Published: April 11th, 2024 by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Thriller, Historical Thriller
********
ABOUT THE BOOK:
THE CAPTIVATING NEW NOVEL, SET AGAINST CHARLES DICKENS’ HOME FOR FALLEN WOMEN
‘Absorbing . . . Halls weaves together the elements of her story with great skill’ Sunday Times ‘Compelling and richly detailed’ Good Housekeeping ‘Captivating’ Woman ‘Meticulously researched and compelling’ Red ‘Keeps the reader enthralled’ Prima ‘Exquisitely written . . . full of heart and hope’ Fabulous
NOT ALL WHO ARE FALLEN WANT TO BE SAVED
London, 1847. In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life – but how badly do they want it?
Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.
As the women’s worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .
The Household is the new novel from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. Set against Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, it is Stacey Halls’ most ambitious and captivating novel yet.
The house she was promised, is the first clean page in a new book for girls like her . . .
London, 1847. Martha arrives at Urania House, a house that she has been promised is a new start for girls like her. Martha is the first resident at Charles Dickens’ new house for fallen women and is soon joined by other girls hoping for a fresh start. A place of refuge and reformation, the project and its location are a closely guarded secret and the girls are forbidden from discussing their lives before they arrived at the house.
On the board of governors is Angela Burdett Coutts, London’s richest woman. But as the house opens Angela’s world is upended when Richard Dunn, the man who has stalked her for a decade, is released early from prison. Angela knows it won’t be long before his nightmarish games begin again and she’s terrified. Trying to put her worries aside, Anglea becomes increasingly invested in the lives of the girls at Urania, especially Martha. And soon, their lives collide in unexpected ways. Are they prepared for the price they must pay for freedom?
Atmospheric, immersive and beguiling, The Household is another masterpiece from the pen of storyteller extraordinaire Stacey Halls. It’s no secret that Stacey is one of my favourite authors ever, and one of the nicest, too, so I am always excited when she releases another book. She just gets better every time and this one was close to knocking her debut from its spot as my favourite of her books.
I love books based on real events and real people so this was right up my street. Although, before this book I had no idea that Charles Dickens opened a house for fallen women. Expertly written, perfectly paced and acutely observed, this evocative story leaped from the pages Stacey’s meticulous research is evident on every page, bringing Victorian London to life through every word and the smallest of details. I truly felt like I’d stepped into a time machine and emerged in my favourite era. And then there’s the characters. Every one, however big or small, is richly drawn, charismatic and memorable and I was completely invested in their lives. I had a real soft spot for Martha, Angela and Josephine, and Richard was a deliciously creepy villain who sent chills down my spine. Stacey had me completely in her thrall and I devoured this book in under a day.
This is a story about women. About the hardships they have endured and the ways in which they have learned to survive. These aren’t the meek and weak women that Victorian society would like them to be. Nor do they suffer in silence. These women are strong, determined and courageous. I loved these women, especially Martha, Josephine and Anglea, who are three of our narrators. They put me through the emotional wringer but I loved their stories and the sisterhood they shared. And knowing that Angela is based on a real person also made her even more fascinating to me, and I really enjoyed the conversation between Stacey and Sophia Money-Coutts, who is one of Angela’s descendants, at the end of the audiobook.
Absorbing, accomplished and utterly mesmerising, this is a must-read for anyone who loves well-written historical fiction.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
Thank you to Manilla Press for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
********
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, The Independent, The Sun and Fabulous.
Her debut novel, The Familiars, was published in 2019 and was the bestselling debut hardback novel of that year, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Debut Book of the Year. Her subsequent novels, The Foundling and Mrs England, were also Sunday Times bestsellers. The Household is her fourth novel.
September is almost here, so it’s time to look ahead at the releases I’m most excited for. I’m particularly looking forward to the new releases from Natalie Haynes, Bridget Collins, Susan Stokes-Chapman, Janice Hallett, Michael J. Malone, Phaedra Patrick, Poppy Alexander, Heidi Swain, Lucy Jane Wood and Richard Osman. And then there are the debuts from Heather Mottershead, Maddie Martinez and Oti Mabuse.
Here is the full list of books I’m most anticipating next month:
The Killer Question by Janice Hallett
Published September 4th by Viper Books Mystery, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Cosy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: * THE NEW FIENDISHLY CLEVER MYSTERY FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SMASH-HIT BESTSELLER THE APPEAL *
‘Brims with Hallett’s signature wit. Her best book yet’ – PETER SWANSON ‘Devilishly additive. I loved every line’ – LOUISE CANDLISH ‘Hallett strikes again. Twisty, funny and irresistibly dark’ – TOM HINDLE The answer is murder. The question is whodunnit?
A quiet country pub stands empty, its windows boarded up. And its kindly landlords, Mal and Sue Eastwood, are missing.
What could have happened? A lot of strange events occurred in the days before the Eastwoods disappeared. A murdered man pulled from the nearby river. An eccentric couple on a houseboat who claimed to be led by a spirit guide. And a mysterious new team who suddenly appeared and began winning every round at the weekly pub quiz – much to the anger of the locals. They must have been cheating, but no one could figure out how…
Can you crack the case of the missing landlords? Someone’s not been playing fair, so get the drinks in and see if you can get a perfect score.
Published September 4th by Grand Central Publishing Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of Medusa comes another beautiful and emotional story, this one featuring a selkie, a mythological creature who can turn from a seal into a human as she goes on “unforgettable journey that leaves us asking what it means to be home, and what it means to be free” (Kate Heartfield, author of The Valkyrie)
Seven years ago, Quinn finally dared to transform from a seal into a human and took her first steps on land. As a selkie, she is both a daughter of land and sea. But when a human stole her pelt, he stole her freedom as well, forcing Quinn to become his wife and bear his children. As legend tells, capturing a selkie will bring you luck, and she became a coveted prize.
Constrained to a life that was no longer her own, Quinn longed for nothing more than to find her pelt and seize her freedom. Then one day, her eldest daughter hands Quinn her pelt and without a second thought, Quinn snatches it and escapes to the sea. But she’s no longer used to swimming and doesn’t know where her herd has gone. And after an almost disastrous encounter with her former husband, leaving her severely injured, Quinn doesn’t even have the strength to go searching.
Instead, she finds herself taking shelter on a nearby island with a lighthouse and three lighthouse keepers. Quinn doesn’t trust humans anymore and wants to stay hidden from the keepers. But she can’t survive on her own either. Can she learn to trust these humans and shed her hatred of all humankind? Or will she give into her fears and accept the monstrous fate that others have bestowed upon her?
Published September 4th by Doubleday Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction, Adventure Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The highly anticipated new novel – The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul reopens in this delightful follow-up to the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel We’ll Prescribe You a Cat for fans of The Travelling Cat Chronicles and The Cat Who Saved Books
It’s time to revisit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.
Though it is mysteriously located at an uncertain address, the Kokoro clinic can always be found by those who need it. And it has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of all its patients.
This irresistible sequel introduces a new loveable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his energy by demolishing bed linen, to curious Shasha, who won’t let her tiny size stop her, and lazy Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi.
As characters from one chapter re-appear as side characters in the next, we follow a young woman who cannot help pushing away the man who loves her; a recently widowed grandfather whose grandson refuses to leave his room; and an anxious man working at a cat shelter who seeks to show how difficult cats can be the most rewarding.
This moving, magical novel proves just how eternally unknowable cats are for we humans, even while we continue to cherish their special gift of transforming our lives.
Published September 11th by Mantle Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction, Greek Mythology
BOOK DESCRIPTION: No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.
This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king – has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you’ve never seen her before . . .
The Howling (The Annie Jackson Mysteries, 3) by Michael J. Malone
Published September 11th by Orenda Gothic Fiction,Thriller, Horror, Hard-boiled, Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Annie and Lewis search for the son of an old enemy, who may hold the key to ending Annie’s curse. Their investigations lead back to the past, uncovering something that could destroy the most powerful people in the country. The compelling, chilling next instalment in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series…
Two men, centuries apart, dream of being a wolf. One is burned at the stake. Another is locked in a psychiatric hospital for most of his life. And Annie Jackson is about to find out why…
Vowing once again to remove herself from society, Annie is back living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch. But when an old enemy – now locked up in a high security hospital – comes calling, begging her to find the son that she was forced to give up at the age of seventeen, Annie is tempted out of seclusion. The missing boy holds the key to ending Annie’s curse, and he may be the only chance that both she and Lewis have of real happiness.
Annie and Lewis begin an investigation that takes them back to the past, a time etched in Scottish folklore, a period of history that may just be repeating itself. And what they uncover could destroy not just some of the most powerful people in the country, who will stop at nothing to protect their wealth and their secrets, but also Annie’s life, and everything she holds dear…
Dark, immersive, and utterly compelling, The Howling is a story of deception, betrayal, and misplaced power, and a reminder that the most public of faces can hide the darkest of hearts…
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards
Published September 11th by Head of Zeus Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Holiday Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Can you find the clues and solve the murder first?
Six people with links to the world of crime writing have been invited to play a game this Christmas by the mysterious Midwinter Trust.
Solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote village in north Yorkshire and win a life-changing prize.
Each guest has been meticulously vetted by the shadowy Trust, which has staff on-hand to make sure everyone plays fair. But with the village about to be cut off by a snow storm, they must be extra vigilant.
The game is set – but playing fair isn’t on everyone’s Christmas list.
And when the prize is to die for, it’s so tempting to inject a little murder into the mystery…
With clues for you to find along the way, this is a traditional murder mystery with a delightful twist by a master of the crime genre, perfect for fans of Janice Hallett, Alexandra Benedict and Alex Pavesi.
Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests by K. J. Whittle
Published September 11th by HarperNorth Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Three courses. Seven guests. One evening they’ll never forget.
Seven strangers meet at Serendipity’s for an anonymously hosted dinner party. As the evening reaches its close, small black envelopes are placed in front of the diners… revealing the age at which each will die.
Spooked, but not wholly shaken, the group disperses into the rainy night with the hope of forgetting the ghoulish stunt.
But two weeks later, one dinner guest dies at the age foretold. Was it a tragic accident? Or something more sinister?
As the years go by, the other guests begin to die in line with the predictions given on that first night. And it’s up to the remaining few to figure who, if anyone, was behind that dinner party before their numbers catch up with them too.
Told from the perspectives of the guests, Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests balances mystery and mortality, asking: how would you live your life if you know your number was up?
Published September 11th by Tor Fairy Tale, Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Coming-of-Age Story, Lesbian Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark . . .
Rooted in fairy tales, folklore, and sapphic romance, The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez is perfect for readers of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid and Naomi Novik.
As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the forest’s curse has plagued her village. But when the Ozmini Church comes to collect its tithe, they don’t listen to the warnings about a monster lurking in the trees. After a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest: if she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution.
Venturing into the blood-soaked woods, Malka finds a monster, albeit not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself if Malka will help to free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.
But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unveil a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save – and to face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.
Published September 11th by HarperVoyager Gothic Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Horror Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A picture is worth a thousand nightmares…
The twisty and compelling adult dark fantasy debut from award-winning author, Kosoko Jackson.
Struggling painter Lewis Dixon can’t shake the feeling there’s something powerful – and slightly disturbing – about his work. Especially when the British Museum begin to show a surprising interest in his most horrifying piece, a recreation of one of his ancestor’s infamous paintings.
He accepts their invitation only to be met with a test: to see if he possesses the magic necessary to enter the paintings – and the strength to escape them. Because his ancestor’s pieces carry unnatural abilities and a terrible curse. And Lewis must destroy them all.
Under orders from the museum and partnered with handsome agent Noah, Lewis plunges into a world of black markets, gothic magic, and unspeakable terror. But if he’s to succeed, he’ll have to locate the long-lost final work, and its powers might be the most devastating of all…
Published September 11th by Simon & Schuster UK Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Fiction, Festive Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…
Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change.
A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose.
And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again…
This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance.
Published September 11th by Simon & Schuster UK Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Filled with scenes of sizzling passion, plot beats of swoon-worthy romance, and a cast of Black female characters that you’ll fall in love with, the unputdownable debut novel from Oti Mabuse brims with heat and heart. Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert, Laura Jane Williams, Tia Williams, Farrah Rochon, Hannah Grace and Bolu Babalola.
For dancer Lira, Latin Ballroom is everything. Whilst her dreams of fame were cut short aged 19, she’s never forgotten the connection she felt dancing with a stranger at the Paris World Championship afterparty 13 years ago.
Now, with her younger sisters pursuing their own successful dancing careers, and the responsibility of running the family dance studio falling to her, Lira’s ambitious flame is about to flicker out. Until a chance encounter sees her secretly auditioning for Slow Burn, a new dance show about to embark on a 6-week European tour, and coming face to face with a blast from her past that sends her reeling.
Gabriele is the quintessential bad boy of the Latin Ballroom scene. Slim of hip, with long, lean muscles that pop, a chiselled jaw, dark eyes, obscenely long lashes, and a mouth that just won’t give, it’s no surprise when he lands the principal male lead role on Slow Burn. But, with just a few weeks to go till the tour starts, he still hasn’t found his female co-star. All it takes is one audition to set his world on fire…
On the dance floor they’re smouldering, off it, they’re on fire.
Published September 11th by Zaffre Literary Fiction, Medical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the bestselling author of THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ comes a heartbreaking contemporary novel of a dying teenager’s final wish, a lonely young man’s journey towards connection, and the unexpected friendship they find together. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, and John Green.
Jesse is 15. She loves her friends, her little brother and her parents – even when they’re arguing, which feels like constantly these days. But most of all, she loves playing video games. Even from her hospital bed.
Alex is 29. He doesn’t love a lot of things. To be honest, he’s not really sure he knows how to. His desk at work, as VR games designer, is empty, much like his life feels sometimes.
Then Jesse makes a wish. A simple one: a video experience made of her life, something to be there, just in case she isn’t.
One loving teenager. One lonely adult.
Which one will get the happy ending?
Heather Morris is an international no.1 bestseller and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide. This brand-new novel is a fresh direction for her but speaks to all the themes that you know and love her for: hope in the darkest of places, family, love and courage.
Published September 16th by Simon & Schuster UK Fairy Tale, Fantasy Fiction, Greek Mythology, Poetry
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A propulsive, electrifying and enraging retelling in verse of the life ofGreek goddess Hekate, child of war turned all-powerful goddess of witchcraft and necromancy, by internationally bestselling poet Nikita Gill.
Born into a world on fire, Godling Hekate has never known safety. After her parents find themselves on the losing side of the war between the ruling Titans and the new Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken by her mother Asteria to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. Meanwhile, Asteria is pursued across the world by Zeus and Poseidon and, to escape their clutches, transforms herself into an island in a stormy sea.
Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up amongst the horrors and beauties of the Underworld, desperate to find her divine purpose and a sense of belonging in the land of the dead.
When she finally uncovers her powers and ascends to Goddess status, she realises that even the most powerful Olympians are terrified of her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy everything from Mount Olympus to the Underworld itself, the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy is the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end…
Published September 18th by Sphere Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: And so, I am mad after all…The shackles gouge my wrists, disturbing the scars of Strangeways Prison’s fetters. But no matter; if I bleed, I will not die: I am already dead.
Named after the funeral flower, Lily has walked hand-in-hand with death for as long as she can remember.
But the fact that death has chosen to follow her through life can hardly be conceived as her fault.
Certainly she cannot be expected to take the blame for the slew of missing men in her wake.
In fact, Lily is in no doubt that there has been some terrible mistake, and she will be released from this asylum any day now.
Now she just needs to convince you too…
Set against the harsh realities of a Victorian asylum, this compelling historical debut sees one unruly woman take her revenge on the men who would keep her caged, and ultimately asks where we draw the line between villain and victim in a society where the odds are stacked against women from the start. Perfect for fans of MRS ENGLAND by Stacey Halls, THE MAD WOMEN’S BALL by Victoria Mas and LILY by Rose Tremain.
Published September 18th by Pan Macmillan Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Paranormal Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: It’s time to break the spell of perfection . . .
Andromeda Wildwood is practically perfect in every witch way. Her life is a haze of pink, magic and impossibly high standards. The proud owner of Celestial Bakehouse, a bustling London bakery, Annie devotes her powers to pleasing others, and while perfection exacts a magical toll, it’s a price she is more than willing to pay.
However, when Annie is tasked by her coven with mentoring a troubled teenage witch, her charmed existence is thrown into chaos. She couldn’t be more different from fiery, stubborn Maeve. Or from Hal, the gruff but handsome owner of their temporary lodgings, who is not best pleased to find the coven has offered up his woodland cottage to two headstrong witches.
As the unlikely trio slowly bond, outside forces begin to take an interest in Maeve’s extraordinary powers. Will Annie risk everything to protect the true magic she’s finally found?
Uncharmed is the spellbinding new cosy fantasy from Lucy Jane Wood, celebrating found family, unconditional love and the joy of letting go of perfectionism and people-pleasing.
Published September 18th by Scribner UK Literary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Translated Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: For fans of What You Are Looking For is in the Library and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Translated by Philip Gabriel, the translator of The Travelling Cat Chronicles
The Night Library is no ordinary library.
Within it are found the rarest and most unusual collections – the books of deceased famous writers:
the books they wrote the books that inspired them the books they loved
All Otaha Higuchi wants to do is work with books. However, the exhausting nature of her work at a chain bookstore, combined with her paltry salary and irritating manager quickly bring reality crashing down around her.
She is on the verge of quitting when she receives a message from somebody calling themselves ‘Seven Rainbows’, inviting her to apply for a job at a library with no name, a place referred to simply as ‘The Night Library’.
After successfully passing the interview, Otaha arrives at The Night Library and her sunny personality immediately earns her comparisons with Anne of Green Gables. For the very first time she feels she has found her place in the world. As well as a treasure trove of books, the library houses a group of likeminded literary misfits, including a legendary chef who prepares incredible meals for the library’s employees at the end of each day.
Together they embark on a series of bookish adventures. But when the library’s mysterious owner decides to temporarily close the library, Otaha and her friends fear that it may not reopen and that the peace they have found there will be lost to them forever.
Is their friendship and their faith in the value of books strong enough to save it? And what will remain if it isn’t?
Dinner at the Night Library is a heartwarming literary mystery, filled with quirky characters, Japanese culture and the mouthwatering meals. It asks why books matter and offers a cheer of encouragement to everybody who believes they do. Ultimately, it is a paean to reading and the relevance of books through the ages―past, present, and future.
Published September 18th by Manilla Press Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of the Morisaki Bookshop novels comes a charming and poignant story set at a quiet Tokyo café where customers find unexpected connection and experience everyday miracles.
Tucked away on a narrow side street in Tokyo is the Torunka Café, a neighbourhood nook where the passersby are as likely to be local cats as tourists. Its regulars include Chinatsu Yukimura, a mysterious young woman who always leaves behind a napkin folded into the shape of a ballerina; Hiroyuki Numata, a middle-aged man who’s returned to the neighbourhood searching for the happy life he once gave up; and Shizuku, the café owner’s teenage daughter, who is still coming to terms with her sister’s death as she falls in love for the first time.
While the Torunka Café serves up a perfect cup of coffee, it provides these sundry souls with nourishment far more lasting. Satoshi Yagisawa brilliantly illuminates the periods in our lives where we feel lost – and how we find our way again.
Published September 18th by Michael Joseph Fairy Tale, Fantasy Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Contemporary Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A charming book of linked stories with a sprinkling of cosy fantasy and a fable-like touch . . .
Welcome to the Amberglow Candy Store. The confections can give you what you most desire, but not in the way you expect . . .
*****
Welcome. We don’t get many humans here.
At the end of Gloaming Lane, at the very edge of the otherworld, is the Amberglow Candy Store, open only between the full moon and the new moon.
Behind the cosy caramel-timber facade is Kogetsu, the store’s half-fox proprietor, whose wagashi confections promise to change the lives of his customers for the better.
Kogetsu’s door is always open to anyone in need of solace – a lovesick teenage girl, a cripplingly shy estate agent, a struggling first time mother.
But who is this mysterious proprietor? A half-fox spirit he may be. But why is he so interested in his customers and their emotions? And why does each sweet have a recommended ‘dosage’?
Like the centre of the chewiest caramel, life’s most valuable teachings always take time to reveal themselves, and Kogetsu’s customers are about to get a lot more than they bargained for . . .
The Amberglow Candy Store is a charming and cosy fable from Japan, that shows that help is always out there for those who seek it.
Published September 23rd by Del Rey Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Mystery, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM YOUR SHADOW?
________________
Charlie Hall used to be a talented con artist and thief – until her last job nearly killed her. Instead of walking away, she bartered her freedom to the Cabal, a ruthless circle of elite gloamists who trapped Charlie’s boyfriend, the powerful shadow named Vince. As the Cabal’s new Hierophant, Charlie hunts rogue shadows on their behalf – not out of loyalty, but because it keeps Vince out of their hands.
Or, at least, what’s left of him.
The tether that binds Charlie and Vince erased every memory he had of her, leaving behind only Red – a dangerous Blight with Vince’s face. Cold, ruthless, and angry, Red doesn’t trust Charlie; he doesn’t like her, so when she’s pressed into service by the Cabal’s most manipulative member, the Puppeteer, she’s on her own.
Charlie’s no investigator, just a thief in over her head, sent to track down the Blight behind a brutal church massacre. And worse, her own shadow is making plans to betray her. Vulnerable, heartbroken, and magically outmatched, Charlie has one last chance to save herself, but the price might be the one person she thought she couldn’t bear to lose.
Published September 25th by The Borough Press Historical Fiction, Gothic Ficiton, Historical Romance, War Story, Lesbian Literature, Horror Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A village haunted by stories. Two women bound by a secret.
A haunting gothic tale of ancient darkness and a love that defies convention, from Sunday Times #1 bestseller Bridget Collins.
Watching over the village of Haltington is an ancient carving in the ground, known to locals simply as the Face. It was first etched into the chalk when lives were ruled by superstition and stories; by fear of the unknown, of the shadows.
For centuries, the inhabitants of Bone Cottage have tended to it. But now that the Great War has decimated the population of even this most isolated of places, the Face stands neglected and overgrown.
When enigmatic outsider Kit moves into the cottage, the villagers are suspicious of her androgynous appearance and bohemian ways. In defiance of their disapproval, the vicar’s unmarried sister-in-law Florence finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kit, and the friendship that grows between them becomes a light in the dark for her.
But the Face calls things to it, and now Florence and Kit are in its path…
A haunting gothic tale of ancient darkness and a love that defies convention, from Sunday Times #1 bestseller Bridget Collins.
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Susan Stokes-Chapman
Published September 25th by Harvill Secker Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Holiday Fiction, Festive Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A beautiful collection of seasonal stories inspired by the classic Christmas carol, from the Sunday Times No. 1 Bestselling Author
‘Sparkling wit, romance and joy. . . it’s the perfect gift to wake up to in your stocking on Christmas morning!’ Jennifer Saint
The air glitters with hope as the snowy village of Merrywake celebrates the Christmas season after the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars.
As the Viscount’s famous Twelfth Night Ball draws closer, many of the villagers have a story to tell – we meet a lovelorn vicar and kindly maid reunited after a misunderstanding, three sisters vying for the hand of a dastardly duke, two servants hiding a dangerous secret and a solider making his way home, unsure of the welcome he might receive. As their tales braid together, we see life and love in the village from belowstairs to high society.
Reimagining each of the traditional carol’s gifts, The Twelve Days of Christmas is a collection of festive tales filled with seasonal cheer and heart-warming characters. Will the challenges and mysteries that the Viscount’s guests encounter be resolved by the night of the ball?
Published September 25th by The Fourth Estate Psychological Thriller, Legal Thriller, Political Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In this compulsive story of betrayal, old bonds and buried scandals, one British establishment family comes face to face with the consequences of privilege and the true cost of power.
Martin and Ben were friends for decades ― best friends, Martin would have said ― before the terrible events at Ben’s 40th birthday party tore them apart. So when Martin receives a surprise invitation back into the inner sanctum of the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after seven years of silence, he can’t resist the chance to get his revenge.
Ben has risen through the ranks of power, and is now touted as the next Prime Minister. But Martin can’t help but notice certain flies in the ointment… Ben’s wife, Serena, for instance, whose privileged existence is beginning to feel like a gilded cage. Or their daughter, Cosima, an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents once stood for. Or the disgraced MP Richard Take, determined to make his big comeback. And then there’s Fliss, the Fitzmaurice black sheep, whose untimely death sparks more suspicion than closure. Through their intertwined stories, we see a family – and a nation – unravelling under the weight of its secrets.
With everyone watching, the stage is set for a reckoning. It’s time for Martin and Ben to confront what love truly means when everything―family, power, and loyalty―is on the line.
Published September 25th by Orion Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: If you knew you had fifty-nine minutes until everything and everyone you love would be lost forever, what would you do with that time?
It’s an ordinary evening. People are coming home from work, cooking dinner for their children, cuddling on sofas with their lovers. And then the message arrives, shattering everyone’s worlds:
Missiles are set to destroy England in fifty-nine minutes. Everyone should seek immediate shelter.
59 minutes follows the journey of three women trying to make it home to and protect their families. The journeys should be simple, but with a lost schoolchild seeking help, a teenage daughter suddenly going missing, and dangerous criminals on the prowl, there is peril at every corner.
59 Minutes is a gripping, thought-provoking and gut-wrenching thriller perfect for fans of WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, THE CHAIN and Lisa Jewell.
Published September 25th by Simon & Schuster UK Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller, Mystery, Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A story about stories within stories, as four interconnected mysteries take the reader through the ages, from Shakespeare’s day to a 19th-century Gothic former Priory, to 1920s Venice, and finally to 1940s California, from the internationally bestselling author of The Turnglass.
We begin with the last testament of William Shakespeare as he investigates the real-life murder mystery of his friend, playwright Christopher Marlowe.
The second story is a 19th-century Gothic tale about the discovery of Shakespeare’s manuscript, set in an isolated former Priory, now a clinic for those who cannot sleep.
The third is a lighter Golden Age detective tale set in Venice, where private investigator Honora Feldman looks into a baffling case of theft and murder in the British expat community, with the Gothic story at its heart.
And finally, a 1940s American Noir, as Ken Kourian finds that a serial killer is recreating all the murders in The Waterfall, the companion book to his friend Oliver Tooke’s The Turnglass.
The Waterfall is a beguiling and intricate mystery that cements Gareth Rubin’s position as one of the most original authors writing today.
Published September 25th by Faber & Faber Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller, Mystery, Holiday Fiction, Festive Ficiton,
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Christmas Eve, 1943. Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to run a murder mystery game – and instead discover a real murder.
The Pratts had planned for festive cheer, despite the wartime shortages: with Elva’s map of the hotel and Anthony’s prop weapons to use as clues, the guests in their parlour game would move through the rooms to figure out whodunnit.
But when Anthony discovers the cook’s sister Miss Silver beaten to death, they instead find themselves investigating a shockingly real crime. The hotel manager Mr Browning is trying to keep the peace but the guests are agitated, Colonel Colman is about to take over the hotel for the war effort – and the mysterious Mrs Threadgold hasn’t been seen at all.
In games, there’s only one victim – but this is real life. Can the Pratts puzzle out this Christmas mystery before it’s too late?
The Impossible Fortune (The Thursday Murder Club, 5) by Richard Osman
Published September 25th by Viking Mystery, Crime Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Crime Series, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Who’s got time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan?
It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal.
But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into their most explosive investigation yet, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
Published September 25th by Aria Contemporary Romance, Magical Realism, Domestic Ficiton, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Welcome to the Time Hop Coffee Shop, where wishes can come true . . .
Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now, fame has faded, her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter has become distant, and Greta’s once-glittering career feels like a distant memory.
So when Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop, serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes in the idyllic, make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose – between perfection and real life, with no turning back?
Published September 25th by Avon Books Contemporary Romance, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.
The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…
The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.
Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.
To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books.
Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts.
Published September 25th by Atlantic Books Crime Fiction, Ghost Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: CURSES ARE LIKE HEARTS. SOME ARE MORE EASILY BROKEN THAN OTHERS… the twist-filled, spooky heartbreaker from the global-bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
—
‘A haunting, twisty tale of curses and romance’ Ayòbámi Adébáyò ‘A sweeping love story… I lost myself within its gorgeous pages’ Jennie Godfrey ‘Funny and fearless, soaked in secrets, spirit, heartbreak, and love… Impossible to put down’ Abi Daré No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace… So goes the family curse, handed down from generation to generation, ruining families and breaking hearts as it goes. And now it’s calm, rational Eniiyi’s turn – who, due to her uncanny resemblance to her dead aunt, Monife, and her family’s insistence that she must be a reincarnation, has long been used to some strange familial beliefs.
Still, when she falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family’s history. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak, or can she escape the family curse and the mysterious fate that befell her aunt?
Published September 30th by Berkley Books Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Murder disrupts four quirky librarians’ lives when they try to hide among books to keep their secrets.
Sometimes a workplace isn’t just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder threatens the sanctity of that beloved refuge….
In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don’t always realize that their librarians are human, too.
Hazel flees halfway across the world for what she hopes will be a new beginning. Jonathan, a six-foot-four former college football player, has never fit in anywhere else. Astrid tries to forget her heartbreak by immersing herself in work, but the man who ghosted her six months ago is back, promising trouble. And Sophie, who has the most to lose, maintains a careful and respectful distance from her coworkers, but soon that won’t be enough anymore.
When two patrons turn up dead after the library’s inaugural murder mystery-themed game night, the librarians’ quiet routines come crashing down. Something sinister has stirred, something that threatens every single one of them. And the only way the librarians can save the library–and themselves–is to let go of their secrets, trust one another, and band together….
Into the Fire (DI Helen Grace, 13) by M. J. Arlidge
Published July 3rd by Orion Thriller, Crime Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Crime Series
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Nowhere to hide. No one to turn to. Nothing to lose.
Helen Grace is sure she made the right decision quitting her job as a detective. Until the day she looks out of her window to see a desperate young woman being pursued by two vicious thugs.
Still a force to be reckoned with, Helen races into the night, swiftly downing the young woman’s attackers. For a moment, it feels like Helen doesn’t need her badge to do good, but as she leads her charge to safety, she’s struck from behind, regaining consciousness just in time to see the terrified woman being driven off in a white van.
Helen’s determined to find the woman and save her, but begging her former colleagues for help gets her nowhere. It’s clear that this time Helen is on her own.
Racing against the clock, Helen soon discovers a whole group of vulnerable women who desperately need her help. But fighting crime as a maverick is a dangerous game. One that could cost Helen her life, and the life of those she holds most dear…
Published July 3rd by Faber & Faber Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: What if the only way to bury the truth is to bury your husband?
The first attempt at killing her husband was the night of the dinner party.
After forty years, Thom Graves has become an incredible disappointment to his wife, Wendy – he drinks too much, flirts with other women, and worst of all, is in danger of revealing their dark secret. But how far is Wendy willing to go to stop him?
Starting at the end, and ending at the beginning, Kill Your Darlings is an ingenious mystery about two people’s life together, and the secrets which fatally bind them.
Published July 3rd by Zaffre Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Margaret Smith is at the beach. It is a summer day unlike any other Margaret has ever known. The Smith family have left the town where they live and work and go to school and come to a place where the sky is blue, the sand is white, and the sound of the sea surrounds them. An ordinary family discovering the joy of getting away for the first time. Over the course of the coming decades, they will be transformed through their holiday experiences, each new destination a backdrop as the family grows and changes, love stories begin and end — and secrets are revealed.
Coming this summer, Getting Away is a dazzlingly ambitious new novel from the author of Waterstones’ Fiction Book of the Month, This Family, and the Costa shortlisted The Stranding.
Published July 3rd by Orion Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘In my life, there are things that have happened to me, and things that I have done, that have proven to be moments that have a clear before and an after. One of those moments, perhaps in some ways the biggest, was the day that I met Richard Aveling for the first time.’
Charlie is twenty-three, single and the new publicity assistant at the independent London publishing house Winden & Shane. Richard Aveling is fifty-six, married and the author that has defined his generation.
Charlie has long idolised the charming, illustrious writer, who also represents a link to her late mother, who loved his work. But as they embark on an illicit and all-consuming affair, Charlie is forced to hide the relationship from everyone she cares about.
And when the success of Richard’s latest book launches him to a new level of fame where all anonymity is lost, she realises she might just be in too deep…
A thought-provoking exploration of a relationship founded in power, control and silence, Bitter Sweet is perfect for book clubs and will appeal to fans of Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors.
Published July 3rd by HQ Contemporary Romance, Saga, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Jo hasn’t seen Oliver since that magical, life-changing summer when their idyllic island paradise was shattered. Growing up on Walnut Tree Island, they were everything to each other, defying a feud that fractured their families decades before. If first love runs deep, Jo and Oliver’s ran like the river itself, fast and true.
On Walnut Tree Island, love affairs and secrets come and go like the tides. Once the pulse of a flourishing 1960s music scene, it’s where Mary Star fell in love with a young musician about to hit the big time, only to be left with a baby and a broken heart. Mary has made the island a haven for two generations of Star women, raising her daughter and her granddaughter, surrounded by the river, supported by a bohemian, artistic community.
But Oliver’s return to the island after years away throws everyone into a frenzy. The threat of change is coming to paradise. And for Jo, Oliver’s return opens the wounds of a love she thought she had lost for ever…
Beautifully written, featuring a cast of magnetic characters, River of Stars is the captivating new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Georgina Moore.
Dear Miss Lake (The Emmy Lake Chronicles, 4) by AJ Pearce
Publsihed July 3rd by Picador Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Dear Mrs Bird, AJ Pearce’s Dear Miss Lake returns us to wartime London where Emmy Lake is facing her greatest challenge yet . . .
England, July 1944.
After nearly five years of war the nation is weary, and the readers of Woman’s Friend need agony aunt Emmy Lake more than ever. With London under attack from the doodlebugs, the magazine decamps to the countryside, determined to keep helping the women of Britain and give hope to readers feeling powerless in the face of desperate news.
With husband Charles now posted closer to home, and best friend Bunty at her side, Emmy throws herself into rural life, juggling children, competitive knitters and plans for a very important wedding. And then a phone call comes that means she may finally have the chance to become the war correspondent she always dreamed of.
But disaster strikes, and suddenly Emmy is faced with her biggest challenge yet. Because when your own heart is breaking, how do you help everyone else?
Joyful, moving and uplifting, Dear Miss Lake is the perfect story of the power of friendship and love.
Published July 3rd by Hodder & Stoughton Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A spellbinding tale of love, strength and sacrifice from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Based on the gorgeous island of Malta in WWII, this is a story about the power of fate, and how sometimes, in order to find yourself – and to find love – you must first lose everything else. . .
Fate has brought them together. Will time tear them apart?
2025
Named after a star, war correspondent Maia knows how to find the brightest stories – the tales of survival and strength – hidden amongst the dark realities of combat.
Now, travelling to Malta to visit her estranged father, with one more chance to build a relationship with her last remaining relative, she’s here to find her own story: never having found somewhere – or someone – she can call home, she’s desperate for answers that might show her where she truly belongs.
But when she arrives on the beautiful mediterranean island, she realises her long-lost family is full of more secrets than she could possibly have imagined. . .
1942
Maia wakes up to find herself on an island under siege, a city in ruins – and knows she must have been sent here for a reason.
Who has she been sent to save? Or is it Maia herself that needs saving? And just when she’s finally found what she’s been seeking . . . will time separate them forever?
Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Santa Montefiore and Dinah Jefferies.
Published July 3rd by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction, Crime Fiction, Historical Thriller, Biographical Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A young noblewoman accused of murder, awaits execution. Imprisoned in the Corte Savella, she has captured the hearts and sympathy of all Rome. . .
This is the true and tragic tale of Beatrice Cenci.
Murder most foul or vengeance most just?
Helpless victim or resolute heroine?
Rome, 1599.
Beatrice yearns to escape the clutches of her abusive father and determined to find a way back to Rome, enlists the help of Olimpio, the castle’s keeper. Soon the love that grows between them will transform Beatrice’s fortunes, for better and for worse. . .
History has sold her short. She is no doe-eyed victim of her father’s brutality, nor the cunning murderer who plotted her father’s demise. No, this Beatrice – a woman pregnant by her lover, incarcerated in a remote castle by her father, and brim-full of white-hot rage – is both innocent and guilty, saint and sinner.
And she will stand tall in the face of the violence of men, no matter the cost.
Published July 3rd by Zaffre Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Police Proccedural
BOOK DESCRIPTION: WHEN A CHILD DISAPPEARS, NO SECRET IS SAFE . . .
THE POIGNANT AND BRILLIANTLY CLEVER NEW THRILLER FROM AWARD-WINNING CRIME AUTHOR, LIAM McILVANNEY.
Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with rich, fulfilling lives. They have a son they adore, a house on the beach and a safe, friendly community in a picture-postcard town.
Until, one day, Bonnie the labrador comes in from the beach alone. Their son, Rory, has gone – the only trace left behind is a single black sandal.
Their lives don’t fall apart immediately. While there’s still hope, they dig deep and try to carry on.
But as desperation mounts, arms around shoulders become fingers pointed – at friends, family, strangers, each other. Without any answers, only questions remain. Who can they trust? How far will they go to find out what happened to Rory?
And the deadliest question of all: what could be worse than your child disappearing?
When the truth begins to emerge, they find themselves in a world they could barely have imagined.
Published July 3rd by Harper Collins UK Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: You think you know what happened that night
But the truth is far more dangerous
***
From the No.1 international bestselling author of ANNA O comes a story of secret pasts and buried memories. A MURDER IN PARIS is a thriller you’ll never forget …
***
Imagine the past returning to you in fragments.
A hotel room, a pillow, a lifeless body.
Your ordinary, innocent life upended by one flash of memory.
You can’t remember what led to the crime.
All you know is that you must return to the scene, to the clues that lie waiting in Room 11.
But this is a mystery that goes far beyond that room, that night, that murder.
Published July 3rd by Pan Macmillan Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Your child has been kidnapped.
You’re live on television.
Going live in 10, 9, 8 . . . Today is a huge day for TV reporter Rose’s career. A live interview with one of the most powerful men in the country, on one of the nation’s biggest TV shows.
7, 6, 5 . . . But, when she hears an unfamiliar voice in her ear, she knows something is very wrong.
4, 3, 2 . . . Her earpiece has been hacked. She’s live on air in the middle of the interview. They tell her they have kidnapped her family.
1 And, in order to protect them, Rose must do exactly what the hijacker says. They are in control now.
Published July 3rd by Hodder & Stoughton Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Everyone’s invited. Everyone’s a suspect.
An exclusive black-tie birthday party. A sprawling mansion. A body falling from a balcony. One of the guests is dead, and another is a killer – but who is the hunter, and who is the prey?
As the drinks flow, so do the lies . . . and nobody is safe.
Was it Dani, the tenacious new mother with a history of postpartum psychosis, or Kim, the ex-wife with an alcohol problem? Orlaith, the elderly Irish nanny who talks to spirits? Mikayla, the lonely teenager, or the clique of toxic mean girls who pretend to embrace her? Or was it the pair of psychotherapists who watch and judge them all?
I Know Where You Buried Your Husband by Marie O’Hare
Published July 3rd by Bantam Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Sophia, Safa, Ella, Ajola and Caoimhe have been friends since school. They are difficult, unlikeable women; funny, sharp and clever ones – the sort that would have probably ended up burned at the stake a few hundred years ago.
When one of them is about to be framed for murder, they inextricably bind their fates together via some bin bags, a spade and a promise never to tell. Afterwards, they decide to separate to ensure the safety of their secret, leaving each of them to navigate the daily challenges of womanhood alone.
But when an anonymous blackmailer threatens to expose them years later, the group must come back together to get their stories straight – and find out who is behind their torment. But is it already too late?
Evocative, sharp, and full of insightful humour, startling debut I Know Where You Buried Your Husband is a painfully relatable examination of 21st century womanhood.
Published July 3rd by Riverrun Contemporary Ficiton, Literary Fiction, Psychological Ficiton, Tragicomedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Fleeing Scotland in the wake of family disgrace, 16-year-old Ida Campbell secures a scholarship at a failing girls’ boarding school on a remote part of the south English coast. Despite the eccentricities of her new Headmistress, who warns her of the dangers of the Cold War and the ever-present threat of the bomb, St Anne’s seems like a refuge to Ida. But all this is about to change. For a start, her new room-mate is the infamous Louise Adler, potential arsonist and hardened outcast.
Meanwhile, the geography teacher Eleanor Alston, in her late thirties, a disastrous love affair in her wake, faces the new term with weary resignation. But the fragile ecosystem of the school is disrupted by the arrival of a new teacher, Matthew Langfield. Eleanor has an uneasy feeling he is not who he says he is.
And things only get worse when a mysterious sickness starts to spread throughout the school, causing strange limb jerks and seizures among the pupils. What is happening to the girls of St Anne’s? Could there be a poisoner among them? Is Ida’s scholarship really an escape, or is it instead a new nightmare?
Published July 3rd by Pushkin Vertigo Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Horror, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A twisty puzzle in which the reader is the detective, examining a series of creepy floorplans for clues
‘Deliciously unsettling and refreshingly unique, Strange Houses will lure you in and keep you captive with every clever twist’ – Kristen Perrin, author of How to Solve Your Own Murder
A sinister hidden room.
A dead space between two walls.
A sealed cellar.
A child’s face glimpsed at a window.
Every house hides secrets.
But some secrets are far darker than others.
More than a million readers have discovered the terrible truth behind these strange houses.
Published July 3rd by William Morrow War Story, Historical Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit The Measure—a runaway bestseller and a Read with Jenna TODAY Show pick—comes a stunning speculative story of healing, self-discovery, forgiveness, and found friendship.
What if there were a cure for the broken-hearted?
Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.
Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain…and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.
On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way west to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.
A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?
Published July 3rd by Simon & Schuster UK Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Their story might be scripted, but the chemistry is real.
When Cynthie Taylor gets her first real acting job, starring in a small British movie, she is over the moon. There’s only one problem . . . Cynthie’s arrogant and annoyingly handsome co-star Jack hates her, and the feeling is definitely mutual. While they may be at war behind the scenes, their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and the studio sees an opportunity – have the two young stars fake a romance that will charm fans and draw crowds.
Thirteen years later, Cynthie and Jack have successfully kept their promise to stay far away from one another, until a surprising offer comes to make a sequel to the cult classic that launched their careers. But there’s a catch: they must also rekindle their pretend relationship . . . and this time there’s a documentary crew following their every move.
Cynthie and Jack both desperately need this film to work, but can two ex-rivals ever really trust each other? And what happens when the roles they’re playing start to feel all too real?
Published July 3rd by Bedfore Square Publishers Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Fairy Tale, Magical Realism, Nautical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Adam Conlan has made a new life for himself in Morrow-on-Sea. After a wild youth, the goldsmith had settled down, determined to be around for his young son. But now Ophelia Richards appears at his studio door, asking if he will buy her gold. The writer entices and unsettles him; he sees she is adrift in the same cold pain and loneliness as he is.
At the same time, faces begin appearing at the studio window, an unwelcome gift arrives in the post, gold goes missing.
Then comes death, then comes Detective Inspector William Kent.
Woven through with Morrow’s fairy tales, Dead as Gold is a modern gothic crime novel veined with love, violence, family, and desire. Humans still use fairy tales to explore their deepest truths. So who is a wolf, and who is a sparrow?
Published July 10th by Mantle Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical Thriller, Historical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The Art of a Lie is a beguiling cat-and-mouse thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Square of Sevens, Laura Shepherd-Robinson.
That’s the trouble with stories, especially the ones you write for yourself. Sometimes you think they’ve ended, when they’ve barely begun . . .
London, 1749. Following the murder of her husband in a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. The Punchbowl and Pineapple, her confectionary shop on Piccadilly, is barely turning a profit, and her suppliers are conspiring to put her out of business. So when she learns that her husband had a large sum of money in his bank account that she knew nothing about, the surprise is extremely welcome. And when William Devereux, a friend of her late husband, tells her about a new Italian delicacy called “iced cream”, Hannah believes it might transform the fortunes of her shop.
But her husband’s unexpected windfall attracts the attention of author-turned-magistrate Henry Fielding, who suspects the money was illicitly acquired. Unless Hannah can prove otherwise, her inheritance will be confiscated. As she and Devereux work to uncover the secrets of her husband’s double life, their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything, even her husband’s murder.
Published July 10th by Hodder & Stoughton Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Everyone knows Daniel. But no one knows where he is …
THEN
Alone in New Orleans, Selina is struggling to fit in until a charismatic stranger invites her for a drink. It feels like fate, but who is Daniel, and what does he want from her? Just as the humidity and the hangovers start to take their toll, Daniel vanishes
NOW
Daniel is missing. No one has seen or heard from him in weeks. Beside herself with worry, his sister Caroline hosts an intimate gathering in her London home so those closest to Daniel can come together and compare notes. But what should have been five courses of a Cajun-style feast has now become an interrogation. Those left behind must piece together their shared understanding of the man they thought they knew.
And all isn’t quite as it seems: Caroline has invited a stranger to the table, an accomplished psychic who claims to have met Daniel four thousand miles away in New Orleans. As evening turns to night, the dark truth of what really happened begins to emerge…
Published July 10th by Piatkus Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Do you ever feel that life isn’t going to plan?
When Alice Thorington collapses in the street after a particularly hellish day at work, she must finally admit to herself that her outwardly happy life – steady relationship, well-paid job, beautiful flat in the city – isn’t everything she’d hoped it would be. Burnt out by long hours and living a life that doesn’t fulfil her dreams, Alice returns home to Yorkshire.
Her childhood home brings complicated family dynamics, a rediscovery of her passion for stargazing and two new friends: Berti, a boy who finds it easier to count the stars than interact with people, and Matt, her brother’s best friend and Alice’s teenage crush. With each of them facing their own struggles, can the stars that meant so much to Alice in her past help them to find their way in the present?
Filled with heart and warmth, this uplifting novel reminds us all that we need the darkness if we want to see the stars.
Published July 10th by Michael Joseph Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Urban Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THE 2025 DEBUT THAT WILL STAY WITH YOU FOREVER
The moment Zoe notices Jack in their Harvard chemistry class, with his scruffy clothes and casual self-assurance, she knows he’s the one to beat.
When Zoe starts trying to outsmart Jack in chemistry, he knows she’s the person he’s been looking for.
Because Jack has dreams that go far beyond the classroom. And while he and Zoe might be from different worlds, they share the same thirst for knowledge and fierce ambition. When he invites her to partner with him on some research, she puts aside her pride, and joins him.
Apart they are brilliant, but together they are unstoppable, and within two years, they are at the helm of a thriving start-up company, and deep in a relationship that seems a perfect match in every sense.
Until a shocking accusation is levelled against Jack which threatens everything they’ve built – their company, their reputation, and most importantly, their love.
Are some dreams too big to come true? And how far would you go to achieve them anyway?
A captivating, deeply poignant novel about ambition, deceit, the recklessness that comes with early success and the way that love can make us feel invincible.
Published July 10th by Fig Tree Literary Ficiton, Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of the Booker nominated, international bestseller Nightcrawling: a novel about the joys and entanglements of a fierce group of teenage mothers in a Florida beach town.
When Adela Woods tells her parents she’s pregnant, they immediately send her a thousand miles away to stay with her grandmother in Padua Beach. The intention is that she will leave her baby in ‘the forgotten Panhandle of Florida’. and resume her suburban life nine months later as though nothing happened. But Adela’s plans are soon washed away by the tide.
First, Adela meets Emory, a new mother determined to defy the expectations of everyone around her, returning to high school with her newborn baby strapped to her chest. Then she meets Simone, ringleader of ‘the Girls,’ a group of young mothers who create a village together in the back of her red truck―dancing, breastfeeding, raising their children and themselves.
The town thinks they’ve lost their way. Really, they are finding it.
But as they look for love, make and break friendships, navigate the miracle of motherhood and the paradox of girlhood, Adela, Emory and Simone also find themselves on an inescapable collision course with one another.
A novel full of heart and life and hope, set against the shifting sands of secrets and betrayals, The Girls Who Grew Big offers an explosive new perspective on what it means to be a young woman, a daughter, and a mother.
Published July 15th by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Ancient History, Historical Romance, Political Fiction Political Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A STORY ABOUT FEMALE AMBITION, LEARNING WHERE TRUE POWER LIES, AND EXACTLY WHAT IT COSTS. _
Fulvia is the daughter of a wealthy but unimportant Roman family. Raised in the countryside, she longs for a life of intrigue and influence. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, Fulvia makes her way to the city of Rome to secure her future.
There she marries a young aristocrat named Clodius, who is more interested in partying with his hedonistic friends than politics. Fulvia is drawn into their world of debauchery, and learns just how precarious the balance of power in the Republic is. Her ambition drives them both to political power that draws the attention of the senate, and more seedy underworld opponents. But Rome is a dangerous place, and power can become notoriety overnight. Fulvia soon learns just how high the stakes really are, and that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost.
Published July 17th by HQ Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Her secrets will be the death of you.
It’s rare for a room in beautiful, iconic Columbia Mansions to be up for grabs and Gwen is thrilled when its new occupant Pixie turns out to be the most delightful neighbour she could have wished for. Before long the two women have formed an unlikely age-gap friendship and Gwen is making herself useful to Pixie in all kinds of ways.
But when a crime comes to light Gwen’s protective instincts go into overdrive, igniting an appetite for revenge that none of the residents are prepared for.
The last thing they need in Columbia Mansions is a scandal.
Published July 17th by Orenda Books Psychological Thriler, Mystery, Hardboiled
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Struggling to separate her dreams from reality, a young woman investigates the disappearance of her sister ten years earlier … worried that she might be next. A breathtaking, twisty standalone thriller from the international bestselling author of the Forbidden Iceland series… ––––––––––
November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister’s name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time.
But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsí and her penpal had agreed to meet.
November, 1977. Stína’s disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for Marsí It’s from her penpal, and he’s still out there…
Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, Marsí returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own.
But Marsí has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her sanity, it seems she can’t even trust her own memories.
Published July 17th by Orion Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Romantic Suspense
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Like every good romance, this story ends with a wedding. And like every good mystery, it begins with a murder…
When Alexandra’s fiancé runs off with her so-called best friend, her life veers sharply away from the romance films she’s obsessed with. She’s worked so hard to get her fairytale ending after the horrors of her past, and despite this setback, she’s determined she’ll still find her happy ever after.
To distract herself, Alexandra tries to focus on her job where she has a secret specialty: matchmaking psychopaths. But in losing the two people closest to her, she’s unignorably lonely. Sowhen a hot, overprotective new client wants to date her, and another gorgeous new client wants to become her best friend, she can’t help but find the attention a little comforting.
Things take a turn the day the human heart is left on Alexandra’s doorstep. But is the culprit one of her new admirers, or has a monster from her past returned to destroy her happy ending forever?
Matchmaking for Psychopaths is an unbelievably twisty and gripping read about obsession, filled with Tasha Coryell’s signature observational humour and satirical slant.
Published July 17th by Simon & Schuster UK Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thiller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Paradise comes at a price . . .
The stunning mountain views. The beautiful shore of Lake Geneva. The terrified woman held in the suite belonging to the hotel’s millionaire owner.
Lo Blacklock’s all-expenses paid trip to a luxury Swiss chateau should have been the ideal return to work. But as her past catches up with her, the millionaire’s mistress demanding that Lo help her escape, and a body turning up in the room next door, forces Lo to ask how far would she go to help someone she’s not even sure she can trust… The gripping follow-up to multi-million bestselling author Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 – coming soon to Netflix, starring Keira Knightley.
Published July 17th by Penguin UK Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Get ready for the unmissable new thriller from the #1 internationally bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder ******
In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.
Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.
Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.
She suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm.
Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend.
She only has seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:
Published July 17th by Bantam Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: She didn’t see it coming . . . And neither will you.
THE GRIPPING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EVERYONE HERE IS LYING AND THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR. —-
Bryden and Sam have it all – thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condo, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.
Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden – working from home that day – has failed to collect their daughter from daycare.
Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.
Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.
How can she have disappeared from her own home? And did she even leave the building at all?
With every minute that passes – and as questions swirl around their community – Bryden and Sam’s past seems a little less perfect, their luxury condo less safe, their friends, neighbours and relatives no longer quite so reliable . . .
Published July 17th by Wildfire Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: 1857, Glasgow.
A young socialite named Madeleine Smith stands accused of murdering her lover. Thousands wait outside the court to hear the result. The scandalous nature of the affair, detailed explicitly in letters published in newspapers across the world, has made her case a worldwide sensation. But when the jury find themselves unable to decide whether she is guilty, they render a verdict of ‘Not Proven’ – and Madeleine is freed.
1927, New York.
Harry Townsend, a handsome Hollywood film scout believes he has found the woman once known as Madeleine Smith. He wants to tell her story on film for the new ‘talkie’ generation. Since her trial she has lived under many names, as a glamourous society hostess in bohemian Bloomsbury to the likes of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, George Bernard Shaw and William Morris. Until suddenly, in 1890, when she disappeared off the face of the earth.
Could this quiet, secretive widow of an Irish labourer be the same Madeleine Smith who once stood trial for murder and escaped?
She has one last secret to reveal. Will Harry persuade her to tell it?
Published July 17th by Hutchinson Heinmann Literaray Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: For fans of The Vanishing Half and Little Fires Everywhere, a sweeping and heartfelt debut about finding your roots across borders and beyond blood-ties
May 1998: Mimi Traung and her baby daughter Ngan wait restlessly at the gates of Philadelphia airport. There is still a day’s travelling left before they would land back home on Vietnamese soil. While they prepare to board, the unimaginable happens.
Seventeen years later, two best friends are discussing their summer plans before college over a piece of mooncake. Both have trips ahead in search of their roots: Sabrina is preparing to travel to China to meet her mother’s family. Kit leaves for Tokyo, convinced that her biological mother is Japanese. Their parents watch on from the quiet suburbs of Chestnut Hill, nervous of what their daughters might find.
Meanwhile, Mimi returns to Philadelphia in search of her lost child, tracing memories from that fateful day waiting at the gates. Each of these women are looking to find their place in the world. Eventually Mimi, Kit and Sabrina come face to face, and have to confront the people they truly are, dismantling their own assumptions about belonging and the importance of blood ties.
Published July 17th by Viking Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A mesmerising portrait of a young man confined in by his class and the ghosts of his family’s past, dreaming of artistic fulfilment. It confirms Benjamin Wood as an exceptional talent in British literature.
Thomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the grey, gloomy beach to scrape for shrimp; spending the rest of the day selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and scum, pining for Joan Wyeth down the street and rehearsing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but it remains a private dream.
When a striking visitor turns up, bringing the promise of Hollywood glamour, Thomas is shaken from the drudgery of his days and begins to see a different future. But how much of what the American claims is true, and how far can his inspiration carry Thomas?
Haunting and timeless, this is the story of a young man hemmed in by his circumstances, striving to achieve fulfilment far beyond the world he knows.
Published July 17th by Tor Nightfire Thriller, Suspense, Horror Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Full of heartbreak, revulsion and black humour, a scientist desperately searches for a cure to a zombie virus while also hiding a monumental secret – her undead husband.
Kesta’s husband Tim was the last person to be bitten in a zombie pandemic. The country is now in a period of respite, the government seemingly having rounded up and disposed of all the infected.
But Kesta has a secret . . .
Tim may have been bitten, but he’s not quite dead yet. In fact, he’s tied to a bed in her spare room. And she’s made him a promise: find a cure, bring him back.
A scientist by day, Kesta juggles intensive work under the microscope alongside Tim’s care, slipping him stolen drugs to keep him docile, knowing she is hiding the only zombie left. But Kesta is running out of drugs – and time. Can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse . . . will they trigger another outbreak?
Published July 17th by Penguin UK Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fition, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Romance Novel
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Welcome to the party of the year. You’ve been invited to an exclusive, luxury event in Norway, hosted by a billionaire. Your moment has finally arrived. But you’re not going for the canapes and champagne. You’re going for revenge.
Where anything is possible. You’ve spent months preparing for this moment. Because you know that beneath the host’s polished public persona, he’s a vicious killer who has murdered several innocent people, including your sister. Even murder… Then a guest dies in mysterious circumstances, and you begin to wonder… is this a trap? Why does it feel like you’re being watched? And will you ever escape?
The Enchanted Greenhouse (The Spellshop, 2) by Sarah Beth Durst
Published July 17th by Tor Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel, Fantasy Comedy, Fantasy Series
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Return to the cosy and heart-warming world of The Spellshop in The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst, a world brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes and honeyed love.
Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the Great Library of Alyssium.
When Terlu wakes up, she finds herself on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. The only other human on the island is a grumpy – but surprisingly sweet – gardener. He offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes and freshly baked honey cakes – at least until she’s ready to sail home.
But Terlu can’t return and doesn’t want to. And when she learns that the magic that sustains the greenhouses is failing – causing the death of everything within them – Terlu knows she must stay and help. Even if that means breaking the law again. Assisted by the gardener, a sentient rose and a winged cat, Terlu must uncover the spell that will save the island – and possibly also find a fresh chance at love and happiness along the way.
Funny, kind and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst is a story about giving second chances – to others and to yourself.
Published July 22nd by Cassava Republic Press Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Named one of the best New Novelists for 2025 by The Observer.
Bradford, December 1962.
A precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb, to a chaotic household that seems to have no place for her. Her siblings do not understand her, her mother’s attention is given to the Church, and the entire family lives at the whims of her father’s quick temper.
Left to herself, Mercy finds solace in books, her imagination, and the quiet comfort of her faithful toy, Dolly. But escapism has its limits, and as the grip of family, faith and fear threatens to close in, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future; one where she is seen, heard, and her family set free.
The Mercy Step is a sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion, and her refusal to be broken.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, and Christina Baker Kline.
When Lena Conti—a young, unwed mother—sees immigrant families being forcibly separated on Ellis Island, she vows not to let the officers take her two-year old daughter. But the inspection process is more rigorous than she imagined, and she is separated from her mother and teenage brother, who are labeled burdens to society, denied entry, and deported back to Germany. Now, alone but determined to give her daughter a better life after years of living in poverty and near starvation, she finds herself facing a future unlike anything she had envisioned.
Silas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his weathered cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to care for his home and children. Though the hills around Wolfe Hollow remind Lena of her homeland, she struggles to adjust. Worse, she is stunned to learn the children in her care have been taught to hide when the sheriff comes around. As Lena meets their neighbors, she realizes the community is vibrant and tight knit, but also senses growing unease. The State of Virginia is scheming to paint them as ignorant, immoral, and backwards so they can evict them from their land, seize children from parents, and deal with those possessing “inferior genes.”
After a social worker from the Eugenics Office accuses Lena of promiscuity and feeblemindedness, her own worst fears come true. Sent to the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, Lena face impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.
Published July 31st by Michael Joseph Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The outstanding new psychological thriller from the 5 million copy-bestselling author of Here to Stay and The Magpies ******
Summer 1999. Will joins five other idealistic graduates working for an eccentric psychology professor. They’re going to launch a website to change online dating forever.
No-one expects it to end in tragedy.
Twenty-five years later, Will gets an invitation: a dinner party. A chance to see the old gang again.
But as soon as he arrives, something doesn’t seem right.
There’s an unexpected guest. The hosts are clearly keeping a secret. And on the way in, Will is sure he heard crying.
Everyone has something to hide about what really happened that summer.
But only one of them is willing to kill to find the truth…
Published July 31st by Harper Collins UK Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a delicious new romcom…
He wants a wife. She wants to be jilted. This. Is. War.
Rich, handsome and titled Lord Ashford has every lady in England longing for his hand in marriage.
Everyone, that is, except Miss Lydia Hanworth – the only young woman Ashford wishes to marry.
Pressured into accepting Ashford’s proposal, the announcement must be kept secret for ten days. Can Lydia free herself from her obligations before the engagement is publicly announced, without ruining her reputation? You can achieve an awful lot in ten days, after all…
Published July 31st by Apollo Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Historical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: AN ESTATE ON THE LINE.
1796. Duval Harlington, recently released from prison in France, is on his way home. Memories of the tranquil family estate kept his spirits high through his worst days in La Force, so it is no small sorrow to return and find Muchmore thrown into chaos. His despicable father, he learns, has died. And while he has left the estate to Duval, there is one small stipulation: he must be married, or else lose everything.
A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE.
With only two days and seven hours to find a wife, devoted bachelor Duval is prepared to walk away. But then he stumbles upon a wife sale.With women being bought and sold like chattels, Duval is horrified by what he sees. Until he lays eyes on one intriguing figure.
A BRIDE WITH A HIDDEN PAST.
Duval makes an extravagant bid, and he and Edmée are married with minutes to spare. But little does Duval know, this is only the beginning of his troubles. For Edmée is not who she says she is, and her secrets will soon threaten to dismantle everything he holds dear.
Published July 31st by Solaris Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Horror Fiction, Lesbian Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: You are afraid of the border places. You are afraid of the fork in the road.
Fleeing her mistakes in Glasgow for a marriage of convenience, Norah Mackenzie’s new home on an estate far in the north of Scotland is a chance for freedom, a fresh start. But in the dim, draughty corridors of Corrain House, something is very wrong. Despite their warm correspondence, her distant, melancholic husband does not seem to know her. She is plagued by ghost ships on the sea, spectres at the corner of her eye, by winding, grasping roots. Her only possible companion, the housekeeper Agnes Gunn, is by turns unnerving and alluring, and harbours uncanny secrets of her own.
As the foundations crumble beneath her feet, Norah must uncover the truth about Corrain House, her husband, Agnes, and herself, if she is to find the freedom she has been chasing.
Published July 31st by Fourth Estate Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Episoltary Novel, Domestic Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story, LGBT Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In this dazzling debut novel of love and secret histories, a young woman unearths the story of a lost Shanghai pencil company and a hidden family ability which will alter the path of her life forever.
Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-confessed recluse, she finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and she worries about them – especially her grandmother Yun whose memory has begun to fade.
Monica has become intent on tracking down her grandmother Yun’s long-lost cousin, Meng, before it’s too late. In her search, Monica connects with a young woman archivist who presents her with a single pencil that holds a clue to a hidden family history. Through this discovery Monica comes to learn of her grandmother’s years in Shanghai, working at the Phoenix Pencil Company.
As WWII raged outside their door, Yun and Meng came into a power unique to the women in their family: the ability to reclaim stories from the pencils they were written with. But when government officials uncovered their secret ability, they were both forced into a life of espionage, betraying other people’s stories to survive. These shocking revelations set Monica on a path that will change all their lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.
At once a sweeping family epic and a powerful love story with deep emotional resonance, Allison King’s brilliantly inventive debut novel pushes us to question how well we really know our own stories and the many beguiling ways they can connect our lives.
Published July 31st by HQ Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: She lives to please … Did she kill to survive?
A tradwife never questions.
Lizzie and Bex were inseparable in college. But after graduation, Bex vanished. Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a tradwife influencer with millions of followers who are obsessed with her perfect life, five children, and handsome husband Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.
A tradwife never disobeys.
Then, out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition – an exclusive interview with her about her multi-million-dollar business and an invitation to the influencer event of the year.
A tradwife never … lies?
But when Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered, Lizzie is suddenly plunged into the dark side of social media and confronted with jealousy and backstabbing. If Lizzie is going to find Bex – and save her life – she will need to uncover who her old friend has become, and which of Bex’s secrets is worth killing for …
Everyone Is Lying to You is the explosive tradwife thriller readers have been waiting for. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Claire Douglas, First Lie Wins and The Housemaid.
Published July 31st by Century Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘I need to report a crime. My baby has been stolen.’
All Lauren wants is a new life in Spain. She’s suffered an unimaginable loss, but at last she has found a home in the pretty seaside town of Mantilla de Mar. Everyone deserves a new start, and Lauren needs to put her past firmly behind her.
Hope has everything: an interesting career as a therapist, an attractive husband, a dream home in the countryside – and, finally, the baby she always longed for. Sam. Her beautiful boy.
But Sam has gone missing.
So when the police tell her that a woman has been found in Spain with a child matching Sam’s description, Hope thinks that her nightmare might be coming to an end.
But Lauren is insisting Sam is her baby. She even has his passport and birth certificate to prove it.
So what really happened to Baby Sam? And who still has secrets to hide?
One child. Two mothers. And a past that won’t let them go.
Published July 31st by Bantam Contemporary Romance, Regency Romance, Romantic Comedy, Gothic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A lost journal. A long-buried secret. A story waiting to be told.
Cleo Finch has loved gothic literature all her life. She’s spent years researching and writing her thesis on the works of one gothic novelist in particular, Orlando Browne, and is determined to prove that Browne was the pen name of a female author, Alys Weston.
But as her best friend Tris never fails to remind her, she still hasn’t succeeded in finding concrete evidence that proves this to be true.
That is, until Cleo’s Uncle Ambrose gifts her Alys’ very own diary.
As Cleo begins deciphering Alys’ daily entries, she finds herself utterly absorbed by Alys’ vivid descriptions – particularly of the rakish Lord Rayven – and the challenges Alys faced trying to keep Orlando’s true identity a secret.
And so, newly inspired, Cleo sets aside her thesis to pen a gothic novel of her own . . .
June is almost upon us, so it’s time for my most anticipated June releases. There’s some exciting debuts from authors including Charlotte Runcie, Jemimah Wei, Mel Pennant, Jennifer Treveylan, Anne Senes and Xenobe Purvis. And there are fantastic new releases from authors I love, including Taylor Jenkins Reid, C.L. Taylor, A. A. Chaudhuri, Sarah Pinborough, V. E. Schwab, Riley Sager, Will Carver, Caroline Lea, Fiona Cummins, Karin Slaughter, Beth Morrey, Lucy Vine and Ruth Hogan.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published June 3rd by Hutchinson Heinmann Psychological Fiction, Romance, Lesbian Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: AN EPIC NOVEL SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE 1980S SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM ABOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS WE GO TO LIVE AND LOVE BEYOND OUR LIMITS.
In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.
Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.
Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love – this time among the stars.
Published June 3rd by Headline Historical Fiction,Gaslamp Fantasy, Fantasy Anthologies
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June ‘Hoss’ Hudson, a local girl turned general manager, has known its power since she first stepped through the century-old doors – and into the fold of the Gilfoyle family, the hotel’s aristocratic owners.
But in 1942, the real world intrudes. War comes to the Avallon dressed in fine furs and government suits. Under the State Department’s watchful eye, the Gilfoyle heir welcomes three hundred enemy diplomats and Nazi sympathisers. And June must play host.
As dark alliances and unexpected desires crack the Avallon’s polished veneer, not every guest is who they seem. Not least Agent Tucker Minnick, listening for secrets through the hotel walls, whose coal tattoo threatens to betray his past and undo June. And more troubling is the secret she has guarded for years – that the mountain waters can harm as much as heal…
The extraordinary, genre-defying debut adult novel by the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author.
Published June 5th by Avon Books Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Lowbridge. Where secrets hide behind every door…
When newly divorced Jude arrives in the small town of Lowbridge, she is soon drawn to widower Will, the father of her young daughter’s best friend.
But Will’s past is shrouded in tragedy, with questions that no one knows the answer to – and after two tragedies tore his life apart in just a few short years, gossip and rumours abound about what really happened to the women he loved.
As whispers of murder surround Will, Jude becomes determined to uncover the truth – and with her own father’s tragic fate haunting her, she refuses to let another innocent man suffer.
Yet in Lowbridge the darkness runs deep, and nothing is as it seems. Can Jude protect Will from a community out for blood? Or will she become the next victim in this web of deceit?
Because whilst one dead wife is tragic, two starts to look like murder…
Published June 5th by Hera Books Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Noir Ficiton, Urban Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: First comes gossip … then comes revenge
When single mum Lola Martinez’s son, Luca, starts school, she feels that she’ll never fit in with the yummy mummies in the playground. Confident, married to wealthy men, with ample free time, they are everything she isn’t.
However, Lola is invited into the inner circle, surrounded by seemingly friendly people, even if Lola’s silence about her child’s father puzzles them. Despite herself, Lola quickly becomes involved in playground politics, making as many enemies as friends.
But then Lola is brutally murdered, her death rocking the close-knit community. As the police investigate the case, they discover that Lola was hiding many secrets – as are the mums in her new social circle. But who had the most reason to kill her? And who else might unwittingly hold the answers to what happened that night?
An addictive psychological thriller with an end twist that will make you gasp, for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and Frieda McFadden. If you loved Big Little Lies, you’ll adore this.
Published June 5th by Pan Macmillan Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Lesbian Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Why would my best friend want to destroy my life? Girl Falling is an atmospheric, psychological mystery from the award-winning author of Dirt Town.
Finn and her closest friend Daphne grew up in the imposing shadow of Australia’s Blue Mountains. Their uneasy bond forged from both losing their sisters at a young age. Now in their twenties, Daphne is at university, while Finn remained in the mountains, falling in love with newcomer Magdu. A young woman with troubles of her own.
After tensions arise during Magdu and Daphne’s first meeting, Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing and bonding for the three women on the cliffs near their town. But nothing goes as planned, and in a horrific accident, Magdu falls to her death.
In the aftermath, the friends become the focus of a police investigation. Was it really an accident? Or did something far more sinister play out that day?
Bold, dramatic and utterly compelling, Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor forces us to confront the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love.
Published June 5th by Avon Books Crime Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Police Procedural, Legal Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Don’t miss the gripping crime novel in which a heroic act ends up ripping a small town apart with devastating consequences…
––––––––––––––––––––––––
HE RUNS INTO THE FLAMES A HERO.
Steve thought he had left his troubled past behind. Living a quiet life with his wife and children, everything changes the night he rescues a baby from a burning house, becoming an unexpected national hero.
HE EMERGES FROM THE ASHES A SUSPECT.
But as the spotlight shines brighter, so does the scrutiny, and a shocking accusation is made – that Steve is the man responsible for an unsolved murder in Beachbrook years prior.
BUT WHICH ONE IS HE REALLY?
As his world unravels, public opinion is firmly divided. Steve pleads his innocence, but DS Sue Willmott is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened all those years ago.
Published June 5th by Sphere Mystery, Crime Fiction, Women Sleuths
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A remote Icelandic island. A diplomatic dinner party. And a murderer in the midst.
The stakes at dinner couldn’t be higher.
The Canadian embassy are visiting a remote Icelandic island and the great and the good have gathered to welcome them. But beneath the glamour, tensions are bubbling.
When the deputy Canadian ambassador is poisoned at dinner, suspicion falls on everyone present, but particularly on the ambassador himself. Jane, the ambassador’s wife, knows that she has to solve the murder if she is to save her husband and her marriage. But Jane knows better than anyone that, when it comes to protecting scandalous secrets, there are no lengths to which people won’t go.
So soon the question becomes: can she track down the killer before they strike again?
Published June 5th by Orion Thriller, Suspense, Gothic Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Ghost Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: If their new new home doesn’t break them, their secrets will…
When Emily wakes from a coma following an accident that nearly kills her, she finds herself agreeing to move from London to the wild moors of Devon with her husband Freddie. A fresh start is exactly what their marriage needs.
As their car pulls up to Larkin Lodge, their dream country home, Emily’s heart sinks. Outside, everything is covered in an icy gray mist. Inside, the air is filled with dust and abandonment.
And then she finds the empty suite on the second floor. A room so bleak, so cold, so void of anything good. Something bad happened in here. Someone dies in here. Why can’t Freddie feel the darkness that stirs within its walls?
There’s something wrong with the house, this strange house, where the floorboards creak at night, the doors rattle, the windows slam shut, the taps turn on and off – and on and off.
But if the house is hiding something, so are Emily and Freddie…
Published June 5th by HQ Thriller, Suspense, Horror Ficiton, Supernatural Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Evil has a one track mind…
Celebrated children’s author and illustrator Annie Blunt has had a dreadful year. Her husband was killed in a tragic accident, then one of her children’s books ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her young son Charlie to a charming small town in upstate New York where they can begin to heal.
But Annie’s year is about to get worse.
Bored and lonely in their isolated new surroundings, Charlie is thrilled when he finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed in the grounds of their new house. While Annie is pleased to see Charlie happy, there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night – she’s sure she can hear a train in the middle of the night, although there isn’t an active line for miles. And then bizarre things start happening in the neighbourhood. But even stranger, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book…
Grief plays tricks on the mind, but Annie is beginning to think she’s walked out of one nightmare straight into another, only this one is far more terrifying…
Sunday Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a fiendishly twisted supernatural chiller.
Published June 5th by Hemlock Press Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Suspense, Horror Ficiton, Ghost Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: England, May 1945
Monkshill Park School for Girls seems a world away from the violence that engulfed Europe during World War II. Yet its lonely, decaying grounds have witnessed a murder.
Annabel Warnock, a teacher with a secretive past, left for the holidays and never came back. Both teachers and girls assume she simply walked out, but the truth is quite different. Her body tumbled from the Maiden’s Leap, a viewpoint on the clifftop Gothic Walk, and was washed out to sea.
But Annabel herself is still trapped at Monkshill, unable to move on. As she haunts the grounds and school, she discovers a hidden world – students, staff and servants are riven with deadly rivalries and dangerous tensions.
Published June 5th by Apollo Mystery, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now…
Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little Cornish paradise.
Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza, dies without leaving a will, putting the cottage’s ownership into question. London financier Toby and his wife Minty are soon enticed by Trengrose’s charm and, worse still, see a lucrative rental opportunity in Ezra’s cottage.
But Ezra is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. What Ezra doesn’t know is that Eliza also took some secrets to her grave – and she doesn’t intend to rest quietly until they come to light…
A sumptuous Cornish tale packed with heart, relationships and mysteries from the past, from the bestselling author of The Sea Gate.
Published June 5th by The Borough Press Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Urban Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A one woman show A one night stand A one star review
Theatre critic Alex Lyons made his name from his brutal, brilliant reviews.
So when he sees Hayley Sinclair’s dismal one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe, he thinks nothing of dashing off another of his trademark one-star pans for the newspaper. He also thinks nothing of taking her home after the performance, failing at any point to mention who he is.
What he doesn’t expect is for Hayley to revamp her show into a review of Alex’s entire life, exposing what an awful person he really is. Worse, the show is a smash hit, and Alex is about to become national news. But can Hayley bring the establishment down without taking herself with it?
Funny and thrilling, Bring the House Down gives you a front row seat to the downfall of the people who tell us what to think. It’s about art, performance, female rage, and how while revenge may be sweet, it can also be perilous.
Published June 5th by Fourth Estate Psychological Ficiton, Romantic Comedy, Literary Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: What if your perfect life was a charade?
It is August, and eight old friends have gathered at a country house for a writers’ retreat. By day, there is reading beside the pool or writing in the shady corners of the estate. In the evenings – drinks, dinner outdoors, games, midnight swimming.
But as temperatures rise in the stifling last days of summer, tensions do too. Old jealousies, new temptations and bitter rivalries bubble to the surface. By the end of the week, friendships – and lives – will have changed forever.
Astute, witty and page-turning, The Book Game is a novel about ambition, competition, regret and desire; about paths not taken and last chances suddenly seized; about the games people play. It asks what it means, in all senses, to be in the middle of life.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: WHO WOULD YOU SACRIFICE AT THE ALTAR OF AMBITION? A dazzling story of ambition and sisterhood in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore by National Book Award ‘5 Under 35’ honouree Jemimah Wei?
Singapore, 1996. Before Arin, Genevieve Yang was an only child. Living with her parents and grandmother in a single-room flat in Bedok, she is saddled with an unexpected sibling when Arin appears, the shameful legacy of a grandfather long believed to be dead.
At once collaborators and sisters, Gen and Arin grow up inseparable, navigating the intensity of life in working-class Singapore – where urgent insistence on achievement demands self-immolation in the realms of imagination, work, and play. But as the rapidly modernising, winner-takes-all world threatens to leave one behind as the other’s star rises exponentially, the sisters must weigh their allegiances and bonds, the cost of success and ultimately reckon with who they’ve become. What results is a story that cracks open the fault lines of Singaporean society, our desperate need for acceptance and our yearning to be loved.
Vivid and visceral, The Original Daughter is a breathtaking act of empathy by a new literary star.
Published June 5th by Doubleday Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FEELGOOD JAPANESE NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES
Over 1.4 million copies sold in Japan _________
The contents of each traveller’s heart is a mystery known only to themselves
Trundling through the scenic countryside of Kyoto and Osaka is the Hankyu line, a burgundy-coloured electric train that has been carrying its commuters to their destinations for decades.
Over the course of a single journey in springtime, and the return journey six months later just as the leaves begin to fall:
– a young man meets the woman who happens to take out the last copy of the library book he was about to borrow; – an angry wedding guest dresses in a white gown to upstage the bride; – a university student leaves home for the first time; – a twenty-something finally grows the courage to walk away from an abusive partner – a widow learns independence, as she and her granddaughter meet their new dog.
As the seasons and the landscapes change, passengers jostle and connect, as this gentle timeless train carries each one forward towards the person they intend to become.
Published June 5th by Zaffre Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The brand-new standalone thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight, Julie Clark. Perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister, Lisa Jewell and Claire Douglas.
“I know what your dad did.”
I set down my sandwich. “He wrote a book.”
The boy, whose name I no longer remember, had shaken his head, eyes sparkling with glee to be the one to tell me. To shatter my childhood right there in the school cafeteria. “Your dad killed his brother and sister. Murdered them in their own home.”
Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, famous not only for his novels, but for being the prime suspect in the brutal slaying of his siblings.
On the brink of financial ruin, Olivia reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite her father’s last book, not realising that she will be forced to reckon with the ghosts that live at the centre of her family. Because after fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk. But is he ready to tell the truth?
Published June 5th by Hemlock Press Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Police Procedural, Noir Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: He’s tracking people down one by one
And you’re next on the list…
A MAN MURDERED, LIVE ON CAMERA
When a DVD is delivered in the dead of night, DCI Cara Elliott hits play on a horrifying showreel of violence… This is death, on demand.
A KILLER COUNTING DOWN
Avid viewers are paying for the killings, with twisted specifications. A request, an abduction, a murder. And always in a forty-eight-hour pattern.
A MISSING DETECTIVE
But when the killer finds out they’re being investigated, they reveal their next target. In forty-eight hours, a police officer will be the one in front of the camera. The hunters have become the hunted, and the clock is ticking…
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
Published June 10th by Tor Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Lesbian Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From V. E. Schwab, the No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying, unforgettable novel to sink your teeth into.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532. London, 1837. Boston, 2019.
Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots.
One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild.
Published June 10th by Viper Books Mystery, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Adventure Fiction, Western Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: * A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK *
Gold fever has taken him. I believe he means to kill me…
Canada, 1898. The gold rush is on in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon. Fortunes are made as quickly as they’re lost, and Dawson City has become a lawless settlement.
In its midst, three women are trying to survive on the edge of civilisation. Journalist Kate has travelled hundreds of miles after receiving a letter from her sister, who fears that her husband will kill her. Martha’s hotel is under threat from the local strongman who is buying up the town. And down by the river, Ellen feels her future slip away as her husband fails to find the gold they risked so much to seek.
When a woman is murdered, Kate, Martha and Ellen find their lives, fates and fortunes intertwined. But to unmask her killer, they must navigate a desperate land run by dangerous men who will do anything for a glimpse of gold…
Rich in its setting and characters, The Rush is a gripping historical crime novel perfect for readers of Stef Penney by way of Kristin Hannah and C Pam Zhang.
Published June 12th by Baskerville Mystery, Crime Fiction, Cozy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Death has come to her doorstep . . .
Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s been short-changed on turmeric before she’s even taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody – be they a local drug dealer or a priest – and an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.
Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner’s homes, a Bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense’s long-buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget.
It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.
Published June 12th by Hodder & Stoughton Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Horror Fiction, Hardboiled, Political Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.
‘A locked room thriller at its best! Nonstop suspense with twists and turns that will leave your head spinning’ FREIDA MCFADDEN
In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family. Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.
Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall onto a luxury train from Philadelphia to Chicago, an overnight journey of fourteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.
But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge-and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.
With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them-even though it means putting her own life at risk.
Published June 12th by Viking Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Saga
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Every family’s story starts somewhere. Alice and Tom’s begins here.
On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Alice Jansen collects her treasures – the keepsakes, figurines and mementoes that help her make sense of her fragile family. But the next day her heart is broken, and the final treasure, a gift from her father, is lost. Two years later, Alice answers a phone call from a stranger and runs away to New York, and tries to forget her last golden summer at the orchard on the banks of the Hudson.
Tom Raven can’t understand why he keeps losing so many of the things and people that really matter to him, but he knows for certain that something important is missing from his life. One day, he remembers a forgotten letter and makes a phone call, then leaves Sevenstones, the only place that feels like home, for a strange city…
Harriet Evans’s gorgeous new novel is the unputdownable story of Alice, Tom, and Sevenstones. Of a family and a house over fifty years and three generations, of their beginning and their ending, and of finding the treasures that symbolise the most important memories in our lives.
Published June 12th by Virago Speculative Romance, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: There’s no such thing as an ordinary love story
When Emily catches sight of Gennifer Hall at a party, she is transported back to the moment they fell in love as teenagers. Their connection was electric, and they thought it was forever.
Twenty years later, Gen is an Olympic runner, the career she strived for, while Emily is living a picture-perfect life: Manhattan townhouse, two young children and a wealthy husband, Jack. But Jack’s controlling behaviour is spiralling, and Emily has lost sight of who she once was.
Now, despite Emily’s fracturing marriage and the pressures of Gen’s career, they are drawn back together by a magnetic attraction. After years of heartbreak, missed chances and misunderstandings, will they finally get a second chance at first love?
A sweeping love story about desire, friendship, mistakes and the possibility of second chances, for fans of The Paper Palace and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Published June 12th by Doubleday Coming-of-Age Story, Urban Fiction, Literary Fiction, Psychological Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of the Sunday Times Number One Bestseller, The Versions of Us. A novel about six lifelong friends and one unforgettable year.
Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie. Six friends who were inseparable at university, who have all had their secret or not so secret passions for each other, their hopes and fears.
Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. Rob is a history teacher, with a string of broken relationships behind him. Yas is a surgeon and very much her own woman. Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur. Rachel is a stay at home mum with two children. Al, widowed young, is about to take over his father’s funeral business.
When Rob’s engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose?
BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES is an era-spanning, globe-trotting novel about love, friendship, and how to stay at least relatively sane in an ever crazier world. It’s about a group of friends growing older, the possibility of second chances, about kindness and joy. It’s about births, deaths, marriages… and everything in between.
Published June 12th by Constable Mystery, Crime Fiction, Dark Comedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A hilarious and whip-smart crime novel by the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the Horrible Histories. The perfect mystery for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.
Four strangers on a train. An unlikely introduction:
‘Actually, I’m a murderer.’
It is 1973 and the lives of four people are thrown into turmoil when sharing a carriage with an unremarkable little man with glasses, on the night train back to Newcastle.
By the end of the following day, one of them will be dead, one will turn blackmailer and another forced to commit a crime. And all of them will be under the astute observation of Aline, the local police officer with her own agenda to fulfil.
When the body count begins to rise, the question is: just how many murderers are out there… and who will be the next victim?
Published June 17th by Quercus Historical Fiction, War Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Hong Kong, 1941. Following the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family flee to Hong Kong.
As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a sheltered – if lonely – existence overseeing her daughter Qiang and managing the household alongside her devoted maid, Biyu.
But when the Japanese army invade, the three women are scattered. Mingzhu is coerced into working for a Japanese captain. Qiang and Biyu escape the island, only to be forced into factory work then separated after an encounter with the East River Column Resistance fighters.
The longer the brutal occupation lasts, the more determined the women are to resist. And as war rages around the world, each is holding onto the hope that the other is alive.
Beautifully told and compulsively written, When Sleeping Women Wake is an utterly transporting story of female resistance and untold bravery, at once epic and intimate, heartbreaking and hopeful. Perfect for fans of Lisa See, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and Kristin Hannah.
Published June 19th by Orenda Crime Fiction, Psychological Ficion, Medical Ficiton, Alternative History, Dystopian Ficiton, Political Thriller, Metaphysical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A Japanese scientist thwarts an international plot to release a deadly virus by mutating it to make people kinder, but something goes horribly wrong … A darkly funny, mind-blowing speculative thriller from the ‘most original writer in Britain’ (Daily Express)…
_________
Compassion may be humanity’s deadliest weapon…
The threat of nuclear war is no longer scary. This is much worse. It’s invisible. It works quickly.
And it’s coming.
The scourge has already infected and killed half the population in China and it is heading towards the UK. There is no time to escape. The British government sees no way out other than to distribute ‘Dignity Pills’ to its citizens: One last night with family or loved ones before going to sleep forever … together. Because the contagion will kill you and the horrifying news footage shows that it will be better to go quietly.
Dr Haruto Ikeda, a Japanese scientist working at a Chinese research facility, wants to save the world. He has discovered a way to mutate a virus. Instead of making people sick, instead of causing death, it’s going to make them… nice. Instead of attacking the lungs, it will work into the brain and increase the host’s ability to feel and show compassion. It will make people kind.
Ikeda’s quest is thoughtful and noble, and it just might work. Maybe humanity can be saved. Maybe it doesn’t have to be the end.
But kindness may also be the biggest killer of all…
Published June 19th by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction, Gothic Ficiton, Historical Mystery, Regency Romance, Biographical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A suspense-filled retelling of the summer that should have broken Mary Shelley – but inspired her to write Frankenstein instead . . .
—-
Villa Diodati, Lake Geneva, 1816.
The dark summer that birthed a monster . . .
Eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley has fled London with her lover, Percy Shelley, and her sister, Claire. Tormented by Shelley’s betrayals, haunted by the loss of their baby and suspicious of her sister’s intentions, Mary seeks sanctuary.
But Lord Byron’s villa, lying under ominous, ash-shrouded skies, feels more like a trap. When Byron suggests each guest write a supernatural tale, Mary is as drawn to the challenge as she is, unexpectedly, to Byron himself.
And so an idea begins to form in her mind . . .
It spills out of her in thick, black ink. A thing given life is before her.
Day and night, she is possessed. Heart and mind. Body and soul.
But is she in control, or is it?
In this hauntingly evocative feminist retelling, Caroline Lea delves into the female rage, creative madness and steamy scandal that bore the world’s most famous work of gothic fiction. Perfect for fans of The Essex Serpent and TheManningtree Witches.
Published June 19th by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Gaslap Fantasy, Contemporary Horror, Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Two women. An extraordinary power. An explosive bond. In a time of revolution, their fates will lie in the turn of a card . . .
It is the early days of the French Revolution and, on the streets of Paris, terror reigns.
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand is a young woman with an extraordinary power – through her tarot cards, she can commune with the dead, revolutionaries and the aristocracy alike seeking her out to divine their fortunes. Lenormand is loyal to Marie Antoinette and the dauphin of France, but she has seen the queen’s fate in the cards and must take care that it doesn’t become her own.
Then, one fateful day, she comes across Cait, a scullery maid from Ireland who has travelled to Paris for love. Cait has powers too – she can read people’s pasts as Lenormand reads their futures. The two young women share an electrifying connection, drawn to each other’s abilities. But Cait is hiding something. What will she do – and who will she betray – to bring revolution to the shores of her beloved Ireland too?
Inspired by the astonishing true story of Marie-Anne Adelaide Lenormand, The Tarot Reader of Versailles is a sweeping, powerful novel where allegiances, betrayals and even fate itself can be forged or broken by the turn of a card . . .
Published June 19th by Harper Collins UK Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Suspense, Domestic Fiction, Political Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Don’t miss the brand-new gripping thriller and courtroom drama full of twists and turns that will keep you up at night!
* * * *
Lily and Safa were best friends growing up. Now, Lily is the nation’s favourite breakfast TV presenter and Safa, once a renowned journalist, is reeling from a recent fall from grace.
When news breaks about suspicious bruises on Lily’s body, Safa attempts to rekindle their old friendship. But Lily claims the bruises are nothing to worry about.
And then one night the police are called to Lily’s home. Lily is strangely calm – and a body lies dead at her feet.
Lily pleads not guilty, and then says nothing more. Driven by her desire to give a voice to all victims, Safa begins her own investigation into what happened that night.
But Safa is not prepared for what her quest for justice will uncover …
Published June 19th by Harper Collins UK Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The gripping and exciting first book in a brand new crime thriller series from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author.
***
Welcome to North Falls. A small town where everyone knows everyone. But nobody knows the truth.
Emmy Clifton has lived here all her life. She thinks she knows her neighbours. She’s wrong.
She thinks it’s just another hot summer night: a night like any other. She’s wrong.
When her best friend’s daughter asks for help, she thinks it’s just some teenage drama. She thinks it can wait. She’s never been more wrong in her life.
As the town ignites in the wake of the girls’ disappearance, Emmy throws herself into the search. But then she realises: You never really know a town until you know its secrets.
Published June 19th by Pan Macmillan Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Police Procedural, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: There’s your side. My side. And the truth.
Lisa Jewell meets Jodi Picoult in a story of betrayal and deception in the aftermath of family tragedy.
She must face justice. As her sister it kills me to say it. As his mother I demand it.
When Jen Miller entrusts her youngest child to the care of her beloved sisters, she has no idea of the devastating tragedy that is about to unfold.
To celebrate her sister’s wedding, global superstar Winter Kellaway throws the party of the decade at her luxurious beachside estate. The decorations are flawless. The champagne is on ice. The guests have arrived. But one misstep will have heartbreaking consequences that will rock this close-knit family to their core.
With her life in pieces, how can Jen ever begin to forgive?
Saul Anguish, a brilliant but tormented young detective, is called in to investigate and uncovers a long-buried and shocking family secret. As the trail takes a dramatic turn, they must now all face the truth that you can never truly leave the past behind . . .
Published June 19th by Raven Books Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: You know who. You don’t know why.
The play date started well. The children happy in one room while their mothers relaxed and drank wine in another.
But then the stranger appeared at the window. And then he was inside the house. And then he grabbed the knife…
Alice only means to stop him. She doesn’t mean to hit him so hard. She didn’t mean to kill him.
The police conclude that she acted in self-defence, but wracked with guilt, Alice sets out to apologise to Linda, the mother of the young man she killed – only to find she is unable to come clean about who she really is. But as Alice learns more about Ezra and why he was at her house, she starts to wonder whether she really has the full picture about what happened that day…
This latest simmering suspense novel from the internationally bestselling Katherine Faulkner is a unputdownable must-read that will have you hooked from the first twist to the last.
No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah
Published June 19th by Bedford Square Publishers Mystery, Susupense, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Adventure Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: You think it will never happen to you: the ring of the bell, the policeman on the doorstep. What he says traps you in a nightmare that starts with the words, ‘I’m afraid…’
Sally Lambert is also afraid, and desperate enough to consider the unthinkable. Is it really, definitely, impossible to escape from this horror? Maybe not. There’s always something you can do, right?
Of course, no one would ever do this particular something – except the Lamberts, who might have to.
No one has ever gone this far. Until Sally decides that the Lamberts will…
Published June 19th by Orenda Books Crime Fiction, Psycholgoical Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: When his life falls apart after a horrific tragedy, a composer returns to his native France, where he creates an AI machine with his dead wife’s voice, with unexpected, devastating consequences…
–––
London, late 1990s. Stan, a young and promising French composer, is invited to arrange the music for a theatrical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play will never be staged, but Stan meets Liv, the love of his life, and their harmonious duo soon becomes a trio with the birth of their beloved daughter, Lisa. Stan’s world is filled with vibrant colour and melodic music, and under his wife and daughter’s gaze, his piano comes to life.
Paris, today. After Liv’s fatal accident, Stan returns to France surrounded by darkness, no longer able to compose, and living in the Rabbit Hole, a home left to him by an aunt. He shares his life with Babette, a lifeguard and mother of a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine of his own invention endowed with Liv’s voice, that he spent entire nights building after her death.
But Stan remains haunted by his past. As the silence gradually gives way to noises, whistles and sighs – sometimes even bursts of laughter – and Laïvely seems to take on a life of its own, memories and reality fade and blur… And Stan’s new family implodes…
For readers who love Laura Kasischke, David Nicholls and Kazuo Ishiguro
Published June 19th by Mantle Suspense, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Discover this breathtaking debut novel of family secrets and searing atmosphere set over one long, hot summer on the New Zealand coast.
In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .
As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But, with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.
Then she meets Kahu at the beach and he tells her about The Mystery. Two years ago, a girl went missing and none of the adults could find her. So the new friends decide to investigate – because people don’t just disappear.
But, as Alex and Kahu search for clues, they stumble upon secrets they wish they’d left alone. Is Alix’s holiday house as safe as it seems? And is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people?
Brilliantly page-turning and tensely atmospheric, Jennifer Trevelyan’s A Beautiful Family will leave a lump in your throat and a hole in your heart.
Published June 19th by Bantam Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In the sleepy seaside sleepy town of Waverly, Rosie and Seb Kent are happily married. Now that Seb has achieved his dream of becoming headmaster of the local school, their lives couldn’t be any better.
Then Abi arrives.
Abi, a young, single mother, has come to Waverly for a fresh start. She plans to reinvent herself and give her children a new life.
Then she sees Seb.
As their complicated hidden past threatens to destroy them both, they try their hardest to keep it contained. But in a small town, secrets don’t stay hidden for long and soon, what should be their private business becomes a very public scandal. How far will everyone – them, their families and the whole community – go to protect everything they hold dearest?
Published June 19th by Bantam Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: How many times would you let your child get away with murder?
The new break-out thriller from Sam Lloyd, author of Richard & Judy Book Club pick The Memory Wood.
When you look down at your newborn baby, you realise they were right, those smug parents you’ve always rolled your eyes at: you’d do literally anything for your child. To make them happy, keep them safe.
So when Joseph Carver wakes one night to find his teenage son Max scrubbing the kitchen, hands wet with blood and panic flooding his voice as he promises it was an accident, he didn’t mean to do it, Joseph does the only thing he can. He helps Max bury the body.
Joseph thinks that’s the end of the nightmare. Until he finds Max with stricken eyes and bloody hands once again . . .
You’d do anything for your child – even cover up a murder.
Published June 19th by HarperNorth Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Fairy Tale, Horro Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: *A SUNDAY INDEPENDENT HOT DEBUT AUTHOR OF 2025*
Into the woods.
Count to ten.
Only one of us comes home again.
1995, Ireland. Panic grips the village of Drumsuin when a teenage girl goes missing in the nearby forest.
Saoirse is not the first girl to disappear in those woods. And when it’s revealed she was playing the Counting Game that day – a ritual believed to ward off the forest’s evils – old superstitions send the community into turmoil.
One person saw what happened to Saoirse. But 9-year-old Jack won’t tell the Gardai. Freya, an English psychotherapist with her own history of grief, is brought in to help the investigators break his silence.
As the race to find Saoirse alive accelerates, can Freya make Jack talk? Why is he keeping the forest’s secrets? And who is hell bent on driving Freya out of Drumsuin before the truth is discovered?
The Counting Game is a deeply haunting, atmospheric and emotional mystery, from an unmissable new voice in Irish crime fiction, perfect for fans of Tana French, Erin Kelly and Belinda Bauer
When Daphne confesses to killing a number of men throughout her lifetime, she chooses Ruth to produce the podcast reporting her story. Each episode charts Daphne’s humble beginnings from the Dust Bowl in Canada to her glittering life in 70s New York – and a string of murders in her wake.
Daphne tells her story. Ruth listens. And edits it.
The public are hooked. Is she a feminist icon taking revenge on bad men? Or just a ruthless criminal? Then, as the podcast finale approaches, it becomes clear that neither woman has been entirely honest with the other. Who has been controlling the narrative?
After all, the truth doesn’t always make for the best story…
A darkly witty thriller, sparking conversations around true crime and female serial killers, for fans of Janice Hallett, Bella Mackie and Katy Brent.
Published June 19th by Orion Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The greatest journey is the one you least expect…
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home…
When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily Gale must become a mother overnight. Her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home.
But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister’s shoes; her life on the barren Kansas prairies is no place for a child.
On the unforgiving plains, Emily’s courage is endlessly tested. The prolonged drought and relentless dust storms threaten to destroy everything – including her home and her marriage.
Can Emily overcome her grief and let Dorothy heal her heart?
From the promise of Chicago in the 1920s to the harsh beauty of the Kansas prairie during the dust bowl of the 1930s, this is a story of family, duty and one woman’s journey of self-discovery.
Published June 19th by Harper Collins UK Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Isabella’s NOT dead.’
Every time someone asks Gwen about her best friend – you know, the one who ghosted them all fifteen years ago – this is what Gwen tells them.
But where is Isabella? Why did she leave, just when Gwen needed her the most?
Setting out to solve the mystery, in an adventure that takes Gwen across the country then across Europe; that tests her friendships and strains her marriage, Gwen searches for Isabella.
But Isabella’s not the only one who’s lost. Is Gwen also searching for… herself?
Published June 19th by Scribner UK Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, LGBT Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘There was a painting my family set on fire. It burned to ashes, and then it came back.’Oxfordshire, 1899. Grace Inderwick grows up on the peripheries of a once-great household, an unwanted guest in her uncle’s home. She has unusual skills and unusual predilections: for painting, though faces elude her; for lurking in the shadows; for other girls.
Then a letter arrives, postmarked Saint Helena. After years missing at sea, Grace’s cousin Charles is ready to come home. When Charles returns, unrecognisable and uncanny, a rift emerges between those who claim he is an imposter and Grace’s aunt, who insists he is her son. And Grace, whose intimate knowledge of forgeries is her own closely-guarded secret, must decide who and what to believe in, and what kind of life she wants to live.
Deftly-plotted and shimmering with Nell Stevens’s distinctive intelligence, style and wit, THE ORIGINAL is a novel about the value of authenticity in art and in love, and what it means to be a true original.
Published June 19th by Simon Schuster UK Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Jemma has lived a thousand lives through books. The only life she isn’t living is her own. That is, until the day she finds a note from a stranger in her favourite library book. When she replies, the pair begin a longhand conversation about their love of novels that sees Jemma finally coming out of her shell. Is she ready to fall in love for the first time – with someone she’s never met?
Clara has always run away from her problems, but this might finally be one she can’t escape. Everyone wants to know what happened to Clara in America – but Clara isn’t talking. Instead she’s focusing all her energy obsessing over a hot new actor, starring in the TV adaptation of her twin Jemma’s favourite book. Soon, Clara is reading every interview, trawling his social media, and following him to showbiz parties in the hopes he’ll notice she’s The One.
As the sisters fall hard for two men they’ve never met, it’s time to ask the question: Can either relationship survive the real world?
Published June 19th by Chatto & Windus Romance, Humorous Fiction, Medical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: What if your mother knows you better than you know yourself?
On remote Tuga de Oro, vet Charlotte Walker has been taken to the islanders’ hearts and, between days on the farms and nights with a new love interest, she’s content to remain in blissful retreat from her real life, in London.
Just for now, obviously.
Until real life hits the island with the force of a tropical storm: Charlotte’s mother arrives.
Lucinda Compton-Neville knows an identity crisis when she sees one, and has come to haul her daughter back on course: back to England, back to her career, back home where she belongs.
Funny, moving, and hope-filled, Island Calling is the joyous second novel in the Tuga Trilogy – about mothers and daughters; about holding on and letting go.
The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon
Published June 19th by Pan Macmillan Literary Fiction, Psychological Ficiton, Crime, Mystery, Translated Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Holding on to the belief that life had meaning and must go on, I, too, would carry on.’
In this million-copy bestseller from Korea, the owner of a corner store takes in a homeless man who does a good deed – a kind soul whose presence will transform the whole neighbourhood.
Seoul Station is home to Dokgo, a man with no memories of his past. Until one day his subdued existence is disrupted when he stumbles upon a lost wallet, triggering a chain of events that will change the course of his life.
Enter Mrs. Yeom, a retired teacher turned convenience-store owner, who, upon discovering Dokgo’s act of kindness in returning her purse, offers him a meal as a token of her gratitude. Their chance encounter blossoms into an unexpected alliance when the man’s bravery saves the store from ruin, earning him not just a job but a place in the heart of the neighbourhood.
But just when things are looking up for Dokgo, Mrs. Yeom’s troubled son, eager to sell the store, hires a detective to dig into the mysterious man’s past and unearth what he seems to be trying so hard to forget . . .
The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon, translated form Korean by Janet Hong, is a moving and joyful story of a woman fighting for her community and a man who has lost everything except the will to try again.
Published June 26th by Corvus Romance Novel, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Every flame tells a story…
George McGlory has been struggling since the death of his beloved wife, Audrey. But when he witnesses a public health funeral – with no flowers and no mourners – he is inspired to create The Light a Candle Society.
As George and his friends join together to celebrate forgotten lives, their care, compassion, humour and friendship become gifts not only to the people they are remembering, but to each other.
And the kindness of strangers gives them strength to confront the secrets of their own histories, forging joyful and unexpected new connections…
Published June 26th by Hutchinson Heinmann Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Domestic Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The season of strangeness has begun . . .
Many stories are told about the five Mansfield sisters. They are haughty, thinking themselves better than their neighbours in the picturesque village of Little Nettlebed. They have taken the death of their grandmother hard. They are liars, troublemakers, untamed and dangerous… Accounts of their behaviour differ, but the villagers all agree that the girls are odd.
One long summer, a heatwave descends. Bloated sea creatures wash up along the parched riverbed, animals grow frenzied, ravens gather on the roofs of those about to die. As the stifling heat grips the village, so does a strange rumour: the Mansfield sisters have been seen transforming into a pack of dogs.
With the witch trials only a recent memory, hysteria sets in. Slowly but surely, the villagers become convinced that something strange is taking root in Little Nettlebed. And when a bark finally leads to a bite, the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.
Visceral and richly atmospheric, The Hounding plunges its reader into 18th century Oxfordshire, where the power of a man’s word is absolute, and it is safer to be a wild animal than an unconventional young woman.
May is here in just a few hours, so it’s a late anticipated treasures this month. But May is packed with exciting new releases from authors I love such as M. J. Arlidge, Kate Foster, Emma Stonex, Natasha Solomons, Sarah Penner, Alex North, Matt Wesolowski, Katie Allen and Freya Sampson. And there are lots of debut authors I can’t wait to read, especially Emma Cowing, Daria Lavelle and Florence Knapp.
Here are the May releases I’m most anticipating:
The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex
Published May 1st by Picador Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other . . .’
From Emma Stonex, the bestselling author of The Lamplighters, comes The Sunshine Man, a gripping revenge thriller that will leave you breathless.
‘A compelling tight thriller with heart’ ***** ‘Hits you right between the eyes’ ***** ‘Brilliantly written with twists and turns’ *****
In January 1989, Birdie wakes to the news she’s been waiting eighteen years to hear. Jimmy Maguire, the man who killed her sister, has been freed from jail. Birdie sends her kids to school and then leaves for London with a gun and a plan: to find Jimmy and make him pay.
But there’s another side to the story, and Birdie is about to enter a world of family lies, worn-out loyalties and long-buried betrayals . . .
A heart-stopping novel of shared pasts and a fury-fuelled present, The Sunshine Man is an addictive page-turner set against the sweeping hills of rural Devon, from bestselling author Emma Stonex.
Published May 1st by Legend Press Historical Ficiton, Supernatural Ficiton, Nautical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THE BEWITCHING NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE LOST APOTHECARY – OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…
Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artefacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?
As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…
Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
Published May 1st by Hodder & Stoughton Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Saga, Historical Romance, Domestic Ficiton, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Gorgeously written, with twists and turns worthy of a circus trapeze’ JENNIE GODFREY THE SHOW MUST GO ON …
1910. With the disappearance of her mother and the sudden death of her father, Lena instantly loses any security she has within the circus she has known all her life. She is advised to sell the carousel her father cared for like a child and look for a husband, or a job in a factory.
Until flame-haired Violet, known to all in the fairgrounds as ‘the greatest trapeze artist that ever lived’, suggests they go it alone with their own, all-female act. With her outspoken ways and her refusal to marry, Violet is as much an outcast as Lena. What do they have to lose? Recruiting new performers including bareback horse-rider Rosie, on the run from her abusive father, and Carmen whose rainbow ribbons hide the darkness in her past, the four women form an unbreakable bond.
Thrust into a harsh and dangerous world that treats them with suspicion, disdain and even violence, they must forge their own path in search of freedom, security, and love.
Deeply rooted in the Edwardian era, THE SHOW WOMAN is brilliantly realised and expertly interlaces strong female characters, deeply-woven family secrets and heartfelt love stories.
Published May 1st by Head of Zeus Thriller, Crime Ficiton, Suspense, Dark Academia, Mystery, Fairy Tale
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Saltburn meets The Secret History in this gripping tale of alchemy and academia’ IAN RANKIN Five friends. One deadly obsession.
The salt-scented quadrangles of St Andrews University greet misfit first-year student Finn Nethercott with indifference. This is a place where only privilege counts, and those from the right backgrounds can get away with murder.
Finn is quickly seduced into a new circle of friends. Four history scholars obsessed with the deepest roots of ancient Scotland. They sweep him away on wild adventures to forgotten castles and faerie lochs.
But he soon discovers the darker sides of his new friendships: deadly rivalries, midnight rituals, and a desperate search for a long-lost hallucinogen.
Then, as Finn is pulled into a world where he can’t always trust what he’s seen each night, the group’s obsession turns deadly.
A shocking fever-dream of a thriller perfect for fans of M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains, Ashley Winstead’s In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Ellie Keel’s The Four.
Published May 1st by Orion Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Domestic Ficiton, Crime Series
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Well hot dang!!!!… Absolutely Exquisite. Just gripping!!!… I seriously could not put it down… GET THIS ON YOUR LIST, YESTERDAY.’ Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From the multi-million-copy bestselling author and global sensation, Jeneva Rose.
Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine.
It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah haslong since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers. Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted … or is it?
After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight. Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former Deputy Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth.
But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues. Filled with page-turning suspense and Jeneva Rose’s signature twists and turns, this sequel will have readers wondering: Can Bob and Sarah achieve the perfect divorce? Or will it be “’til death do us part”?
The Perfect Divorce is a thrilling read that can be enjoyed as a standalone, but a note for those intending to read The Perfect Marriage that this story reveals twists from that book.
Published May 1st by Hodder & Stoughton Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A twist you’ll never guess’ ALEX MICHAELIDES ‘Thrilling, thought-provoking, suspenseful’ S.A. COSBY THE WORLD KNOWS HER AS THE GIRL IN CELL A.
Convicted of murder at seventeen, infamous killer and true crime celebrity Orianna Negi has always maintained her innocence.
BUT IF SHE DIDN’T KILL GIDEON WYCLERC…
Orianna has a blind spot over that fateful day: she can’t remember what happened. Forensic psychologist Annie Ledet is tasked with unlocking the truth.
….THEN WHO DID?
Orianna grew up in Eden Falls, ruled by the insular Wyclerc dynasty and its ruthless patriarch , Amos. As their sessions progress, Annie reaches into Orianna’s past to a shattering realisation….
Scandal. Sex. Power. Race. And murder. Between guilt and innocence lies a fallen Eden.
Published May 1st by Viking Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘This book is so stunningly fresh and darkly funny that every page surprised me. Dick writes brilliantly about grief and addiction and inheritance and, yes, redemption.’ CATHERINE NEWMAN, AUTHOR OF SANDWICH
‘He left you some money.’
Mickey felt her mouth drop open. The first half of that sentence had rung clear and true. The second half had not. Her father was one to take, not give.
After he left them for his new family, Mickey resolved never to think of her father again. She’s fine without him; yes, she drinks, but only sometimes and, really, she can’t not.
But with only $181 to her name, she’s not above attending some mandated therapy to access her inheritance. She’ll kneel at the Kleenex alter and soon be bingeing Bridgerton with a bottle of Russian Standard, five million dollars richer.
Arlo has more issues than most of her clients. Being a therapist has not prepared her for grief. She adored her father – his laughter, his charm, the smell of his cologne. She thought he adored her, too, but now he’s given his inheritance to a daughter no one knows, and Arlo is at a loss.
Two sisters are unknowingly thrown together for the first time.
Published May 6th by Phoenix Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A once-in-a-generation debut from a major new talent, The Names is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark.
CHOSEN AS A SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, RED, PRIMA, STYLIST and EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF 2025
Tomorrow – if morning comes, if the storm stops raging – Cora will register the name of her son. Or perhaps, and this is her real concern, she’ll formalise who he will become.
It is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes is a risk that will have consequences, but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives.
Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerged. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will enable him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?
Powerfully moving and full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family, and love’s endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store.
Published May 8th by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Ancient World, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the international bestselling author comes an unmissable new retelling of the life of one of the most captivating and misrepresented female figures in history.
Cleopatra, Egyptian Princess, grows up the favoured daughter of the Pharoah, hiding amongst the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria with her beloved slave Charmian, longing for the chance one day to write her own story.
Then when her father dies, willing that Cleopatra rule with her selfish brother Ptolemy, danger stirs. As the young Egyptian Queen sails the Nile to greet her people, he plots to destroy her and take the throne for himself.
But while Ptolemy has the power of Egypt behind him, Cleopatra has her wits. And when the great Caesar arrives from Rome, she realises he could be the key to her salvation – though courting this powerful man could cost her everything.
Can Cleopatra save her life, her throne, her beloved Egypt and finally command her own history?
A powerful, unmissable new retelling, this is a captivating story of female power and vulnerability, of love and loss, fierce friendship and terrible betrayal.
Published May 8th by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Gaslamp Fantasy, Contemporary Horror
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Two women. An extraordinary power. An explosive bond. In a time of revolution, their fates will lie in the turn of a card . . .
It is the early days of the French Revolution and, on the streets of Paris, terror reigns.
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand is a young woman with an extraordinary power – through her tarot cards, she can commune with the dead, revolutionaries and the aristocracy alike seeking her out to divine their fortunes. Lenormand is loyal to Marie Antoinette and the dauphin of France, but she has seen the queen’s fate in the cards and must take care that it doesn’t become her own.
Then, one fateful day, she comes across Cait, a scullery maid from Ireland who has travelled to Paris for love. Cait has powers too – she can read people’s pasts as Lenormand reads their futures. The two young women share an electrifying connection, drawn to each other’s abilities. But Cait is hiding something. What will she do – and who will she betray – to bring revolution to the shores of her beloved Ireland too?
Inspired by the astonishing true story of Marie-Anne Adelaide Lenormand, The Tarot Reader of Versailles is a sweeping, powerful novel where allegiances, betrayals and even fate itself can be forged or broken by the turn of a card . . .
Published May 8th by Head of Zeus Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: PLAY THEIR GAME Hollywood, 1953. Young actress Ginny Watkins is turning heads. Even the legendary – and married – actor Max Whitman can’t resist the allure of the hottest new starlet. He promises Ginny the world, in return for the right favour.
DO WHAT THEY SAY London, 1954. Stella Hope, once the most famous actress in Hollywood, has been ousted to Ealing Studios after her divorce from the powerful Max. Just as she accepts her fate, she receives a letter, blackmailing her for a mistake she made many years ago.
OR THEY’LL BURY YOU Two women on either side of stardom find themselves in the orbit of the same beguiling man. And one night, in the shadows of a glamorous Oscars afterparty, their lives are changed forever.
A Beautiful Way to Die delves into the decadence and depravity of the early film industry from Hollywood to London. Perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Babylon.
Published May 8th by Michael Joseph Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Suspense, Horror Fiction, Police Procedural
BOOK DESCRIPTION: You never forget the day you meet a serial killer. Dan was just a teenager when he had a chance encounter with the elusive killer known only as “the man made of smoke”. Nobody could blame him for being too scared to intervene, for being too scared to save the latest victim, for letting the killer vanish again. Nobody except Dan himself. Years later, Dan has a successful career as a criminal psychiatrist, unpicking the very darkest of human behaviour. Because, despite what he saw that day, Dan knows there’s no such thing as a monster. But now his father, John, has gone missing. And, when Dan returns to the small island where he grew up, he finds out that not long before his disappearance, John had stumbled across a body. As Dan begins to dig, he finds unsettling links, stretching all the way back to the man made of smoke. Which means this might just be a chance to not only save his dad, but to finally find redemption. But what if he’s been wrong about that day for all these years. What if he was right to be scared?
Published May 8th by Wild Hunt Books Horror Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural Fiction, Contemporary Horror, Occult Horror,
BOOK DESCRIPTION: PART OF THE NORTHERN WEIRD PROJECT
HE ALWAYS COMES FOR YOU…
Leo is just trying to catch his train back home to the village of Malacstone in North East England. But there’s disorder at the station, and when a loud young man heading for London boards the train accidentally, a usually easy journey descends into darkness and chaos. The train soon breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and as night falls, something…or someone steps out of the distance. Is it a man or something far more sinister?
When one of the passengers goes missing, Leo fears that a folkloric tale whispered to him in childhood might be the culprit.
(Don’t) Call Mum blends Matt Wesolowski’s trademark voice of mystery, folklore and humour in this heart-racing tale.
Published May 8th by Hutchinson Heinmann Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: What happens when you find love, but life keeps getting in the way?
When she first meets Adam, Coralie is new to London and feeling adrift. But Adam is clever, witty, and – he insists – half an inch taller than the average British male. His charming four-year-old daughter, Zora, only adds to his appeal.
And yet ten years on, something important is missing from the life Coralie and Adam (though let’s face it, mostly Coralie) have built. Or maybe, having gained everything she dreamed of, Coralie has lost something she once had: herself.
Set against an eventful decade that included the soap opera of five Prime Ministers plus Brexit and Covid, Consider Yourself Kissed puts the subjects of love and family on a grand stage, bringing to life how the intimate drama in our homes inescapably competes for energy and attention with the shared drama of our times.
Consider Yourself Kissed is a captivating portrait of a woman in love which effortlessly balances sweetness with bite, the public with the personal, and humour with heart.
Published May 8th by Avon Coming-of-Age Story, LGBT Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Eleanor Pilcher is electric in her witty, funny, and heartfelt women’s fiction debut, following polar opposite best friends Beth and Serena. When demisexual Beth decides she’s done with being a virgin and enlists Serena’s help, her new personal journey just might be the thing to end their friendship for good.
Serena and Beth are best friends who couldn’t be more different—Beth is an avowed demisexual, who lacks confidence in her career and in her chances at a happy relationship due to her sexual orientation. Serena is a free spirit who oozes with confidence, both in her job and her sexual proclivities. And yet, since the moment they met, they knew they were platonic soulmates.
So, when Beth decides that she officially wants to take charge of her sex life and explore the things that scare her the most, Serena is more than happy to help. Speed-dating, sex therapy, tantra, a perplexed but ultimately very nice escort—it’s all on Beth’s Sexual Odyssey List.
But when Beth’s crush from her old job comes back and Serena’s favorite friend-with-benefits pushes for more than just sex, it throws their whole world into a tailspin. And suddenly, this sexual odyssey is more than a fun gag. It’ll set them down a course that’ll make them so much closer—or end their friendship for good.
Published May 8th by Fourth Estate Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A hilarious and utterly original debut novel following a woman trying to make sense of her life and herself as she falls in love with her therapist.
Sylvie is only happy when she is at therapy. This is because Sylvie is in love with her therapist. She wants to kiss her and roll around on the floor with her. She thinks about her every second they’re not together (roughly 167 hours and 10 minutes per week). She’s aware she has an obsession, but whether it is – as her therapist suggests – a case of extreme ‘erotic transference’, or a lost person’s need to connect, Sylvie isn’t sure.
Beyond therapy, Sylvie has what she considers to be a small life: a job as a veterinary nurse, her little brain-damaged dog, Curtains, and a new friend Chloe who she met on the beach. When the therapist delivers some devastating news, Sylvie has to imagine new and lasting ways of coping (that don’t include being adopted by the therapist). Her world has begun to open up, inching beyond the fear that has confined her until now, and she must decide whether she’s ready for a bravery of feeling.
In this stunning debut novel, Adelaide Faith encapsulates the great vulnerability, difficulty and joy of being alive.
Published May 13th by Tinder Press Suspense, Thriller, Saga, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Why hadn’t she said to her daughter I love you beyond reason and none of this matters at all and every day that you breathe is a gift?’
Rafaela remembers everything that matters: her beautiful childhood in San Juan, her marriage to Peter, uprooting their children, Ruth and Benny, to the American Midwest, and losing all sense of her place in the world. So she tells no one when her memory begins to slip.
Her daughter, in New York with a family of her own, wishes she could forget her muddy feelings about where she comes from – the same feelings which motivated her 22-year-old daughter Daisy to reconnect with their past.
Daisy, who has momentarily forgotten everything, hears the word critical in a hospital room in San Juan and remembers, all at once, the car that hurtled towards her, the terrible storm, and something else. What was it?
Now Ruth and Rafaela must return to the city where it all began, to gather by Daisy’s bedside and confront the twists of fate that have caused a growing rift in their family and led them to this moment.
Published May 15th by Bantam Press Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: When the peace shatters in suburbia, the claws come out . . .
Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett are friends. Sort of. They’re neighbours on an exclusive Sevenoaks estate who get along. It’s convenient.
But one May bank holiday, Coralie’s husband insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. And cracks between the elite of the Briar Heart Estate begin to emerge.
As the summer wears on and there are more sightings, the big cat frenzy reaches a fever pitch. Tensions between neighbours threaten to boil over. Everyone is watching their back. But is the real predator a seventy-kilo cat with razor-sharp claws? Or is the actual danger of a much more domestic variety?
Published May 15th by Aria Historical Fiction, Mystery, Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Maggie Flynn isn’t your typical 1960s mum.
She’s a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London’s streets in myriad disguises.
Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession – providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.
But Maggie’s world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what’s worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.
As Maggie searches for answers, she’ll question everyone – and everything – she thought she could trust. In the murky and perilous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?
Published May 15th by John Murray Literary Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Science-Fiction, Alternative History
BOOK DESCRIPTION: MORNING, AFTERNOON, NIGHT. THE MOTHERS ARE ALWAYS WATCHING . . .
‘This is a compelling and terrifying novel whose alternative history engages chillingly with current possibilities. No one writes children better than Chidgey. She exactly gets their experimental cruelty and related innocence as they attempt to piece their world together’ Elizabeth Cook, author of Lux
England, 1979. Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a secluded New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Every day, the triplets do their chores, play their games and take their medicine, under the watchful eyes of three mothers: Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night.
Their nightmares are recorded in The Book of Dreams. Their lessons are taken from The Book of Knowledge. And their sins are reported in The Book of Guilt.
All the boys want is to be sent to the Big House in Margate, where they imagine a life of sun, sea and fairground rides. But, as the government looks to shut down the Sycamore Homes, the triplets begin to question everything they have been told.
Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a profoundly unnerving exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.
Published May 15th by Pan Macmillan Suspense, Science Fiction, Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A mother’s love can be deafening . . .
Isaac is Hannah’s entire world. She knows that her son is gifted, and that those gifts make him vulnerable. To keep him safe, she spends every waking moment by his side. If she lets her guard down, lets him out of her sight, lets him show what he’s capable of, he will be taken from her.
When the Soundfield arrived twenty years ago, the world changed with it. Now, people are forced to live at night due to the deadly heat of the day, food and water are scarce, and everyday life is punctuated by the constant and disconcerting hum from the Field. A brilliant scientist, Hannah spent her early career working on the enigma of the Soundfield, looking for answers; now, resigned, she has focussed all her energies on keeping Isaac living, not just alive.
To do so, she will have to lie to the people she knows and hope she can trust the ones she doesn’t. Because the only thing more dangerous than her lies, is the truth of what she has done.
Published May 15th by Merky Books Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story, LGBT Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025
WINNER OF THE #MERKY BOOKS 2022 NEW WRITERS’ PRIZE
It’s summer and a young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France. At the dinner table, the Blake siblings await him: Lily, his carefree friend from university; Dot, the rebellious younger sister; and Felix – handsome, charismatic and guarded.
Between sun-drenched days spent lounging by the pool and nights blurring into endless, opulent parties, the man is captivated by Felix’s restless allure. As his desire grows, the chance to become part of the family and their world of money and power starts to feel within reach.
But the idyllic haze of summer fades as they return to London and the cracks in the Blakes’ careful façade begin to show. With the two men tormented by demons of their own, their bond is increasingly tested and pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them.
Sunstruck is a dazzling and poignant exploration of race, status and the parts of ourselves we risk losing when we fall in love.
Published May 22nd by Penguin UK Suspense, Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Escape to Bali in this gripping new sunlounger thriller, for fans of Lucy Clarke and Ruth Ware.
‘THE NEW QUEEN OF THE GLAMOROUS DESTINATION THRILLER’ ELLERY LLOYD
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer . . .
Nate and Layla, Jude and Sophie. They’ve been a four for as long as they can remember: fancy dinners, dancing ’til dawn . . . Even living and working together.
So when Nate and Layla suddenly quit their lives and move to Bali, with its white sands and exotic beach clubs, Jude and Sophie are their first visitors. Anything to escape their life in London.
But as the two couples reunite, cracks begin to show.
Which is hardly surprising; they’ve been lying to each other for years.
Published May 22nd by Bloomsbury Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Contemporary Horror
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour.
When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure – something he’s craved for as long as he can remember.
There are just three problems:
1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.
2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.
3. He’s falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife – who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped.
A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death: the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.
Published May 22nd by Orenda Romance, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The carefully ordered life of a middle-aged man falls apart when he is forced to return to his hometown to care for his elderly father, and meets a woman who has as many secrets as he does … A warmly funny, poignant, life-affirming novel about coming home and letting go.
______
What if halfway through your life was just the beginning?
Robin Edmund Blake is halfway through his life.
Born in 1986, when Halley’s Comet crossed the sky, he is destined to go out with it, when it returns in 2061. Until that day, he can’t die. He has proof.
With his future mapped out in minute detail, a lucrative but increasingly dull job in the City of London, and Gemma to share his life with, Robin has a plan to be remembered forever.
But when Robin’s sick father has one accident too many, the plan starts to unravel. Robin must return home to the tiny seaside town of Eastgate, learn to care for the man who never really cared for him, and face the childhood ghosts he fled decades ago.
Desperate to get his life back on schedule, he connects with fellow outsider Astrid. Brutally direct, sharp-witted and a professor at a nearby university, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever met. But Astrid is hiding something and someone from Robin. And he’s hiding even more from her…
For fans of Hazel Prior, Rachel Joyce and Jonas Jonasson
Published May 22nd by Avon Books Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The mind is a dangerous place to hide…
Dr Eleanor Spencer is a well-respected psychologist with a seemingly perfect life. But when a series of women start to vanish, it dredges up memories of her sister’s unsolved disappearance and she finds herself drawn into the investigation.
Desperate, she turns to Lucas Hayne, a convicted serial murderer who revels in mind games. But when Lucas cryptically hints the answers lie buried in her past, Ellie’s carefully constructed world begins to splinter.
Because now she faces a terrifying possibility: the real monster might just be closer than she ever imagined.
Ellie has spent her career deciphering the minds of killers―but now, one of them is inside hers.
A gripping psychological suspense about betrayal, courage, and the darkness that can hide behind a seemingly trustworthy façade. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater and B.A. Paris.
Published May 22nd by One More Chapter Magical Realism, Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Saga
BOOK DESCRIPTION: You don’t choose the book. The book chooses you…
Long ago, a bookshop was born – the beating heart of all those who find hope within the pages of a book. With the words penned upon the echo of old forests, new worlds are created.
It’s ready and waiting to welcome all those who know where to find it…
Strangers Jo, Adelaide and Kye are the least likely people to find themselves across the threshold of a bookshop.
But as their midnight book club shows them that a single book can change everything, all three realise that their own stories can be rewritten.
Published May 22nd by Orion Myths, Fairy Tales, Magical Realism, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOANNE HARRIS SENSATIONALLY RETURNS TO THE WORLD OF CHOCOLAT!
Secrets. Chocolate. A touch of magic…
On a warm July evening, Sylviane Rochas scatters her mother’s ashes in New York and lets the changing wind blow her to the French seaside town of Marseille.
For the first time in her life, Vianne holds the future in her own hands. Charming her way into a job as a waitress in a local bistrot, she knows that she is not here to stay – when her child is born in a few months, she must be gone.
As she discovers the joy of cooking, making recipes her own with the addition of bittersweet chocolate spices, she realises that it possesses its own magic in this town full of secrets.
Yet Vianne will never forget her mother’s warning: that there is danger in revealing the true desires of those around her – and she must flee these cobbled streets before it’s too late…
Million-copy bestselling author Joanne Harris returns to the world of Chocolat with the long-awaited story of Vianne, which begins six years before she opens her scandalous chocolaterie in the small French village of Lansquenet.
Published May 22nd by Picodor Literary Fiction, Political Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Moving from 60s Italy to contemporary Ireland, Ripeness is a breathtaking story of love and the search for belonging from Sarah Moss, bestselling author of Summerwater.
‘The achievement of a lifetime, written by one of the best writers alive’ – Jessie Burton
On the brink of adulthood and just out of school, Edith finds herself travelling to rural Italy. She has been sent by her mother with strict instructions: to see her sister, ballet dancer Lydia, through the final weeks of her pregnancy, help at the birth and then make a phone call which will change all of their lives.
Decades later, happily divorced and newly energized, Edith is living in contentment and comfort in Ireland. When her best friend Méabh receives a call from an American man claiming to be her brother, Méabh must decide if she will meet him, and Edith finds herself plunged back into her own past and the story of the baby she once knew and loved.
Published May 22nd by Baskerville Historical Fiction, Ghost Story, Supernatural Ficiton, Horror Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A fever dream of a novel. Fuelled by sapphic femgore, it’s sick and sultry, and a deeply beguiling masterclass in the perverse; I couldn’t put it down!’ Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb
‘Devilishly addictive and delightfully gory from an exciting new voice in literary horror. Northanger Abbey meets Saltburn‘ Christine Anne Foley, author of Bodies
Scullery drudge Ann longs to become a lady’s maid. Ann can’t quite remember how or when she arrived at the grand Ropner Hall, but she loathes spending her days toiling in the dank kitchen.
When a chance meeting with Ropner’s Lady Charlotte leads to the opportunity to become her personal maid, Ann is convinced she has finally escaped her own version of hell. But has she? As Ann’s new life above stairs takes a sinister twist, will it turn out that the terrors lurking up there are worse than the devils she knows below?
Jessie Elland’s deeply visceral debut is a dark and twisted tale of ambition and desire. Are you brave enough to enter Ropner Hall?
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
Published May 29th by Mantle Historical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Inspired by an infamous real-life case, The Mourning Necklace is the unforgettable feminist historical novel from the Women’s Prize-longlisted author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.
They said I would swing for the crime, and I did . . .
1724. In a tavern just outside Edinburgh, Maggie Dickson’s family drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone. Shame haunts them. Hanged for the murder of her newborn child, passers-by avert their eyes from her cheap coffin on its rickety cart.
But as her family pray her soul rests in peace, a figure appears at the door.
It is Maggie. She is alive.
Bruised and dazed, Maggie has little time for her family’s questions.
Published May 29th by Renegade Books Mystery, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Humorous Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: They can’t even agree on what to read, so how are they going to solve a murder?
St. Tredock Book Club disagree on everything, from the books they read to the biscuits they eat. For book club organiser Nova Davies, who’s new to the Cornish seaside village, the digestive vs shortbread debate is just the start of her problems…
Under Nova’s watch, £10,000 is stolen from the much-loved community centre. When book club member Michael disappears and a dead body turns up at his house, it seems clear who the perpetrator is. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael’s been framed, while romance fanatic Arthur believes there’s a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi reader Ash thinks dark forces are at play. Meanwhile, Nova’s just trying to keep them out of trouble.
Soon the book club becomes very busy indeed. Full-time book lovers, part-time sleuths, they put their differences aside to find Michael, solve the murder and recover the stolen money – all while trying to hide their own secrets…
Can they crack the case? And with a killer on the loose, what will it take until they’re safe back home, curled up with book?
An utterly unputdownable cosy crime novel and a love letter to books and the power of reading, The Busybody Book Club is perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett and Agatha Raisin.
Published May 29th by Orion Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Ficiton, Hardboiled
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In this family, everyone is telling lies.
Pete never wanted another child. Before baby Erin was born, they were happy. If Natalie hadn’t got pregnant, he would never have done what he did.
Natalie knows things have been difficult since the surprise arrival of Erin. Life with Pete and their two other children – Emily and Zadie – has been balancing on a knife-edge.
Now their home is full of guests at a party Natalie didn’t want to throw – and she’s about to reach breaking point.
But so is her family.
Because everyone has a secret that they’ve been hiding and when Erin suddenly disappears everyone becomes a suspect.
Surely no one here would want to harm their baby? But after the events of the party there are plenty of people who would want to hurt Natalie.
Published May 29th by Viking Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Medical Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Things We Do To Our Friends, comes a timely, gripping novel about the dark underbelly of wellness culture
‘DARWENT HAS A GREAT CAREER AS A THRILLER WRITER AHEAD OF HER’ SUNDAY TIMES
We can fix you.
It’s a promise that Betsy has heard far too many times. From the child psychologist, from her husband, and from the wellness trends that scream at her from her screen.
So far, it’s been a lie.
But this time, she believes it. Because Betsy has been offered a place at Carn – a luxurious, unorthodox retreat, where healing really is possible. At Carn, she discovers that her imperfections make her unique, not weak. She isn’t broken, just special.
Published August 3rd, 2023 by Manilla Press Historical Ficiton, Romance Novel, Retelling
Welcome to my review for this dark and irresistable retelling. Thank you to Manilla Press for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
********
ABOUT THE BOOK:
One of the most anticipated novels of the year – the captivating and powerful untelling of Romeo & Juliet . . .
The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet he falls instantly in love. Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo’s attentions but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life.
Soon though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her. She breaks off the match, only for Romeo’s gaze to turn towards her cousin, thirteen-year-old Juliet. Gradually Rosaline realises that it is not only Juliet’s reputation at stake, but her life.
With only hours remaining before she will be banished behind the nunnery walls, will Rosaline save Juliet from her Romeo? Or can this story only ever end one way?
A subversive, powerful untelling of Shakespeare’s best-known tale, narrated by a fierce, forgotten voice: this is Rosaline’s story.
Hamnet meets My Dark Vanessa in this fierce, feminist, intensely gripping novel; captivating and chillingly relevant, FAIR ROSALINE takes everything you thought you knew about Romeo and Juliet and turns it on its head . . .
********
MY REVIEW:
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Or, at least we think we do.
Spellbinding, poignant, dark and irresistible, Fair Rosaline is a feminist ‘untelling’ of the famous love story. And once you’ve read it you will never look at the much-loved classic the same way again. Told from the perspective of Rosaline, Juliet’s cousin and the girl who Romeo romanced before her, this version is a story of love, sex and coercion.
Beautifully written, Natasha Solomon’s poetic prose is filled with emotion whilst also setting the scene vividly. The streets of Italy come alive, the characters leap from the pages and you can feel the heartache of forbidden love on every page. Rosaline isn’t a character I’d given a lot of thought to before this book, but I loved hearing what Solomons imagined to be her story and connected with her quickly. Meanwhile, we meet a very different Romeo in this book to the one we’ve seen before. This Romeo is not a hero, but a predator, who love-bombs, gaslights and controls, while Rosaline and Juliet are his naive prey. It’s powerful and thought-provoking, making me question everything I thought I knew about a story I’d long loved.
Fierce, bold, complex and compelling, this powerful retelling is a must-read.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
*I listened to this on Bookbeat. Click here to listen for 60 days free using my affiliate link*
********
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
From Natasha’s Amazon Author Page: I’ve always worked as a writer more or less. After University I completed an MPhil in Eighteenth century literature at the University of Glasgow and then began a doctorate researching Women’s Romantic Poetry and the Domestic Muse.
Unfortunately, I became un-stuck on a chapter on Verse Letters and so began writing my first novel as way of avoiding correcting the footnotes. My entire career to date has been an extremely elaborate form of avoiding that tricky chapter…
I still love research and writing immersive fiction and hate footnotes. I live in Dorset, in a thatched cottage with my husband — the award winning children’s writer David Solomons – and our children and Labrador, Mr Bingley. Sometimes David and I write screenplays together. Then we argue about them.
Welcome to my most anticipated February releases. There’s some exciting new authors releasing their debut novels and some favourite authors releasing their latest stories.
Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
Published February 4th by Tinder Press Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Where there is wonder, there is love – an unforgettable story of the beauty and savagery of the Alaskan wilderness, from the author of the million-copy international bestseller, The Snow Child.
‘I read with my heart in my mouth, filled with wonder’ Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ‘An enthralling novel about the endurance of love, the power of forgiveness and the savage, irresistible allure of wild places’ Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train Birdie’s keeping it together, of course she is. So she’s a little hungover on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter to the lodge while she waits never tables, but it’s a tough town to be a single mother, and Birdie just needs to get by. And then Birdie meets Arthur, who is quieter than most men, but makes her want to listen; who is gentle with Emaleen, and understands Birdie’s fascination with the mountains in whose shadow they live. When Arthur asks Birdie and Emaleen to leave the lodge and make a home, just the three of them, in his off-grid cabin, Birdie’s answer, in a heartbeat, is yes. Out in the wilderness Birdie’s days are harsher and richer than she ever imagined possible. Here she will feel truly at one with nature. Here she, and Emaleen, will learn the whole, fearful truth about Arthur.
Published February 4th by Boldwood Books Contemporary Romance, Magical Realism, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Suddenly Maddy is right there… in her very own future. And it’s all wrong, yet again.
It happens to her every time. When the kisses lead to the bedroom, just when she thinks she might have found the one… Just for a split second, Maddy disappears, and she finds that she’s living her own life. But ten years into the future.
She’s only there for a little while. But each time, it’s long enough to know that she doesn’t want to be any of those future versions of Maddy. Because every man she falls for seems to lead her to a future that is just… wrong.
Until she meets Oliver. And the vision of their future is happy. Beautiful even. A little girl runs around, her braids flying behind her, giggling about how she wants sausages for dinner. She has eyes just like Oliver’s.
There’s just one catch. If Maddy wants the family she’s seeing in her future with Oliver, she realizes she has to break his heart now…
Would you destroy your present if there’s a chance that it could give you the perfect future?
Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Matt Haig, and The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. The most unmissable ‘what if?’ love story of the year!
Published February 4th by Sphere Romance Novel, New Adult Ficiton, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A junior at Stanford and a student athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships – at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…
Published February 6th by Harvill Secker Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Mythology
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Brilliant and meticulously researched… I loved it.’ Santa Montefiore
Sister. Rival. Protector.
Quiet and reserved, Clemmie is happy in the background. Although her parents may overlook her talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society.
But at one such party, the words Clemmie interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. The beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever.
Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a mission to save what remains of her family. The childhood game she used to play about the immortal sisters, Isis and Nephthys, has taken on a devastating resonance and it is only by following Nephthys’ story that she can undo the mistakes of the past.
On her journey up the Nile she will meet unexpected allies and enemies and, along with long-buried secrets and betrayals, Clemmie will be forced to step into the light.
Published February 6th by Manilla Press Gothic Fiction, Horror Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Thriller, Vampire Literature, Lesbian Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THE FIERCEST, MOST POWERFUL RETELLING OF 2025: A STORY OF AMBITION, FEMALE OPPRESSION AND UNSTOPPABLE HUNGER . . .
FOR WHAT DO YOU HUNGER . . . ?
Lenore is the wife of steel magnate Henry, but ten years into their marriage the relationship has soured, and no child has arrived to fill the distance growing between them. Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the Peak District, to the remote, imposing Nethershaw estate, where he plans to host a hunting party. Lenore must work to restore the crumbling house and ready it for Henry’s guests – their future depends on it.
But as the couple travel through the bleak countryside, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night, Carmilla who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . .
As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk . . .
Set against the violent wilderness of the Peaks and the uncontrolled appetite of the Industrial Revolution, HUNGERSTONE is a compulsive sapphic reworking of CARMILLA, the book that inspired DRACULA: a captivating story of appetite and desire.
Published February 6th by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction, Fantasy Ficiton, Fairy Tale, Mythology
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Perfect for fans of Elodie Harper’s The Wolf Den, Rosie Hewlett’s Medea and Costanza Casati’s Clytemnestra
—
RULER. MOTHER. GODDESS. WARRIOR.
They called me The Morrigan. I was magnificent. I was multitudes. They twisted my story, stripped me away. But I will tell it now in my own voice. It begins, as all the best stories do, in darkness.
From an ancient, storm-tossed sea, a tribe of gods reach the rocky shores of Ireland.
Among them, a strange, hungry, red-haired girl. A girl who can change shape, from bird to beast to goddess. A girl who dreams of battle, of blood, of death and power.
She does not know yet that a woman who seeks to rule will always be in danger – or that there are far more treacherous figures in this land than the gods who raised her.
She does not know that one day love will burn so deep in her heart that its scars will never heal. That she will know pain so raw and pure it will almost tear her apart.
She does not know that her journey will take a thousand years. That her name will be remembered for a thousand more.
She is The Morrigan, and she is waiting: a girl with rage coiled in her chest. Beautiful, powerful, ravenous rage. A rage that will live forever.
An electric debut retelling of Ireland’s mythic goddess of war, from a bold and powerful new voice.
Published February 6th by Hamish Hamilton Literary Fiction, Translated Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Like a long winter’s dream, this haunting and visionary new novel from 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang takes us on a journey from contemporary South Korea into its painful history
‘One of the most profound and skilled writers working on the contemporary world stage’ Deborah Levy
Beginning one morning in December, We Do Not Part traces the path of Kyungha as she travels from the city of Seoul into the forests of Jeju Island, to the home of her old friend Inseon. Hospitalized following an accident, Inseon has begged Kyungha to hasten there to feed her beloved pet bird, who will otherwise die.
Kyungha takes the first plane to Jeju, but a snowstorm hits the island the moment she arrives, plunging her into a world of white. Beset by icy wind and snow squalls, she wonders if she will arrive in time to save the bird – or even survive the terrible cold which envelops her with every step. As night falls, she struggles her way to Inseon’s house, unaware as yet of the descent into darkness which awaits her.
There, the long-buried story of Inseon’s family surges into light, in dreams and memories passed from mother to daughter, and in a painstakingly assembled archive documenting a terrible massacre on the island seventy years before.
We Do Not Part is a hymn to friendship, a eulogy to the imagination and above all an indictment against forgetting.
Published February 6th by Fleet Literary Fiction, Suspense
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘From the very first page, Emma Van Straaten had me by the Hail Marys. Obsessive, delusional, disastrous – but so intricately woven with heart, warmth and empathy. An impeccable debut from a rising talent‘ ALICE SLATER ‘An addictive deep-dive into the dark, throbbing heart of obsessive desire. Baby Reindeer meets Convenience Store Woman‘ KIRSTY LOGAN, author of Now She Is Witch
Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat every Wednesday for a year. With every smudge wiped from his coffee cup, every crease smoothed out in his bed, every multivitamin counted from the jar, Alice spirals deeper into infatuation. But as Alice prepares for the moment when they will finally meet face-to-face, she discovers that love might not be the cure she thought it was. . .
This Immaculate Body is a story of obsession, of the way women view the world and the ways that the world views them. As Alice frantically tries to cling to an imagined future with Tom, the line between fantasy and reality become ever more blurred, putting everything she has dreamed of at risk.
Published February 6th by Hodder & Stoughton Romance Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The greatest adventure is coming back home.
Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby and she’s very used to being given the stories that no one else wants. So, when her editor tells her that the city’s Cossington Park development is being held up by a solitary resident on Hope Street who is refusing to leave, she knows she is going to be the one sent to find out more. And that’s how she meets Connor.
Twenty-something Connor is the sole resident of Hope Street and he is not at all what Lila is expecting. And he has a very clear reason not to move: he is waiting for his mum to come home.
The uplifting and heartfelt new novel from the author of A Song of Me and You.
Published February 6th by Orion Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: They said a mother knows best and I believed them. Was I wrong?
It is supposed to be a dream. James and I have been trying for years. But now it is starting to feel like a nightmare.
Doctors don’t ask questions, or care about how you’re feeling. They just tell you what to do. They never listen.
Mam and James don’t understand either. James thinks I’m being anxious and Mam says it’ll pass. It always does. That’s what she did when Dad died.
I’ve never felt more alone. Or scared.
Then I joined an online group for mothers. A sisterhood, really. They might be on a screen, but sometimes it feels like they know me better than James. They listen, they care. It’s all I could have asked for.
Until the worst happens and I see them for who they are. But if I leave, what if they come for me next?
Published February 6th by Tor Contemporary Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Gay Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: An action-packed supernatural road trip featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors. The Bones Beneath My Skin is a gripping, heartfelt story that explores what it means to be human – by bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune.
He lost everything. Then he found himself . . .
In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright is at a loose end: his parents are dead, his older brother has disowned him, and he’s been fired from his job. Looking for a sense of direction, he returns to his family’s summer cabin in Oregon.
The cabin should be empty – but it’s not. Inside is a man named Alex, and an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. There’s far more to Art than meets the eye. But as Alex and Nate bond over just how special she truly is, they discover that powerful forces are closing in – forces that want nothing more than to control her.
As danger draws near, Nate decide whether to drown in the memories of his past, or fight for Art and a future he never thought possible.
With his uplifting tales of hope and redemption, there is a TJ Klune book for every reader.
Published February 6th by Atom Domestic Fiction, Religious Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom’s Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.
In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom’s Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too-but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.
In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.
In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are in the first weeks of COVID lockdown and hating Zoom school, when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.
Published February 6th by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A family full of secrets. A chance to set them all free.
When Ebby Freeman travels to France to take a three-month hiatus from her complicated home life, the last person she expects to find is her ex-fiancé Henry, with his new girlfriend in tow.
Nearly twenty years earlier, the Freemans were the only African American family living in a wealthy coastal enclave in Connecticut when armed robbers invaded their home and tragedy changed their lives forever.
Then, just as Ebby thought she had a new chance at happiness, her storybook romance with Henry fell apart.
Now, this unexpected encounter with Henry will force Ebby to reckon with her past and to think on the other loss her family suffered that day – the destruction of a beloved stoneware jar crafted by an enslaved ancestor and passed down through the generations.
A piece that might hold not only her family history, but also the key to reclaiming her future.
Published February 6th by Fig Tree Thriller, Horror Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The most mesmerising, unsettling novel of 2025, perfect for fans of David Mitchell, Julia Armfield, and Margaret Atwood.
The woman never goes by the same name. She never stays in the same place too long. She never ages. She never dies. But those around her do.
When two grieving strangers meet by chance in Osaka airport they uncover a disturbing connection. Jake’s best friend and Mariko’s twin brother each died, 6,000 miles apart, in brutal and unfathomable circumstances.
Each encountered a mesmerising, dark-haired woman in the days before their deaths. A woman who came looking for Mariko – and then disappeared.
Jake, who has carried his loss and guilt for a decade, finds himself compelled to follow the trail set by Mariko’s revelations. It’s a trail that weaves across continents and centuries, leading back to the many who have died – in strange and terrifying and eerily similar ways – and those they left behind: bewildered, disbelieved, yet resolutely sure of what they saw.
And, at the centre of it all, there is the same beguiling woman. Her name may have changed, but her purpose has never wavered, and as Jake races to discover who, or what she is, she has already made her next choice.
But will knowing her secret be enough to stop her?
Published February 6th by Macmillan Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: BEAUTY IS PAIN . . . Exploring themes of ambition, authenticity and empowerment, this taut, politically charged feminist thriller delivers a scathing take-down of the wellness industry, perfect for fans of The Drop Out and Yellowface.
It’s a woman’s world, isn’t it?
Rhoda West has the world at her feet.
As the luminously charismatic CEO of Radical, a fast-growing start-up, Rhoda has built a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women’s lives. Showcasing her cult products and her perfect life through her social media, Rhoda is the ultimate ‘Radigal’, encouraging her followers to be #bebetter, whilst driving her business to attain the billion-dollar unicorn status that she craves.
But just as Radical announces the latest fundraising round that will take it over the top, an anonymous twitter account begins revealing the company’s secrets and starts questioning its beliefs and approach, and Rhoda herself.
Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader that she presents to the world, or a fraud on a mission to exploit the women she claims to want to help? As tensions rise and enemies present themselves, the only questions are how far will Rhoda go to fulfil her legacy and how far will her enemies go to destroy it. . .
Published February 11th by Michael Joseph Romance Novel, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family
‘The best book she has ever written’ Marian Keyes
***
Welcome to the Kennedy household:
Lila wrote a bestseller about keeping your marriage alive, before discovering her ex was playing happy families with another woman. A woman she sees everyday at school pick-up.
Bill, her stepdad, moved in after Lila’s mum died. He’s kind, old-fashioned and driving her absolutely nuts.
Celie, Lila’s eldest, hates school. Hates it so much she’s stopped going. Her mother’s fine with that – because she doesn’t know yet.
Violet is nine and sings age-inappropriate rap songs, laughs at fart jokes and Lila dearly hopes she’ll never, ever change.
And Truant the dog, who has just bitten the American actor who’s suddenly landed on the Kennedys’ doorstep.
This is Gene – Lila’s estranged father, and no one’s idea of a role model. He walked out on Lila and her mum years ago – and wherever he goes domestic discord follows.
Because Gene’s presence changes things in unexpected ways. Soon the girls discover a kindred spirit in a man always chasing life’s joy. Bill even loosens up. And Lila finds herself, astonishingly, dating.
Something is happening to the Kennedy household – but what is it? And will it break, or save, their family?
Published February 13th by The Borough Press Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Nautical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Sisters separated by centuries.
Voices that can’t be drowned out.
Lucy is running from what she’s done – and what someone did to her.
There’s only one person who might understand: her sister Jess. But when Lucy arrives at her sister’s desolate cliff-top house, Jess is gone.
Lucy is now alone, in a strange town steeped in rumour. Stories of men disappearing without a trace. A foundling discovered in a sea-swept cave. And women’s voices murmuring on the waves…
As Lucy searches for her sister, those voices get ever louder. They tell of two sisters, two centuries ago, bound and transported across the world. A world where men always get their way. A world that is at once distant, and achingly familiar.
Are these voices luring Lucy closer to her sister? Or will the secrets of the past pull them both under?
Published February 13th by Fourth Estate Gothic Ficiton, Horror Fiction, Suspense, Dark Comedy, Satire
BOOK DESCRIPTION: NOW BEING ADAPTED FOR A MAJOR FILM STARRING MARGARET QUALLEY
‘Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh-out-loud funny’ CATRIONA WARD
‘Weird and wonderful’ LUCY MANGAN, GUARDIAN
Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess. She’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate’s dreary confines and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan.
Whether creeping across the moonlit lawns in her undergarments or gently tormenting the house staff, Winifred struggles at every turn to stifle the horrid compulsions of her past until her chillingly dark imagination breaches the feeble boundary of reality on Christmas morning. Wielding her signature sardonic wit and a penchant for the gorgeously macabre, Virginia Feito returns with a vengeance in Victorian Psycho.
Published February 13th by Bantam Press Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Six thriller authors. One writing retreat. You’d die to be on the guest list . . .
The Host Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island.
The Assistant Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.
The Players The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for.
The Game What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one…
Publshed February 13th by Quercus Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Suspense, Fantasy Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: SOME MURDERS CAN’T BE SOLVED IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.
‘A five-star start to a dazzling new series . . . Smart, original and utterly masterful’ Janice Hallett
Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they’re frozen – or so their inside joke goes. Most people don’t know that they travel back in time to complete their research.
The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London in order to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of MP Isaac Templeton. Rumour has it that Cain was part of a sinister group called The Collectors; to become a member, you had to kill a woman…
Fearing for her safety in the middle of a freezing Victorian winter, Ali finds herself stuck in time, unable to make her way back to her life, her beloved colleagues, and her son, Finn, who suddenly finds himself in legal trouble in the present day.
Could the two cases be connected?
Set your clocks to February 2025 and get ready for an original, transportive and characterful new crime novel from no. 1 bestselling author Elly Griffiths. Perfect for those missing the Dr Ruth Galloway series and for any crime and historical fiction fans.
Published February 13th by Baskerville Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Hardboiled
BOOK DESCRIPTION: RAMONA CHANG
An investigative journalist turned private detective, Ramona’s final scoop left her with a target on her back. Now in hiding, she is living in a run-down flat in east London. But when her latest case looking into an upmarket escort agency takes a dark turn, she needs information only accessible to those in power . . .
DETECTIVE SERGEANT MADELEINE FARROW
A high-flying operative at a government agency, it’s the day of her fiftieth birthday when Madeleine finds out that she has been given the lead on an investigation into corruption on a global scale. But when she finds her case mysteriously blocked from the inside, she needs someone on the outside, capable of moving undetected . . .
As Ramona’s and Madeleine’s cases collide, can the unlikely allies find justice for multiple victims within the capital’s hotbed of lies and deception?
A gripping thrill-ride set against the gloss and grit of contemporary London, DIRTY MONEY introduces an unforgettable new detective duo created by critically acclaimed writer Charlotte Philby.
Published February 13th by Headline Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Robyn ‘Avril’ Managa was twelve when she witnessed her controlling and abusive father murder her mother. Put into care while her well-connected was father given a new identity in Witness Protection, Robyn has lived with the trauma of that day ever since.
Now in her twenties, Robyn has decided she wants a family reunion – so is killing people connected to her father’s case, leaving on their bodies the note: GIVE HIM TO ME.
Dr Kez Lanyon is called onto the case. But can Kez get into Robyn’s mind before she kills again? Or is she about to become Avril’s latest victim?
Profiler and therapist Kez Lanyon returns in a gripping new stand-alone novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Dorothy Koomson.
Published February 13th by Riverrun Literary Ficiton, Psychological Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures, this is a charming, witty and moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent.
‘Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes’
From her first words to her first day at school, Little Alien can’t help but get things wrong. She doesn’t understand the world the way others seem to, and the world doesn’t seem to understand her either. Her anxious mum and meticulous dad, while well-intentioned, are of little help.
But when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript – a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script – she begins to suspect that there are other people who feel just like her. Convinced that translating this manuscript will offer the answers she needs, she sets out on a journey that will show her a delicious taste of freedom.
So begins this charming, witty, and profoundly moving novel about the power of language, the wonder of libraries – and how to find a path that fits, when you yourself do not.
Published February 13th by Aria Historical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A heart-wrenching and unforgettable story of courage, friendship and resistance, inspired by the incredible true story of a Jewish ballroom dancer in Paris during WWII, perfect for fans of The Paris Library.
Paris, 1938. Annie Mayer arrives in France with dreams of becoming a ballerina. But when the war reaches Paris, she’s forced to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. Then a fellow dancer offers her a lifeline: a ballroom partnership that gives her a new identity. Together, Annie and her partner captivate audiences across occupied Europe, using her newfound fame and alias to aid the Resistance.
New York, 2012. Miriam, haunted by her past, travels from London to New York to settle her great-aunt Esther’s estate. Among Esther’s belongings, she discovers notebooks detailing a secret family history and the story of a brave dancer who risked everything to help Jewish families during the war.
As Miriam uncovers Esther’s life in Europe, she realises the story has been left for her to finish. Grappling with loss and the possibility of new love, Miriam must find the strength to reconcile her past and embrace her future.
Published February 13th by Viking Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ONE STORY. TWO EXES. CAN THEY CHANGE THEIR ENDING?
‘Such a fun, romantic read’ Beth O’Leary ‘This book melted my stone cold heart’ Jendella Benson
Temi and Wale meet in London. They flirt, date, meet each other’s friends. Then they break up. And Wale goes on a reality dating show.
Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her dream: writing. She’s within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity autobiography arises, Temi accepts.
And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale…
Will Temi and Wale repeat the patterns of their past? Or can they write a whole new story?
Published February 13th by Century Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Urban Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A beautiful Chelsea town house. A chance to fulfil her dreams. A life adventure awaits… __________
It’s 1968 and it’s cold when Felicity arrives in London to stay with her mother, improve her English, do a secretarial course – and meet a suitable man.
She is already missing her home in Provence and her father and his new wife and their extended family. But it’s only for a year she tells herself – and then she can go back to France and do what she really wants and become a painter.
And then she bumps into Oliver who is quite the most interesting young man she has ever met. He lives on a barge for one thing and has a collection of jobs, but his passion is looking for hidden treasures along the shores of the river Thames.
In a word, he’s a mudlarker – and before long Felicity is mudlarking too. She is also pursuing her dreams and painting scenery for Oliver’s actor friends.
But is Oliver a Suitable Man of whom her mother will approve? Felicity knows she will not …
Love, tangled relationships, and a real life adventure lie at the heart of Katie Fforde’s heart-warming new novel.
Published February 13th by Chatto & Windus Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The happily ever after is only part of the story…A funny, touching, hopeful gem about love, marriage and second chances
It’s the day before her daughter’s wedding and things are not going well for Gail Baines. First thing, she loses her job – or quits, depending who you ask. Then her ex-husband Max turns up at her door expecting to stay for the festivities. He doesn’t even have a suit. Instead, he’s brought memories, a shared sense of humour – and a cat looking for a new home.
Just as Gail is wondering what’s next, their daughter Debbie discovers her groom has been keeping a secret…
As the big day dawns, the exes just can’t agree on what’s best for Debbie. Gail is seriously worried, while Max seems more concerned with whether to opt for the salmon or prime rib at the reception, if they make it that far.
The day after the wedding, Gail and Max prepare to go their separate ways again. But all the questions about the future of the happy couple have stirred up the past for Gail. Because ‘happy’ takes many forms, and sometimes the younger generation has much to teach the older about secrets, acceptance and taking the rough with the smooth.
The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea by C. L. Miller
Published February 13th by Pan Macmillan Mystery, Crime Fiction, Cozy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Join Freya and Aunt Carole for more sleuthing in the highly anticipated second instalment in your new favourite crime series, The Antique Hunters. The Antique Hunter’s: Death on the Red Sea is a cosy crime read for fans of the Antiques Roadshow.
When a painting vanishes from a maritime museum – and a dead body is found nearby – the newly established Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency, Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole, are called to investigate.
Following a lead that takes them aboard a glamorous antiques cruise sailing toward the Red Sea in Jordan, they quickly discover that the ship’s art gallery is filled with stolen antiquities. Each and every one of them is also listed in Freya’s late mentor’s journals detailing unsolved cases. In chasing a murderer with a stolen painting, they may have found something more sinister than they could’ve imagined . . .
Their hunt soon turns deadly when they learn that the enigmatic and dangerous art trafficker named The Collector could be on board. But on a ship full of antiques enthusiasts – plus some unexpected familiar faces – will Freya and Carole be able to discover The Collector’s identity and stop his murderous plans before the ship docks?
Published February 13th by Simon & Schuster UK Mystery, Cosy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU’VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .
DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.
But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.
Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . .
Published February 13th by Electric Monkey Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Hisotrical Romance, Young Adult Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The Cruel Prince meets Bridgerton in this captivating fantasy brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.
…………..
Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen. High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.
But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.
Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart, and at the centre of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything.
Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Lauren Roberts, Stephanie Garber, and Sarah J Maas.
Published February 13th by Harper Voyager Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel, High Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Adventure Ficiton, Supernatural Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: RETURN TO THE INTOXICATING WORLD OF THE FAE…
Betrayed by destiny.
Cursed by love.
Bound by hope.
Yeeran and Lettle are no longer prisoners to the fae court, but now they’re bound by the shackles of their hearts …
Yeeran was born for war but is unprepared for love. She has left her new lover, the Queen of the fae, to return to her homeland, only to find that her former lover now threatens war against the fae.
Left behind, her sister Lettle is determined to break the curse that binds the fae to their realm. When a stranger appears in the city, Lettle is convinced he’s the key. But the Fates that once spoke to her have fallen silent.
Can Lettle and Yeeran discover the secret behind the curse – and unite these two worlds before they destroy each other?
Return to the intoxicating world of the fae in the seductive sequel to the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Faebound.
Published February 20th by Sphere Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper for the most fashionable French homes, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances.
When sisters Lara and Sofi arrive there for work, they quickly form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the motherless heir to the factory. Whilst Sofi’s political fervour intensifies, Lara is disturbed by the uncanny way her life appears mirrored in the wallpaper. Meanwhile Hortense, Josef’s spoilt aristocratic wife, is similarly unnerved by the scenes that line the walls of her new home. With the mobs growing ever more violent, is she in danger of meeting the same untimely end as the last Mrs Oberst?
As revolution blazes across France, the lives of Sofi, Lara and Hortense are set to collide in unimaginable and irrevocable ways. Can they change what lies ahead, or are some patterns destined to be repeated?
Published February 20th by Pan Macmillan Romance Novel, Historical Ficiton, Historical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘An unforgettable voice within a breathtaking story about love, lineage, and the intergenerational effect of bravery in the face of misfortune’ – Jessica George, author of Diverse Book Awards winning My Name is Maame
Everything about Adeline Copplefield is a lie . . .
To the world Mrs Copplefield is the epitome of Victorian propriety: an exemplary society lady who writes a weekly column advising young ladies on how to be better wives.
Only Adeline has never been a good wife or mother; she has no claim to the Copplefield name, nor is she an English lady . . .
Now a black woman, born in Africa, who dared to pretend to be something she was not, is on trial in the English courts with all of London society baying for her blood. And she is ready to tell her story . . .
From the author of The Attic Child, Lola Jaye, comes a powerful dual narrative historical novel. The Manual for Good Wives is about love, generational trauma, second chances and hope.
Published February 20th by Chatto & Windus Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story, LGBT Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A gut-punch novel of girlhood in early noughties Yorkshire from a blazing new voice
Ask anyone non-Northern, they’ll only know Donny as punch line of a joke or place they changed trains once ont way to London.
But Doncaster’s also the home of Rach, Shaz and Kel, bezzies since childhood and Donny lasses through and through. They share everything, from blagging their way into nightclubs to trips to the Family Planning clinic when they are late. Never mind that Rach is skeptical of Shaz’s bolder plots; or that Shaz, who comes from a rougher end of town, feels left behind when the others begin charting a course to uni; or that Kel sometimes feels split in two trying to keep the peace ― their friendship is as indestructible as they are. But as they grow up and away from one another, a long-festering secret threatens to rip the trio apart.
We Pretty Pieces of Flesh takes you by the hand and leads you through Doncaster’s schoolyards, alleyways and nightclubs, laying bare the intimate treacheries of adolescence and the ways we betray ourselves when we don’t trust our friends. Like The Glorious Heresies and Shuggie Bain, it tracks hard-edged lives and makes them sing, turning one overlooked place into the very centre of the world.
Published February 27th by Simon & Schuster UK Historical Fiction, Saga
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In the chaos of that terrible night, her secret went down with the Titanic. But secrets have a way of floating to the surface…
Trapped in an unhappy aristocratic marriage, Elinor Coombes sees only lonely days ahead of her. So a present from her father – tickets for the maiden voyage of a huge, luxurious new ship called the Titanic – offers a welcome escape from the cold, controlling atmosphere of her husband’s ancestral home, and some precious time with her little son, Teddy.
When the ship goes down, Elinor realises the disaster has given her a chance to take Teddy and start a new life – but only if they can disappear completely, listed as among the dead. Penniless and using another woman’s name, she has to learn to survive in a world that couldn’t be more different from her own, and keep their secret safe.
An uplifting story about grabbing your chances with both hands, and being brave enough to find out who you really are.
Published February 27th by Quercus Historical Fiction, Mythology, Fairy Tale
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Born of the sun and moon, shaped by fire and malady, comes a young woman whose story has never been told . . .
They call her Sycorax. Seer. Sage. Sorceress.
Outcast by society and all alone in the world, Sycorax must find a way to understand her true nature. But as her powers begin to grow, so too do the suspicions of the local townspeople. For knowledge can be dangerous, and a woman’s knowledge is the most dangerous of all . . .
With a great storm brewing on the horizon, Sycorax finds herself in increasing peril – but will her powers save her, or will they spell the end for them all?
A beautifully written and deeply moving imagining of what came before Shakespeare’s The Tempest from the author of A Girl Made of Air.
Publsihed February 27th by Orenda Books Gothic Fiction, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Horror Fiction, Noir Ficiton, Supernatural Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Suspected of murdering their parents, sisters Lily and Della flee to a strange, unnamed island in Scotland, and their arrival puts in motion a horrifying series of events… Literary suspense meets folk horror in 2025’s most original, mesmerising modern gothic masterpiece…
____________________________________
Evil runs through this cursed island And these wicked sisters are about to make it burn…
When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland – an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers.
Lily is terrified of what her sister will might do next, and she soon realises that they have arrived at a place where nothing is as it seems. A bitterness runs through the land like poison, and the stories told by the islanders seem to be far more than folklore.
Della settles in too easily, the island folk drawn to her strangeness, but Lily is plagued by odd and unsettling dreams, and as an annual festival draws nigh, she discovers that she has far more to fear than she could ever have imagined. Or does she…?
Chilling, atmospheric and utterly hypnotic, Small Fires is a contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, generational trauma, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly…
Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.
Publsiehd February 27th by Headline Thriller, Suspense, Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cozy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A headmistress is dead. The circumstances are suspicious. And as every parent knows, being on the school group chat can be murder…
As educators go, Claudia Stitchwell makes Miss Hannigan look like Miss Honey. But when the reviled headteacher drops dead in the school hall, a group of sceptical parents suspect the nut allergy explanation doesn’t add up – they believe someone wanted to teach Miss Stitchwell a lesson.
Only four people could have killed Stitchwell: Hattie, the adored school cook; Kiera, the hard-working teaching assistant; Clive, the loathed school bursar and Ben, the popular deputy head. All of them are liars… but only one is the murderer.
Piecing together evidence from the daily drama and drudgery of the parents’ group chat, local press, police reports, school newsletters, and good, old-fashioned gossip, the determined detective parents are doing their homework to crack the case.
Will you spot the clues? Can you deduce whodunnit? And for the love of all things holy, does anyone have this week’s spellings?
Published February 27th by Sphere Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Ficiton, Psychological Thriller, Police Procedural
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The stunning new thriller from the author who brought you the jaw-dropping twist of I Let You Go, the gasp-out-loud ending of Let Me Lie, and the loveable, unpredictable Ffion Morgan in The Last Party and A Game of Lies.
Even on the most desirable street, there’s a dark side . . .
The Hill is the kind of place everyone wants to live: luxurious, exclusive and safe. But now someone is breaking and entering these Cheshire homes one by one, and DS Leo Brady suspects the burglar is looking for something, or someone, in particular.
Over the border in Wales, DC Ffion Morgan recovers the body of an estate agent from the lake. There’s no love lost between Ffion and estate agents, but who hated this one enough to want her dead – and why?
As their cases collide, Ffion and Leo discover people will pay a high price to keep their secrets behind closed doors . . .
Published February 27th by Bantam Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Historical Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker-longlisted author Belinda Bauer, a sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years.
It was the greatest mystery never told . . .
1926. On the towering cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. But when small and hungry Celie Sheppard finds an ‘impossible’ red egg, it will forever alter the course of her life – and the lives of others.
100 years later in a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort discovers his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.
A taut, wonderfully imagined novel brimming with skulduggery at every turn, The Impossible Thing is a blazing testament to Belinda Bauer’s status as one of our greatest living crime writers.
Published February 27th by Doubleday Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Horror Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A powerful and spine-tingling gothic tale exploring mother-daughter relationships, sexuality, and class.
‘Bold, blazing, absolutely unforgettable’ Elizabeth Macneal, bestselling author of The Doll Factory
There are some facts about the world that only your mother can teach you. Marguerite had been confined for the sake of her wellbeing. That’s what her mother had said.
Marguerite Périgord is locked in the attic of her family home, a towering Chelsea house overlooking the stinking Thames.
For company she has a sewing machine, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management and a carrion crow who has come to nest in the rafters. Restless, she spends her waning energies on the fascinations of her own body, memorising Mrs Beeton’s advice and longing for her life outside.
Cécile Périgord has confined her daughter Marguerite for her own good.
Cécile is concerned that Marguerite’s engagement to a much older, near-penniless solicitor, will drag the family name – her husband’s name, that is – into disrepute. And for Cécile, who has worked hard at her own betterment, this simply won’t do.
Cécile’s life has taught her that no matter how high a woman climbs she can just as readily fall.
Of course, both have their secrets, intentions and histories to hide. As Marguerite’s patience turns into rage, the boundaries of her mind and body start to fray.
And neither woman can recognise what the other is becoming.
Published February 27th by Bloomsbury Publishing Historical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: All that is hidden will soon be revealed . . .
One morning in 1890, a painting wrapped in brown paper appears on the steps of the National Gallery and causes a sensation. It’s clearly by Timothy Ponden-Hall, whose paintings were celebrated and debated not just for their beauty, but for the rumours behind them: they were believed to immortalise the souls of their subjects. But Ponden-Hall has been thought dead for the last 50 years. . .
In a bid to quiet the gossip and rumours that swirl around the streets of London, the gallery brings in renowned and reluctant art historian Solomon Oak to investigate. Oak is assisted by an unlikely aide: his daughter Alice. A passionate but sheltered student, Alice has worldly desires which eclipse the life she’s expected to lead. Together they discover that exposing Ponden-Hall’s legacy will prove more controversial than they could ever have imagined for their family, and for Victorian society.
Set between London and Oxford, The Portrait Artist is a twisting debut exploring race, fame and long-kept secrets.
Published February 27th by Simon & Schuster UK Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.
Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?
Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.
Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.
Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week?
Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?
Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…
The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelie We Zhao
Published Febuary 27th by Harper Voyager Fantasy Ficiton, Romantic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Romance Novel, Dark Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore the mortal realm apart. Now it is an increasingly dangerous place, falling into eternal night where ravenous demons roam and every day is a fight for survival…
The Immortality Trials offer a second chance in this brutal world and are open to any mortal willing to risk the journey to the immortal realm. The prize for completing them is eternal life…
However, first they must survive.
Àn’yīng knows the prize can heal her dying mother and that she’ll need all the help she can get if she’s to complete them.
But when a rival contestant, both powerful and handsome, promises protection and a chance of survival for both Àn’yīng and her mother, she will need to find out quickly whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all … for herself and for all the realms.
It’s very late this month, but today I’m sharing my most anticipated releases out this month. There’s a huge selection, so get ready to add a lot to your wishlist!
The Players by Minetter Walters
Published January 2nd by Allen & Unwin Historical Fiction, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: REBELLION. RETRIBUTION. REDEMPTION. England, 1685. Decades after the end of the civil war, the country is once again divided when Charles II’s illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, arrives in Dorset to incite rebellion against his Catholic uncle.
Armed only with pitchforks, Monmouth’s army is quickly defeated by King James II’s superior forces and charged with high treason. Those found guilty will be hanged, drawn and quartered.
As Dorset braces for carnage, the redoubtable Lady Jayne Harrier and her enigmatic son, assisted by the reclusive daughter of a local magistrate, contrive ways to save men from the gallows.
Compelling and powerful, The Players is a story of guile, deceit and compassion during the dark days of The Bloody Assizes. Secrets are kept and surprising friendships formed in a dangerous gamble to thwart a brutal king’s thirst for vengeance…
Published January 2nd by Century Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club Pick The Last Thing He Told Me comes a riveting mystery wrapped in an epic love story . . .
_________
One beautiful Californian evening, a wealthy businessman falls to his death from his secluded cliff-top house onto the rocks below.
A tragic accident? Or murder?
Nora and her half-brother Sam suspect it may be the latter, and team up to uncover the truth of what really happened that night.
But their relationship has never been easy, and it is about to be tested to the limit as they start to question how well either of them really knew their elusive father.
Unravelling his mysterious past takes them back to a world they knew nothing about, to a tangled love affair and a web of relationships that other people would far rather stay buried…
Filled with passion, intrigue, lies, and dark, dark family secrets, The Night We Lost Him is a page turning mystery you won’t ever want to put down.
Published January 2nd by Faber & Faber Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Suspense, Dark Comedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Calm your mind. Be here, now. Take a breath. And kill.
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER – OVER 2.5M COPIES SOLD I didn’t kill anyone until I was forty-two. That’s actually a little on the late side for my current professional environment. Admittedly, I did kill almost half a dozen in the week that followed.
Björn has been given an ultimatum: repair his work-life balance, or his wife Katharina will leave him – and take their daughter.
He reluctantly starts a mindfulness class and to his surprise, it’s a revelation. He becomes calmer, more focused, and he’s starting to understand what’s really important in life. So when his client and brutal crime boss Dragan Sergowicz tries to interfere with his precious family time, Björn remembers his new-found goal to find serenity – and kills him.
Now Björn can deepen his practice and seek inner peace – violently.
Published January 7th by Quercus Mystery, Magical Realism, Fairy Tale, Ghost Story, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Two twins. An unbroken bond. A truth unspoken.
The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition – she can feel what he feels. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone – truly alone – for the first time in her life.
When James arrives in the rural town of Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to rehash the ominous past she and Johnny shared and finally face Micah, the only person who knows about it. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved.
But James soon discovers that the strange connection she had with Johnny isn’t quite gone, and the more she immerses herself into his world, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was keeping secrets, and he’s not the only one.
What she uncovers will push her to unravel what happened in the days before Johnny’s death, but in the end, she’ll have to decide which truths should come to light, and which should stay buried forever.
Published January 7th by Hodder & Stoughton Horror Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Ghost Story, Fairy Tale, Suspense
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner. But the bloody messes don’t bother her, not when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister being pushed in front of a train.
But the killer was never caught, and Cora is still haunted by his last words: bat eater.
These days, nobody can reach Cora: not her aunt who wants her to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, not her weird colleagues, and especially not the slack-jawed shadow lurking around her doorframe. After all, it can’t be real – can it?
After a series of unexplained killings in Chinatown, Cora believes that someone might be targeting East Asian women, and something might be targeting Cora herself.
Soon, she will learn . . . you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts.
Published January 9th by Oneworld Publications Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘This story left me thinking about the ways we overcome setbacks and redefine what truly matters.’ Reese Witherspoon
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK FOR DECEMBER 2024 * A HARPER’S BAZAAR BEST BOOK OF 2024
A terrible accident forces Natalia to make a devastating choice about her future as a dancer, in this sweeping novel of love and redemption
Prima ballerina Natalia Leonova was once celebrated across the world, her signature bravura in demand on stages from St. Petersburg to Paris to New York. But at the top of her career, an accident forces her into sudden retirement. Injured and alone, she turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past, still haunted by her relationships with two gifted dancers, Dmitri and Alexander. These men were responsible for her soaring highs, her darkest hours and, ultimately, both played their part in her downfall.
So when Dmitri resurfaces with a tantalising offer for Natalia, she must decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to dance again – and for the chance to return to the great love of her life. Painting a vivid portrait of a world in which ruthless ambition, desire and sublime artistry collide, City of Night Birds unveils the making of a dancer with profound intimacy and breathtaking scope.
From the author of Beasts of a Little Land, winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Award
A Serial Killer’s Guide To Marriage by Asia Mackay
Published January 14th by Wildfire Thriller, Suspense, Dark Comedy, Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A couple that kills together stays together. DISCOVER THE ADDICTIVE THRILLER READERS CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT
‘Sexy, stylish, thrilling. A razor-sharp tale of marriage and murder.’ CHRIS WHITAKER ‘Your sassy, twisted must-read of 2025’ JANICE HALLETT ‘If you liked Mr & Mrs Smith, you’ll love this’ CLARE MACKINTOSH ‘Darkly funny and clever’ KATY BRENT ‘Huge fun. You won’t put it down.’ HARRIET TYCE
Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they’re ex-serial killers.
They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to kill. Not many power couples know how to get away with murder.
Then Hazel fell pregnant and they gave it all up for life in the suburbs; dinner parties instead of body disposal.
But recently Hazel has started to feel that itch again. When she kills someone behind Fox’s back and brings the police to their door, she must do anything she can to protect her family.
This could save their marriage – unless it kills them first.
Published January 14th by Titan Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Roman History
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A powerful and fierce reimagining of the founding of the Roman empire and the legend of Romulus and Remus-and the mother whose sacrifice made it all possible. Ideal for fans of Madeleine Miller, Jennifer Saint and Natalie Haynes.
A powerful and fierce reimagining of the earliest Roman legend: the twins, Romulus and Remus, mythical founders of history’s greatest empire, and the woman whose sacrifice made it all possible.
The names Romulus and Remus may be immortalized in map and stone and chronicle, but their mother exists only as a preface to her sons’ journey, the princess turned oath-breaking priestess, condemned to death alongside her children.
But she did not die; she survived. And so does her story.
Beautiful, royal, rich: Rhea has it all—until her father loses his kingdom in a treacherous coup, and she is sent to the order of the Vestal Virgins to ensure she will never produce an heir.
Except when mortals scheme, gods laugh.
Rhea becomes pregnant, and human society turns against her. Abandoned, ostracized, and facing the gravest punishment, Rhea forges a dangerous deal with the divine, one that will forever change the trajectory of her life…and her beloved land.
To save her sons and reclaim their birthright, Rhea must summon nature’s mightiest force—a mother’s love—and fight.
All roads may lead to Rome, but they began with Rhea Silvia.
Published January 14th by Bloomsbury Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A portrait of the artist as a young woman in a Berlin that can’t escape its history: an electric debut novel about the daughter of Afghan refugees and her year of nightclubs, bad romance, and self-discovery ‘Kaleidoscopic, full of style and soul’ Raven Leilani ‘A must-read . Dark, breathtaking, profound, so fresh’ Guardian ‘A no-bullshit must-read debut’ Kaveh Akbar
In Berlin’s underground, where techno rattles buildings still scarred with the violence of the last century, nineteen-year-old Nila finds her tribe. In their company she can escape the parallel city that made her, the public housing block packed with refugees and immigrants, where the bathrooms are infested with silverfish and the walls outside are graffitied with swastikas.
Escaping into the clubs, Nila tries to outrun the shadow of her dead mother, once a feminist revolutionary; her catatonic, defeated father; and the cab-driver uncles who seem to idle on every corner. To anyone who asks, her family is Greek, not Afghani.
And then Nila meets American writer Marlowe Woods, whose literary celebrity, though fading, opens her eyes to a world of patrons and festivals, one that imbues her dreams of life as an artist with new possibility. But as she finds herself drawn further into his orbit and ugly, barely submerged tensions begin to roil and claw beneath the city’s cosmopolitan veneer, everything she hopes for, hates, and believes about herself will be challenged.
Published January 16th by Orion Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Adventure Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THEY’VE FAKED YOUR CHILD’S DEATH. AND IF YOU DON’T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT, THEY’LL MAKE IT A REALITY.
Things have been difficult for Annie since her husband left; her teenage daughter, Isla, has become a ghost of her former self. Annie’s terrified that Isla might do something desperate, and she’ll lose her, too. So when Annie receives a video of herself crying at Isla’s funeral, her blood runs cold.
Confused and horrified, Annie races upstairs to check on Isla, who is alive and well. The video has been faked. But who sent it and what do they want?
One dark truth soon becomes clear: Annie is the latest in a string of parents being blackmailed, and Isla will be killed if Annie goes to the police or if she fails to give the sender what they want. Annie has a deadly choice: comply with the demands, or try to unmask the dangerous criminal.
Your Child Next is a thrilling and unputdownable novel that asks you how far you’d go to protect the ones you love. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Steve Cavanagh.
Published January 16th by Bedford Squard Publishers Historical Fiction, LGBT Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Wonderfully evocative, this book transports the reader to the dark underworld of late Elizabethan London. I was gripped from the first page.’ Tracy Borman
It is 1597 and Kit Skevy and Mariner Elgin have just robbed the wrong grave.
They are young criminals in the pocket of a gang Lord named Will Twentyman, the Grave Eorl of Southwark. Mariner is the best cutpurse around, a strange Calvinist girl who dresses like a boy and is partner in crime to Kit Skevy, Southwark’s best brawler who carries a secret: he cannot feel pain.
When caught out in their unfortunate larceny, Kit is kidnapped by the menacing alchemist Lord Isherwood (a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his hopes for the Red Lion elixir) and his studious son, Lazarus Isherwood, with whom Kit develops a complicated intrigue. When Mariner enlists the help of a competing French alchemist, Lady Elody Blackwater, Mariner and Kit are thrust into the shadowed, political world of Tudor alchemy, testing both their friendship and their lives.
It matters not who you are born to… but where you are made!
Published January 16th by Orenda Books Nordic Noir, Crime Fiction, Crime Series, Hardboiled, Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Chief Investigator of Nordland Police, Jakob Weber is drawn into a complex case when a teenaged girl goes missing in Northern Norway, and a second woman disappears from a remote island in similar circumstances … FIRST in a compelling, dark new Nordic Noir series.
‘This is first-class Nordic Noir from the real North, where danger lurks around every corner’ Gunnar Staalesen
‘Jakob Weber is a great protagonist, and the sense of place is phenomenal. The perfect start to a series destined for greatness’ Thomas Enger
_______
In Norway’s frozen north, it’s not just secrets that are buried…
When nineteen-year-old Iselin Hanssen disappears during a run in a popular hiking area in Bodø, Northern Norway, suspicion quickly falls on her boyfriend. For investigator Jakob Weber, the case seems clear-cut, almost unexceptional, even though there is some suggestion that Iselin lived parts of her life beneath the radar of both family and friends.
But events take a dramatic turn when another woman disappears in similar circumstances – this time on the island of Røst, miles off the Norwegian coast, in the wild ocean.
Rumours that a killer is on the loose begin to spread, terrifying the local population and leading to wild conspiracies. But then Jakob discovers that this isn’t the first time that young women have vanished without a trace in the region, and it becomes clear that someone is hiding something … and another murderous spree may have just begun…
For fans of Joe Pickett, Ragnar Jonasson and Jorn Lier Horst
Published January 16th by Simon & Schuster UK Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Dark Comedy, Psychological Ficiton, Crime Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Magical Realism, Contemporary Fantasy, Metaphysical Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: How to Kill Your Family meets The Power in this entertaining and thought-provoking read, that asks:
If you had the power between life and death, what would you do?
Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another – something she finds out the hard way when her best friend Ruth suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea touches the arm of the man responsible when he comes to check if Ruth is all right. As Ruth comes to, the man quietly slumps to the ground, dead.
Thea realises that she has a godlike power: but despite deciding to use her ability for good, she can’t help but sometimes use it for her own benefit. Boss annoying her at work? She can take some life from them and give it as a tip to her masseuse for a great job. Creating an ‘Ethical Guide to Murder’ helps Thea to focus her new-found skills. But as she embarks on her mission to punish the wicked and give the deserving more time, she finds that it isn’t as simple as she first thought.
How can she really know who deserves to die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth’s borrowed time runs out?
Published January 16th by Century Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Women Sleuths
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A frozen wilderness.
A killer in the skies.
When aspiring travel writer Chloé Campbell is invited aboard a luxury airship flying to the North Pole, she thinks she’s bagged the opportunity of a lifetime.
But she hasn’t had long to admire the dazzling icy views before a fellow passenger is found dead in their cabin.
Trapped at the top of the world, the group agrees a tragic accident has occurred. But as the hours tick by, fear turns to doubt.
It seems everyone’s a suspect.
And it isn’t long before the passengers begin to turn on each other . . .
Published January 16th by Simon & Schuster UK Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: She thinks it was murder. But if she can’t trust herself, can anyone else?
Nancy North and her boyfriend Felix are making the move across London to Harlesden. A new flat, a new area, a new start. Because while Nancy is fine now, she wasn’t fine before. But settling into the new flat and meeting the new neighbours isn’t helped by Felix’s hovering concern. She is all right. She is sticking to her breathing exercises and doctor-prescribed help.
So, when their new neighbour Kira Mullan is found dead by suicide, Felix is understandably worried about Nancy’s frame of mind. But Nancy saw Kira the day before she died and she didn’t strike her as someone who was suicidal – she was upset and angry, yes, but was she upset and angry enough to take her own life?
Nancy is the only one convinced that there’s more to Kira’s death than has been discovered. But all the police and the neighbours see is a vulnerable woman who isn’t sure of what she saw, and might even be imagining things . . .
Is Nancy imagining things, or are there more questions that should be asked about the last days of Kira Mullan?
Published January 16th by Doubleday Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: It’s not dust she’s looking for. It’s dirt.
Esmie is meant to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place, and a uniform of leggings and a duster that allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy Woodlands gated community, unnoticed.
Which is exactly what she wants. Because Esmie isn’t really a cleaner.
One of the residents of Woodlands has ruined her life. And when she finds out who, she’s going to make them pay . . .
This beautifully sinister, propulsive page-turner that explores themes of identity and privilege is perfect for fans of Harriet Tyce and Lisa Jewell.
Published January 16th by Fourth Estate Thriller, Ghost Story, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Horror, Contemporary Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A DAILY MAIL BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2025
A COSMOPOLITAN BEST NEW BOOK OUT IN JANUARY
In the hallowed halls of Cambridge, a dangerous obsession takes hold…
When a young man arrives in Cambridge as a first-year student, he finds himself an outsider. There’s the punting and the politics, the wine and the waistcoats, all seemingly familiar to everyone but him. Then he falls under the spell of Bryn Cavendish.
A notorious party boy and skilled magician, Bryn is magnetic. To be in his circle is to revel in clouds of ecstasy, untouched by the rules. To be exiled is to haunt the peripheries of campus life like a ghost.
As the academic year intensifies and Bryn’s magic tricks become more sinister, one question lingers. Is Bryn’s charisma the source of his influence or does he wield a much darker and more dangerous power?
Published January 16th by Chatto & Windus Contemporary Romance, Sports Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.
‘Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones and the Six . . . As brilliantly choreographed as a gold-medal performance’ JODI PICOULT
Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn’t. My first love was figure skating.
Katarina Shaw has always known she’s destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating – and each other – to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating fans with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style and rollercoaster relationship.
Until, at the Olympic Games, as the world holds its breath, a shocking incident instantly destroys their partnership.
Ten years later, an unauthorised tell-all documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha. If Kat wants to own her story, she must break her silence. As Kat’s account of her dramatic rise and fall alternates with scandalous interviews from the film, The Favourites spins into a dance between passion, ambition and what it truly means to win.
Sensational rumours have haunted Kat and Heath’s every step for years, but the truth may be even more outrageous than the headlines.
Published January 16th by Tor Gothic Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Pscyhological Thriller, Horror Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Paranormal Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The next twisted unforgettable horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group.
‘A chillingly addictive Southern Gothic tale’ COSMOPOLITAN
‘I did an evil thing to be put in here, and I’m going to have to do an evil thing to get out.’
They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.
Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. There, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to keep her baby and escape to a commune. Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby’s father. And Holly, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.
Every moment of their waking day is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid . . . and it’s usually paid in blood.
Published January 16th by Scholastic Dystopia, Young Adult, Alternative History
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Enter a darkly dystopian world full of eerie folklore, in which illness and difference have been prohibited. But from deep beneath the earth, a rebellion is rising… Perfect for fans of Never Let Me Go and The Luminaries.
Ora has always been fascinated by chilling fairy stories of the Vulpine – the mythical, fox-like monsters who live below ground, emerging at night to snatch ‘imperfect’ babies and children. Because Ora knows that disability and illness have no place in her world. To succeed is to be genetically ‘perfect’, just like her best friend Casta and his family.
Then, one day, Casta’s baby sister disappears. And Ora’s mother reveals a long-buried secret: Ora herself has a genetic illness that affects her lungs… And she’s about to be found out.
Desperate for answers and sanctuary, Ora decides to do the unthinkable and seek out the fabled Vulpine. And below the earth, she discovers a hidden world that turns everything she has been taught upside-down…
Perfect for fans of Never Let Me Go, A Handmaid’s Tale, The Hunger Games and The Luminaries.
A unique and powerful story about stepping into your power and creating a better world, with a brilliant cast of disabled heroes, from an author whose own experiences of chronic illness inform Ora’s.
A chilling dystopian world filled with eerie science fiction and a sweet, slow-burn romance.
Published January 16th by Bloomsbury Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT READ’ CHRIS HAMMER ‘A MUST-READ’ ELLERY LLOYD It’s not the lies that kill you. It’s the truth.
They predicted Ivo would become a tycoon They predicted Ayda would go on to become a hotshot lawyer They didn’t predict that Lily would be dead
Twenty years ago, nine university friends made a series of predictions about what would happen to each of them after college. Now they’ve all gathered together for the weekend. Not for a reunion but for a reveal.
Some of them have gone on to staggering success, others to more mundane lives. And one of them is missing.
Before her death Lily seemed agitated. Even scared. In the weeks before her death, she called Maggie, wanting to talk but then refusing to say what was frightening her. Now Maggie is beginning to realise that not everyone at the house this weekend is who they appeared to be.
And those who are lying are prepared to do anything to stop the truth coming out.
An unputdownable page-turner about old friends and new betrayals from an award winning thriller writer at the very top of her game, this is unmissable reading group suspense fiction.
Published January 16th by Hodder & Stoughton Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: **THE BOOK FOR EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW**
THEY’RE THE BEST OF FRIENDS. OR SO THEY SAY… ⭐ ‘Brilliant: so funny, so sad, so scary’ Jacqueline Wilson⭐ ⭐ ‘It will resonate for all women, and it’s so much fun’ Marian Keyes ⭐ ⭐ ‘Part whodunnit, part dark take-down of motherhood’ Gillian McAllister⭐ ⭐ ‘Compelling, thought-provoking, unputdownable’ Sarah Turner ⭐ ⭐ ‘Universally empowering’ Kate Sawyer⭐ An intense heatwave. A high-stakes baby shower. Will it all end in tears? Nicki, Lauren, Charlotte and Steffi have been friends since university. Now in their thirties, life is pulling them in different directions – but when Charlotte organises the baby shower of hell for pregnant Nicki, the girls are reunited. Under a sweltering hot summer day, tensions rise – and by the end of the day, nothing will ever be the same. Someone started a fire at the house – and everyone’s a suspect… Is it Steffi, happily child-free but feeling judged by her friends? Is it Charlotte, desperate to conceive and jealous of those who have? Is it Lauren, who is finding motherhood far, far harder than she imagined? Or is it Nicki herself, who never wanted a baby shower anyway? In the aftermath, the police put together the facts – but the truth will shock everyone. Even you. BIG LITTLE LIES meets EXPECTATION in the incredible new novel from Holly Bourne – it’s the book you’ll want to read three times, then give to every woman in your life.
Published January 16th by Bantam Fanstasy Fiction, Magical Realism, Romantic Fantasy, Contemporary Ficiton, Fairy Tale, Cosy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Would you rewrite your destiny if it meant losing a part of your past?
On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it.
Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just the chosen ones – those who are lost – will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.
Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike other customers. For he offers help, instead of seeking it.
Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice – through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning and through a night market in the clouds.
But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own – and risk making a choice she will never be able to take back.
Step into the captivating and romantic fantasy novel that will sweep you away on an unforgettable adventure – perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli, Erin Morgenstern and Before the Coffee Gets Cold!
Published January 16th by Pushkin Vertigo Mystery, Horror Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Cozy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘So captivating I read it in a day. So disturbing I thought about it all night’ Janice Hallet, author of The Appeal
‘The twists of a Golden Age whodunit, mixed with a wonderfully innovative use of illustrations. Delightfully macabre and fiendishly clever’ G.T. Karber, author of Murdle
A Japanese mystery bestseller, revolving around a series of creepy drawings, in which the reader is the detective – from the Youtube sensation Uketsu
A series of drawings made by a young woman before her death.
A child’s disturbing picture of his home.
A desperate sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments.
Each contains a chilling warning.
Each reveals a terrible secret, hidden in plain sight.
Uketsu’s eerie mysteries have captivated millions of readers. Can you find the clues in these strange pictures and uncover the sinister truth that connects them all?
Published January 23rd by Orion Crime Fiction, Mystery, Supsense, Political Fiction, Legal Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Alex knows she risks getting fired from her law firm if she takes on another unpaid case, but when she hears Rosa’s desperate voice at the other end of the phone, she knows she has to help: the body of Rosa’s shy teenage sister, Natalia, has been dragged, lifeless, from the Thames. Alex can’t help but think of her own missing little sister. She knows how a lack of answers can eat you alive.
Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary, and is eager to finally put the dark and tragic part of her past behind her. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, she begins to wonder whether her seemingly perfect new boss could be involved. Then she she’s shocked to discover a letter that raises worrying questions about a girl found drowned in London… Natalia.
There are complex and painful reasons for Alex and Kat not to work together, but when it becomes clear that there are powerful people involved in Natalia’s death, and that other girls are at risk, Alex and Kat must overcome their differences to find answers. Will they save the girls and discover the truth? Or will the high-powered players in this game stop Alex and Kat for good?
Published January 23rd by Picador Coming-of-Age Story, Bildungsroman, Urban Fiction, Political Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: One of The New Yorker‘s Best Books of the Year
‘Beautiful . . . Clare Sestanovich is a writer of disarming radiance’ – Garth Greenwell, author of Cleanness
How much knowledge do you need in order to know someone?
As her grandmother is dying, sixteen-year-old Eva wanders the halls of a hospital. There, she spots Jamie. Despite having little in common, from this chance-encounter stems a life-changing platonic love.
She is sixteen, living in middle-class Brooklyn; he is the same age, but from the super-rich of Upper Manhattan. She’s observant, cautious, eager to seem normal; he’s bold, mysterious, eccentric. Eva’s family is warm and welcoming, but Jamie avoids going home to his.
As Eva goes off to university and falls in and out of love, Jamie drops out and is drawn towards radical experiments in politics and religion. Their separate spheres seem to be spiralling away from each other, but it soon becomes clear that they are both circling the same question: how do you define yourself and your beliefs in a divided and unjust world?
Written with precision and immense wit, Ask Me Again is a journey of intimacy across time. A love story of sorts, this coming-of-age novel explores how relationships can define us, change us and point us towards futures we might not have imagined for ourselves.
Published January 23rd by Viking Literary Fiction, Saga
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A remarkable debut. A complex and compulsive read that unravels the intricate twists and revelations among three generations of women with elegance and urgency.’ Miranda Cowley Heller, bestselling author of THE PAPER PALACE
‘A saga: its serious pleasures are its expansiveness and range, and Airey’s rare, particular instinct… a cool, bold image of female pain and liberation’ Guardian
It is late September in 2001 and the walls of New York are papered over with photos of the missing. Cora Brady’s father is there, the poster she made taped to columns and bridges. Her mother died long ago and now, orphaned on the cusp of adulthood, Cora is adrift and alone. Soon, a letter will arrive with the offer of a new life: far out on the ragged edge of Ireland, in the town where her parents were young, an estranged aunt can provide a home and fulfil a long-forgotten promise. There the story of Cora’s family is hidden, and in her presence will begin to unspool…
An essential, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, Confessions traces the arc of three generations of women as they experience in their own time the irresistible gravity of the past: its love and tragedy, its mystery and redemption, and, in all things intended and accidental, the beauty and terrible shade of the things we do.
Published January 28th by Thomas & Mercer Crime Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In this mesmerising thriller from the bestselling author of Keep Her Secret, a family’s fresh start is just the beginning of their nightmare…
Ethan Dove’s family has moved to a new home in a safe community, and it’s exactly the fresh start they need. Not only is his marriage to Emma hanging by a thread, but his son, Dylan, and twelve-year-old daughter, Rose, deserve to have a happy childhood.
After Rose is bullied by the boys across the road, Ethan is relieved when the woman who lives next door steps in. Fiona Smith has come into their lives at just the right moment, and when she offers to look after Rose during the school holidays, Ethan and Emma can’t believe their luck.
Which is exactly what Fiona wants. Because, far from being the perfect neighbour, Fiona is the last person you should trust with your child. With a vicious plot for revenge, Fiona is happy to train Rose to be her accomplice, especially when she begins to suspect that Rose might not be as innocent as she appears…
The Psychopath Next Door is a gripping and twisted psychological suspense thriller set in the terrifying world of Mark Edwards’s bestselling The Magpies universe.
Published January 30th by Michael Joseph Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THE GRIPPING NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME
‘Famous Last Words blindsided me with twists and surprises that had me gasping… A brilliant, brilliant book’ Jodi Picoult
‘What an incredible, gripping, thrilling read’ Lisa Jewell
‘Only a Gillian McAllister thriller can make your heart race and then your heart melt from one page to the next! I’m a devoted fan!’ LIANE MORIARTY
‘Utterly effing magnificent. I could NOT put it down!’ MARIAN KEYES
—
It’s Camilla’s first day back at work, her daughter’s first day at nursery. But husband Luke is nowhere to be seen. The only trace of him is an unfinished note. Camilla tries to put it out of her mind; there must be a rational explanation. At work, there are welcomes back, and too many distractions.
Then it starts.
Breaking news: there’s a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive: Luke is caught up in it.
But he isn’t a hostage. Luke – doting father, successful writer, enthusiastic runner and eternal optimist – is the gunman.
What Camilla does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind says, and the clues it might hold . . .
Published January 30th by Pan Macmillan Thrller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘I was consumed by this book, it’s her best ever, a work of genius’ – Lisa Jewell, author of None of This is True
‘Her best book yet’ – Harlan Coben, author of Fool Me Once
The million-copy bestselling author of His and Hers, Alice Feeney, returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage . . . and revenge.
* * *
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.
Grady calls his wife as she’s driving home to share some exciting news. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by a cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but his wife has disappeared.
A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.
Wives think their husbands will change, but they don’t. Husbands think their wives won’t change, but they do.
Published January 30th by HQ Crime Fiction, Thriller, Satire, Parodies, Humorous Fiction, Dark Comedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Your favourite anti-heroine, Kitty Collins, is back! Expect more wit, sass, and, of course, murder…
‘I was rooting for Kitty even as she killed more men (oops!). Funny and twisty in the best of ways’ Tasha Coryell
***************************
My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer.
I don’t want to kill. It’s just so hard to resist. Some men really, really deserve it.
Men like Blaze Bundy, an anonymous influencer spreading misogyny online. He’s making it very hard for me to control my murderous urges.
Meanwhile I’m in the South of France to watch my mother marry a man I’ve never met. I should be drinking cocktails and focusing on my tan, not plotting a murder.
But a woman’s work is never done. Surely one more teensy little kill wouldn’t hurt, would it?
**************************
Fans of How to Kill Your Family and Bad Sisters will love this deliciously dark, hilariously twisted new novel from the author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It and The Murder After the Night Before.
Pre-order here*
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
Publihsed January 30th by Weidenfeld & Nicolson Gothic Fiction, Horror Fiction, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Fairy Tale, Gay Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A gripping, sinister folktale set in contemporary Cumbria for fans of Sophie Mackintosh, Angela Carter, Daisy Johnson, Margaret Atwood and Julia Armfield. Pre-order now.
‘A new generation of literary horror begins with Lucy Rose’ Genevieve Jagger, author of Fragile Animals ‘Deliciously dark and shockingly bold. Lucy Rose is one to watch. One of my favourite debuts in a long time’ Kirsty Logan, author of Now She is Witch
‘Stunning, shocking and surprising at each turn – everything one would want from a novel, and so much more. Lucy Rose’s fearful and fantastic imagination is a powerful weapon’ Benjamin Myers, author of Cuddy
‘Lucy Rose weaves together flesh, bones and mommy issues with unsettling deftness to create an unforgettable, nightmarish tale. I ate it all up’ Anna Bogutskaya, author of Feeding the Monster
A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT.
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest since Margot can remember. When Margot isn’t at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.
But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, little Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires and make a bid for freedom.
With this gothic coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire and animal instincts – and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.
Published January 30th by Headline Histrorial Fiction, Historical Mystery, Crime Ficiton, Mystery, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Nothing is quite as it seems in Victorian high society, in the twisty and original new novel from the author of THE HOUSEKEEPERS…
‘Sheer delight from start to finish’ Janice Hallett
‘Audacious, cunning, quick-witted’ Louise Candlish
‘As fiendishly clever as its characters’ Jennie Godfrey
They whisper her name in every corner of town. The lady with a hundred faces, a thousand lives. Five moves, five days – for such are the rules of her game.
1898. Quinn Le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off the seemingly impossible: trick an eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.
Masquerading as a wealthy debutante, Quinn is the jewel of the season. Her brilliant act opens doors to the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society – and propels her into the inner circle of her target: the corrupt, charismatic Kendals.
But as she spins in and out of their world, Quinn becomes tangled in a dangerous web of love, lies and loyalty. The Kendal family all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception…
Published January 30th by Simon & Schuster UK Historical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Readers are in for a true treat … Dazzling’ PATERSON JOSEPH ‘This powerful story is steeped in truth and resonates with humanity. It’s a gritty thriller and a whirlwind adventure, but most of all it’s a tale of love and hope. A beautiful, original and heart-stopping read’ JANICE HALLETT
‘I loved this brilliant book about an essential and forgotten piece of our history. Devious plots, secret pasts and forbidden futures. Gritty and thrilling, with vivid and unforgettable characters’ LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON
Some things are earned. Some things are worth fighting for…
It’s 1782, Daniel and his sister Pearl arrive in London with the world at their feet and their future assured. Having escaped a Jamaican sugar plantation, Daniel fought for the British in the American War of Independence and was rewarded with freedom and an inheritance.
But the city is not a place for men like Daniel and he is callously tricked and finds himself, along with his sister Pearl, in the rookeries of St Giles – a warren of dark and menacing alleyways, filled with violence and poverty.
The underworld labyrinth is run by Elias, a man whose cruelty knows no bounds. But under his dangerous rule is a brotherhood of Black men, the Blackbirds of St Giles, whose intention is to set their people free.
Can Daniel use his strength, wit and the fellowship of the other Blackbirds to overthrow Elias and truly find the freedom he fought for…?
Published January 30th by John Murrary Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: BEST BOOKS for 2025 from Stylist and Good Housekeeping
‘Enthralling . . . the descriptions of the landscape, the meals they eat and the art created are so rich and evocative it’s as if you’re there’ Good Housekeeping
‘Lucy Steeds transports the reader with her sensuous depictions of food, art, and landscape . . . an assured and atmospheric debut’ Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent
‘A furiously romantic, sun-drenched mystery . . . The Artist will leave you yearning in every sense of the word’ Yael van der Wouden, author of The Safekeep
PROVENCE, 1920
Ettie moves through the remote farmhouse, silently creating the conditions that make her uncle’s artistic genius possible.
Joseph, an aspiring journalist, has been invited to the house. He believes he’ll make his name by interviewing the reclusive painter, the great Edouard Tartuffe.
But everyone has their secrets. And, under the cover of darkness, Ettie has spent years cultivating hers.
Over this sweltering summer, everyone’s true colours will be revealed. Because Ettie is ready to be seen. Even if it means setting her world on fire.
‘Gorgeous . . . Steeped in the heat and atmosphere of 1920s Provence, this novel brims with intrigue, hope and yearning’ Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory and The Burial Plot
Published January 30th by Scribner UK Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: An extraordinary and urgent debut by a prize-winning Irish writer, NESTING introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.
On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.
This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another.
What will it take for Ciara to rebuild her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?
Tense, beautiful, and underpinned by an unassailable love, hope and resilience, this is the story of one woman’s bid to start over.
Published January 30th by Bloomsbury Contemporary Horror, Psychological Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Infused with the folklore of Northern England, It Comes from the River is an unforgettable, uncanny debut about violence, resilience and hope – and the power of women when they work together.
The three women flinch: feel something pass outside. A reek of singed fur, scorching damp. Flaming eyes. A creature. It knows these women. They feel its wanting.
From the river it comes.
To the river it always returns.
Alex is trying to hold her growing family together with a husband who is becoming more and more difficult to keep happy. Lauren hopes that the new man in her life might present a fresh start for her and her two boys. And Nancy’s son has moved her into a care home where she feels entirely out of place, longing for her lost dog while dreaming of her own escape.
But there is something else at play here. Something lurking in the water or at the end of an unlit street; a shadow in a bag of strangers’ clothing; a chorus of voices calling in the distance.
As each woman’s world spirals from her grasp, they feel it getting closer, revealing the truth of what binds them together, and what must be done to set each of them free . . .
Published January 30th by Magpie Gothic Fiction, Fairy Tale, Horror Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Ghost Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A murderous aunt, strangely gifted children and witchcraft come together in Camilla Bruce’s new intensely dark adult Gothic fairytale. For fans of Catriona Ward and C.J. Cooke
‘All the elegance and all the venom of one of E.Nesbit’s supernatural stories served with a side of arsenic.’ Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House
The dead won’t stay silent forever…
Clara Woods has a secret. At the bottom of the garden is a flowerbed, long overgrown, where her murdered husband rests in peace – or so she always thought. Then the girls arrived.
Lily and Violet, her adolescent nieces, are recently orphaned and in urgent need of care. Raising teenagers is certainly not what Clara had envisioned for herself, but they come with a hefty sum attached.
There is only one problem: both girls are untrained witches. Lily can literally see how people feel. And young Violet can see the dead man wandering at the bottom of the garden. In fact, she can see all the dead and call them back.
Soon, Clara finds herself surrounded by apparitions – and two girls who know far more about her dark past than they should. A war is waging in this house, and only one side can win…
Published January 30th by Hemlock Press Crime Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Everything I love in a crime novel – passion, interesting and rooted characters and a great story’ Ann Cleeves
Don’t miss this award winning debut crime thriller set in Sheffield introducing DI Diana Walker: A grizzly murder has Diana questioning everything she knows, and secrets come to light that threaten to tear her world apart
Silence protects the victims… And the killer
When the dismembered body of a headmaster is found on the derelict site of a former school in Sheffield, DI Diana Walker finds herself chasing shadows.
Faced with missing teachers, unreported crimes and silent witnesses, Diana is running out of leads. Her colleagues insist this is just another instance of gang violence, but Diana knows there’s something more. Something everyone’s too scared to talk about.
With her reputation on the line, Diana is determined to find the truth. Her search for answers leads to Sheffield’s neglected underbelly, where she finds distrust, horrifying secrets and a whole new understanding of justice.
Published January 30th by Viper Books Mysery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Cosy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A delightful mix of classic crime fiction and Robert Galbraith’ – IAN MOORE ‘Witty, compelling and an intriguing fiendish murder’ – J.M. HALL ‘Brilliantly entertaining and fiendishly fun’ – PHILIPPA EAST
A dead art historian. Cold War skulduggery. A reluctant Danish sleuth. And an extremely hungry dog.
Dame Charlotte Lazerton – eminent art historian and mentor of Danish academic Torben Helle – is dead. And to make things worse, she was found partially eaten by her Irish wolfhound, Mortimer. While the police believe that she died of natural causes, Torben becomes convinced that Charlotte was murdered, although as usual no one pays any attention to him. That is, until he gains the confidence of a policeman who has watched too many Nordic Noir television shows and is ready to listen to any Scandinavian in a fetching woolly jumper.
Aided by his old friend Leyla, Torben soon realises that there are plenty of people who might have wanted Dame Charlotte dead, from her competitors for a prestigious academic presidency to old enemies from her time in intelligence during the Cold War. One thing is for sure: Torben Helle is woefully unqualified to catch a killer, and the killer knows it…
This witty murder mystery puts a modern spin on the classic Golden Age whodunnit. A must-read for fans of Tom Hindle, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.
Published January 30th by HQ Urban Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A story of falling out of love from the winner of the Comedy Women in Print Award, for fans of Monica Heisey and Dolly Alderton
‘A thoughtful and tender take on the concept of “home”‘ Pandora Sykes
Mara longs to escape the London rental market and the small, damp flat she shares with her housemate, Lewis (who refuses to wash up cutlery because it makes him feel weird). She wants nothing more than to get into her pyjamas at 6pm and watch Real Housewives in a judgement-free zone.
Then Mara’s prayers are answered as she unexpectedly comes into some money that helps her find a home of her own. She just needs her long-term boyfriend, Tom, to move in so they can be happy and grown-up together.
Except Tom has decided to leave London – and Mara.
Just as her life should be coming together, everything starts to unravel. Navigating a break-up/non-break-up, a best friend accusing her of being self-involved, and a fixation with her new neighbours, will Mara ever be able to shake this homesick feeling?
Published January 30th by Manilla Press Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Captures with grace and profundity the experience of immigrants and health workers’ TASH AW
‘A beautifully immersive coming-of-age tale set amongst the brilliance and bleakness of 1970s London’ LOUISE HARE
Penang, 1971. When Suyin Lim is offered the opportunity of a lifetime – a place as a trainee nurse in London’s Bethnal Green Hospital – she jumps at the chance to leave her job as a seamstress and unite with her sister, who left for the same path a year before.
However, without warning her sister returns to Penang, a shadow of her former self and Suyin is forced to leave without any answers. Suyin soon finds herself starting a new life in London, falling in love with the vibrant city and its people and as she immerses herself in the gruelling but rewarding work of caring for her patients, she begins to understand what she really wants out of life . . .
BETHNAL GREEN explores the themes of sacrifice and heartbreak, the power of using your voice and the will to build a life of one’s own against the odds. It is also a powerful love letter to dedicated NHS workers from around the world, whose work touches countless lives every day.
Published January 30th by Pan Macmillan Contemporary Romance, Urban Fiction, Lesbian LiteratureBOOK DESCRIPTION: A beautiful, razor-sharp novel by Sarah Handyside, Instructions for Heartbreak is a life-affirming story about female friendship, self-love and how to survive a broken heart.
What if heartbreak came with a manual?
It starts with a late-night knock on the door. Dee, Liv and Rosa share a flat in south London, while Katie lives close by with her boyfriend. But, when Katie’s nine-year relationship ends – suddenly and brutally – she turns up on their doorstep with no idea what to do next, or how to do anything after spending so long with her life entwined with someone else’s.
Out comes the martini shaker (an old, well-washed gherkin jar) and, with an unused sketchbook, an idea. They’ll make Katie the handbook that she needs to process her heartbreak and start rebuilding her life. There are notes on tears, hangovers and roast chicken, scribblings about music, new bedding and pure, white-hot rage.
But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart. Rosa is a hopeless romantic, despite still reeling from her ex’s infidelity. Scarred by her ex’s parting words, Dee is committed to being commitment-free. And while Liv knows that breaking up with her girlfriend was what she wanted, she can’t help but wonder if she did the right thing.
Tested by big life changes, even the closest friendships can fray – could the heartbreak handbook they intended for Katie contain the words they all need to hear?
Published January 30th by Quercus Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction, Holiday Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A slice of escapism … temptingly conjured up’ THE TIMES The dream holiday just got complicated . . .
On the sun-drenched island of Kefalonia, the new arrivals at The Ionian Escape hotel are hoping for a break from everyday life. But some of them are bringing a lot of baggage . . .
Disgraced TV star Miranda Vallance feels like the worst person in the world. Her sister won’t speak to her and her job’s on the line. She’s desperate to put things right, but how?
Eighty-two-year-old Evelyn Chambers has come to fulfil a promise to the love of her life. If she can steel herself to go through with it, that is . . .
And when celebrity chef Frank Neale checks in, rumours swirl around the hotel. But is it his wife, Leonora, who has more of a reason to escape to Greece?
The Island Getaway is a big-hearted novel from the queen of bestselling fiction, celebrating second chances, true love and the life-affirming joy of unlikely friendships.
The Convenience Store By The Sea by Sonoko Machida
herePublished January 30th by Orion Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘If you loved Before The Coffee Gets Cold you will love this!’
‘A perfect, feel-good story about finding joy in unexpected connections, ideal for those who love a cosy, heartwarming escape!’
Welcome to Tenderness!
A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness.
At first glance, it’s a store like any other.
Sure, it’s a bit odd that the handsome manager has his own fan club. And perhaps the customers are somewhat eccentric. But there’s a warmth about Tenderness that draws you in.
The bright lights are always on. The employees know you by name. And the shelves are stacked with delicious treats, from strong hot coffee to sweet parfaits, egg sandos to ramen, crispy fried chicken to refreshing soba.
After a while, you get the feeling that whatever you need might just be waiting for you here…
The Convenience Store by the Sea is the heartwarming international bestseller from award-winning Japanese novelist Sonoko Machida. A a series of interconnected vignettes set in a 24/7 Japanese convenience store, the novel celebrates the joy of connection and community. Translated by Bruno Navasky.
Published January 30th by Viking Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A heart warming and irresistible novel about the rejuvenating power of pottery, for fans of Before The Coffee Gets Cold and What You Are Looking For Is In The Library.
She rubbed the spoiled clay with her fingertips. Like a wound as it heals, the traces faded, and had soon vanished completely, as if they’d never been there at all.
Burnt out by her newswriting job, Jungmin abruptly quits; she’s worked tirelessly for years and she needs to make a change.
Now, after months of hibernation, it’s time to put her life back together. Venturing out into the streets near Seoul, she stumbles upon the Soyo pottery workshop. Drawn in by its light and warmth, and the smell of clay and coffee, Jungmin feels something unfurl within her…
Here, everyone has a story to share, and as the seasons change, Jungmin returns to herself. Pot by pot, plate by plate, Jungmin discovers that as her hands become busier, her mind becomes calmer, and her heart opens up like never before.
From a rising talent, this is an uplifting story of new friends and old practices, of finding community, and of what happens when you finally slow down in this fast-paced world.
Published January 30th by Harper Voyager Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A Discovery of Witches meets The Atlas Six in Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian, a dark contemporary fantasy from a brilliant new talent. Modern Divination is the first book in the Spells for Life and Death duology.
The colour of magic was gold . . .
Twenty-three-year-old witch Aurelia Schwartz has always had to carefully balance her human life with her secret magical one. With a place at an elite Cambridge University college, she almost has everything she could possibly want within her grasp. Just so long as she follows the rules: make no promises. Tell no one what you are. And never stay the night.
Except Aurelia’s gift of green magic has begun to fade. Worse still, someone is hunting witches – and stealing their powers. Reluctantly, Aurelia needs the help of fellow witch – and dreadfully arrogant classmate – Theodore Ingram. Together, they seek refuge among his family in the remote corners of an already-desolate town. But as she grows closer to Teddy, the power-hungry witch-killer, too, draws nearer. And they threaten to destroy everything Aurelia holds dear . . .
Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian is a magical cosy fantasy with witches, featuring an academic rivals-to-lovers romance, found family and yearning.
With 2025 almost upon us, I’ve started to think about next year’s reads so am posting the first of my list of most anticipated 2025 releases. And it seems only right to start with The Debuts.
********
The Favourites by Layne Fargo
BOOK DESCRIPTION: To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.
‘Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones and the Six . . . As brilliantly choreographed as a gold-medal performance’ JODI PICOULT
Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn’t. My first love was figure skating.
Katarina Shaw has always known she’s destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating – and each other – to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating fans with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style and rollercoaster relationship.
Until, at the Olympic Games, as the world holds its breath, a shocking incident instantly destroys their partnership.
Ten years later, an unauthorised tell-all documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha. If Kat wants to own her story, she must break her silence. As Kat’s account of her dramatic rise and fall alternates with scandalous interviews from the film, The Favourites spins into a dance between passion, ambition and what it truly means to win.
Sensational rumours have haunted Kat and Heath’s every step for years, but the truth may be even more outrageous than the headlines.
Published January 16th by Chatto & Windus Pre-order here*
****
An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris
BOOK DESCRIPTION: If you had the power between life and death, what would you do?
Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another – something she finds out the hard way when her best friend Ruth suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea touches the arm of the man responsible when he comes to check if Ruth is all right. As Ruth comes to, the man quietly slumps to the ground, dead.
Thea realises that she has a godlike power: but despite deciding to use her ability for good, she can’t help but sometimes use it for her own benefit. Boss annoying her at work? She can take some life from them and give it as a tip to her masseuse for a great job. Creating an ‘Ethical Guide to Murder’ helps Thea to focus her new-found skills. But as she embarks on her mission to punish the wicked and give the deserving more time, she finds that it isn’t as simple as she first thought.
How can she really know who deserves to die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth’s borrowed time runs out?
Published January 16th by Simon & Schuster Pre-order here*
****
Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Chief Investigator of Nordland Police, Jakob Weber is drawn into a complex case when a teenaged girl goes missing in Northern Norway, and a second woman disappears from a remote island in similar circumstances … FIRST in a compelling, dark new Nordic Noir series.
_______
When nineteen-year-old Iselin Hanssen disappears during a run in a popular hiking area in Bodø, Northern Norway, suspicion quickly falls on her boyfriend. For investigator Jakob Weber, the case seems clear-cut, almost unexceptional, even though there is some suggestion that Iselin lived parts of her life beneath the radar of both family and friends.
But events take a dramatic turn when another woman disappears in similar circumstances – this time on the island of Røst, hundreds of miles off the coast, in the wild ocean.
Rumours that a killer is on the loose begin to spread, terrifying the local population and leading to wild conspiracies. But then Jakob discovers that this isn’t the first time that young women have vanished without a trace in the region, and it becomes clear that someone is hiding something … and another murderous spree may have just begun…
Published January 16th by Orenda Books Pre-order here
****
And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In the hallowed halls of Cambridge, a dangerous obsession takes hold…
When a young man arrives in Cambridge as a first-year student, he finds himself an outsider. There’s the punting and the politics, the wine and the waistcoats, all seemingly familiar to everyone but him. Then he falls under the spell of Bryn Cavendish.
A notorious party boy and skilled magician, Bryn is magnetic. To be in his circle is to revel in clouds of ecstasy, untouched by the rules. To be exiled is to haunt the peripheries of campus life like a ghost.
As the academic year intensifies and Bryn’s magic tricks become more sinister, one question lingers. Is Bryn’s charisma the source of his influence or does he wield a much darker and more dangerous power?
Published January 16th by Fourth Estate Pre-order here*
****
Notes on a Drowning by Anna Sharpe
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Alex knows she risks getting fired from her law firm if she takes on another unpaid case, but when she hears Rosa’s desperate voice at the other end of the phone, she knows she has to help: the body of Rosa’s shy teenage sister, Natalia, has been dragged, lifeless, from the Thames. Alex can’t help but think of her own missing little sister. She knows how a lack of answers can eat you alive.
Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary, and is eager to finally put the dark and tragic part of her past behind her. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, she begins to wonder whether her seemingly perfect new boss could be involved. Then she she’s shocked to discover a letter that raises worrying questions about a girl found drowned in London… Natalia.
There are complex and painful reasons for Alex and Kat not to work together, but when it becomes clear that there are powerful people involved in Natalia’s death, and that other girls are at risk, Alex and Kat must overcome their differences to find answers. Will they save the girls and discover the truth? Or will the high-powered players in this game stop Alex and Kat for good?
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A gripping, sinister folktale set in contemporary Cumbria for fans of Sophie Mackintosh, Angela Carter, Daisy Johnson, Margaret Atwood and Julia Armfield.
A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT.
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest since Margot can remember. When Margot isn’t at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.
But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, little Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires and make a bid for freedom.
With this tender coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire and animal instincts – and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Don’t miss this award winning debut crime thriller set in Sheffield introducing DI Diana Walker: A grizzly murder has Diana questioning everything she knows, and secrets come to light that threaten to tear her world apart
Silence protects the victims… And the killer
When the dismembered body of a headmaster is found on the derelict site of a former school in Sheffield, DI Diana Walker finds herself chasing shadows.
Faced with missing teachers, unreported crimes and silent witnesses, Diana is running out of leads. Her colleagues insist this is just another instance of gang violence, but Diana knows there’s something more. Something everyone’s too scared to talk about.
With her reputation on the line, Diana is determined to find the truth. Her search for answers leads to Sheffield’s neglected underbelly, where she finds distrust, horrifying secrets and a whole new understanding of justice.
Published January 30th by Hemlock Press Pre-order here*
****
Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell
BOOK DESCRIPTION: An extraordinary and urgent debut by a prize-winning Irish writer, NESTING introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.
On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.
This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another.
What will it take for Ciara to rebuild her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?
Tense, beautiful, and underpinned by an unassailable love, hope and resilience, this is the story of one woman’s bid to start over.
Published January 30th by Scribner UK Pre-order here*
****
It Comes from the River by Rachel Bower
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Infused with the folklore of Northern England, It Comes from the River is an unforgettable, uncanny debut about violence, resilience and hope – and the power of women when they work together.
The three women flinch: feel something pass outside. A reek of singed fur, scorching damp. Flaming eyes. A creature. It knows these women. They feel its wanting.
From the river it comes.
To the river it always returns.
Alex is trying to hold her growing family together with a husband who is becoming more and more difficult to keep happy. Lauren hopes that the new man in her life might present a fresh start for her and her two boys. And Nancy’s son has moved her into a care home where she feels entirely out of place, longing for her lost dog while dreaming of her own escape.
But there is something else at play here. Something lurking in the water or at the end of an unlit street; a shadow in a bag of strangers’ clothing; a chorus of voices calling in the distance.
As each woman’s world spirals from her grasp, they feel it getting closer, revealing the truth of what binds them together, and what must be done to set each of them free . . .
Published January 30th by Bloomsbury Pre-order here*
****
Instructions for Hearbreak by Sarah Handyside
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A beautiful, razor-sharp novel by Sarah Handyside, Instructions for Heartbreak is a life-affirming story about female friendship, self-love and how to survive a broken heart.
What if heartbreak came with a manual?
It starts with a late-night knock on the door. Dee, Liv and Rosa share a flat in south London, while Katie lives close by with her boyfriend. But, when Katie’s nine-year relationship ends – suddenly and brutally – she turns up on their doorstep with no idea what to do next, or how to do anything after spending so long with her life entwined with someone else’s.
Out comes the martini shaker (an old, well-washed gherkin jar) and, with an unused sketchbook, an idea. They’ll make Katie the handbook that she needs to process her heartbreak and start rebuilding her life. There are notes on tears, hangovers and roast chicken, scribblings about music, new bedding and pure, white-hot rage.
But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart. Rosa is a hopeless romantic, despite still reeling from her ex’s infidelity. Scarred by her ex’s parting words, Dee is committed to being commitment-free. And while Liv knows that breaking up with her girlfriend was what she wanted, she can’t help but wonder if she did the right thing.
Tested by big life changes, even the closest friendships can fray – could the heartbreak handbook they intended for Katie contain the words they all need to hear?
Published January 30th by Pan Macmillan Pre-order here*
****
Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A Discovery of Witches meets The Atlas Six in Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian, a dark contemporary fantasy from a brilliant new talent. Modern Divination is the first book in the Spells for Life and Death duology.
The colour of magic was gold . . .
Twenty-three-year-old witch Aurelia Schwartz has always had to carefully balance her human life with her secret magical one. With a place at an elite Cambridge University college, she almost has everything she could possibly want within her grasp. Just so long as she follows the rules: make no promises. Tell no one what you are. And never stay the night.
Except Aurelia’s gift of green magic has begun to fade. Worse still, someone is hunting witches – and stealing their powers. Reluctantly, Aurelia needs the help of fellow witch – and dreadfully arrogant classmate – Theodore Ingram. Together, they seek refuge among his family in the remote corners of an already-desolate town. But as she grows closer to Teddy, the power-hungry witch-killer, too, draws nearer. And they threaten to destroy everything Aurelia holds dear . . .
Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian is a magical cosy fantasy with witches, featuring an academic rivals-to-lovers romance, found family and yearning.
Quiet and reserved, Clemmie is happy in the background. Although her parents may overlook her talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society.
But at one such party, the words Clemmie interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. The beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever.
Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a mission to save what remains of her family. The childhood game she used to play about the immortal sisters, Isis and Nephthys, has taken on a devastating resonance and it is only by following Nephthys’ story that she can undo the mistakes of the past.
On her journey up the Nile she will meet unexpected allies and enemies and, along with long-buried secrets and betrayals, Clemmie will be forced to step into the light.
Published February 6th by Harvill Secker Pre-order here*
****
The Morrigan by Kim Curran
BOOK DESCRIPTION: RULER. MOTHER. GODDESS. WARRIOR.
PERFECT FOR FANS OF ELODIE HARPER’S THE WOLF DEN, ROSIE HEWLETT’S MEDEAAND COSTANZA CASATI’S CLYTEMNESTRA
—–
They called me The Morrigan. I was magnificent. I was multitudes. They twisted my story, stripped me away. But I will tell it now in my own voice. It begins, as all the best stories do, in darkness.
From an ancient, storm-tossed sea, a tribe of gods reach the rocky shores of Ireland. Among them, a strange, hungry, red-haired girl. A girl who can change shape, from bird to beast to goddess. A girl who dreams of battle, of blood, of death and power.
She does not know yet that a woman who seeks to rule will always be in danger – or that there are far more treacherous figures in this land than the gods who raised her.
She does not know that one day love will burn so deep in her heart that its scars will never heal. That she will know pain so raw and pure it will almost tear her apart.
She does not know that her journey will take a thousand years. That her name will be remembered for a thousand more.
She is The Morrigan, and she is waiting: a girl with rage coiled in her chest. Beautiful, powerful, ravenous rage. A rage that will live forever.
An electric debut retelling of Ireland’s mythic goddess of war, from a bold and powerful new voice.
Published February 6th by Michael Joseph Pre-order here*
****
Baby Teeth by Celia Silvani
BOOK DESCRIPTION: They said a mother knows best and I believed them. Was I wrong?
It is supposed to be a dream. James and I have been trying for years. But now it is starting to feel like a nightmare.
Doctors don’t ask questions, or care about how you’re feeling. They just tell you what to do. They never listen.
Mam and James don’t understand either. James thinks I’m being anxious and Mam says it’ll pass. It always does. That’s what she did when Dad died.
I’ve never felt more alone. Or scared.
Then I joined an online group for mothers. A sisterhood, really. They might be on a screen, but sometimes it feels like they know me better than James. They listen, they care. It’s all I could have asked for.
Until the worst happens and I see them for who they are. But if I leave, what if they come for me next?
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Six thriller authors. One writing retreat. You’d die to be on the guest list . . .
The Host Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island.
The Assistant Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.
The Players The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for.
The Game What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one…
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THE FIERCEST, MOST POWERFUL RETELLING OF 2025: A STORY OF AMBITION, FEMALE OPPRESSION AND UNSTOPPABLE HUNGER . . .
FOR WHAT DO YOU HUNGER . . . ?
Lenore is the wife of steel magnate Henry, but ten years into their marriage the relationship has soured, and no child has arrived to fill the distance growing between them. Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the Peak District, to the remote, imposing Nethershaw estate, where he plans to host a hunting party. Lenore must work to restore the crumbling house and ready it for Henry’s guests – their future depends on it.
But as the couple travel through the bleak countryside, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night, Carmilla who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . .
As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk . . .
Set against the violent wilderness of the Peaks and the uncontrolled appetite of the Industrial Revolution, HUNGERSTONE is a compulsive sapphic reworking of CARMILLA, the book that inspired DRACULA: a captivating story of appetite and desire.
Published February 13th by Manilla Press Pre-order here*
****
Life Hacks for a Little Alien by Alice Franklin
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures, this is a charming, witty and moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent.
From her first words to her first day at school, Little Alien can’t help but get things wrong. She doesn’t understand the world the way others seem to, and the world doesn’t seem to understand her either. Her anxious mum and meticulous dad, while well-intentioned, are of little help.
But when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript – a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script – she begins to suspect that there are other people who feel just like her. Convinced that translating this manuscript will offer the answers she needs, she sets out on a journey that will show her a delicious taste of freedom.
So begins Little Alien’s story, told from the perspective of an older, wiser linguist, whose guidance will help Little Alien navigate a world that makes her feel like she doesn’t belong.
Published February 13th by Riverrun Pre-order here*
****
The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper for the most fashionable French homes, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances.
When sisters Lara and Sofi arrive there for work, they quickly form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the motherless heir to the factory. Whilst Sofi’s political fervour intensifies, Lara is disturbed by the uncanny way her life appears mirrored in the wallpaper. Meanwhile Hortense, Josef’s spoilt aristocratic wife, is similarly unnerved by the scenes that line the walls of her new home. With the mobs growing ever more violent, is she in danger of meeting the same untimely end as the last Mrs Oberst?
As revolution blazes across France, the lives of Sofi, Lara and Hortense are set to collide in unimaginable and irrevocable ways. Can they change what lies ahead, or are some patterns destined to be repeated?
BOOK DESCRIPTION: All that is hidden will soon be revealed . . .
One morning in 1890, a painting wrapped in brown paper appears on the steps of the National Gallery and causes a sensation. It’s clearly by Timothy Ponden-Hall, whose paintings were celebrated and debated not just for their beauty, but for the rumours behind them: they were believed to immortalise the souls of their subjects. But Ponden-Hall has been thought dead for the last 50 years. . .
In a bid to quiet the gossip and rumours that swirl around the streets of London, the gallery brings in renowned and reluctant art historian Solomon Oak to investigate. Oak is assisted by an unlikely aide: his daughter Alice. A passionate but sheltered student, Alice has worldly desires which eclipse the life she’s expected to lead. Together they discover that exposing Ponden-Hall’s legacy will prove more controversial than they could ever have imagined for their family, and for Victorian society.
Set between London and Oxford, The Portrait Artist is a twisting debut exploring race, fame and long-kept secrets.
Published February 27th by Bloomsbury Publishing Pre-order here*
****
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
BOOK DESCRIPTION: IT WAS A SECRET AFFAIR. UNTIL IT WAS A PUBLIC SCANDAL.
‘Broke my heart then mended it again. An epic, tortured love story. Bring tissues’ JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things
Everyone in the village said nothing good would come of Gabriel’s return. And as Beth looks at the man she loves on trial for murder, she can’t help thinking they were right.
Beth was seventeen when she first met Gabriel. Over that heady, intense summer, he made her think and feel and see differently. She thought it was the start of her great love story. When Gabriel left to become the person his mother expected him to be, she was broken.
It was Frank who picked up the pieces and together they built a home very different from the one she’d imagined with Gabriel. Watching her husband and son, she remembered feeling so sure that, after everything, this was the life she was supposed to be leading.
But when Gabriel comes back, all Beth’s certainty about who she is and what she wants crumbles. Even after ten years, their connection is instant. She knows it’s wrong and she knows people could get hurt. But how can she resist a second chance at first love?
Published March 4th by John Murray Press Pre-order here*
****
The Fisherman’s Gift by Julia Kelly
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The sea stole him from her. Could it bring him back?
Winter, 1900. A little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea many years before.
When the village is snowed in, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. But, as the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets in this tight-knit community start to come to light. And Dorothy finds herself thrown together again with the reclusive fisherman Joseph, after years of keeping their distance.
Bursting with tension and tenderness, this is an exquisite love story that delves into the griefs and hopes that can lie behind village gossip.
Published March 6th by Harvill Secker Pre-order here*
****
33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen
BOOK DESCRIPTION: An unforgettable historical debut set in Second World War Brussels: exploring love, resistance and courage in all their forms ___________________________________
Charlotte Sauvin has always seen the world differently. At home on 33 Place Brugmann, in the heart of Brussels, her father and her closest friends and neighbours – the Raphaëls from the fourth floor, and Masha from the fifth – have ensured her secret is safe. But when the Nazis invade Belgium, and Masha and the Raphaëls disappear, Charlotte must navigate her new world alone.
Over the border and across the sea, in occupied Paris and battered Blitz London, Masha and the Raphaels are reinventing themselves – as refugees, nurses, soldiers, heroes. Though scattered far and wide, they dream of only one place, one home: 33 Place Brugmann.
But back at Place Brugmann, Charlotte feels impending danger closing in. Who can she trust in this world – where everyone is watching, and everyone is harbouring their own secrets? As the months pass, and the shadow of war darkens, Charlotte and her neighbours must face what – and who – truly matters to them most – and summon the courage to fight for more than just survival.
With soaring imagination and profound intimacy, 33 Place Brugmann is a captivating and devastating celebration of the power of love, courage and art in times of great threat.
Published March 11th by Bloomsbury Publishing Pre-order here*
****
The Lamplighter’s Bookshop by Sophie Austin
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Every book tells a story. Every heart hides a secret.
The Lost Bookshop meets The Lost Apothecary in a beguiling novel full of secrets… _________
In the shadowy aisles of the Lamplighter’s Bookshop, secrets lie as thick as the dust…
When Evelyn Seaton answers an advertisement for an assistant at a forgotten bookshop in York, she is not the only one with something to hide.
There she meets the enigmatic and prickly William Morton, an aspiring writer keeping secrets of his own. But when the walls that Evelyn has built around herself start to crumble, there is only one person she can turn to.
As the layers are brushed away, can Evelyn and William find the courage to write the next chapter of their story?
Published March 13th by Harper Fiction Pre-order here*
****
Cuckoo by Callie Kazumi
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A story of obsession, love and murder – and not the one you’re expecting. . . Discover a gripping new thriller with a killer twist at its core.
When Claire surprises her fiancé, Noah, at work for their anniversary, she’s the one who ends up being shocked to her core …
Because Noah left the company nine months ago, and she had no idea. How can she not have known?
Now he isn’t answering her calls. He won’t respond to her messages. He’s disappeared.
As Claire desperately tries to find her fiancé, her world begins to shatter as the truth about who Noah really is starts to emerge.
And things are about to spiral dangerously out of control . . .
Published March 13th by Cornerstone Pre-order here*
****
Tilt by Emma Pattee
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Annie is nine months pregnant.
She’s shopping for a crib at IKEA.
That’s when the massive earthquake hits.
There’s nothing to do but walk.
Annie is 37 weeks pregnant, standing in IKEA, finally about to take home the crib she should have bought months ago. That’s when it happens – the long-anticipated Cascadia Earthquake, dismantling Portland and the entire Pacific Northwest in a matter of minutes.
Propulsive, disruptive, funny, terrifying, Tilt is a novel about how the foundations of our lives are built and shaken. About a woman trying to walk back to the husband she’s long been pushing away. About put-off dreams and inevitability and what makes us keep moving forward.
Published March 13th by The Borough Press Pre-order here*
****
The Grapevine by Kate Kemp
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Australia, 1979. It’s the height of summer and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white chequered tiles of her bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, it’s 3 a.m. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering their neighbour has just been murdered.
As the sun rises on Warrah Place, news of Antonio Marietti’s death spreads like wildfire, gossip is exchanged in whispers and suspicion mounts. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, determined to find out what happened, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve. There are secrets behind every closed door in the neighbourhood – and the identity of the murderer is only one of them . . .
Richly atmospheric and simmering with tension, The Grapevine is an acutely observed debut novel about prejudice and suspicion, the hidden lives of women, and how the ties that bind a community can also threaten to break it.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Decisions were made: I made them. Violence was done: I did it. Crime scenes were fled: I fled them. People were hurt: I hurt them. Someone was loved: I loved them. Not everything I did was bad. Just most of it.
A scholarship kid with straight As and big dreams, Evie Gordon always thought she was special, that she’d be someone. But after graduating from an elite university, she finds herself drowning in debt and working as an SAT tutor for the super-rich of Los Angeles.
Everything changes one Sunday, when she arrives for a weekly lesson at the Victors’ Beverly Hills mansion to discover pure carnage: the bloody remains of Mr. and Mrs. Victor sullying their beautiful back garden, and a woman crying for help from within the walls of the family’s estate.
Within moments, Evie and the woman go from bystanders to suspects to fugitives. Anointed the new Charles Manson by the press, a bloodthirsty ninety-nine percenter hoping to spark a class war, Evie is finally someone.
At the heart of a nationwide manhunt, Evie is desperate to clear her name. But first she’ll have to break down the barriers of her new companion – who is inscrutable, surprisingly skilled at being on the run, and quickly becoming the most important person in Evie’s upside-down life.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: What would you do if your childhood sweetheart was accused of murder?
Justine Stone left her hometown in Essex eighteen years ago, and she hasn’t looked back since. Married to Noah, with a beautiful house and a high-flying career as a barrister, she rarely thinks about her ex-boyfriend, Jake.
Until she’s given her first murder case, and sees his face staring up at her, charged with a horrific double murder.
The Jake that Justine loved would never have hurt anyone. But as evidence begins to come to light, Justine has to face up to the fact that perhaps she never really knew Jake at all. And as the past begins to merge with the present, Justine’s life that she’s worked so hard to create begins to fall apart.
You can run from your secrets. But they’ll always catch up with you.
Published March 27th by Hodder & Stoughton Pre-order here*
****
Sick To Death by Chris Bridges
BOOK DESCRIPTIONS: Meet Emma. Emma is sick.
She can’t work because of a neurological condition, so is stuck in her family’s tiny council house.
Emma is sick of being told to ‘get over it’.
Her stepfather, her doctors, strangers – everyone has an opinion.
Emma is sick of being the other woman.
Her boyfriend Adam is perfect: he’s got a great job and an amazing home. His wife Celeste is the problem.
Emma is sick of being underestimated.
All she needed was a target. And now she has Celeste…
Emma is sick. Just not in the way you thought.
Published March 27th by Avon Books Pre-order here*
****
Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Something terrible has happened.
In a mysterious apartment filled with ghosts, our unnamed narrator attempts to explain this to her child – how do I talk about this? she wonders.
The truth must become something beautiful. We must begin with a fairy tale.
And so she begins to construct a beautiful fairy tale for her child – one that begins with a strange baby boy whose nails grow too fast and whose skin smells of soil. As he grows from a boy into a man, a plague seems to follow him everywhere. Tragedy strikes in cycles – and wife after wife, death after death, plague after plague, every woman he touches becomes a ghost. These ghosts call out desperately to our narrator as she tries to explain, in the very real world, exactly what has happened to her.
And they all agree on one thing, an inescapable truth about this man, this powerful lord who has loved them and led them each to ruin:
If you leave, you die. But if you die, you stay.
A debut novel as emotionally poignant as it is fiercely smart, Sour Cherry is an arresting debut examining toxic masculinity through its chorus of women – deconstructing the idea of what makes someone a monster.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Mere by Danielle Giles is a hypnotic historical novel about fear and survival, power and position, and a love that takes hold in the darkest of places.
Norfolk, 990 AD. Deep in the Fens, isolated by a vast and treacherous mere, an order of holy sisters make their home. Under the steely guidance of Abbess Sigeburg they follow God’s path, looking to their infirmarian, Hilda, to provide what comfort and cures she can.
But when the mere takes a young servant boy, Sigeburg’s grip falters and Hilda quickly realizes this place holds secrets darker and more unholy than she can fathom.
Then proud Sister Wulfrun, a recent arrival to the convent, has a vision: a curse is upon them and change must be brought. Is she saint or serpent? To Hilda, Wulfrun is a signal bolder and brighter than any fire set – one she cannot help but follow . . .
BOOK DESCRIPTION: They knew they were changing history. They didn’t know they would change each other.
Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its 1000-year history, the world’s most famous university has admitted female students. Giddy with dreams of equality, education and emancipation, four young women move into neighbouring rooms on Corridor Eight. They have come here from all walks of life, and they are thrown into an unlikely, life-affirming friendship.
Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Beatrice, politically-minded daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way – and her own friends – for the first time. Socialite Otto fills her room with extravagant luxuries but fears they won’t be enough to distract her from her memories of the war years. And quiet, clever, Marianne, the daughter of a village vicar, arrives bearing a secret she must hide from everyone – even The Eights – if she is to succeed.
But Oxford’s dreaming spires cast a dark shadow: in 1920, misogyny is still rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War are still very real indeed. And as the group navigate this tumultuous moment in time, their friendship will become more important than ever.
The Eights is a captivating debut novel about sisterhood, self-determination, courage, and what it means to come of age in a world that is forever changed.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The world’s most beloved literary characters. The gilded opulence of the Roaring Twenties. A murder that scandalises high society. And a clever young woman of unusual persistence… Be ready to re-think the world of Gatsby.
1922: You are cordially invited to summer at the Gatsby Mansion in West Egg, with the most illustrious – and the deadliest – guest list.
Freshly twenty-one and sporting a daring new bob, Greta Gatsby – younger sister to the infamous Jay – is finally free of finishing school. An idyllic summer stretches ahead of her at the Gatsby Mansion, the jewel of West Egg.
But when Greta arrives at the secluded white-stone estate bathed in the late-afternoon light, she finds she isn’t the only visitor. Jay is hosting an intimate gathering of New York’s fashionable set: Daisy and Tom Buchanan, along with his brother Edgar, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker.
That evening, the guests enjoy a candelabra-lit dinner party. That night, they dance to the lilt of the gramophone. The next morning, one of them is missing.
Murder has come to West Egg, the warm breeze tainted by scandal, betrayal and secrets. Turning sleuth isn’t how Greta meant to spend her summer – but what choice does she have when one of them could be next?
A deliciously unputdownable whodnunnit perfect for fans of The Christie Affair and Miss Austen Investigates.
Published April 3rd by Renegade Books Pre-order here*
****
Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The Silent Patient meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this elegant and twisty debut thriller. _
When does the acting stop – and the deception begin?
Famous film star Lila Crayne is America’s Sweetheart: she’s generous and kind, gorgeous and magnetic. A golden girl. She and her fiancé, visionary filmmaker Kurt Royall, have settled into a stunning New York apartment, and are embarking on a new movie: a modern feminist adaptation of a classic twentieth-century novel.
To prepare for the leading role, Lila begins work with charming and accomplished therapist Jonah Gabriel to dig into the trauma of her past. Soon, Lila’s impeccably manicured life begins to unravel on the therapy couch – and Jonah is just the man to pick up the pieces. But everyone has a secret, no one is quite who they seem, and before long, careers, reputations and lives are in danger of being irrevocably destroyed . . . ‘A breathlessly fun, dark, and twisty tale of feminist revenge’ –Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice
The Silent Patient meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this elegant and twisty debut thriller.
‘The way the book takes you through the story’s twists and turns makes you feel as if you are experiencing it yourself’ Reader review
‘I powered through as I couldn’t put it down and it will remain as one of my favorite books of the year!’ Reader review
‘The subtle twists and turns kept me hooked from start to finish’ Reader review _
When does the acting stop – and the deception begin?
Famous film star Lila Crayne is America’s Sweetheart: she’s generous and kind, gorgeous and magnetic. A golden girl. She and her fiancé, visionary filmmaker Kurt Royall, have settled into a stunning New York apartment, and are embarking on a new movie: a modern feminist adaptation of a classic twentieth-century novel.
To prepare for the leading role, Lila begins work with charming and accomplished therapist Jonah Gabriel to dig into the trauma of her past. Soon, Lila’s impeccably manicured life begins to unravel on the therapy couch – and Jonah is just the man to pick up the pieces. But everyone has a secret, no one is quite who they seem, and before long, careers, reputations and lives are in danger of being irrevocably destroyed . . . ‘A breathlessly fun, dark, and twisty tale of feminist revenge’ –Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice
Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt
BOOK DESCRIPTION: SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2023
An original and darkly comedic murder mystery about a female personified Death whose sabbatical in modern-day London gets rudely interrupted by a string of unplanned murders. Perfect for fans of Good Omens, The Good Place and Sophie Kinsella. —–
Her job is to die for. Literally.
Most people think that when they meet Death, it’ll be a skeleton in a black potato sack. Maybe with a scythe. Truth is, she’s just a woman doing a job, and she’s very good at it.
But when Death takes a much-needed break to live on earth, things start to go terribly wrong.
Someone’s killing people not on her list (well, not yet anyway) and it’s down to her to find the culprit before it’s too late.
To make matters worse, her sanctimonious sister, Life – whom Death hasn’t got on with in millennia – won’t stop blaming her . . . And then there’s the slight problem of the charming (sexy) parasitologist she’s suspicious of.
But she’ll be fine, right?
After all, who better to investigate a murder than Death herself?
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Come children, come children from far and near. Come choose your steed, you galloping knights, to enjoy the fun of the carousel . . .
Paris, 1900
Celebrated carousel-maker Gilbert works night and day to finish his masterpiece in time for the city’s Exposition Universelle. But Gilbert is struggling in the wake of his wife and son’s tragic deaths, and as he finalises his creation, a dangerous idea forms in his mind . . .
Chicago, 1920
Maisie Marlowe has come to America in the search of a new life. When she unearths a beautiful, neglected old carousel, she seizes the opportunity to carve a thrilling new destiny for herself. But Maisie doesn’t know that beneath its glittering facade, the carousel is hiding a dark secret. Twenty years ago, it was linked to a number of people inexplicably vanishing into thin air – and now history has begun to repeat itself . . .
Published April 24th by Michael Joseph Pre-order here*
****
This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.
A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland’s extravagant auction party.
But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane’s event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.
Thankfully for her, she’s roped her granddaughter, Addie – who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé – into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor’s labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.
Jane is dead.
And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.
In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night…
BOOK DESCRIPTION: *WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL PFD QUEER FICTION PRIZE* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE DISCOVERIES AWARD*
An arresting, unmissable debut novel shortlisted for the Women’s Prize Discoveries award – an exploration of family, grief, queer identity, and the legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
Can you imagine it? I’d say to them. Can you imagine me there in the front row in Saint Peter’s Square? The lesbian sister of a literal saint.
Brought up in a devout household in Ireland, Jay is now living in London with her girlfriend, determined to live day to day and not think too much about either the future or the past. But when she learns that her beloved older brother, who died in a terrible accident, may be made into a Catholic saint, she realises she must at last confront her family, her childhood and herself . . .
Inspired by the author’s own devout upbringing, Ordinary Saints is a brilliant debut novel from a fresh, exciting new voice which asks – who gets to decide how we are remembered – and who we will become?
Published April 24th by Manilla Press Pre-order here*
****
Spellbound by Georgia Leighton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Discover the atmospheric, feminist fairy tale retelling that asks, What if Beauty never went to sleep?
“They had not known there would be so much magic.”
In a remote castle perched atop a windswept island, a long-awaited royal heir is born. In accordance with ancient custom, a blessing ceremony takes place to bestow the princess with magical gifts – along with a terrible curse.
Except this is not the love story you may think you know. There is no enchanted sleep for the princess, and no handsome prince to save the day. Just three women, who together concoct a desperate plan of misdirect that changes the course of all their lives.
But dark magic cannot be tricked, and as the end of the curse edges closer, Violanna, Meredyth and Sel each has a choice to make. They can wait to find out if the worst will happen, or they can turn to face the coming storm . . .
1910. With the disappearance of her mother and the sudden death of her father, Lena instantly loses any security she has within the circus she has known all her life. She is advised to sell the carousel her father cared for like a child and look for a husband, or a job in a factory.
Until flame-haired Violet, known to all in the fairgrounds as ‘the greatest trapeze artist that ever lived’, suggests they go it alone with their own, all-female act. With her outspoken ways and her refusal to marry, Violet is as much an outcast as Lena. What do they have to lose? Recruiting new performers including bareback horse-rider Rosie, on the run from her abusive father, and Carmen whose rainbow ribbons hide the darkness in her past, the four women form an unbreakable bond.
Thrust into a harsh and dangerous world that treats them with suspicion, disdain and even violence, they must forge their own path in search of freedom, security, and love.
Deeply rooted in the Edwardian era, THE SHOW WOMAN is brilliantly realised and expertly interlaces strong female characters, deeply-woven family secrets and heartfelt love stories.
Published May 1st by Hodder & Stoughton Pre-order here*
****
The Names by Florence Knapp
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Tomorrow – if morning comes, if the storm stops raging – Cora will register the name of her son. Or perhaps, and this is her real concern, she’ll formalise who he will become.
It is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes is a risk that will have consequences, but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives.
Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerges. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will enable him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?
Powerfully moving and full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family and love’s endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store.
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Death has come to her doorstep . . .
Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s being short-changed on turmeric before she’s taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody, be they a local drug dealer or a priest, and an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.
Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner’s homes, a bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense’s long buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget.
It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.
Published June 12th by Baskerville Pre-order here*
****
A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .
A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan is a breathtaking novel of family secrets, dark mystery and searing atmosphere that promises to be the standout debut of 2025.
New Zealand, 1985. As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.
Then Alix meets Kahu. He’s on holiday too, and he lets her in on a secret: a few years ago, a little girl went missing and was presumed drowned. But no one ever found her body.
Suddenly, the summer has purpose. The two friends will find the missing girl and become local heroes. But as their investigation progresses, Alix risks uncovering dark secrets about the neighbourhood – and her own beautiful family . . .
BOOK DESCRIPTION: And so, I am mad after all…The shackles gouge my wrists, disturbing the scars of Strangeways’ fetters. But no matter; if I bleed, I will not die: I am already dead.
Named after the funeral flower, Lily has walked hand-in-hand with death for as long as she can remember.
But the fact that death has chosen her to follow through life can hardly be conceived as her fault.
Certainly she cannot be expected to take the blame for the slew of missing men in her wake.
In fact, Lily is in no doubt that there has been some terrible mistake, and she will be released from this asylum any day now.
Now she just needs to convince you too…
Set against the harsh realities of a Victorian asylum, this compelling historical debut sees one unruly woman take her revenge on the men who would keep her caged, and ultimately asks where we draw the line between villain and victim in a society where the odds are stacked against women from the start. Perfect for fans of MRS ENGLAND by Stacey Halls, THE MAD WOMEN’S BALL by Victoria Mas and LILY by Rose Tremain.
Published September 18th by Sphere Pre-order here*
****
Medlock by S. G. Hartnell
BOOK DESCRIPTION: 1978. Mrs. Medlock is the dutiful housekeeper at Marwood Manor. One of the few remaining staff, she protects a dying aristocratic order, serving the Lord and Lady and caring for their sickly young son.
For over the past twenty years, Mrs. Medlock has become the keeper of secrets. Secrets of the family. Secrets of her own. Secrets that may be found in the manor’s walled garden, out of sight but not forgotten.
When a distant relative, Mary, arrives at the property in need of a place to live and with a determination to explore, Mrs. Medlock fears the secrets of Marwood are no longer safe. And digging up the past may have deadly consequences for them all . . .
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A devout iconographer must paint an exiled saint in this sumptuous gothic romantasy full of slow-burn tension and windswept moors, for fans of DIVINE RIVALS and A STUDY IN DROWNING
‘Nothing less than blasphemy brought you to me,’ Jude told her. Maeve trembled. He was an open flame. Any closer, and she’d burn.
Jude is a saint with dangerous magic – exiled by the Abbey to live out his days alone in a decaying estate on the moors – until gifted iconographer Maeve is sent to paint his icon. Suspecting she’s a spy for her beloved Abbey, Jude makes it his mission to get rid of Maeve as soon as possible. That is, until he discovers that Maeve holds the same tainted magic as he does, and she may be the key to destroying the Abbey’s power…
But this institution has eyes everywhere, and the only thing the Abbey loves more than a saint is a martyr.
Published November 20th by Harper Voyager Pre-order here*
********
Are any of these in your TBR? Let me know in the comments.
It’s hard to believe, but we’re halfway through the year already. And the first month of the second half of 2024 is an incredible month for new releases. There are 50 books on this list and it was honestly difficult to get it down to that many.
So, here’s the books out in July that I’m most anticipating:
The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris
Published July 2nd by Gollancz Fairy Tale, Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel, Contemporary Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A sparkling modern fairytale… like reading champagne’ NATASHA PULLEY
The wait is over… Million-copy bestseller Joanne Harris is back with her first fantasy novel in 6 years – and this time it’s a love story.
Orphaned, lonely, and lost in his photography work, Tom has no intention of falling in love. And yet, love finds him in the shape of beautiful Vanessa, who lives a dangerous double life in the heart of London’s King’s Cross.
Tom’s pursuit of Vanessa leads him to discover an alternate world, hidden amongst the streets and rooftops of London – and inhabited by strange and colourful beings. In this mysterious realm, two ancient factions – one of night, one of day – have waged war for centuries over a forbidden love and a long-lost prince of sun and starlight.
But when Tom finds a secret market that appears only in moonlight, where charms and spells are bought with memories, he starts to wonder whether he’s been here before…
Romeo and Juliet meets Neil Gaiman in this spellbinding modern fairytale of fae courts, forbidden love, magical wars, lost princes, and secret worlds hidden just out of sight in the cavernous shadows of contemporary London – perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Samantha Shannon.
Published July 2nd by Scribner Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the author of the Read with Jenna Bonus Pick A Little Hope, an uplifting and emotionally resonant novel set in a Delaware beach town about a local restaurant owner at a turning point.
Three generations of Schmidts have run their family’s beachfront restaurant and Jack has been at the helm since the death of his father. Jack puts the demands of the restaurant above all else, with a string of failed relationships, no hobbies, and no days off as proof of his commitment to the place. He can’t remember the last time he sat on the beach, or even enjoyed a moment to himself.
Meanwhile, the DelDine group has been gradually snapping up beloved eateries along this stretch of coast and are pursuing Jack with a very generous offer to take Schmidt’s off his hands.
Jack craves companionship and maybe even a family. He wonders if closing the door on the restaurant might open a new window for him. But who would he be without Schmidt’s, and can he trust DelDine’s claims that they will continue to employ his staff and honor his family’s legacy?
When he receives startling news from the past, Jack begins to reshape his life and forge unexpected new friendships. But will he really let go of the very things that have defined him?
Published July 2nd by Hodder & Stoughton Suspense, Horror Fiction, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The worst thing ever to happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard.
On 15 July 1994, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy fell asleep in a tent on a manicured lawn in a quiet New Jersey cul-de-sac. But in the morning, Ethan woke up alone – the tent had been sliced open with a knife, and Billy was gone. Never to be seen again.
Thirty years later, Ethan has returned to his childhood home, still desperate for answers. Who took Billy?
Every night, he’s kept awake by strange disturbances on the street, happening under the cover of darkness. Are they still out there?
This isn’t a bad neighbourhood. These aren’t bad people. Are they?
Published July 4th by Michael Joseph Fairy Tale, Historical Fiction, High Fantasy, Mythology, Adventure Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A stirring, addictive and intoxicating tale. . . Casati’s Babylonia has cemented her as one of the most skilled and exciting writers of historical fiction’ BEA FITZGERALD, author of GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN
‘An astounding achievement, one of the most vivid, powerful works of historical fiction I have ever read. . . I was utterly swept up in the world of this novel, in the passions and power struggles of its fascinating protagonists, all of whom completely captured my heart‘ ELODIE HARPER, author of The Wolf Den _____
There are whispers of her fame, in the land long since turned to dust. The Queen who rose from nothing – and changed everything . . .
Ancient Assyria, 9th century BC.
An orphan is raised on the outskirts of a brutal empire. Heir to a tragic prophecy, Semiramis dreams of wielding power and escaping her destiny.
Far away, a reluctant prince walks the corridors of his gilded palace in a city built by the gods. Ninus would rather spend his days in books and poetry than conquering the world of men. But when he meets Onnes, a broken, beautiful warrior, something awakens in them both. And as they grow into young men, their friendship deepens into something fiercer still.
That is until Semiramis arrives.
A savage love soon erupts between them all, even as a dark threat to the kingdom mounts. And before long, all three will be forced to learn the lesson of the gods – in Babylonia, you must bend the world to your will.
Published July 4th by Orenda Books Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Adventure Fiction, Gay Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Set in the buried streets of Georgian London and the outrageous underworld of the molly houses, a carpenter hiding a double life searches for a traitor who is betraying the secrets of the mollies. The visceral, raucous, tender and enchanting historical thriller by the award-winning author of The Spirit Engineer.
‘A rare gem of a novel. Gloriously gritty … a darkly thrilling romp in 18th century London that simmers with sinister menace and illicit temptation’ Susan Stokes-Chapman
‘Really very, very good’ Stephen Fry
***WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN*** _________________
The only sin is betrayal…
It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.
Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.
Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?
Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…
Published July 4th by Orion Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Psychlogical Fiction, Adventure Fiction, Crime Series
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A city on the brink. A mother on the edge. A nightmare that only DI Helen Grace can end. Sometimes, the darkest secrets hide in plain sight…
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
A gang war grips the city, and the police force is under fire from all sides. But Detective Inspector Helen Grace defies direct orders as she becomes drawn to the case of a missing teenager.
LOST BUT NOT ALONE
Naomi’s mother is desperate for help – and Helen is her only hope. Keeping the investigation secret, she finds a disturbing trail of questions – and more who have vanished off the streets…
WILL THEY FIND HER IN TIME?
Sometimes, the truth hides in plain sight. But proving it is another matter entirely. The clock is ticking – and the only person looking for Naomi is about to meet her match.
Published July 4th by Quercus Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fition
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Author of the Costa-prizewinning, world-wide bestseller The Tenderness of Wolves, Stef Penney, returns to her snow-covered heartland in this tense mystery set in a small Scandinavian town.
Nordland. A region in the Norwegian Arctic; a remote valley that stretches from the sea up to the mountains and glaciers.
It is May in what was once a prosperous mining community. The snows are nearly gone and it’s a time of spring and school-leavers’ celebrations – until Daniel, a popular teenage boy, goes missing. Conflicting stories circulate among his friends, of parties and wild behaviour.
As the search for Daniel widens, the police open a disused mine in the mountains. They find human remains, but this body has been there for decades, its identity a mystery.
Everyone in this tight knit, isolated community is touched by these events: misanthropic Svea, whose long life in the area stretches back to the heyday of the mines, and beyond. She has cut all ties with her family, except for her granddaughter, Elin, an outsider like her grandmother. Elin and her friend Benny, both impacted by Daniel while he was alive, become entangled in the hunt for answers, while Svea has deep, dark secrets of her own.
Published July 4th by Century Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Adventure Fiction, Superhero Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Breaking the Dark, the first book in the brand-new Marvel Crime series, introduces fans to a grittier, street-level side of the Marvel Universe, and will continue with original novels featuring fan-favorite characters like Luke Cage, written by S.A. Cosby, and Daredevil, written by Alex Segura. _____________
‘Absolutely perfect’ Booklist ‘The pace doesn’t let up, the characters never once slip. Tricksy, endlessly interesting and pure entertainment, don’t miss this one.’ Gillian McAllister ‘The perfect blend of psychological thriller and supernatural chiller. Lisa’s huge army of fans will love it.’ Mark Edwards _____________
Meet Jessica Jones: a private investigator and retired super hero based out of Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, who goes from job to job as a hard living, rough talking, loner.
And then a wealthy Upper East Side woman pays her a visit. Amber Randall is concerned about her twin sixteen-year-olds, Lark and Fox, who have acted and looked very different since they returned from spending the summer with their British father in the UK. She tells Jessica that her children have unnaturally perfect skin for teenagers and have lost all the tics and habits that made them who they were. They are not Lark and Fox, she tells Jessica. Something has happened to them.
To find out more, Jessica travels to Essex to talk to their father and once there meets Belle who is living a curiously isolated existence in a run-down farmhouse with her guardian Debra. Jessica knows that Lark and Fox had spent the summer with Belle―but can this unworldly teenager really be responsible for Lark and Fox’s new personas?
Jessica soon discovers that, behind Belle and Debra, evil geniuses are playing a dangerous game with technology in order to make the world a “better place”, not caring who gets hurt, maimed or even killed in the process. Can Jessica stop them from wreaking destruction on a whole generation of young people?
Nothing is certain in Lisa Jewell’s gripping and most imaginative novel yet.
Published July 4th by Orion Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Humorous Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Hannah’s love life? Dying. Career? Dead. New pen pal? Deadly.
Hannah Wilson can’t text her ex again – it’s too sad. She can’t snap back at the new boss who took her promotion either – she’ll be fired. But what she can do is write a series of furious letters to William Thompson, arrested for the murders of multiple women he got close to.
You’re a monster, I hope you know that.
I want you to listen when I tell you that I’ll never be able to go on a date again without thinking of you. Every moment I will wonder whether he wants to love me or murder me.
Hannah’s shocked when William writes back, each response more surprising than the last. And as communication tips from curiosity to obsession, Hannah has to wonder if William might be innocent, and whether she even wants him to be…
Published July 4th by Hodder & Stoughton Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Dark Humour
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Can you come round?’ Dad says tremulously. ‘Of course. Are you OK? Is it Mum?’ ‘No!’ He almost shouts it. ‘Just come quickly. The garden…the…body… we need you, Penny.’ For women of Penny’s generation, being on hand for elderly parents is just part of life. But for Penny, things have become a little more serious…
When she receives a frantic phone call from her parents one night, with express instructions NOT to call the police, Penny rushes over at once. But they haven’t had a fall. They haven’t forgotten their computer passwords. They’ve killed someone. And his body is lying in the garden, right next to the rose bushes. Everyone is capable of murder. They just need to meet the right person.
Published July 4th by Bantam Thriller, Suspense, Psychlogical Thriller, Crime Ficiton, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ⭐ The White Lotus meets Lucy Foley’s The Guest List in this chilling, sun-soaked thriller about three vengeful women, a beautiful island resort, and the darkest of secrets. ⭐
‘A sublime thriller, an absolute scorcher. I loved it!‘ – ANDREA MARA, No. 1 bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing
‘A whip-smart, fun, and stylish novel – I raced through it.‘ GILLIAN McALLISTER, No.1 bestselling author of Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Best friends Darcy, Camilla and Kate have just landed in to the Maldives for a luxury holiday at the exclusive Sapphire Island Resort.
They can’t wait for ten days of scorching sun, crystal-clear waters, white-sand beaches – and the chance to put a traumatic shared past behind them.
But what awaits them is a murderous revenge plot that none of them saw coming.
Published July 4th by Bloomsbury Publishing Historical Romance, Biographical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Living with him was like living at the centre of the universe. It was electrifying and humbling, blissful and destructive, all at the same time.’
Paris, 1936. When Dora Maar, a talented French photographer, painter and poet, is introduced to Pablo Picasso, she is mesmerized by his dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity, it isn’t long before she embarks on a passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that sometimes includes sadism and masochism, and ultimately pushes her to the edge.
The Paris Muse is the fictionalized retelling of this disturbing love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression. Set in Paris and the French Riviera, where Dora and Pablo spent their holidays with their glamorous artist friends, it provides a fascinating insight into how Picasso was a genius who side-stepped the rules in his human relationships as he did in his art. Much to Dora’s torment, he refused to divorce his wife and conducted affairs with Dora’s friends. The Spanish Civil War made him depressed and violent, an angst that culminated in his acclaimed painting ‘Guernica’, which Dora documented as he painted.
As the encroaching darkness suffocates their relationship – a darkness that escalates once the Second World War begins and the Nazis invade the country – Dora has a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized.
Atmospheric, intense and moving, The Paris Muse is an astonishing read that ensures that this talented, often overlooked woman who gave her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote.
Published July 4th by Dialogue Books Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: What if the price of moving forward is losing the only family you’ve ever known?
Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It’s been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can’t distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her family’s past and discovers a legacy she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.
So begins an epic story spanning the twentieth century that reveals a much larger picture of prejudice and love, of devotion and abandonment – and will change Diamond’s life forever.
Published July 4th by Manilla Press Suspense, Thriller, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A brilliant, cinematic and gripping family drama sure to cause a stir in the book clubs and living rooms everywhere, THE DIVORCE explores the unravelling of a marriage from first the wife, then the husband’s point of view, as the picture becomes more nuanced and long-held secrets are unearthed . . .
There are two sides to every story . . .
Together for more than thirty years, Bea and Niklas live a comfortable life in Stockholm. But one evening, following a trivial argument, Niklas disappears. Weeks pass before it emerges that he has met someone else. To Bea’s horror, he insists they must divorce.
But is this divorce really coming out of the blue? Is the person who does the leaving always the one at fault? What emerges once you begin scratching the surface?
Published July 4th by Tor Romantic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Romance Novel, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Supernatural Ficiton, Dystopian Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Set in an alternate day New York filled with monsters, The Wren in the Holly Library is a dark, spicy romantasy loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast – perfectfor fans of V.E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo.
She stole from a monster . . . now she must pay the price
Street thief Kierse should have known something wasn’t right. Now she’s trapped in a library ― with a monster. She can’t run. She can’t hide. And this man – this being, filled with terrible power and darkness ― is well within his rights to kill her.
By trespassing, Kierse has broken the fragile peace treaty between monsters and humans. But instead of killing her, Graves does the unexpected: he offers her a job. A chance to find out who she really is.
Kierse has always known she’s different. That she can do things a little better, a little faster. And there’s that sense she has when danger is only a breath away. But if the old tales are true, there are worse things in the world than monsters.
Like a threat more ancient than legend. Like Graves. Or like Kierse herself . . .
From bestselling author K. A. Linde comes the start of an addictive dark romantasy series where monsters live among humandkind, and ancient secrets threaten to destroy everything . . .
Pre-order here*
Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch
Published July 4th by Farrago Romantasy, Historical Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Magical Realism
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The hilarious first novel in a cosy and inclusive historical romantasy series by the writer of Horrible Histories
Two strangers.
Two Londons.
Two hearts that won’t stop beating…
In an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang awakes from his death to discover he is not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having somehow acquired the power of immortality, he’s also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings who roam the twin cities of Upper London and its underground counterpart, Deep London.
A jaded traveller from the Ming Empire, Fang is desperate to find a way to reverse the spell and get on with being dead when he stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, a theatrical Frenchman who is afflicted with the same mysterious condition. Thrown together by the curse they share, the two men set out to undo the strange magic that binds them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of…
And, surely, when in grave danger, the worst thing they could do would be to fall in love, wouldn’t it?
Published July 4th by Simon & Schuster UK Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Bryony doesn’t actually mind being single. So she doesn’t understand why she keeps seeing (ok, sleeping with) Ed, who is perfectly fine, but also only okay. After developing the ick on their fifth date, she resolves to end things – only to receive a call the next day telling her Ed has died.
Worse yet, he seems to have represented her to his family and friends as his great love. Obviously, it would be cruel to correct them. Then she’s invited to the funeral. It would be equally rude to refuse… right?
Before she knows it, Bryony has been drawn in by the charisma and chaos of Ed’s eccentric family and tangled in a web of her own lies. She’s been guilted into signing up to his sister’s pyramid scheme, she’s in far too deep with several of his nearest and dearest – and to make matters worse she’s experiencing a lot of physical symptoms that are becoming harder and harder to ignore…
Probably Nothing is the answer to just how far sheer awkwardness can take someone. Peppered with Lauren Bravo’s irresistible wit, it explores the relatable modern cults of wellness and people-pleasing, and digs into the eternal dilemma: life is short – so should you settle for perfectly fine?
Published July 4th by Harper Collins UK Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘Super sweet, seriously spicy, laugh out loud funny – and if you’re obsessed with BookTok you will feel completely seen and heard. Lindsey Kelk is the Taylor Swift of romance writing – she makes me PROUD to be a romance reader!’ DAISY BUCHANAN
‘I really loved it … What’s great about Lindsey’s main characters is you stick to them like glue from the very first page, you feel you know them, you root for them from the off’ JUSTIN MYERS, THE GUYLINER
She’s a small-town schoolteacher, he’s a hotshot creative director. Together, it’s hate at first sight.
Sophie Taylor has a secret and Joe Walsh is the last person she’d tell. He’s devilishly handsome, incredibly hot – and far too sure of himself.
But Sophie desperately needs his help.
Because she’s not just hiding something small. She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask.
When a trip to the countryside means sharing a cottage with only one bed, it’s a short step to sharing a whole lot more besides… Can Sophie trust Joe with the truth – and be herself?
A once-in-a-generation story. A novel you’ll never forget.
From the New York Times bestselling author ________________________
Some said it was tragic, what happened to the Van Laars.
Some said the Van Laars deserved it. That they never even thanked the searchers who stayed out for five nights in the freezing forest trying to help find their missing son.
Some said there was a reason it took the family so long to call for help. That they knew what happened to the boy.
Now, fifteen years later, the daughter the family had in their grief has gone missing in the same wilderness as her brother. Some say the two disappearances aren’t connected.
Published July 4th by Zaffre Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Police Procedural
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Perfect for fans of Belinda Bauer and Ruth Ware, DEAD MILE is the most relatable locked-room mystery you’ll ever read, set on a gridlocked motorway during rush hour
Friday afternoon, and the traffic is bloody murder.
Sergeant Belinda ‘Billy’ Kidd is driving home from the airport, jet-lagged and ready to resign from a career that has left her traumatised. Menopause has robbed her confidence too – now she’s a traffic cop who’s afraid to drive. When brake lights haemorrhage up the motorway, the cars grind to a halt. Moments later she finds a dead driver in a black sedan.
He has a metal skewer in his neck. But how? The killer can’t have left the scene without being spotted by the dozens of witnesses – so he must still be there, among them. If the traffic jam stays put, they’re all in danger; if the traffic clears, she’ll lose her suspect. The clock is ticking, but she doesn’t know how fast.
Published July 4th by Fourth Estate Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story, Political Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: It is the summer of 1969 and Rome is awash with glamour and intrigue. Teddy Huntley Carlyle is fresh off a plane from Texas with a new husband in tow and a new life on the horizon. After some wayward years of bad men and bad decisions, she’s promised herself a fresh start. In Rome, Teddy will be good. She will wear the right clothes and the perfect lipstick and she will charm her husband’s colleagues at the Embassy.
And Teddy is good, until the Fourth of July, when her new life explodes with the fireworks above her head. She is caught on camera in the arms of the American ambassador just moments after spotting a man from the darkest corner of her past across the room. There it is: the evidence of her depravity on film. Trying to recover the photographs and keep her reputation intact, Teddy descends into the dark underbelly of the city… but is she in over her head?
Published July 4th by Bloomsbury Publishing Historical Ficiton, Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction, Historical Romance, War Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: London, 1944. The air raid sirens are blaring, the bombers are hovering. England has been at war with Germany for four years, and there’s no sign of peace coming. Dot Gallagher, newly arrived from Liverpool to offer her services as a nurse, hurries from her Red Cross hostel to the tube station to join the crowds of people taking shelter. A group of GIs have started dancing around a wind-up gramophone, and it doesn’t take long for Dot to join them. As she jives along with one of the American soldiers, he tells her about Rainbow Corner, a social club in Piccadilly for US troops. There is always a demand for dance hostesses there, women who know how to jitterbug and rock’n’roll, to dance with the soldiers. Would Dot like to apply?
As Dot discovers, Rainbow Corner is like no other place, an oasis in London where, once inside, the constraints of wartime Britain disappear. There is no rationing, all luxuries are available, including a constant stream of donuts, chewing gum and cola. There are restaurants and cafes, boxing matches and movies, and, much to Dot’s delight, a huge dance hall. Rather like an Embassy, Rainbow Corner is essentially a plot of America in central London.
It is there that Dot becomes firm friends with many of the other hostesses, and in particular with Lilly, who works for the Colonel.
Meet Me at Rainbow Corner follows the lives of Dot, Lilly and their friends, as they dance the nights away, fall in and out of love, and navigate the horrors of war. Lilly goes on a secret mission with her Colonel to France, and Dot becomes pregnant and returns to Liverpool. When the war is over, they are re-united, having travelled by boat to the US with countless other war brides to meet their repatriated fiancés again. Along the way, they uncover a case of inside espionage and learn the true meaning of love.
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshopby Satoshi Yagisawa
Published July 4th by Manilla Press Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: THE EMOTIONAL AND LIFE-AFFIRMING NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP TRANSLATED FROM JAPANESE BY ERIC OZAWA
In Tokyo, there is a neighbourhood with the highest number of bookstores in the world. It is called Jimbocho where book lovers can browse to their heart’s delight and where hunters of first editions or autographed copies prowl the bookcases.
The Morisaki bookshop, a small family-run shop, is so packed with books that barely five people can fit inside. Books crowd the shelves and invade every corner of the floor; when a customer arrives, the owner, Satoru, immediately pops out from behind the counter. Recently, his wife Momoko has joined him, and often, in her free time after work, their niece Takako also helps out.
For the first time, the girl does not feel lonely; she has new friends and new rituals to keep her company: the annual Jimbocho festival, the café around the corner, or an unexpected visitor. Because, as she has discovered, a bookstore is populated not by the characters contained in the books, but also by those who frequent it. And those stories create bonds.
As a sign of gratitude, Takako gives her aunt and uncle a trip, promising to look after the shop while they are away. Everything seems to be going swimmingly, but then why is Satoru behaving so strangely? And what does that woman with the red umbrella want who has appeared at the end of the street? How many other stories, emotions, and treasures does the Morisaki bookshop hold? Loved by thousands of readers worldwide, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a story of hope, friendship and the healing power of books. Will we see you in the bookshop this summer?
Published July 11th by Bantam Historical Ficiton, Fairy Tale, Myths, Supernatural Fiction, Adventure Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A gorgeous historical novel about the legend of female poisoner Giulia Tofana, brimming with rich detail and intrigue.’ C. J. COOKE, author of The Lighthouse Witches
Rome, 1656
In the shadowy backstreets of the Eternal City lies an apothecary – a place for women to take their heartbreaks and troubles. Herbs for childbirth. Tarot readings to tell their fortunes. An undetectable poison that can kill in four drops.
Alongside her circle of female poisoners, Giulia Tofana dispenses her deadly potion to free the downtrodden women of the city from their abusive husbands.
But even in a time of plague, it does not go unnoticed when the men of Rome begin to fall like flies.
With a newly elected Pope hell-bent on ridding the city of heretics and witches, and the Holy Office of the Inquisition on her tail, Giulia is in more danger than ever. . .
How far will she go for the women who need her help?
Published July 11th by Viking Historical Ficiton, Biographical Ficiton, Political Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: FROM THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF CECILY
‘Elegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down’ A.K. Blakemore ‘History at its most powerful: intimate and personal, visceral and devastating’ Jennifer Saint ‘Family dynamics at their most fierce – timeless and brilliant!’ Kate Sawyer
——
1461. Through blood and battle Edward has gained England’s throne – king by right and conquest – eighteen years old and unstoppable. Cecily has piloted his rise to power and stands at his shoulder now, first to claim the title King’s Mother.
But to win a throne is not to keep it and war is come again. As brother betrays brother, and trusted cousins turn treacherous, other mothers rise up to fight for other sons. Cecily must focus her will to defeat every challenge. Wherever they come from. Whatever the cost.
For there can be only one King, and only one King’s Mother.
From the Wars of the Roses to the dawn of the Tudor age, this is a story of mothers and sons; of maternal ferocity and female ambition – of all they can build and all they can destroy.
Published July 11th by Viper Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Women Sleuths
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A fresh new voice in crime fiction’ – JANICE HALLETT ‘Funny, sad, witty and very engaging’ – EMMA CURTIS ‘Darkly funny and deftly plotted’ – ALICE CLARK-PLATTS
Everyone needs a hobby…
Things haven’t been going well for Beth. Her husband has left her for one of her friends. Her fellow school mums judge her for swearing too much and not shifting the baby weight. And now she’s stuck in A&E after her son fell off the climbing wall on the first day of school.
In fact, things haven’t been going well for Beth since Charlotte died – her best friend, a favourite at the school pick-ups and the only person to ever run an interesting PTA meeting. But after being hit by a car while on an ill-timed evening jog, Charlotte is no longer there to help Beth pick up the pieces of her increasingly difficult life.
That is, until Beth discovers that Charlotte left her toddler alone in the house during that fatal run. The Charlotte she knew would never do something so irresponsible, and suddenly Beth is questioning whether Charlotte’s death was really an accident. With a newfound purpose and a glass of wine in hand, it’s time for Beth to uncover what really happened to her best friend. And what better place to start than the circle of chatty school mums, who can’t be as perfect as they pretend. But which of them is hiding something? Beth’s determined to find out. Once she’s put the kids to bed, of course…
Published July 11th by Picador Coming-of-Age Story, LGBT Literature, Gay Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘You know those books that you take with you everywhere? That you won’t stop talking about to your friends? That bring it all back? That change you? Anyone’s Ghost is that book’ – Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
IT TOOK THREE CAR CRASHES TO KILL JAKE
The lonely life of fifteen-year-old Theron David Alden is transformed when he meets Jake. Older, cooler, more confident and startlingly beautiful, Jake likes the same bands, the same drugs, and has the same drive to oblivion.
Over the course of two decades, Theron and Jake get high, drift apart, and are brought hurtling back together, until a final collision tears them apart forever.
Theron wants Jake, and he wants to be Jake. But is Jake brave enough to want him back?
A gorgeous modern love story about the lives that change us, and the loves that haunt us, Anyone’s Ghost will break your heart.
Hell’s Bells (Professor Eustace Rose Mystery 2) by Jill Johnson
Published July 11th by Black & White Publishing Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Women Sleuths
BOOK DESCRIPTION: After a nerve-racking investigation, Professor Eustacia Rose’s life is returning to normal. She is finally back teaching at UCL and her relationship with Matilde is blossoming. But when a man is found dead with a needle in his neck, and a disturbing painting of Eustacia links her and the body, her fragile peace suddenly begins to crumble.
At work, there’s another threat for Eustacia to deal with. A PhD student is desperate to get access to her poisonous plant collection and begins to stalk her. When she refuses to help him, he starts buying illegal synthetic plant toxins from an unknown source then turns up dead. Once again, Eustacia is the link.
With no leads and the body count rising, Eustacia, now firmly in the frame, is left with no choice but to investigate the deaths in earnest herself, however dangerous it may become.
Published July 11th by Tor Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance Novel
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a cosy fantasy tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams and even sweeter romance.
‘Reading this book was like sitting in the sun . . . a warm, peaceful delight of a novel’ – Katherine Arden, author of The Bear and the Nightingale
Every home needs a little magic . . .
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. But to her dismay, in addition to a nosy – and very handsome – neighbour, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks – the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high . . .
From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over.
Published July 16th by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: “I love, love, love Lizzy Dent.”–Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Olive Stone is about to spend four weeks in Italy with the most beautiful man she’s ever hated.
When Olive Stone and her Italian pseudo-celebrity chef father fell out fourteen years ago, annoyingly handsome Leo Ricci slipped right in as his surrogate son and sous-chef. No one is more surprised than Olive when her father wills her his beloved (and now failing) restaurant. Or that his dying wish was for Olive and Leo to complete his cookbook…together.
She’s determined to sell the restaurant. Leo is determined to convince her not to. As they embark on four weeks in Italy, traveling from Sicily to Tuscany to Liguria, they’ll test each other as often as they test recipes. But the more time Olive and Leo spend together, the more undeniable their attraction grows. Olive finds herself wondering whether selling the restaurant might be running away, and what it might be like to try Just One Taste of Leo Ricci. Because he isn’t who she expected, and this trip might reveal more about who Olive is than she’s ready for.
Published July 16th by Orion Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Literary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story – with a unique twist on each…
* * * * *
Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of local teenager Joseph ‘Patch’ Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who is broken by her best friend’s disappearance. Soon, she will eat, sleep, breathe, only to find him.
But when she does: it will break her heart.
Patch lies in a pitch-black room – all alone – for days or maybe weeks. Until he feels a hand in his. Her name is Grace and, though they cannot see each other, she takes him from the darkness and paints their world with her words. In this hopeless place, they fall in love.
But when he escapes: there is no sign she ever even existed.
To find her again, Patch charts an epic search across the country. And, to set him free, Saint will shadow his journey: on a darker path to hunt down the man who took them.
Even if finding the truth means losing each other forever…
The Black Bird Oracle (All Souls Book 5) by Deborah Harkness
Published July 16th by Headline Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Thriller, Supernatural Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy Series
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Diana Bishop journeys to the darkest places within herself – and her family history – in the highly anticipated fifth novel of the beloved Number One Sunday Times bestselling All Souls series.
The first shadows fall on a Friday afternoon when a single, dying raven lands on the pavement in front of Diana Bishop, harbinger of an invitation that reads, ‘It’s time you came home, Diana’.
Diana is a witch and scholar; her husband Matthew Clairmont, a vampire. Their intense love for one another awoke the dark powers within her and dissolved the Covenant between the three species – Witch, Daemon and Vampire – that live alongside humans. Now, the governing Congregation has decided it must test the magical powers of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Becca. Concerned with their safety, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family’s future and travels to Ravenswood, the Proctor family home.
There, Diana begins a new era, becoming her great aunt Gwyneth’s pupil in higher magic. It’s time to confront her family’s past – and her own, inescapable desire for greater power.
Number One bestselling author Deborah Harkness returns to her beloved All Souls world with a triumphant novel that sweeps back to the Salem Panic and illuminates Diana’s family history in new and thrilling ways.
The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden
Published July 18th by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife… But why would he choose her?
Summer 1841. It is marriage season in the county of Wickenshire, and Miss Amelia Ashpoint isn’t sure she can face yet another ball. But now that she has reached the grand age of three-and-twenty, time is (apparently) running out. Her father is anxious to secure her a husband and has set his sights on Mr Montgomery Hurst of Radcliffe Park.
Only, Mr Hurst has just announced his engagement to somebody else.
To the great consternation of Wickenshire, a community that thrives on gossip, the county’s most eligible bachelor is about to marry not only an unknown stranger – but a widow with three children, odd manners and no ancestry to speak of. Society is appalled and intrigued.
Meanwhile, Amelia Ashpoint has no interest in marriage at all. But in this town, it is clear that nobody’s business is their own. And while society has high expectations for Amelia, her heart is drawing her in a very different direction . . .
A love letter to Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is a witty novel of manners and gossip, class and family, scandal and romance.
Le Fay (The Morgan Le Fay Book 2) by Sophie Keetch
Published July 18th by Magpie Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fairy Tales
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The second instalment in the feminist retelling of the story of the formidable and misunderstood villainess Morgan le Fay, nemesis of the sorcerer Merlin
‘Keetch is a masterful storyteller who strikes the perfect balance between the intimate and the epic. Le Fay is truly a story to savour.’ Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls
‘They should fear me, the power I possessed, and the bright, ravenous rage that now fuelled my every breath… Even I did not know what I was capable of.’
Lady Morgan surveys her life at Camelot: she is safe, valued for her intelligence, and has the love and respect of her brother King Arthur, despite a growing conflict with Queen Guinevere.
It’s not enough. For, between the strict rules of court, a vengeful husband determined to snatch their son away, and a jealous rival in sorcerer Merlin, Morgan desires freedom. And when a face from her past arrives, igniting old memories and new desires, the future she is planning becomes fraught with danger.
Morgan must break the shackles of expectation to seek true happiness. In doing so, she discovers dark new powers that promise control of her life is within reach. But it’s at the risk of destroying everything…
‘A richly imagined tale of feminine power and defiance, of righteous rage and revenge, of love won and lost.’ Nikki Marmery, author of Lilith
Published July 18th byPenguin UK Fantasy, Mythology, Romantic Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Coming-of-Age Story, Religious Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The second fierce, fresh and gloriously romantic YA Greek myth re-imagining, from Bea Fitzgerald, growing TikTok superstar and Sunday Times bestselling author of GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN.
Love caused this war. At least, that’s what the stories will say.
When Cassandra’s patron god, Apollo, offers her the gift of prophecy – and all the power that comes with it – she seizes the opportunity. But when she fails to uphold her end of the agreement, she discovers just how very far she has to fall. No one believes her visions. Which all seem to be of one girl – and she’s going to start a war. Helen fled Sparta in pursuit of love – though that’s proving more elusive than she’d hoped. Far from home, Helen’s navigating all the politics and backstabbing of the Trojan court.
And one princess seems particularly intent on driving her from the city. . .
But when war finally strikes, it’s more than the army at their walls they must contend with. Cassandra and Helen might hold the key to reweaving fate itself – especially with the prophetic strands drawing them ever closer together.
But how do you change your future when the gods themselves are dictating your demise?
Published July 18th by Doubleday UK Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From the prize-winning author of WAHALA, a powerful de-colonial retelling of MANSFIELD PARK, exploring identity, culture, race and love ____________ When Funke’s mother dies in an accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, sensible Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them.
Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family, to be nothing like them. Fiercely protective of Funke, she at last has an ally. The two cousins give each other what they need most: love.
But the past casts long shadows and the choices made by their mothers haunt them, shaping the trajectory of their adult lives. Can they escape their legacy?
Witty, warm, hugely entertaining, ThisMotherlessLand bridges three decades and two continents, delving into the thorny territories of race and culture and belonging. At its heart is a story about love and how it can make the difference between surviving and thriving.
Published July 18th by Simon & Schuster UK Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime, Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE meets THE TRAITORS
Five beautiful couples. One deadly game. Who will escape alive?
Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field. So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film One Perfect Couple, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she?
Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean.
The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island – and the last couple standing scoops the prize. There will be sun, sea, laughs and plenty of flirting. What could possibly go wrong?
But when a huge tropical storm cuts them off from everything, the group must band together. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they’ll stop at nothing to win.
Ten might have arrived, but who will survive to the end?
Published July 18th by Abacus Crime Fiction, Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL
You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.
You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.
Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.
A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.
Published July 18th by HQ Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: If Maggie is living her best life, why doesn’t it feel like she’s in the right place?
From the outside, Maggie Lemon has a perfect life. But she and her husband have been trying for a baby for five years and she’s exhausted. She’s seen countless fertility experts and followed dozens of diets and homeopathic recommendations, and even gave up her dream restaurant in London when doctors suggested the stress might be too much. And now her estranged aunt has died, leaving her hotel in Provence to Maggie.
It’s been years since Maggie visited Le Figuier. There’s a lot of work to be done and she knows she should sell it. But when a disgraced Hollywood actor hiding out at the hotel lends a hand, the load feels a lot lighter. Is it just the chemistry with this handsome stranger, or is it starting to feel like Maggie might finally be in the right place?
‘I’m a huge fan of all of Sophia’s books but this is my new favourite…it helped me remember that the sun will come again. Summer holiday read simply doesn’t do it justice!’ Cleo Watson, author of Whips
Published July 18th by HQ Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Medical Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A razor-sharp, bleakly funny exploration of mental health crises, the societal pressures on young women, and toxic sexual and romantic relationships from one of the most exciting new literary voices. Perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss or Cleopatra and Frankenstein.
‘Sharp and uncompromising… Everyone I Know is Dying is a book that demands to be read’ Joe Gibson, author of Seventeen
‘I read every page obsessively… sharp and witty and so delicately crafted’ Elvin Mensah, author of Small Joys
When she’s having sex with her boss, Iris likes to have the lights on so he can see how much younger she is than his wife. She likes watching her colleagues eat unhealthy lunches at their desk while her stomach aches with emptiness. She likes coasting at work knowing she’s going to land a big promotion anyway.
So why when it arrives does she find herself sprawled on her hallway floor, crying uncontrollably? Why, instead of a sense of triumph, does a crippling depression threaten to overwhelm her? Why does the support and stability of her family and friends feel so suffocating? And why, torn between her flatmate George – good, kind, reliable George – and cold, indifferent Patrick, does she only seem capable of making choices that cause her pain?
Published July 18th by Serpent’s Tail Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A gem of a book about mothers and daughters, about being Black and working class in today’s London. Beautiful writing, taut with emotion, poetry and insight’ Priscilla Morris, Women’s Prize shortlisted author of Black Butterflies
For a year, the three of them live in the flat below Earl’s on the Blossom View Estate.
Livia, who has been running for long enough to think her past might never catch up with her. But now she’s been forced to catch her breath and face the daughter she left behind.
Mickey, who is angry: about having a mother who left, a father who died, about the mess she’s made of her life. And with no other place to go, she’s forced to need the very person who abandoned her.
And Summer, whose new grandmother is weird, and whose mum is always sad or out looking for men to distract her. Left to roam, she seeks refuge with new friends, ones who are willing to give her the attention that Mickey won’t. But who are these kind strangers, and will they keep her safe?
When the year ends, the family of three becomes two. Burning with hope and desire, this is a debut novel about motherhood, class and race, which sings a soulful song about the damage we do to the people we love most.
Published July 18th by Headline Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction,LGBTQ Literature
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘I haven’t been this swept away by a piece of historical fiction since Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet’ Jess Walter, bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins
Paris, 1720. The Hospice of La Salpêtrière is overrun with ‘difficult’ women.
Halfway around the world, on the American frontier, French settlers are in want of wives. At the asylum, a list is drawn up: eighty-eight women of childbearing age to be shipped to New Orleans. Among them are Charlotte, Geneviève and Pétronille – a sharp-tongued orphan, an accused abortionist and a rumoured madwoman.
They make the voyage over the ocean, knowing nothing of the harsh and extraordinary lives that await them, or how they will come to love and betray each other time and again in this wild and beautiful land.
Bold, thrilling and startling intimate, PELICAN GIRLS is a powerful vision of female friendship, identity and desire, and the choices women make in their unshakeable will to survive. For readers of Barbara Kingsolver, Lauren Groff and The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li.
‘A tale of female friendship unlike any I’ve come across before, Julia Malye’s inspired-by-a-true-story Pelican Girls is as incredible a feat of research as it is a daring work of fiction’ Elle’s Best (and Most Anticipated) Fiction Books of 2024
Published July 18th by Orenda Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, New Adult Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story, Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Sixteen-year-old Frieder’s plans for the summer are shattered when he fails two subjects. To be able to move up to the next year in the Autumn, he needs to resit his exams. So instead of going on holiday with his family, he now faces the daunting and boring prospect of staying at his grandparents’ house, studying with his strict and formal step-grandfather.
On the bright side, he’ll spend time with his grandmother Nana, his sister Alma and his best friend Johann. And he meets Beate, the girl in the beautiful green swimsuit…
The next few weeks will bring friendship, fear and first love – one grand summer that will change and shape his entire life.
A number-one bestseller in Germany and winner of the German Booksellers Prize, One Grand Summer is a moving, beautiful and profound novel about relationships and respect that captures those exquisite and painful moments that make us who we are…
WINNER of the German Booksellers Prize and over two years on the German bestseller list.
Published July 18th by Penguin UK Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘The perfect holiday read’ KIA ABDULLAH ‘A great read’ CATHERINE COOPER ‘Kept me up late into the early hours’ ALI LOWE ‘A wonderful twisty read’ AVA GLASS ___________________________________
Three years ago, bride-to-be Aoife died at her own hen party.
Now the hens have returned to the villa where that terrible weekend unfolded.
They long for closure. But the moment they step back inside, old wounds open and tensions begin to rise.
Everyone has a different version of what happened that night.
Published July 18th by Bantam Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Women Sleuths
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The unputdownable new thriller from the ‘queen of the one-sit read’ and No.1 bestselling author of Everyone Here is Lying
Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont.
The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked.
But this morning all of that will change.
Because Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer.
How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia.
Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.
Published July 18th by Faber & Faber Crime Fiction, Psychological Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘This book was brilliant! . . . Rita is so complex and intriguing. I binged it!’ 5* reader review ‘Powerful . . . a first class thriller.’ 5* reader review ‘I could not put this down.’ 5* reader review
Rita Marsh is a good person.
By day, she runs a care home, looking after the elderly and infirm.
By night, she’s a vigilante, posing online as young girls and snaring the men who prey on them, exposing them for what they are.
Rita has successfully kept her two lives separate for years. But when an old classmate returns from her past, her two worlds start to collide. With both of her selves unravelling, Rita will have to choose between justice and revenge.
Is she a force for good – or will she become someone to fear?
A Case of Mice and Murder (The Trials of Gabriel Ward Book 1) by Sally Smith
Published July 18th by Raven Books Mystery, Suspense, Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘I loved it! … A whiff of Shardlake and a pinch of Rumpole. The plotting is brilliant and it’s a joy for any lover of literature . or justice’ S.J. BENNETT, author of THE WINDSOR KNOT
When barrister Gabriel Ward steps out of his rooms at exactly two minutes to seven on a sunny May morning in 1901, his mind is so full of his latest case – the disputed authorship of bestselling children’s book Millie the Temple Church Mouse – that he scarcely registers the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his doorstep.
But even he cannot fail to notice the judge’s dusty bare feet, in shocking contrast to his flawless evening dress, nor the silver carving knife sticking out of his chest. In the shaded courtyards and ancient buildings of the Inner Temple, the hidden heart of London’s legal world, murder has spent centuries confined firmly to the casebooks. Until now.
The police can enter the Temple only by consent, so who better to investigate this tragic breach of law and order than a man who prizes both above all things? But murder doesn’t answer to logic or reasoned argument, and Gabriel soon discovers that the Temple’s heavy oak doors are hiding more surprising secrets than he’d ever imagined…
The first in a brand-new series introducing a wonderfully eccentric sleuth, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, S.J. Bennett and Richard Coles. Gabriel Ward will return in 2025..
Published July 18th by Orion Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Short Stories
BOOK DESCRIPTION: For one weekend every July, thousands of readers descend on the historic English town of Harrogate, Yorkshire in pursuit of mysteries, mischief and murder. In Murder in Harrogate, ten of the world’s best known crime and thriller writers come together in honour of the world’s largest festival of crime writing, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
From a missing person case inspired by Agatha Christie’s infamous disappearance at the Old Swan Hotel to a murdered Macbeth to a vicious parkrun assault, these razor sharp stories are a testament to the festival’s rich history, stretching over two decades.
Curated and edited by former festival chair and award-winning author Vaseem Khan, contributors include Ann Cleeves, Mark Billingham, M.W. Craven, Elly Griffiths, Abir Mukherjee, Clare Mackintosh, Steve Cavanagh, Janice Hallett, Vaseem Khan, and Ruth Ware.
Published July 25th by Headline Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ‘A heart-warming tale about resilience, friendships and family, and the inestimable power of the written word’ RUTH HOGAN
‘A heart-warming depiction of strong female friendships tested by suffering – Annie Lyons really is the queen of the wartime saga’ CLARE CHAMBERS ________
Can two young women and one book change the course of war…?
1940. Whip-smart librarian Peggy Sparks is determined to make sure that her brother Joe returns from the frontline to their London home, which they share with their beloved mother and grandmother. So when she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime job at the heart of the war effort, Peggy jumps at the prospect of making a real contribution to her country.
But when she finds herself working under the fanciful socialite Lady Marigold Cecily, Peggy discovers that those around her are more keen on dancing at the Café de Paris than on ending the war. Writing accounts of her daily life is the only thing keeping Peggy’s hopes alive. But when she finds her inner-most thoughts accidentally published by the Ministry of Information, Peggy realises she needs Marigold’s help to save her job, and to bring her brother home . . .
From the author of The Air Raid Book Club comes a powerful tale of unexpected friendship, community and two remarkable women who change the course of the war. Full of heart, emotion and drama, it is the perfect uplifting story for fans of Kate Thompson and Natasha Lester.
Published July 30th by Bloomsbury Publishing Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Every great love story deserves a great ending. ‘I’ve never read a story quite like this deeply moving, complex novel’ Jodi Picoult, the global bestseller
‘An epic love story and a sweeping family saga, The Days I Loved You Most is beautifully constructed and so poignant. Perfect for lovers of Anne Tyler, Claire Lombardo and Emma Straub. The New England setting stole my heart’ Georgina Moore, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Garnett Girls
Joseph and Evelyn’s New England beach homes have been side by side for generations. And in the summer of 1941, on the shores where they were raised, these two childhood friends fell in love.
Now, more than sixty years later, Joseph and Evelyn gather their three grown children to share the staggering news: in one year’s time, they will end their lives on their own terms. She has received a diagnosis and he cannot – will not – live without her.
As the couple comes to grips with their fate, they reckon with the joys and regrets, the laughter and the sorrow that brought them to this moment. And they create new memories to cherish with each of their children before they’re gone.
But as their final days draw closer, they must confront the stark reality of everything they have put in motion. Will they – can they – go through with their plan?
This unforgettable debut is a joyful celebration of life and a deeply romantic love story. The Days I Loved You Most is a moving tribute to the enduring power of love in all its guises.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 