds herself confronted with a complex case, when a man is found murdered in a holiday cottage in the depths of the Icelandic countryside – the victim of a frenzied knife attack, with a shocking message scrawled on the wall above him.
 
At home with their baby daughter, Sævar is finding it hard to let go of work, until the chance discovery in a discarded box provides him with a distraction. Could the diary of a young boy, detailing the events of a long-ago summer have a bearing on Elma’s case?
 
Once again, the team at West Iceland CID have to contend with local secrets in the small town of Akranes, where someone has a vested interest in preventing the truth from coming to light. And Sævar has secrets of his own that threaten to destroy his and Elma’s newfound happiness.
 
Tense, twisty and shocking, Boys Who Hurt is the next, addictive instalment in the award-winning Forbidden Iceland series, as dark events from the past endanger everything…

Pre-order here

The House Sitter by Mira V. Shah

Published June 20th by Hodder & Stoughton
Psychological Thriller, Women Sleuths, Holiday Fiction,

BOOK DESCRIPTIONS:
THE PERFECT ESCAPE . . . OR THE PERFECT TRAP?

TWO WEEKS AGO
I woke up in a hotel room next to a dead man, with no memory of the night before.
Panicked, I cleared up any trace that I was there and fled.

ONE WEEK AGO
I was offered the perfect escape: the chance to housesit a gorgeous villa in a remote corner of Italy.
Desperate to get away, I jumped at the chance.

NOW
The owners have unexpectedly shown up at the house. The only problem?
They’re the family of the man I woke up next to, two weeks ago.

ONE OF THEM KNOWS MY SECRET.
AND THEY’VE COME TO FIND ME.

Pre-order here*

A Proper Mother by Isobel Shirlaw

Published June 20th by Point Blank
Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Sometimes it’s your own child you’re most afraid of…

‘I devoured this truly superb and extraordinary book… A must-read that will haunt
me for a long time!’ Kathryn Croft, author of The Girl With No Past

Ever since an ominous palm-reading on her honeymoon, Frankie has suspected that her youngest son, Michael, is different. From an early age he sees things no one else can. As he grows up – academically gifted, a musical prodigy and with an unshakeable religious faith – his mother can no longer deny there is something strange about him, or that it frightens her.  

It is only when Frankie learns Michael is sliding into drugs and violence that she realises she can’t keep ignoring the past. But by confronting her destructive marriage and her own responsibility for all that has gone wrong, she begins to see there is something darker at play. 

Pre-order here*

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide To The Wastelands by Sarah Brookes

Published June 20th by W&N
Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Steampunk

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A breathtaking historical fantasy set onboard the Great Trans-Siberian Express, perfect for fans of PiranesiBabelThe Night Circus and Jessie Burton

It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

It is the end of the nineteenth century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.

Nothing touches the Wastelands except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares.

Onto the platform steps a curious cast of characters: Marya, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Weiwei, a famous child born on the train; and Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist.

But there are whispers that the train isn’t safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel, the passengers and crew must survive their journey together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . .

Pre-order here*

The Last Song of Penelope (The Songs of Penelope Book 3) by Claire North

Published June 20th by Orbit
Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Greek Mythology, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Following the critically acclaimed Ithaca and House of Odysseus comes the final novel in Claire North’s Songs of Penelope trilogy – an exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before.

Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .

A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors – but Penelope recognises in him something terrible: her husband, Odysseus, returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors – vengeance that will spark a civil war – but he’s testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure?

The song of Penelope is ending, and the song of Odysseus must ring through Ithaca’s halls. But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost …

Pre-order here*

A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder by Gay Marris

Published June 20th by Bedford Square Publishers
Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Set in London in 1968, A CURTAIN TWITCHER’S BOOK OF MURDER follows the lives of the inhabitants of a suburban London street. But this is no ordinary road.

“Ask anyone on Atbara Avenue how well they know their neighbours, and they’ll answer ‘well’. After all, they see each other across the vast distance afforded by close proximity, and that is probably for the best…”.

For the best, because Atbara Avenue is a street where, all too often, murder feels like the solution.

With a delicious cast of characters, dazzling plotting, and an utterly unique voice, Gay Marris’ first book is remarkably accomplished. If you’ve been longing for a fresh and compelling new voice in the world of crime fiction, your wait is over.

Pre-order here*

The Unforgettable Loretta, Darling by Katherine Blake

Published June 20th by Viking
Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance, Crime Fiction, Romance Novel, Urban Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
You’re Loretta Darling now, welcome to your brand-new flipping life.

Dreams don’t come true for girls like Loretta but she won’t let that stop her. With her sights set on becoming a make-up artist to the stars, Loretta wangles her way from Lancashire to the bright lights of Golden Age Hollywood.

Only it turns out that Sunset Boulevard is less about dashing fellas and chilled martinis – more sticky floors and misbehaving men. The gift of the gab can only get her so far but she refuses to go quietly.

Hollywood has its secrets … and so does Loretta.

For a start, that’s not her real name, and much more than lipstick lurks inside her beauty case.

After all, revenge is a dish best served with a perfectly painted smile.

Pre-order here*

The Stranger’s Companion by Mary Horlock

Published June 20th by Baskerville
Gothic Thriller, Historical Mystery

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘A mesmerising historical mystery and tale of suppressed secrets set amid the raw beauty of 1920s and 30s Sark. A brilliantly evoked novel based on a fascinating real case. Delectable’ Anna Mazzola, author of The Book of Secrets

October 1933

With a population of five hundred souls, isolated Sark has a reputation for being ‘the island where nothing ever happens’. Until, one day, the neatly folded clothes of an unknown man and woman are discovered abandoned at a coastal beauty spot. As the search for the missing couple catches the attention of first the local and then national newspapers, Sark finds itself front-page news.

When young islander Phyllis Carey returns to Sark from England she throws herself into solving the mystery. As Phyll digs through swirls of gossip, ghost stories and dark rumours in search of the truth, she crosses paths with Everard Hyde, a surprise visitor from her past. As press coverage builds to fever pitch, long-suppressed secrets from Phyll’s and Everard’s shared, shadowy history begin to surface.

The Stranger’s Companion is a beguiling historical mystery inspired by a real-life crime, which remains unsolved to this day.

Pre-order here*

The Mask of Merryvale Manor by Pete Sherlock

Published June 20th by Fairlight Books
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical Thriller, Literary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘We’re actually all rather terrible.’ 

On the cusp of the 1960s, when fourteen-year-old Ben moves into the ancestral home of his aunt and uncle, he is shocked by their wealth and glamour. Under the watchful eye of the Merryvale Mask, his sophisticated cousins teach him how to appreciate their languid opulence and draw him into the world of the elites. But five years later, when a woman’s body is found on the estate, his new life begins to crumble. 

As the family is placed at the centre of a murder investigation, Ben starts to see their manipulative power in a harsher light. Placed on a collision course with his family, Ben faces a dilemma: how far is he willing to go to fit into their world?

Pre-order here*

Under Your Spell by Laura Wood

Published June 20th by Simon & Schuster UK
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘I absolutely adored Under Your Spell the sweetest, sexiest, funniest romance. It was such a treat!’ Marian Keyes
‘So witty and smart. I am thoroughly under Laura Wood’s spell’Hannah Grace


She only wants three things. He isn’t one of them… 

Dumped by her cheating ex, fired from her dream job, about to lose her flat: Clementine Monroe is not having a good day. So when her sisters get her drunk and suggest reviving a childhood ritual called the breakup spell, she doesn’t see the harm in it.
 
But now Clemmie has accidentally ruined a funeral, had her first one-night stand, and she’s stuck with a new job she definitely doesn’t want – spending six weeks alone with the gorgeous and very-off-limits rock star, Theo Eliott. 
 
He’s the most famous man on the planet. Her life’s a disaster. When it comes to love, Clemmie is learning you should be careful what you wish for…

Pre-order here*

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Published June 20th by HQ
Satire, Political Ficiton, Southern Fiction, Dystopian

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
From the author of The Change, comes a novel about book banning and those brave enough to stand up against this censorship.

In Troy, Georgia, Lula Dean has decided to cleanse the town’s reading habits. All banned books have been removed from public spaces, and the townspeople are only allowed to read books Lula has deemed ‘appropriate’.

But a small group refuse to be told what they can and can’t read.

The revolution is coming …

Pre-order here*

Honey by Isabel Banta

Published June 25th by Zaffre
Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
I didn’t like to perform. I liked to be loved.

‘Like Daisy Jones soaked in Britney Spears’ Curious’ HOLLY BOURNE

It is 1997, and Amber Young has received a life-changing call. It’s a chance thousands of girls would die for: the opportunity to join a girl group and escape her small town. She quickly finds herself in the orbits of fellow rising stars Gwen Morris, a driven singer-dancer, and Wes Kingston, a member of the biggest boy band in the world.

As Amber embarks on her solo career and her fame intensifies, she increasingly finds herself reduced to a body, a voice, an object. Surrounded by the wrong kind of people and driven by a desire for recognition and success, for love and sex, for agency and connection, Amber comes of age at a time when the kaleidoscope of public opinion can distort everything, and one mistake can shatter a career.

Pre-order here*

The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase

Published June 27th by Michael Joseph
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Notting Hill, London. One May evening, seventeen-year-old Maggie Parker’s mother walks out of their front door and doesn’t return . . .

With her little brother in tow, desperate to find her mother, Maggie is drawn into a labyrinthine world of antiques and shadowy figures. There she befriends someone else living on their wits. But can he help solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance?

Twenty-one years later, in a Parisian apartment, Maggie’s phone rings and her hard-won grown-up life shatters. While in London, the new owner of the Parker’s old house is excavating the basement, unaware of what might lie beneath.

Sweeping from bustling London streets, the boulevards of Paris to an old English country house, The Midnight Hour is a thrilling, richly woven story about a golden family with a hidden past – and a woman trying to turn back the hands of time before it’s too late.

Pre-order here*

The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan

Published June 27th by Corvus
Romance Novel, Magical Realism, Contemporary Fiction

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
‘Magical … uplifting … the Phoenix Ballroom feels like an old friend’ Anton Du Beke

‘Every page is a joy’ Pip Williams

When it’s time to face the music, all we can do is dance…


Recently widowed Venetia Hamilton Hargreaves is left with a huge house, a bank balance to match and an uneasy feeling that she’s been sleepwalking through the last fifty years. Determined to live fully again, she embraces life with an enthusiasm and purpose she’d forgotten she could muster.

Buying the dilapidated Phoenix Ballroom and with it a drop-in centre and spiritualist church could be seen as reckless, but Venetia’s generosity, courage and kindness provide a refuge for a touching cast of damaged and lonely people who find their chosen family. As their stories intertwine, long buried secrets are revealed, missed opportunities seized and lives are renewed as the Phoenix lives up to its name.

The Phoenix Ballroom is a story of hope and second chances across the generations.

Pre-order here*

********

Are any of these on your TBR? Let me know in the comments.

Categories
Book Features Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry

Published June 22nd, 2023 by Headline
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Welcome to my review for the gorgeously gothic The Birdcage Library. This was one of our summer Squadpod Book Club picks, so I’m late with this review. But this book was more than worth the wait for me. Thank you to Headline for the proof copy of the book.

********

SYNOPSIS:
Dear Reader, the man I love is trying to kill me…

A mesmerising tale of buried secrets and dark obsession with shades of Daphne du Maurier, The Birdcage Library will hold you in its spell until the final page.

‘A delicious page-turning mystery within a mystery’ LIZ HYDER
‘A twisty treasure hunt of a novel… Utterly beguiling’ LIZZIE POOK
‘It glistens with a hint of the danger that lurks within CHARLOTTE PHILBY
‘Dark, claustrophobic and clever storytelling’ JANE SHEMILT
_________

1932. Emily Blackwood, adventuress and plant hunter, travels north for a curious new commission. A gentleman has written to request she catalogue his vast collection of taxidermied creatures before sale.

On arrival, Emily finds a ruined castle, its owner haunted by a woman who vanished five decades before. And when she discovers the ripped pages of a diary, crammed into the walls, she realises dark secrets lie here, waiting to entrap her too…

********

MY REVIEW:

“Welcome, dear reader. You have found me, and I you. The diary you hold in your hands is a treasure map. It will lead you to what you ought to seek. Like all such maps, the trail is cryptic. The reason for this is simple. The man I love is trying to kill me.”

Gorgeously gothic, dark and forbidding, The Birdcage Library is an absolute masterpiece. Set in 1930s Scotland, Botanist and Adventuress Emily Blackwood is about to begin a new commission cataloguing the collection of creatures for sale. When she arrives at Castle Parras she finds a remote and ruined place inhabited by a peculiar nonagenarian and haunted by the memory of a woman who disappeared fifty years ago. After finding the pages of an old diary hidden in the walls, Emily sets out to solve the mystery in its pages. But alongside its secrets, a darkness lurks in the crevices of this old castle. Can she discover the truth before it entraps her?

Enthralling, eerie and suspenseful, this had everything I want in a Gothic mystery. This was one of our summer Squadpod Book Club picks so I’m late reading it, but it feels perfect for this time of year. Castle Parras is a cold, uninviting place but it lures you in, tempting you to try and be the one to make it give up its secrets. There’s a hint of malevolence and a nameless dread that hovers over the pages, making tendrils of fear creep up your spine as you read. With her exquisite storytelling and evocative imagery, Freya Berry takes you on a literary treasure hunt that wrenches you out of your own world and into the one she’s created as you try to solve the decades-old mystery. I was utterly captivated, not wanting to put the book down even to sleep as I desperately needed answers. 

“The summer solstice, with its sliver of dark, seemed a strange time of year for a haunting. But perhaps it was not the creatures of night that were most terrifying – at least with those you knew that day would come. Worse, perhaps, were the monsters that rose while the sun was high.”

Emily and Hester were great protagonists. While they lived very different lives fifty years apart there were many similarities between them. Both women are strong yet vulnerable. They are plagued by inner torment, fear, and regret while also possessing a fierce resolve and determination. They are also both surrounded by mystery. For Hester, this is her disappearance, while for Emily it is her past and the secrets she’s keeping from the reader. While you are never completely sure if either woman is a reliable narrator, they are easy to like and I was cheering them on at every step. We can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Heinrich Vogel, Emily’s employer and Hester’s brother-in-law. The nonagenarian is a strange man who gets increasingly creepy as the story goes on. I didn’t trust him or his nephew, Yves, one bit, and was worried for Emily’s safety as she’s trapped in the castle with them.

“The best most of us can hope for is to find comfort in our cages.”

One of the themes running through this book is cages as Berry explores the ways in which they are a metaphor in our lives. She discusses how we can be caged by society, relationships, or even ourselves, vividly capturing how it feels to be trapped in an invisible prison, being desperate to escape but having no idea how to free yourself. She also weaves in literal cages in the form of the castle walls, birdcages and the boxes that hold the various creatures, both alive and dead, adding to the claustrophobic feeling radiating from the pages.

Darkly atmospheric, chilling and immersive, this clever and twisty puzzle gets all the stars. One of my favourite books so far this year, The Birdcage Library is a mesmerising gothic mystery that will haunt you long after reading. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Freya Berry worked as a journalist at Reuters, covering everything from corporate M&A to Brexit. After a stint in New York reporting on the 2016 US election she left to write her first novel, The Dictator’s Wife, published by Headline in 2022. She received a double starred first in English from Trinity College, Cambridge and her writing has appeared in the TLS, the Guardian, the Independent and the Mail Online among others. She also works as an investigative corporate researcher. Her time is split between London and the Welsh coast, where she spends an inadvisable amount of time in the sea.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Watertones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

*These links are affiliate links

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds

Published June 22nd, 2023 by Headline
Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller

I’m a bit late, but I’m finally sharing my review for the thought-provoking and fierce thriller, Good Girls Die Last, which was a Squadpod Reviews book last month.

Thank you to Headline for the gifted copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

Today, nothing is going right for Em. And it’s about to get much worse.
Heartbroken by a recent split, with her 30th birthday looming, she loses her job and her home in the same morning because of two swaggering, dishonest men – the boss who sexually harassed her and the flatmate sleeping with her behind his fiancée’s back. But all Em can think about is catching a flight to attend her sister’s wedding and see her dying mother.

With a record-breaking heatwave, and a serial killer making the streets unsafe, London is completely gridlocked. Em’s life has always been full of men getting their own way, and today the scorched city teems with them standing between her and home. As Em’s troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control.

In a world where men don’t listen, and girls have no voice, one woman can change everything.
Today, no one will be staying silent.

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MY REVIEW:

“They don’t like a woman with a loud voice. You start shouting, bringing attention to them and it scares the shit out of them.”

Em is having one of those days where nothing is going right. She’s lost her job, lost her home, and a heatwave has brought London to a standstill forcing her to have to drag her suitcase across the city to try and make her plane back home for her sister’s wedding and to see her dying mother. But the heat isn’t the only dangerous thing about London’s streets; a serial killer is targeting women and making the streets feel unsafe. Tired of men getting their way at her and other women’s expense, Em refuses to let them win anymore. And her defiance will cause shockwaves…

Good Girls Die Last is a gripping and timely thriller about violence against women, female rage, female fear, and finding your voice. Natali Simmonds has created a book that is part entertaining thriller, part social commentary, and part call to arms. All women will recognise the fear and frustration on these pages. We’ve all had a man say, ‘Smile love, it might never happen’, or make lewd comments when we’re simply walking on the street. We all know that feeling of rage boiling inside while we are forced to plaster on a mask of normalcy and smile sweetly. And Em embodies us all when she decides to take her stand, even if she was unprepared for the ripple effect it caused. Fast-paced, laced with dark humour, and brilliantly written, I loved the mysteries that the author wove into the story that kept me on the edge of my seat. What is in Em’s past that she’s running from? And who is the serial killer stalking London’s streets? I needed answers and inhaled this book to get them. And that last sentence! I’m still reeling from that particular body blow. 

“It’s not the big things that send you over the edge. People think it is; not having a house, losing all your money, all that. But it’s not. It’s the little things that kill you. The stuff that sneaks up on you while you’re busy holding on tight to the big things.”

Em is all of us. A deeply flawed but real and relatable character who is fierce, feisty and furious. Still reeling from heartbreak, grappling with her 30th birthday looming, keeping who she really is a secret from her family, and harbouring a dark secret of her own, Em’s rage finally boils over. She’s tired of being walked over by misogynists who feel entitled to their own way at the expense of women, and tired of keeping quiet and sweet. But Em isn’t the only brilliant character in this book. I also really loved Rose, the spunky and memorable woman who Em meets on her pilgrimage to the airport and forms a quick but strong bond with. 

Fiery, enraging, unapologetic and brimming with tension, Good Girls Die Last is a thought-provoking feminist thriller every woman needs to read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Natali Simmonds’ debut thriller Good Girls Die Last will be published in hardback by Headline in June 2023. A feminist, London-centric Falling Down meets Summer of SamGood Girls Die Last is perfect for fans of A Promising Young Woman.

Natali also writes fantasy under the pseudonym of N J Simmonds (her adult trilogy The Path Keeper, Son of Secrets, and Children of Shadows was shortlisted for the 2022 RNA Fantasy Award), along with Middle Grade fantasy, and is one half of paranormal romance writer, Caedis Knight. Whatever the genre, Natali’s stories are always gritty and unflinching, full of complex women and page-turning suspense.

When Natali’s not writing books, she works as a freelance brand consultant and writer, and lectures for Raindance Film School (among others). Originally from London, she now splits her time between Spain and the Netherlands where she can be found drawing, reading in her hammock, or complaining about cycling in the rain.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023

BLOG TOUR: Conviction by Jack Jordan

Published June 22nd, 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Legal Thriller, Political Thriller, Legal Story

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this heart-pounding thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Simon & Schuster for my gifted proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

TO STEAL A MAN’S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION

Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground. 
 
When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence. 

A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.
 
Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.
 
Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.

For fans of Steve Cavanagh, Linwood Barclay and Gillian McAllister, introducing the latest novel from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.

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MY REVIEW:

“There is right, and there is wrong; black and white. There is no grey area to use to one’s own advantage, or the justice system would collapse like a house of cards. Pull one rule away, and the whole thing topples.”

Promising Barrister Neve Harper is preparing to defend the case that could make her career. Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and children in cold blood as they slept before setting the family home ablaze. He says he’s innocent, but the evidence all seems to point towards him. But Neve’s excitement at the challenge ends when one night she is approached by a man who knows her darkest secret. He threatens to expose it if Wade isn’t found guilty and says he’ll hurt those she loves to ensure she complies. Will Neve betray her morals and put a potentially innocent man behind bars in order to save herself and those she loves?

Unbearably tense, twisty and addictive, this was another outstanding thriller from the golden pen of Jack Jordan. It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan and Jordan just keeps getting better as he establishes himself as the King of the moral dilemma thriller. Fast paced, perfectly plotted and exquisitely written, Jordan is a master of his craft, sprinkling breadcrumbs into the intricately layered narrative and constructing the story to ensure all of the twisty threads collide with perfect timing all while keeping you on the edge of your seat with an atmosphere thick with the a ticking time bomb of ominous dread. And then there’s that ending. How could you end it there?! I needed more!

One of the things I love most about Jordan’s books is his characters, who are always morally complex, richly drawn, compelling, and memorable. And Neve Harper is no exception. I liked her immediately, something that didn’t change even when her awful secret was revealed thanks to Jordan’s expertise at writing anti-heroes that we love to root for. He does this by weaving their anguish and dilemmas into the narrative; making you confront all the shades of grey in each situation, and highlighting how anyone can find themselves in a situation where they do things they never imagined possible. He also gives even the darkest of his characters some heart, making you feel some empathy for the villains when their motivations are laid bare along with their pain. It takes real talent to do this and Jordan achieves it like the seasoned pro he is, making their anguish so palpable that you can’t escape it. 

A heart-pounding and nerve-shredding thriller that sizzles with suspense, Conviction is a must-read for any self-respecting thriller lover. Just don’t make any other plans after you start reading, because I guarantee you’ll be cancelling them. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jack Jordan lives in East Anglia, England. He is an introvert disguised as an extrovert, an intelligent person who can say very unintelligent things, and a self-confessed bibliomaniac with more books than sense.

He is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is which was the thriller of the summer in 2022. It has been described as “relentlessly tense” by Sunday Times Bestseller Lesley Kara, and “Chilling and perfectly paced” by New York Times Bestseller Sarah Pearse.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

*These purchase links are affiliate links

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Audio Books book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Published August 8th, 2019 by Harvill Secker
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Horror

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SYNOPSIS:

IT WAS THE DREAM JOB. IT WOULD BECOME HER WORST NIGHTMARE.

‘So clever and original . . . from the first gripping page to the last shocking twist’ ERIN KELLY, author of He Said/She Said


‘Ruth Ware just gets better and better. The Turn of the Key is her most compelling and addictive to date; I read this in a two sitting frenzy, barely able to turn the pages fast enough’ Lisa Jewell, author of The People Upstairs

When Rowan stumbles across the advert, it seems like too good an opportunity to miss: a live-in nanny position, with a very generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten by the luxurious ‘smart’ home fitted out with all modern conveniences by a picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare – one that will end with a child dead and her in cell awaiting trial for murder.

She knows she’s made mistakes. But she’s not guilty – at least not of murder. Which means someone else is…

‘Will hold you captive until the brilliant ending’ SHARI LAPENA, author of Someone We Know

Full of chilling menace and sinister secrets, The Turn of the Key is a gripping modern-day haunted house novel that will keep you reading through the night.

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MY REVIEW:

When Rowan gets a job as a nanny working at Heatherbrae House she thinks it’s the answer to all her problems: a generous salary for a live-in position at a luxurious house. But unbeknownst to Rowan, this dream house will turn out to be her worst nightmare – one that ends with her in prison accused of the murder of one of the very children she was hired to take care of. But is she guilty?

After having this book on my shelves for almost four years I finally got around to reading it, opting to listen on audiobook when I wasn’t feeling up to reading a physical book. I’d read some reviews that raved about the audiobook version and they were totally right! Unsettling, taut and addictive, I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t stop listening. Whenever I wasn’t listening I was thinking about it, desperate to know the truth about Rowan’s guilt or innocence. 

The story is told in the form of letters Rowan is writing to Mr. Wrexham, the man she hopes will take on her case and help prove her innocence. She begins by begging for his help and then takes us back to the start of the story, when she first saw the job advert in the newspaper, and then taking us through every event leading up to the day she says she found the child dead. It is a tense and ominous story, full of forbidding as we try to guess who died, what happened, and what is the secret that Rowan admits to hiding? I’ll admit, many of my guesses were way off, and I loved that what I did get right I hadn’t been able to predict until just before the reveal, leaving me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This is my second time reading a Ruth Ware book and my favourite so far. Her skillful storytelling and evocative imagery had me on tenterhooks and made me feel like I was right there alongside Rowan. The characters were brilliant; Rowan was  easy to relate to and her young charges broke my heart and frustrated me in equal measure, especially Maddie. Heatherbrae House is like a character in its own right and looms large over every page. The idea of a whole house run by an app makes me uneasy, and this modern fear merges with a more traditional horror to create an inescapable malevolent atmosphere. But what I liked best about this audiobook was the narrator whose animated narration transported me into the story and was so unnerving in places that my blood ran cold. I can still hear that terrifying ‘Creek. Creek’ *shivers*

Compelling, sinister and utterly brilliant, The Turn of the Key is a must-read for any thriller fan, though I’d definitely recommend listening to it on audio for added atmosphere if you can. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark WoodThe Woman in Cabin 10The Lying GameThe Death of Mrs WestawayThe Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times. Her books have been optioned for both film and TV, and she is published in more than 40 languages. Ruth lives near Brighton with her family.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023

BLOG TOUR: The Fascination by Essie Fox

Published June 22nd, 2023 by Orenda
Gothic Fiction, Historical Thriller, Historical Romance, Gothic Romance, Suspense

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this deliciously dark and enthralling piece of gothic fiction. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Book Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Karen at Orenda Books for my gifted proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

The estranged grandson of a wealthy collector of human curiosities becomes fascinated with teenaged twin sisters, leading them into a web of dark obsessions. A dazzlingly dark gothic novel from the bestselling author of The Somnambulist.
 
‘Mysterious, sometimes shocking, full of surprises and twists … brimming with Victorian wonders!’ Sean Lusk

‘A magical, macabre masterpiece’ A.J. West
 
‘Fascinating and immersive’ Anna Mazzola

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Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions…

Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn’t grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father’s quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’.

Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name.

Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.

But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening everything they know…

Exploring universal themes of love and loss, the power of redemption and what it means to be unique, The Fascination is an evocative, glittering and bewitching gothic novel that brings alive Victorian London – and darkness and deception that lies beneath…

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MY REVIEW:

“A narrow ray of sunlight shafts through the door and draws his eye towards the jar that, till that moment, had been concealed in veils of shadow. The skin of what it holds is white and luminous, like pearls…he notices the place where the shoulder blades should be, and where…
Is that a pair of wings? But if they’re wings, is this a fairy? A real-life fairy in a bottle? 
The fascination has begun…”

The Fascination is a deliciously dark slice of Victiorian gothic about life’s outsiders and oddities. A story about the so-called-freaks who would be put on display and stared at for an entry fee. But this book takes that familiar trope and twists it into something that is unexpected. This is a story of trauma, grief, obsession, secrets, redemption and the search for acceptance. A story that we can all relate to that is told by those so often not given a voice. 

Atmospheric, beguiling and intoxicating, I loved the vibe of this story from the beginning. I’m an immediate fan after this first time reading a book by Essie Fox and can’t wait to explore her back catalogue and read any future releases. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, she has crafted a world filled to the brim with intricate details and marvels from the Victorian era. This created an immediate sense of trust between me and the author, leaving me completely hooked and in the palm of her hand as she took me on a journey into the world of curiosities. And the story she tells is one that is complex, layered, and intricately woven, filled with luscious enchantments and unsettling horrors. It is a tale of the best and worst of human nature that will tug at your heart strings, make you rage, and give you hope. And that ending! Omg. Talk about pulling the rug out from under me! Bravo, Ms. Fox. Bravo.

Leaping from the pages of this book is a cast of eclectic characters who are all richly drawn, compelling and memorable. You will love some and loathe others, but every one of them will pull you in. The spotlight inevitably shines on brilliant narrators Keziah and Theo, but the background characters are also given their time to shine, creating some of the most memorable moments of the book. I also loved that every character, however small, has their own captivating story, and enjoyed following their triumphs and trials as the author slowly intertwines them to craft a skillfully woven novel of stories within stories that is mesmerising. 

Hypnotic, heady, mysterious, and original, The Fascination is a gorgeously gothic tale you will lose yourself in. One of my favourite books so far this year, I can’t recommend it highly enough. 

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire, which inspires much of her writing. 

After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, then the book publishers George Allen & Unwin – before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. 

Always an avid reader, Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Greyset in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Her latest novel, The Fascination is based in Victorian country fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres, and an Oxford Street museum full of morbid curiosities.  

Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian. She has lectured on this era at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Waterstones* | Berts Books | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

*These purchase links are affiliate links

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB REVIEW: This Family by Kate Sawyer

Published May 11th, 2023 by Coronet
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Fiction

Welcome to my review of This Family, the enthralling literary masterpiece that was the Squadpod Book Club pick for May.

Thank you to Coronet for the gifted proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:
An ambitious new novel of family life past and present from the author of the Costa Book Awards shortlisted The Stranding.

‘A smart yet tender page-turner. Kate Sawyer makes the reader feel as though they have a seat at the family table.’ ERIN KELLY

‘A tender yet vivid novel in both form and voice, its threads as bright as the tapestry of life it depicts. I lived, laughed and ached for these characters throughout. A superb accomplishment.’ WIZ WHARTON

‘Feels like the ultimate eavesdropping exercise, it’s satisfying fresh and expertly structured. The penultimate chapter will make you shriek. I loved it.’ ALEXANDRA HEMINSLEY

‘Lyrical, literary and luminous … buy it and treat yourself to writing at its finest.’ BETHANY CLIFT

‘Perfection. Funny and powerful, deeply moving, hugely atmospheric.’ LIZ HYDER

‘Every nuance of mother and daughters and sister relationships is vividly explored. Beautifully written, it expertly weaves the past with the present, building the tension, so you have to turn the pages.’ GEORGINA MOORE

‘Unfolds like a great piece of theatre… The more I read, the harder it became to put down.’ BOBBY PALMER

‘Fans of The Stranding, rest assured–This Family is every bit as good and then some. An absolute treat from start to finish.’ NATASHA CALDER

‘The vibrant, complex members of This Family are still alive and well in my imagination, weeks after I finished reading it. The rich, precise prose drew me into their world and held me there from beginning to end.’ JO BROWNING WROE
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It is my dearest wish, that after so long apart, I am able to bring this family together for my wedding day.

This house. This family.

Mary has raised a family in this house. Watched her children play and laugh and bicker in this house. Today she is getting married in this house, with all her family in attendance.

The wedding celebrations have brought fractured family together for the first time in years: there’s Phoebe and her husband Michael, children in tow. The young and sensitive Rosie, with her new partner. Irene, Mary’s ex-mother-in-law. Even Emma, Mary’s eldest, is back for the wedding – despite being at odds with everyone else.

Set over the course of an English summer’s day but punctuated with memories from the past forty years of love and loss, hope and joy, heartbreak and grief, this is the story of a family. Told by a chorus of characters, it is an exploration of the small moments that bring us to where we are, the changes that are brought about by time, and what, despite everything, stays the same.

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MY REVIEW:

“It is my dearest wish that after so long apart, I am able to bring this family back together for my wedding day.
I don’t think it’s my way to ask much of others, but now I am asking each of you to give me one day where you leave any animosity at the gate and try to remember that you love each other.”

Enchanting, moving and achingly real, This Family is another literary masterpiece from Kate Sawyer. This family saga is told over the course of a late summer’s day and peppered with flashbacks that illustrate their history and the animosity, discord and anger that lingers between them. Can they put their bad blood aside for this one day? Or will their deep wounds rise to the surface and bubble over in a blaze of fury and resentment? 

“It’s a new beginning. 
She should be happy.
And she is. She is.
But where there are new beginnings, there are always endings too.”

What a magnificent book! Kate Sawyere’s debut, The Stranding, was one of my favourite books of 2021 so I was highly anticipating her sophomore novel. And there is no second book syndrome in sight as Sawyer once again showcases her remarkable storytelling in this beautifully written story. A character study and exploration of life and family, Sawyer draws you into the lives of this fractured family with her eloquent and evocative writing. It is an emotional story, but not too heavy or melancholy thanks to the sprinkling of witty observations about life, parenthood and family that lighten the mood. I was lost in the pages, completely immersed in their world, and was sad to say goodbye to them when I reached the final page.

“She had been braced for a certain amount of nostalgia this weekend. It’s only to be expected that being back in your childhood home, saying farewell to all the nooks and crannies of the place where you became the person you are, is always going to invoke memories. She just hadn’t been prepared for which memories they might be, and how, remembering those memories, would feel like living it all over again.”

Told from multiple points of view, it follows four generations of one family as they come together for a wedding. This will be the first time they are all together since unknown events fractured them into pieces, but sisters Emma, Phoebe, and Rosie have agreed to put their own feelings aside for their mother Mary’s special day. But the pain runs deep between them, and they are unprepared for some of the feelings that arise when they see one another for the first time in years. This novel perfectly encapsulates the essence of family life with all of its messiness, drama, pain, and complex relationships. This is a family that is broken and we see how tensions run even higher during claustrophobic and anxiety-laden situations such as a wedding. The characters are all richly drawn, compelling, flawed and relatable. I had a particular affinity for Mary, who is a kind, selfless woman that has always given her all to her family, even raising  the child her husband had with his mistress after her death. I think a lot of this affinity stemmed from having raised children from two families in a blended household myself, as well as the fact that my children are now grown and I’ve just had my second wedding. I also really enjoyed Irene, the cantankerous mother of Mary’s ex-husband Richard and the delightful Rosie, who was the only sister talking to everyone. 

A truly decadent read that is atmospheric, stirring, insightful, nuanced and enthralling, This Family is an absolute must-read from a literary star. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

TW: Infertility and grief.

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kate was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK where she grew up in the countryside as the eldest of four siblings, after briefly living with her parents in Qatar and the Netherlands.

Kate Sawyer worked as an actor and producer before turning her hand to fiction. She has previously written for theatre and short-film. Kate’s first novel The Stranding was published by Coronet in 2021 and was listed for the Costa First Novel Award.

Having lived in South London for the best part of two decades with brief stints in the Australia and the USA she recently returned to East Anglia to have her first child as a solo mother by choice.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Loyal Friend by A. A. Chaudhuri

Published: June 23rd, 2022
Publisher: Hera Books
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook

I’m finally getting around to posting my review for this tense and twisty thriller after my stop on the tour was delayed by Covid. Thank you to Danielle at The Reading Closet Tours for the invitation to take part and Hera Books for the gifted eBook ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

She has your back.

And may stab you in it.

Wealthy, pampered Susan is living the perfect life in leafy Kingston. She’ll never let anyone see the darkness she’s concealing behind the diamonds and rosé.

Grace is new to the group, seemingly the perfect wife and mum. Yet no one knows the truth of what’s happening behind closed doors.

Loner Natalie hides the pain of her childhood behind a carefully ordered life. But how long can the past stay hidden?

Three unlikely friends, brought together for a weekly class run by beautiful, friendly, instructor, Jade.

But when Jade goes missing in mysterious circumstances, the group starts to unravel. And as their darkest secrets come to light, it seems that no one can be trusted. Even their closest friends…

A heart-in-your-mouth thriller that builds twist after twist, culminating in an unforgettable ending. This shocking, tense and gripping read will delight fans of T.M. Logan, B.A. Paris and Big Little Lies.

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MY REVIEW:

“It was never meant to go this far.  All I wanted was for her to be taught a lesson.”

Friendly fitness instructor Jade’s weekly class brings together an unlikely group of friends: wealthy Susan whose picture perfect life is hiding a much darker truth, newcomer Grace whose image of the perfect wife and mum belies what is really happening behind closed doors, and loner Natalie who is trying to control the trauma from her childhood with a carefully structured life.  When Jade fails to turn up to class one day the group begins to unravel and their dark secrets begin to surface.  Can any of them be trusted?  And could one of them really have had a hand in Jade’s disappearance?

Shocking, surprising and suspenseful, The Loyal Friend is another dark and twisty thriller from A. A. Chaudhuri, who has proven herself to be a must-read addition to any thriller lover’s list.  It is a dark maze of twists and turns that will make your head spin.  Fast-paced, tense and exquisitely written, Chaudhur teases us by slowly revealing fragments of the many secrets being kept, keeping us on the edge of our seat as we desperately wait for the next piece to be revealed.  

The varied cast of characters are all compelling and well written.  Natalie was a very sympathetic character who was easy to root for, Grace also sparked sympathy, though her character was much more complex and layered.  But the one I enjoyed reading most was the villain of the group, Susan.  She is so unlikeable from the start and I loved her for it.  She is unapologetic about who she is and though she is someone you’d hate to know in real life, she makes a very entertaining fictional character.  Each of them is a suspect, filled with fear and acting suspiciously as they try to avoid the glare of the police.  What are they hiding?  I had my ideas and felt like one of them had to be involved in Jade’s disappearance, but I was never quite sure which of my two suspects it was, which raised the tension and kept me on tenterhooks from start to finish.  

Heart-pounding and unpredictable, The Loyal Friend is a high-octane psychological thriller that keeps you guessing.  And that ending!  I am still thinking about it weeks after finishing the book. 

Read it now. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

A.A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer, turned thriller writer, who lives in Surrey with her family.

Once a highly ranked British junior tennis player, competing in the national championships and a member of the national squad, she went on to tour the women’s professional satellite circuit as a teenager and achieved a world ranking of 650.

After returning to full-time education, she gained a BA Honours 2:1 in History at University College London, and a commendation in both the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at the London College of Law, before training as a solicitor at City firm Norton Rose and then practising as a commercial litigator at two other City firms, Kendall Freeman and Travers Smith.

She left law in 2008 to pursue her passion for writing and in 2010 passed the NCTJ fast-track newspaper journalism course, in respect of which she was awarded The Oxford University Press Public Affairs Award for the most outstanding public affairs central government paper.

In 2013 and 2014 she self-published two women’s fiction novels under the name Alexandra Sage: Love & Limoncello and the sequel Love & Loss. Love & Limoncello has sold more than ten thousand copies to date, reaching number 53 in the Amazon Kindle Bestsellers List in October 2014.

The Scribe and The Abduction, published by  Lume Books in July and December 2019, are her first crime book series, plunging readers into London’s glamorous legal world and featuring series’ heroine, Maddy Kramer, fiction’s first female City lawyer amateur sleuth, who teams up with charismatic DCI Jake Carver to solve a gruesome series of murders and a puzzling abduction.

Both books have hit the bestsellers lists in the UK, Australia and Canada, with bestseller tags in Australia and Canada.

THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION were published as audio books by Isis Audio on 1st  January and 1st March 2021, both read by David Thorpe.

She has also contributed an original short story THE ENCOUNTER to crime anthology GIVEN IN EVIDENCE published by LUME BOOKS in May 2020, has written many articles and short stories for The Crime Writers’ Association.

In February 2021, Alex signed a two-book contract for two standalone psychological thrillers with Hera Books, the first entitled She’s Mine was published on 18th August 2021 in eBook and 26th August in paperback. The Loyal Friend will be published 23rd June 2022.

Besides being an avid reader, she enjoys fitness, films, anything Italian and a good margarita!

Website

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones*| Amazon*| Bookshop.org*
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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles 😊Emma xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews

BLOG TOUR: The Phone Call by A. J. Campbell

Published: June 26th, 2022
Publisher: Code Grey Publishers
Genre: Thriller, Psychological Fiction
Format: Paperback, Kindle

Today is also my stop on the tour for The Phone Call. Thank you to A. J. Campbell for the invitation to take part and the gifted eBook ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

Sometimes the guilty are innocent

Joey Clarke was just fifteen when his dad died, leaving him to raise his much younger siblings as his mum dealt with the trauma of bereavement and her failing health. Ten years on, Joey’s only pleasure is spending time with his friend Becca, the love of his life. It’s the one escape from his dead-end job, his ever-increasing debts, and the fear that enforcement agents will knock on his front door any day.

So when a phone call brings Joey the chance to ease the burdens of his life, he grabs the opportunity, even though he knows things are not entirely as they should be. He justifies it to himself as a way to get back on his feet. But when he finds himself party to a crime involving Becca, he panics.

As Joey tries to find a way out, he becomes further embroiled in a web of secrets, lies, and deceit. At risk of losing everything and everyone he holds dear, Joey must consider the unthinkable.

A psychological suspense thriller, full of twists and turns, perfect for readers of Lisa Jewell, Frieda McFadden, Shari Lapena, Adele Parks, Miranda Rijks, Jackie Kabler, Lucy Foley, Sally Hepworth, and Daniel Hurst.

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MY REVIEW:

Joey Clarke receives a phone call from a friend that offers the chance to make some easy money.  With the bills piling up and debt collectors about to knock on his door he feels he has little other option but to take the opportunity.  

All he has to do is deliver two packages.  The first delivery goes fine, but when he goes to deliver the second package things go wrong and he finds himself an accessory to a shocking crime.  Even worse, the crime is linked to people he knows.  Should he confess or keep quiet and hope his secret is never discovered?

A tangled web of secrets, lies and desperation that simmers with suspense, The Phone Call is a tense and twisty psychological thriller.  I’ve read all of A. J. Campbell’s books and this one had the most intense atmosphere yet as Joey’s desperation and despair leap from the page.  He is drowning in hopelessness with no life raft to save him, though I wished I could throw him one.  It was painful to read as he struggles to bear the part he played in what happens and wrestles with his conscience while trying to decide what he should do.  It feels like an impossible dilemma, particularly when combined with the threats of what would happen to him and his family if he dared to go to the police hanging over him.  Campbell has a skill for writing characters who are relatable and real, something that shines in this book as they pull you in and make you feel for them.  The combination of this with familiar life struggles, drama and sinister secrets, raise the tension and make this a book that will have you on the edge of your seat. 

On the subject of characters, I want to take this opportunity to thank the author.  Joey’s mum has Fibromyalgia, a condition I also live with.  To see someone with this condition written in a realistic way that doesn’t contain the usual cliches about painkiller addiction, hypochondria or laziness was refreshing.  This is the kind of representation of chronic illness we need in literature and it was wonderful to see. 

Fast-paced, suspenseful and twisty, this intense thriller is a quick and compelling read that I’d recommend. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

AJ CAMPBELL is the author of the Amazon bestselling debut novel Leave Well Alone. She writes in the psychological suspense genre and promises stories full of twists, turns and torment. Her fourth book The Phone Call was released in July 2022. AJ draws inspiration for her novels from seemingly unbelievable situations in which ordinary people find themselves. She creates compelling characters that resonate with her readers. AJ lives in the UK on the Essex / Hertfordshire border with her husband, sons, and cocker spaniel, Max. A dog lover, Netflix junkie, wine and Asian food enthusiast, either reading or writing, AJ enjoys nothing more than getting stuck into a twisty book!

Website

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BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles 😊 Emma xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.

*All purchase links are affiliate links

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

REVIEW: No Place To Run by Mark Edwards

Published: June 21st, 2022
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Fiction
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook

Thank you to Mark Edwards and Netgalley for the eBook ARC of this book.

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SYNOPSIS:

In this exhilarating thriller from four million copy bestselling author Mark Edwards, Aidan’s spent years looking for his sister. Will he ever find her?

Two years ago, on a trip to Seattle to visit her brother Aidan, fifteen-year-old Scarlett vanished into thin air. After years of false leads and dead ends, Aidan has almost given up hope. But then a woman sees a girl running for her life across a forest clearing in Northern California. She is convinced the girl is the missing Scarlett. But could it really be her?

Heading south, Aidan finds a fire-ravaged town covered in missing-teenager posters. The locals seem afraid, the police won’t answer any questions and it looks like another dead end―until a chance meeting with returned local Lana gives Aidan his first clue. But as they piece together what happened, Lana and Aidan make deadly enemies. Enemies willing to do anything to silence them.

Only one thing matters now: finding Scarlett―even if it kills him.

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MY REVIEW:

Scarlett Faith disappeared two years ago while visiting her older brother Aiden in Seattle.  He has been searching for her ever since, plagued by guilt that she vanished on his watch.  There has been nothing but false leads and dead ends, until a woman says she is sure she saw Scarlett fleeing a pursuer in a forest clearing in Northern California.  It seems fantastical, but could it be the lead Aiden has been waiting for?  

Deciding to follow the lead, Aiden heads to California and finds himself in a town ravaged by fire, covered in missing posters and filled with secrets they will do anything to keep. 

A new book by Mark Edwards is always an event for me and he can be relied upon to deliver an intriguing, suspenseful and twist-filled thriller where ordinary people find themselves in terrifying situations.  And he’s done it again, this time taking a very timely topic and merging it with something much more sinister that makes you think twice about who you trust and what you get involved in.  There is a lot of action but I will admit that it wasn’t my favourite of his books as I prefer his darker stories. 

The book is filled with a cast of fascinating and well developed characters.  There are siblings desperate for answers, naive young women, a mysterious woman with a mission, brutal security men and corrupt officials.  Aiden is at the centre of it all.  He is likeable and easy to root for; an innocent bystander who just wants to find his sister, he gets caught up in a web of dangerous secrets that makes him enemies who will do anything to silence him.  There are also some great villains who have that sadistic streak you commonly see in Edwards’ books.  Told from multiple points of view with flashbacks to the time leading up to Scarlett’s disappearance, it isn’t immediately clear how all of the different characters and threads are connected.  But Edwards slowly weaves them together until the full, surprising picture emerges. 

Menacing, tense and twisty, No Place To Run is an entertaining thriller that I’d recommend to those who like their thrillers on the quirky side.  

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people. He has sold more than three million copies of his books and topped the bestseller lists numerous times since his first solo novel was published in 2013.

His novels include What You Wish For, Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, The Devil’s Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published two short sequels to The Magpies, A Murder of Magpies and Last of The Magpies, and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.

Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Estonian, Thai, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish and Russian. In 2019 Mark won The Cat and Mouse Award for Most Elusive Villain at the Dead Good Reader Awards for Last of the Magpies.

Website

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BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon* | Waterstones* | Bookshop.org*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles😊Emma xxx