How to Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin’s adult fiction debut is a fresh and contemporary treat for bonafide mystery lovers. Read my full review. Publication: Quercus Books, March 2024 Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Historical, Drama, Romance How to Solve Your Own Murder Synopsis Perfect for fans of Knives Out and Only Murders in the Building. Frances always said she’d be murdered. She was right. In 1965, seventeen-year-old Frances Adams was told by a fortune teller that one day she’d be murdered. Frances spent the next sixty years trying to prevent the crime that would be h ..read more

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang is diverse, captivating and thrilling female-led historical fiction. Read my full review. Publication: HarperCollins, February 2024 Genre: Historical, Thriller, Drama & Romance, Mystery, Action The Phoenix Crown Synopsis An unforgettable story about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles… San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gem ..read more

As in years prior, our Best Books of 2023 list includes many books released in 2023 but not exclusively. Top quality fiction has no expiry date, and we try to squeeze novels that have been languishing on our wish list onto our reading pile too. Since we read diversely, our favourite reads of 2023 span a range of genre: Drama and Romance Crime-Detective Literature Thriller and Mystery Fantasy Book rating system We assign each book we review a score out of 5 for The Story and The Writing and then we average these to determine an overall rating score. And, we are notoriously tough markers… B ..read more

Daughter of Ashes is the third and final title in Ilaria Tuti’s gripping crime series starring the indomitable Superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Read our full review. Daughter of Ashes Synopsis Translated from original Italian by Ekin Oklap Set in the idyllic mountains of Northern Italy, a poignant and irresistible story about the relentless pull of the past on the present. Superintendent Teresa Battaglia, a trail-blazing criminal detective on the Italian police force, is on sick leave, recovering from her recent brush with death in pursuit of a killer. But none of her colleagues, not even he ..read more

The Secret Hours is Mick Herron’s new standalone spy thriller with bite. Read our full review and our suggested book club discussion question list. The Secret Hours Book Synopsis A gripping standalone spy thriller from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Slow Horses, with a riveting reveal about a disastrous MI5 mission in Cold War Berlin—an absolute must-read for Slough House fans. New from the author of Slow Horses, now an Apple Original series from Apple TV+, starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. Two years ago, a hostile Prime Minister launched the ..read more

Bone Rites is Natalie Bayley’s new compelling literary gothic thriller. Read our review and enter our worldwide giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of this novel. Bone Rites Book Synopsis I collected the first bone when I was twelve. This fact was not mentioned in court… Such a tiny little bone, more like a tooth. I only kept it to keep him safe. Kathryn Darkling, imprisoned in Holloway, is facing death by hanging for her vengeance killing. Haunted by a spirit, she still hopes to perform the ancient black magic that will free her soul, or her struggle to punish the mighty will have ..read more

The Seven is the third highly compelling crime mystery novel starring Chris Hammer’s homicide detective pairing Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic. Read our review. The Seven Book Synopsis The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and The Tilt. Every paradise has its original sin Yuwonderie’s seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful.  But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate ..read more

The Woman in the Castello is Kelsey James’ highly entertaining suspense-filled and romantic gothic mystery novel set in post-war Italy. Read my full review. The Woman in the Castello Synopsis Rome, 1965: Aspiring actress Silvia Whitford arrives at Rome’s famed Cinecittà Studios from Los Angeles, ready for her big break and a taste of la dolce vita. Instead, she learns that the movie in which she was cast has been canceled. Desperate for money, Silvia has only one choice: seek out the Italian aunt she has never met. Gabriella Conti lives in a crumbling castello on the edge of a volcanic lake ..read more

The Bookbinder of Jericho is Pip Williams’ captivating new historical fiction novel, and a companion read to her worldwide bestselling The Dictionary of Lost Words. Read my full review. The Bookbinder of Jericho Synopsis What is lost when knowledge is withheld? In 1914, when the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, it is the women who must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who work in the bindery at Oxford University Press in Jericho. Peggy is intelligent, ambitious and dreams of studying at Oxford University, but for most of her life ..read more

The London Séance Society is a new atmospheric historical fiction novel from Sarah Penner, the first since her breakout 2021 debut, The Lost Apothecary. Read my full review. The London Séance Society Book Synopsis Amid the shrouded parlours of Victorian London, two daring women hunt for truth and justice in the perilous art of conjuring the dead. 1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities o ..read more