Carola Lovering brings her signature suspenseful writing to explore the highs and lows of close female friendships in Bye, Baby. Her book explores the countless lingering effects that time, life changes, childhood trauma, and the past effect lifelong friendship. About the Book | Bye, Baby Structure The central event of Bye, Baby occurs on October 13, 2023 and it opens the book as the Prologue. The rest of the book is told in two timelines. The main timeline described the weeks leading up to and following the central event. Each chapter is marked with the date and the number of days before or a ..read more

C. J. Cooke’s latest atmospheric mystery, A Haunting in the Arctic, left me with chills. This haunting novel leans heavily towards horror. It’s not for the faint of heart, but those who like a dark, haunting story will find this gripping. About the Book | A Haunting in the Arctic A deserted shipwreck off the coast of Iceland holds terrors and dark secrets in this chilling horror novel from the author of The Lighthouse Witches. The year is 1901, and Nicky is attacked, then wakes on board the Ormen, a whaling ship embarked on what could be its last voyage. With land still weeks away, it’s ..read more

A domestic-suspense novel with fascinating relational dynamics and a compelling ending that will have you tempted to re-read the whole book in a different lens. The Soulmate is my personal favorite book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth. The characters are well-crafted and the narrative structure added an interesting element to the plot reveals. The Characters Pippa and Gabe Gerard are married and have two daughters, Freya and Asha. They recently moved to a coastal town into a house at the top of a cliff. Gabe is a stay-at-home dad in the present timeline, though he has held different jobs in the pa ..read more

I mean this in the best possible way—what did I just read??? Samantha Downing never disappoints me, and her latest book A Twisted Love Story is no exception. I didn’t even really read what the book was about before starting it because when it comes to Samantha Downing, I know without question I will be entertained! A modern and truly twisted love story, I couldn’t put it down. The story is compelling, the characters are unpredictable, and by the end I really didn’t know who was the villain, who was the hero, and who got what they deserved. A Twisted Love Story is a total roller coaster from st ..read more

Another installment in John Marrs’ Orwellian world that feels chillingly not so far removed from our own, The Marriage Act is brilliant, terrifying, and compelling speculative fiction. In his latest book, Marrs explores a not-so-far-off future where the government in Great Britain has passed legislation that significantly disadvantages single individuals or those widowed or divorced. About the Book (Goodreads) What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey? Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills — the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which acti ..read more

A podcaster returns to her former boarding school and becomes convinced in the wrongful conviction of a man who has been in prison more than 20 years for the murder of her former roommate while they were in school. Intricately plotted with a unique narrative structure and a different but compelling addition to the #metoo movement through literary fiction. About the Book (Goodreads) A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder ..read more

A gritty story of missing girls, murder, and the seedy underbelly of a small town. The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass is a compelling mystery with a twist-filled ending. About the Book From the Edgar Award–nominated author of On a Quiet Street comes a shocking thriller about secrets…and the lengths some people will go to keep them. Grace Holloway keeps to herself. Since narrowly escaping death at the hands of the man who kidnapped her, she’s thrown herself into the small inn she runs in Rock Harbor, Maine. It’s quiet, quaint and, in the off-season, completely isolated—the pe ..read more

Mary Dixie Carter’s The Photographer is a dark, suspenseful, character-driven novel about a woman who will do anything to embed herself into the lives of a wealthy family. But is the family as perfect as they seem? Envy, obsession, betrayal, and a dynamite twist. About the Book WHEN PERFECT IMAGES As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City’s elite: snapping photos of their children’s birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long for. ARE MADE OF BEAUTIFUL LIES ..read more

I’m a huge Ruth Ware fan. Her books atmospheric, claustrophobic in the best way, and tend to veer towards modern gothic. She excels at a locked-room mystery. I’d be hard pressed to think of a current author who builds settings quite the way she does (the opening chapters at the desolate carnival strip in The Death of Mrs. Westaway are more vivid than a motion picture in my mind). Her latest book The It Girl felt a bit different from her others stylistically and while I really enjoyed this insightful and spine-tingling story, I definitely missed that extra gothic magic that Ruth Ware typically ..read more

I’ve been a big fan of Sharon Bolton ever since I ready my first book by her, The Craftsman. I picked up that book because frankly I’ll try almost anything the team at Minotaur Books deems good. I couldn’t put it down! Sharon Bolton has now become one of those authors I’ll read anything by, without even needing to read the blurb. The Split was one of those books—I had sort of skimmed the blurb when I got the book and then I didn’t re-read it when I started, so I went in somewhat blind. There are some books where I’ll recommend going in blind as the best way to consume it. The Split isn’t one o ..read more