Welcome to the first anticipated treasures of 2024. Yes, this is a little late, but December was crazy and I didn’t get around to posting this until now.
There is an array of exciting new books out this month, including some I’ve been lucky enough to read already (The Actor, One of the Good Guys and First Lie Wins). There are lots of debuts I’m excited to explore such as The Beholders, Miss Austen Investigates, Loot and The Knowing, which is our Squadpod Book Club pick. I’m also very excited to get reaquainted with Rhiannon Lewis in the newest Sweetpea installment, Thorn In My Side and to read the latest offering from the fabulous Polly Crosby with her first YA book This Tale is Forbidden.
So, here are the books I’m most anticipating this month:
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Published January 2nd by Headline
Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
Everything she is about to tell them is a lie…
Evie Porter has everything a girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a picket fence, a fun group of friends.
The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
First comes the identity. Once she’s given a name and location by her employer, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it.
Then the mark: Ryan Sumner.
The last piece of the puzzle is the job. For Evie, this job feels different. Ryan has gotten under her skin and she’s started to picture another kind of life for herself – one where her boss doesn’t pull the strings. But Evie can’t make any mistakes. Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to – her real identity – just walked right into this town. A woman, who looks just like her, has stolen her name – and she wants more. As Evie’s past begins to catch up with her, can she stay one step ahead to save her future?
Buy here*
One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall
Published January 4th by Pan Macmillan
Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
If most men say they’re one of the good guys, then why are so many women afraid to walk alone at night?
Cole is the perfect husband: a romantic, supportive of his wife, Mel’s career, keen to be a hands-on dad, not a big drinker. A good guy.
So when Mel leaves him, he’s floored. She was lucky to be with a man like him.
Craving solitude, he accepts a job on the coast and quickly settles into his new life where he meets reclusive artist Lennie.
Lennie has made the same move for similar reasons. She is living in a crumbling cottage on the edge of a nearby cliff. It’s an undeniably scary location, but sometimes you have to face your fears to get past them.
As their relationship develops, two young women go missing while on a walk protesting gendered violence, right by where Cole and Lennie live. Finding themselves at the heart of a police investigation and media frenzy, it soon becomes clear that they don’t know each other very well at all.
This is what happens when women have had enough . . .
Buy here*
Thorn In My Side (Sweetpea 4) by C. J. Skuse
Published January 4th by HQ
Dark Comedy, Suspense, Crime, Mystery, Humorous Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
Sweetpea soon to be a major TV series starring Ella Purnell
Everyone’s favourite serial killer is back, and she’s more unpredictable than ever…
_____________
Sometimes, you can be your own worst enemy…
Rhiannon Lewis thought she finally had it all: thanks to the pandemic she’s had to keep a much lower profile but has found happiness with her fiancé Rafael and his family. For once, she is surrounded by people who love her for who she is (or who they think she is).
After over 800 days without murdering anyone, the woman formerly known as the Sweetpea Killer thinks she might have finally turned over a new leaf.
That is until her soon-to-be sister-in-law has a run in with her abusive ex, and Rhiannon rediscovers her taste for revenge. This time, with a loving family in tow, the stakes are much higher. Wedded bliss and life as a normal person are finally within Rhiannon’s reach, but you can never keep a good serial killer down.
Can you?
Buy here*
This Tale Is Forbidden by Polly Crosby
Published January 4th by Scholastic UK
Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
Control the story, control the world…
Nesta believes in the fairy tales – the true stories of powerful magical women who shaped and ruled the world decades ago.
But the world has changed since then, and now, she is forbidden from wandering too far from the isolated woodland cottage where she lives with her grandmother. Nesta longs more than anything to see the city that lies beyond the forest, and when her grandmother is abducted, she gets her chance, journeying there in the hope of rescuing her.
But once there, she is horrified to see her grandmother’s warnings were true: girls are forced to wear certain clothes and punished if they don’t behave in certain ways. The city’s Authorities have rewritten history, replacing the fairytale heroines with weak girls who must rely on men.
Worse still – everyone believes this is how the world has always been.
Only Nesta knows the truth. But truth is a dangerous thing, and suddenly she finds herself a target. Can she evade the Authorities long enough to rescue her grandmother and liberate everyone else, bringing magic back into the world?
- The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Brother’s Grimm in this thrilling dystopian fantasy
- A feminist fairy tale retelling which will make you rethink traditional stories forever
- YA debut from Polly Crosby, the much-loved author of Vita and the Birds The Unravelling and The Illustrated Child
- A stunning cover by Noma Bar, the illustrator of Margaret Atwood’s book covers
Buy here*
The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina
Published January 4th by Manilla Press
Literary Fiction, Romance, Travel Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
From the international bestselling author of The Phone Box at the Edge of the World: a powerful, moving novel of grief, hope, friendship and love based around a real archive on an island in Japan, where people travel to record their heartbeats.
To find what you have lost, you must listen to your heart . . .
On the peaceful Japanese island of Teshima there is a library of heartbeats, a place where the heartbeats of visitors from all around the world are collected. In this small, isolated building, the heartbeats of people who are still alive or have already passed away continue to echo.
Several miles away, in the ancient city of Kamakura, two lonely souls meet: Shuichi, a forty-year-old illustrator, who returns to his home-town to fix up the house of his recently deceased mother, and eight-year-old Kenta, a child who wanders like a shadow around Shuichi’s house.
Day by day, the trust between Shuichi and Kenta grows until they discover they share a bond that will tie them together for life. Their journey will lead them to Teshima and to the library of heartbeats . . .
Buy here*
The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini
Published January 4th by Century
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
Obsession. Intrigue. Revenge. Get ready for one of the most twisty-turny novels you will read this year.
‘Compulsive, clever and gasp out loud twisty, I absolutely loved it’ Lisa Jewell
‘This brilliantly written and unique novel had me turning the pages through the night‘ Heidi Perks
_____________
A woman falls to her death from a London bank’s twenty-fifth-floor roof terrace.
You’re arrested for her murder.
You tell the police that you only met the victim the previous night at your office party. She was threatening to jump from the roof, but you talked her down.
You’ve got nothing to do with this tragedy.
You’re clearly being framed.
So why do the police keep picking holes in your story? Even your lawyer doesn’t seem to believe you.
It soon becomes obvious that you’re keeping secrets.
But who are you trying to protect? And why?
Buy here*
House Woman by Adorah Nworah
Published January 4th by The Borough Press
Thriller, Horror Fiction, Domestic Ficiton, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Supernatrual Ficiton, Religious Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
‘Unique, bold and unsettling’ Aiwanose Odafen
–––
My name is Ikemefuna Nwosu, and I am your wife.
One day in Lagos, young dancer Ikemefuna is put on a plane to Houston to meet her new husband, Nna. Promises are made to her – about her education, about the man she will marry, about her freedom.
None of them are kept.
A few months later, self-professed feminist Nna finds a beautiful woman cooking in his parents’ kitchen. They tell him Ikemefuna is his wife, there to give them the grandson they’ve been waiting for. She appears obedient, malleable.
But she is no ordinary wife.
In the Texas heat, patience runs on short supply and the atmosphere in the house becomes increasingly strained, increasingly violent. Desperation makes people do strange things…
Unpredictable and unsettling, HOUSE WOMAN is a delicious thriller you will never be able to forget.
‘Haunting . . . a neo-gothic thriller, complete with a magnificently horrifying villain’ Daily Mail
Buy here*
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Published January 4th by Hodder & Stoughton
Historical Fiction, War Story
SYNOPSIS:
Her decision changed history.
Now her family must survive it.
British Malaya, 1930s
Discontented housewife Cecily is seduced by Japanese general Fujiwara and the glorious future he is promising for ‘independent’ Malaya, free from British colonialism. As she becomes further embedded as his own personal spy, she unwittingly alters the fate of her country by welcoming in a punishing form of dictatorship under the Japanese in WWII.
Japanese-occupied Malaya, 1945
Cecily and her family are barely surviving. Her children, Jujube, Abel and Jasmin, are surrounded by threat, and look to their mother to keep them safe. But she can’t tell them about the part she played in the war – and she doesn’t know how to protect them.
Can Cecily face up to her past to save her children? Or is it already too late… ?
Buy here*
The Atlas Complex (Atlas Six Trilogy,Book 3) by Olivie Blake
Published January 9th by Tor
Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
The Atlas Complex marks the much-anticipated, heart-shattering conclusion in Olivie Blake’s trilogy that began with the internationally bestselling dark academic phenomenon, The Atlas Six.
Only the extraordinary are chosen. Only the cunning survive.
An explosive return to the library leaves the six Alexandrians vulnerable to the lethal terms of their recruitment.
Old alliances quickly fracture as the initiates take opposing strategies as to how to deal with the deadly bargain they have so far failed to uphold. Those who remain with the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities; elsewhere, an unlikely pair partner to influence politics on a global stage.
And still the outside world mobilizes to destroy them ― while the Caretaker himself, Atlas Blakely, may yet succeed with a plan foreseen to have world-ending stakes. It’s a race to survive as the six Society recruits are faced with the question of what they’re willing to betray for limitless power ― and who will be destroyed along the way.
Discover the stunning finale to The Atlas Six trilogy that fans are dying to read
Pre-order here*
The Spy Coast (Martini Club, 1) by Tess Gerritsen
Published January 18th by Bantam Press
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Spy Fiction, Crime Series
SYNOPSIS:
Maggie Bird is many things. A chicken farmer. A good neighbour. A seemingly average retiree living in the seaside town of Purity. She’s also a darned good rifle shot. And she never talks about her past.
But when an unidentified body is left on Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a calling card from old times. It’s been fifteen years since the failed mission that ended her career as a spy, and cost her far more than her job.
Step forward the ‘Martini Club’ – Maggie’s silver-haired book group (to anyone who asks), and a cohort of former spies behind closed doors. With the help of her old friends – and always one step ahead of the persistent local cop – Maggie might still be able to save the life she’s built.
The Spy Coast is the first novel in the Martini Club series.
Pre-order here*
The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid Book 2)by Nita Prose
Published January 18th by Harper Collins UK
Mystery, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Book Series, Humorous Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
*The sparkling new novel from the award-winning, million-copy bestselling author of The Maid*
‘Witty, joyful and utterly unique’ A J FINN
‘Captivates from page one’ JANICE HALLETT
‘A flawless and brilliant read’ LIZ NUGENT
_________________________________________________________________
A new mess.
A new mystery.
Molly the maid returns . . .
Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.
But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.
As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.
Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .
Pre-order here*
One Love by Matt Cain
Published January 18th by Headline
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romance Fiction, Humorous Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
Two men. Twenty years of friendship. One love.
‘Matt’s books just keep getting better and better and One Love is rich, funny, poignant and unflinchingly honest portrayal of friendship, love and everything in between’ Ruth Hogan
2002
Danny arrives at Manchester University determined not to hide from the world any longer. This is the year his life will begin.
He locks eyes with a handsome stranger across the hall at the Freshers’ Fair. It starts with a wink and soon Danny and Guy are best friends.
2022
Now, both single for the first time in years, Danny and Guy return to the confetti-covered streets of the Gay Village for Manchester Pride.
After years of shared adventures and lost dreams, Danny finally plans to share the secret he has been keeping for two decades. He has always been in love with Guy.
Could this weekend be the end of a twenty-year friendship . . . or the start of something new and even more beautiful?
Pre-order here*
Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald
Published January 18th by Orenda Books
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Historical Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Political Fiction, War Story
SYNOPSIS:
On her first shift at an Edinburgh halfway house for violent offenders, a young woman is taken hostage … and that’s just the beginning… The twisty, shocking, darkly funny thriller by award-winning author Helen FitzGerald.
_______
They’re the housemates from Hell…
When her disastrous Australian love affair ends, Lou O’Dowd heads to Edinburgh for a fresh start, moving in with her cousin, and preparing for the only job she can find … working at a halfway house for very high-risk offenders.
Two killers, a celebrity paedophile and a paranoid coke dealer – all out on parole and all sharing their outwardly elegant Edinburgh townhouse with rookie night-worker Lou…
And instead of finding some meaning and purpose to her life, she finds herself trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse where she stands to lose everything – including her life.
Slick, darkly funny and nerve-janglingly tense, Halfway House is both a breathtaking thriller and an unapologetic reminder never to corner a desperate woman…
Pre-order here
The Knowing by Emma Hinds
Published January 18th by Bedford Squard Publishers
Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Alternative History, LGBTQ Romance
SYNOPSIS:
In the slums of 19th-century New York.
A tattooed mystic fights for her life.
Her survival hangs on the turn of a tarot card.
Powerful, intoxicating and full of suspense. The Knowing is a darkly spellbinding novel about a girl fighting for her survival in the decaying criminal underworlds. It is a hard-hitting story of love, obsession and betrayal.
Whilst working as a living canvas for an abusive tattoo artist in the slums of 19th-century New York, Flora meets Minnie, an enigmatic circus performer who offers her love and refuge in an opulent townhouse that is home to the menacing and predatory Mr Chester Merton. Flora earns her keep reading tarot cards for his guests whilst struggling to harness her gift, the Knowing – an ability to summon the dead. Caught in a dark love triangle between Minnie and Chester, Flora begins to unravel the secrets inside their house. Then at her first public séance in the infamous cathouse Hotel du Woods, Flora hears the spirit of a murdered boy prostitute and exposes his killer, setting off a train of events that leaves her fighting for her life.
The Knowing is a stunning debut inspired by real historical characters including Maud Wagner, one of the first known female tattoo artists, New York gang the Dead Rabbits, and characters from PT Barnum’s circus in the 1800s.
Something Powerful Is Coming.
Pre-order here*
The Beholders by Hester Musson
Published January 18th, 2024 by Fourth Estate
Historical Fiction, Gothic Ficiton, Thriller, Mystery, Suspsense, Crime Fiction, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
SOME HOUSES ARE HAUNTED BY THE LIVING
June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin.
Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she grew up, Harriet is entranced by the grand country hall; she is entranced too by her glamorous mistress Clara Gethin, whose unearthly singing voice floats through the house. But Clara, though captivating, is erratic. The master of the house is a much-lauded politician, but he is strangely absent. And some of their beautiful belongings seem to tell terrible stories.
Unable to ignore her growing unease, Harriet sets out to discover their secrets. When she uncovers a shocking truth, a chain of events is set in motion that could cost Harriet everything, even her freedom…
Pre-order here*
The Actor by Chris MacDonald
Published January 18th by Michael Joseph
Suspense, Thriller, Mysteyr, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS, HE MUST SACRIFICE EVERYTHING . . .
Discover 2024’s most original new thriller, a story of glamour, secrets and obsession…
‘GRABS YOU FROM THE OPENING LINE AND WON’T LET YOU GO’ ALEX MICHAELIDES, AUTHOR OF THE SILENT PATIENT
‘MASTERFULLY PLOTTED’ ERIN KELLY
‘WOW, JUST WOW’ BIBLIOTREASURES
‘A BARNSTORMING PERFORMANCE’ THE TIMES
*****
At long last, Adam Sealey has an Oscar within reach. Working with his controversial former mentor, Jonathan, he’s given the performance of a lifetime, and he almost believes it might be worth the cost.
Because Adam subscribes to “the method”. It’s the secret that the world’s greatest actors swear by – digging into their darkest, most personal traumas to bring a role to life.
And Adam’s greatest trauma is worse than most. Losing his mother when he was just a boy. A forced choice between the success he craved and the girl he loved. And that night back in drama school, the night of Adam’s darkest secret, when everyone knows about the dead body, but nobody suspects the truth.
And then he gets a message: someone knows. And if they tell, everything Adam’s worked for will come crashing down.
Pre-order here*
Helle & Death by Oskar Jensen
Published January 18th by Viper Books
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Cozy Mystery
SYNOPSIS:
‘A solid gold revival of the golden age whodunnit, with a delicious Danish twist’ JANICE HALLETT
______________
A snowstorm. A country house. Old friends reunited.
It’s going to be murder…
Torben Helle – art historian, Danish expat and owner of several excellent Scandinavian jumpers – has been dragged to a remote snowbound Northumbrian mansion for a ten-year reunion with old university friends. Things start to go sideways when their host, a reclusive and irritating tech entrepreneur, makes some shocking revelations at the dinner table. And when these are followed by an apparent suicide, the group faces a test of their wits… and their trust.
Snowed in and cut off, surrounded by enigmatic housekeepers and off-duty police inspectors, not to mention a peculiar last will and testament, suspicion and sarcasm quickly turn to panic. As the temperature drops and the tension mounts, Torben decides to draw upon all the tricks of Golden Age detectives past in order to solve the mystery: how much money would it take to turn one of his old friends into a murderer? But he’d better be quick, or someone else might end up dead…
This witty murder mystery puts a modern spin on the classic country house whodunnit. A must-read for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.
Pre-order here*
Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle
Published January 18th by Century
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
One happy couple.
Two divided families.
A wedding party to die for.
On the private island of Castello Fiore – surrounded by the glittering waters of Lake Garda – the illustrious Heywood family gathers for their son Laurence’s wedding to Italian influencer Eva Bianchi.
But as the ceremony begins, a blood-curdling scream brings the proceedings to a devastating halt.
With the wedding guests trapped as they await the police, old secrets come to light and family rivalries threaten to bubble over.
Everyone is desperate to know . . .
Who is the killer?
And can they be found before they strike again?
Pre-order here*
Faebound by Sara El-Arifi
Published January 18th by Harper Voyager
Fantasy Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, High Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Adventure Fiction, Contemporary Literature, Supernatural Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FINAL STRIFE, comes an enchanting new trilogy.
DIVIDED BY BLOOD.
IMPRISONED BY FATE.
BOUND BY DESIRE.
WELCOME TO THE INTOXICATING WORLD OF THE FAE.
‘A stunning new spin on fae that will leave you gasping . . . an epic romance that’s brimming with heart’ KATE DYLAN, bestselling author of Mindwalker
‘The most imaginative take on a steamy faerie court I’ve read in forever, with a cascade of epic twists’ LAURA STEVEN, award-winning author of The Society for Soulless Girls
Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army and has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future.
When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the impossible: the fae court.
The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world – torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts. . .
Pre-order here*
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
Published January 18th by Fig Tree
Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
An exhilarating, fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art, and of daring to dream of something bigger than ourselves.
‘Bold and totally unexpected, I loved this book’ Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain
‘A very special, very clever, very entertaining novel’ Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
***
It’s 412 BC, and Athens’ invasion of Sicily has failed catastrophically. Thousands of Athenian soldiers are held captive in the quarries of Syracuse, starving, dejected, and hanging on by the slimmest of threads.
Lampo and Gelon are local potters, young men with no work and barely two obols to rub together. When they take to visiting the nearby quarry, they discover prisoners who will, in desperation, recite lines from the plays of Euripides for scraps of bread and a scattering of olives.
And so an idea is born: the men will put on Medea in the quarry. A proper performance to be sung of down the ages. Because after all, you can hate the Athenians for invading your territory, but still love their poetry.
But as the audacity of their enterprise dawns on them, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. As the performance draws near, the men will find their courage tested in ways they could never have imagined …
Pre-order here*
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
Published January 18th by Michael Joseph
Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy Fiction, Historical Fantasy, LGBTQ Literature
SYNOPSIS:
An exhilarating, fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art, and of daring to dream of something bigger than ourselves.
‘Bold and totally unexpected, I loved this book’ Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain
‘A very special, very clever, very entertaining novel’ Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
***
It’s 412 BC, and Athens’ invasion of Sicily has failed catastrophically. Thousands of Athenian soldiers are held captive in the quarries of Syracuse, starving, dejected, and hanging on by the slimmest of threads.
Lampo and Gelon are local potters, young men with no work and barely two obols to rub together. When they take to visiting the nearby quarry, they discover prisoners who will, in desperation, recite lines from the plays of Euripides for scraps of bread and a scattering of olives.
And so an idea is born: the men will put on Medea in the quarry. A proper performance to be sung of down the ages. Because after all, you can hate the Athenians for invading your territory, but still love their poetry.
But as the audacity of their enterprise dawns on them, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. As the performance draws near, the men will find their courage tested in ways they could never have imagined …
Pre-order here*
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Published January 18th by Orbit
Fantasy Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Fairy Tale. Viking & Norse Mythology
SYNOPSIS:
‘Forget dark academia: give me instead this kind of winter-sunshined, sharp-tongued and footnoted academia, full of field trips and grumpy romance’ Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light
An intrepid professor must uncover faerie secrets in the delightful and heart-warming second instalment of the Sunday Times bestselling Emily Wilde series.
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore, and has catalogued many secrets of the Hidden Folk in her encyclopaedia with her infuriatingly charming fellow scholar, Wendell Bambleby, by her side.
But Bambleby is more than just a brilliant and unbearably handsome scholar. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, in search of a door back to his realm.
By lucky happenstance, Emily’s new project, a map of the realms of faerie, will take them on an adventure to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.
But with new friendships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.
Pre-order here*
The Guests by Agnes Ravatn
Published January 18th by Orenda Books
Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Dark Comedy, Translated Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
A young couple are entangled in a nightmare spiral of lies when they pretend to be someone else …Exquisitely dark psychological suspense by the international bestselling author of The Bird Tribunal
‘A delightfully insightful and wicked little read … Like the cabin, it’s so minimalist and stark and at the same time so compelling’ Elizabeth Haynes
________
It started with a lie…
Married couple Karin and Kai are looking for a pleasant escape from their busy lives, and reluctantly accept an offer to stay in a luxurious holiday home in the Norwegian fjords.
Instead of finding a relaxing retreat, however, their trip becomes a reminder of everything lacking in their own lives, and in a less-than-friendly meeting with their new neighbours, Karin tells a little white lie…
Against the backdrop of the glistening water and within the claustrophobic walls of the ultra-modern house, Karin’s insecurities blossom, and her lie grows ever bigger, entangling her and her husband in a nightmare spiral of deceits with absolutely no means of escape…
Simmering with suspense and dark humour, The Guests is a gripping psychological drama about envy and aspiration … and something more menacing, hiding just below that glittering surface…
Pre-order here*
Here in the Dark by Alexis Soloski
Published January 18th by Raven Books
Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
By night, Vivian Parry performs the role of Manhattan’s sharpest theatre critic, immersing herself fully in every show she sees. By day, she uses work, sex, and psychotropic drugs to keep her comfortably numb.
Desperate for a promotion and at the urging of her editor, she agrees to an interview with David Adler, an enigmatic graduate student. When he later disappears, Vivian soon learns from his devastated fiancée that she was the last person to have seen him alive. The police refuse to investigate his disappearance and Vivian finds herself obsessed with what happened, assuming the role of amateur investigator.
But as she gets closer to the truth about David Adler, she finds that the boundaries between theatre and reality are more tenuous than even she could have believed.
Pre-order here*
The House on Rye Lane by Susan Allott
Published January 18th by The Borough Press
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Adventure Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
‘Sublime, elegant and exciting. The House on Rye Lane is beautifully written and entirely gripping. I’m a big fan of Susan Allott’ CHRIS WHITAKER
‘The lovechild of Sarah Waters’ The Paying Guests and Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs… confirms Susan Allott as a huge talent’ ERIN KELLY
They thought they’d found their dream home. They were wrong.
2008. The house Maxine and Seb have just bought was a bargain – a huge Georgian townhouse on the edge of Peckham Rye, it needs a lot of work but Max couldn’t resist it. Now they are in, though, nothing seems to be going right – and as the problems mount up, Max starts to doubt her relationship as well as her decision. Is Seb all he seems to be? And why are the neighbours so evasive about the house’s previous owner?
1994. Cookie and his parents have been forced by his dad’s gambling debts to move into the attic room of a big old house, as lodgers. Tensions run high between them and their elderly landlady, and there’s something odd about the place that Cookie can’t quite put his finger on…
1843. Horatio built this house for his beloved wife, who then died in mysterious circumstances. After a second death on the premises, both his servants and the locals are starting to talk. Horatio’s grief is tinged with shame and guilt. What is he hiding? And will the house ever be free of his legacy?
THE HOUSE ON RYE LANE is a tense, taut, beautifully crafted novel about the treachery of secrets and the many ways the past can echo into the present, from the acclaimed author of THE SILENCE.
Pre-order here*
A Guilty Secret by Philippa East
Published January 18th by HQ
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
From the author of Little White Lies ’Masterful, clever, surprising at ever turn; a proper page-turner and a one-sitting read. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Sublime’ Andrea Mara
‘I was gripped by the simmering tension and the layers of secrets’ Louise Jensen
‘A truly gripping thriller filled with teenage nostalgia and vividly rendered toxic friendships. It had me turning pages late into the night’ Heather Darwent
2003: Carrie and her friends spend their days studying at boarding school, and their nights sneaking out to the woods. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
2019: When Finn receives a shocking call from his estranged wife, Mhairi, informing him of their friend Kate’s death, neither is prepared for the secrets they will uncover. The trail leads them to the events at a boarding school many years before.
They are on the verge of unearthing the whole story – but someone will do anything to keep it buried.
‘A skilful, layered and ultimately emotional read. East is at the top of her game!’ Louise Swanson
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The Favourite by Rosemary Hennigam
Published January 18th by Orion
Mystery, Suspense, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
‘WOW! If this isn’t a book to brag about I don’t know what is… I started The Favourite late last night. Never did I anticipate I would be closing the book at 3am left in complete shock… This book was insane! It was twisted, it was heart-breaking but it was so darn good! A must-read… I strongly encourage you to pre-order this book!‘ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 STARS
Her teacher’s pet, or his worst nightmare?
Jessica Mooney seems like any other student at her university. She’s talented, driven, and looks set to be this year’s ‘favourite’ in charismatic Professor Crane’s Law and Literature class. But unlike the other students competing for his good opinion, Jessica isn’t what she seems. She’s carrying a dark secret.
Her sister is dead. Crane’s to blame. And she’s the only one who can bring him to justice.
Will Jessica be able to get the answers and justice she seeks, or will her search for revenge destroy her first?
Read what everyone is saying about The Favourite:
“‘Juicy and dark… a standout dark academia thriller, with shades of Donna Tartt’s modern classic The Secret History and Emerald Fennell’s revenge fantasy film Promising Young Woman… Jessica is a firecracker of a protagonist… Thanks to Hennigan’s strong voice and full embrace of the bumpy, twisty nature of retribution and revenge, The Favourite positively sings.” BookPage
“It had such an evocative academic atmosphere… felt very original… Beautifully done… brilliant foreshadowing… A truly propulsive read that I ended up gobbling up in one sitting” Heather Darwent, author of instant Sunday Times bestseller, The Things We Do to our Friends
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The Search Party by Hannah Richell
Published January 18th by Simon & Schuster UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Literary Fiction, Romantic Comedy
SYNOPSIS:
‘Hannah Richell’s The Search Party is a compelling thriller told with real emotional insight and depth. An absolute page-turner!’ Lucy Clarke
Five old friends.
One glamping weekend.
A storm that will change everything.
Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. They invite old university friends – TV star Dominic, doctor and new mum Kira, and free-spirited Jim and Suze – and their children for a trial weekend but the reunion quickly veers off-course.
First, there’s The Incident around the campfire on the first night. The following afternoon, a storm quickly develops off the rugged North Coast. When one of their group goes missing, all hell breaks loose. And as the winds batter the bell-tents, emotions run high and tension mounts for all the characters.
Who is lying in hospital, who has gone missing and who is the body on the beach below the cliffs . . .?
Gripping, cleverly structured and brimming with secrets and lies, this is a masterclass in narrative tension and a chilling exploration of the ways in which aspiration and anxiety collide. It will keep you guessing until the last page.
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The Excitements by C. J. Wray
Published January 18th by Orion
Thriller, Historical Fiction, Humorous Ficiton
SYNOPSIS:
Revenge is a dish best served old…
‘Not all heroes wear capes, some wear M&S cardigans! A triumph!’ MIKE GAYLE
‘A sublime mix of comedy, drama and adventure’ JILL MANSELL
‘Just pure joy from start to finish.’ ALEXANDRA POTTER
Meet the Williamson sisters, Britain’s most treasured World War II veterans. Now in their nineties, Josephine and Penny are in demand, popping up at commemorative events all over the country. Despite their age, they’re in great form-sprightly and sparky, and always in search of their next “excitement.” This time it’s a trip to Paris to receive the Légion d’honneur, accompanied by their devoted great-nephew, Archie.
Keen historian Archie believes his great aunts had minor roles in the Women’s Royal Navy and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, but that’s only half the story. There’s a reason sweet Auntie Penny can dispatch a would-be mugger with a brolly.
This trip to Paris is not what it seems either. Scandal and crime have quietly trailed the sisters since the war. Now armed with new information about an old adversary, these much decorated (but admittedly ancient) veterans intend to settle scores, avenge lost friends, and pull off one last heist before the curtain comes down on their illustrious careers.
A charming, uplifting and cosy mystery about two national treasures hiding official secrets and double lives – perfect for fans of THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB.
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A Cruel Twist of Fate by A. F. Askwith
Published January 18th by Penguin UK
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical Mystery, YA Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
And Then There Were None meets The Inheritance Games, with a heavy dash of The Woman in Black, in this gloriously gothic YA mystery-thriller.
When eighteen-year-old Helena is sent to be a governess at Archfall Manor – a beautiful but crumbling manor house, perched at the edge of a causeway in the North Sea – she feels confident she will know how to deal with the esteemed but eccentric Cauldwell family who own it. But it quickly becomes clear that the Cauldwells are hiding more than Helena could ever have dreamed of.
A series of sinister events come to a head with a gruesome death – swiftly followed by another. Worse still, with the path back to the mainland cut off by a terrible storm, and no way to get help, suspicions and paranoia quickly run rampant.
But the Cauldwells aren’t the only ones keeping secrets. Helena has some very important ones of her own – and soon she begins to wonder whether dark powers beyond her control might be forcing her to twist the fate of the family – and her own destiny – forever.
Praise for A Dark Inheritance: “A powerful, heart-racing story of family, fate, and writing your own destiny. Intricately plotted and luminously written – I loved it” Laura Steven, author of The Society for Soulless Girls
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Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull
Published January 25th by Michael Joseph
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Historical Mystery, Regency Romance
SYNOPSIS:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that every good mystery is in need of a brilliant sleuth . . .
Welcome to Hampshire, 1795, where a young Jane Austen has her sights set on securing a marriage proposal from the dashing Tom Lefroy at a local ball.
But when a shocking discovery is made – a milliner’s lifeless body tucked away in a linen closet – Jane finds herself embroiled in an unexpected murder mystery.
As she races against the clock to clear her beloved brother Georgy’s name, Jane uses her sharp wits to navigate the treacherous waters of society, unmasking secrets and unearthing hidden motives along the way. With every twist and turn, Jane’s determination to solve the case deepens. And if she fails, her brother will face the ultimate punishment – the hangman’s noose . . .
Join Jane on her quest for justice as she faces down danger, deceit, and scandal amidst her own friends and neighbours. Will she uncover the truth in time, or will the real killer go free? One thing’s for certain – in Hampshire, nothing is as it seems . . .
*** BETWEEN THE MATCH-MAKING AND MATRIMONY LIES MURDER . . . . ***
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Loot by Tania James
Published January 25th by Harvill Secker
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, US Historical Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
An epic tale of plundered treasure, savage empire, lasting love and a young man’s dream to make his mark on the world.
Meet Abbas. Woodcarver, toy maker, dreamer. Abbas is seventeen when he is whisked away to Tipu Sultan’s glorious palace in Mysore. Apprenticed to the clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, he is ordered to create an ingenious musical tiger to delight Tipu’s sons.
In the eccentric Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning, and through whom he also meets the unforgettable Jehanne, who has questions and ambitions of her own.
But when British soldiers attack and loot Mysore, Abbas’s world is turned upside down and his prized tiger is shipped off to a country estate in England. In order to carve out his place in the world, he must follow.
A hero’s quest, a love story, an exuberant heist novel that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across the world, Loot is a dazzling, wildly inventive and irresistible feat of storytelling from a writer at the height of her powers.
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Piglet by Lottie Hazell
Published January 25th by Doubleday
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Ficiton, Psychological Fiction, Absurdist Fiction,
SYNOPSIS:
Her life is so full, so why is she hungry?
‘A high-wire exploration of control, pleasure and desire’ Chloë Ashby
‘A book that tears at the surface of things to reveal the vast, messy truth of a body with a beating heart’ Catherine Newman
——————-
For Piglet – an unshakable childhood nickname – getting married is her opportunity to reinvent. Together, Kit and Piglet are the picture of domestic bliss – effortless hosts, planning a covetable wedding … But if a life looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Thirteen days before they are due to be married, Kit reveals an awful truth, cracking the façade Piglet has created. It has the power to strip her of the life she has so carefully built, so smugly shared. To do something about it would be to self-destruct. But what will it cost her to do nothing?
As the hours count down to their wedding, Piglet is torn between a growing appetite and the desire to follow the recipe, follow the rules. Surely, with her husband, she could be herself again. Wouldn’t it be a waste for everything to curdle now?
Piglet is the searing, unforgettable and original debut which is set to take readers by storm in 2024.
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The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers
Published January 25th by Hodderscape
Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, High Fantasy, Urban Fiction
SYNOPSIS:
Curses are made to be broken.
‘A DARK DREAM . . . WELCOME TO THE CITY OF STARDUST. ENJOY – AND ALSO BEWARE. THIS FAIRY TALE IS DEADLY’LAINI TAYLOR
Filled with magic, stardust, and a shockingly dark heart, this is a stunning standalone fantasy perfect for fans of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Starless Sea and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
For centuries, Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor is a woman named Penelope, who never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt.
Ten years ago, Violet Everly’s mother left to break the curse, and never returned. Now Violet must find her mother, or she will be taken in her place.
Her hunt leads her into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods, and monsters bent on revenge. And into the path of Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted – and yet to whom she finds herself undeniably drawn.
Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel to the edges of the world to find her mother and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began . . .
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A Soul For A Soul (Detective Kate Young 5) by Carol Wyer
Published January 30th by Thomas & Mercer
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Crime Series
SYNOPSIS:
The syndicate have taken everything from her. It’s time to take them down―or die trying.
DCI Kate Young never meant to shoot Superintendent John Dickson at the reservoir that night―even if, as a scheming corrupt cop and head of the shady syndicate, he probably had it coming. But now Kate has photographic evidence that someone else knows her terrible secret…
Tormented by guilt and the voices of the dead, Kate is desperate to unmask the rest of the corrupt officers before her own sins catch up with her. When DI Harriet Khatri, awaiting trial for the murder of Kate’s mentor, claims she was framed by Dickson’s syndicate, Kate reluctantly agrees to help in the hope of finding answers.
Meanwhile, DI Emma Donaldson finds herself on the hunt for a double murderer―a man who incapacitates his victims with a powerful narcotic called Devil’s Breath. Desperate to measure up to her role-model boss, Emma finds herself hurled into the deep end in more ways than one…
While Kate’s grip on reality wavers and the syndicate closes in, and with the mystery killer taking a special interest in Emma, could this be the case that defeats both detectives?
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Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Published January 30th by Bloomsbury Publishing
Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Literature, Coming-of-Age Story
SYNOPSIS:
‘I couldn’t put it down, and I didn’t want to either’ EMILY HENRY
‘A page-turning pleasure – stylish, sharp and breathtakingly smart’ DAISY BUCHANAN
Everything comes at a price. But not everything can be paid for.
Millie wants to graduate, get a job and buy a house. She’s slowly saving up from her job on campus, but when a visiting professor offers her an unusual opportunity to make some extra money, she jumps at the chance.
Agatha is a writer, recovering from a break-up while researching attitudes towards weddings and money for her new book. She strikes gold when interviewing the girls in Millie’s dorm, but her plans take a turn when she realises that the best material is unfolding behind closed doors.
As the two women form an unlikely relationship, they soon become embroiled in a world of roommate theatrics, vengeful pranks and illicit intrigue – and are forced to question just how much of themselves they are willing to trade to get what they want.
Sharp, intimate and provocative, Come and Get It takes a lens to our money-obsessed society in a tension-filled story about desire, consumption and bad behaviour.
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The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Published January 30th by Hot Key Books
Fantasy Fiction, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
“A gorgeously twisted modern fairy tale that shimmers with magic and mystery” – Karen McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying.
FIVE WOMEN ARE DEAD. The killer leaves no fingerprints, no DNA. Police are utterly stumped. In a world where only women can use magic and the men who know about it seek to eradicate them, three damaged young women – one cursed, one hunted, one out for revenge – will team up to track down and take out a brutal supernatural killer.
Jude Wolf is rich as sin and handsome as the devil. But she’s also cursed. Her immortal soul is tethered to a rather hateful demon – and she wants the hell out of the deal. What Jude needs is a cursewriter – and she thinks the string of dead women, all of whom she suspects are messing with the occult, might just be able to lead her to one.
Zara Jones has also been tracking the murders since they began. Her older sister was the killer’s first victim. Zara doesn’t just want revenge, she wants to find a way to bring her sister back. What Zara needs is a witch, a sorcerer, a necromancer – in fact, what Zara needs is a cursewriter. At the apartment of the fifth victim, Jude and Zara meet by chance, and there they find a clue that brings their paths crashing together: a strange business card bearing three words. Emer Byrne. Cursewriter.
Pre-order here*
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Are any of these on your TBR? Let me know in the comments below.
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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx
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