The Lost by Simon Beckett.

A brilliant and terrifying thriller. I could not put this down. Beautifully observed and tightly wound. Unmissable. I don’t normally read books about missing children but I loved this. You won’t see the twists coming. 

A MISSING CHILD

Ten years ago, the disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley’s young son almost destroyed him.

A GRUESOME DISCOVERY

A plea for help from an old friend leads Jonah to Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies. Brutally attacked and left for dead, he is the only survivor.

A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

Under suspicion himself, he uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people he thought he knew – forcing him to question what really happened all those years ago…

Available on 25 November..

The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy.

Gorgeous and quaint. Any fan of cosy crime will love this.

Murder is a dish best served ice cold…

Margery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful middle-age together in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and eagerly awaiting retirement from their work on the front line serving meals to the students at Summerview secondary school.

Their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead in the school’s walk-in freezer. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death. Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something far more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate.

As they inch closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet. Will the perpetrator get their just-desserts before their time runs out?

A delightful, quintessentially British cosy mystery perfect for fans of SJ Bennett and Robert Thorogood.

Published on 18th November 2021.

The Diamond Hunter by Fiona McIntosh.

A well-researched historical novel that whisks you away to another time and place. Beautiful storytelling from a master of her craft.  A rip-roaring story that grabs you by the throat and does not let go. 

During the 1870s diamond rush in southern Africa, Clementine is left to be raised by her destitute father following the death of her mother. Her care falls largely to their companion, Joseph, and the two form an unbreakable bond.

When the two men uncover a large, flawless diamond, a dark bargain is struck to ensure Clementine’s return to a respectable life in northern England. Her father believes he has finally secured their future, but the discovery of the gem comes at a considerable cost.

Years later, Clementine must confront long-buried memories of her childhood to solve the mystery of what happened to her loved ones all those years ago.

Can she find the justice she seeks?

Out Now.

The Chef, the Bird and the Blessing by Andrew Sharp. 

This is a luscious and original novel with beautiful storytelling. 

Compelling to the last page, The Chef, the Bird and the Blessing is a story about the power of suppressed memory, of friendship, and of our relationship with the natural world. Set within vivid images of a backwater in an unnamed African country, the novel is both poignant and funny.

Mozzy is a cook in a struggling safari business and dreams of escaping the perilous wilderness and his despised employer to become head chef in an upmarket restaurant in London. Spurred on by his wife, a member of a visionary religious sect, his fantasy becomes reality. But will his sanity and marriage survive in this new world? Can a small bird help him find his way?

Mozzy’s path takes him from Africa to London and back, but it is the painful journey of the heart that ultimately fulfils Mozzy’s destiny.

The Chef, the Bird and the Blessing is available here. 

Shiver by Allie Reynolds.

This book is so full of dark, delicious fun. Perfect to read at this time of year, this is a gripping, twisty debut that really draws you in. 

They don’t know what I did. And I intend to keep it that way.

How far would you go to win? Hyper-competitive people, mind games and a dangerous natural environment combine to make the must-read thriller of the year. Fans of Lucy Foley and Lisa Jewell will be gripped by spectacular debut novel Shiver.

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.

The five friends haven’t seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don’t know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.

In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

Shiver is available here.

The Fifth Girl by Georgia Fancett.

This is a truly gripping thriller from the winner of the Daily Mail First Novel Competition. Perfect for fans of crime novels. 

When DC Rawls decided to take some time off work for his mental health, he thought he would need just a few days.

However, it’s been months since that terrible night and Rawls still hasn’t returned to the Somerset Police Dept. He can’t seem to shake the feeling that he might never be the same again.

But when a schoolgirl disappears and the police link her case to the disappearances of three other girls in Bath, it sends the media into a frenzy that places Rawls and his team at the heart of the storm.

Rawls isn’t sure that he’s ready to work on a case that hits so close to home, but he knows he can’t have any more blood on his hands. He has to find out the truth before it’s too late.

Who is behind these abductions?

And which girl will be taken next?

The Fifth Girl is available here.

The Final Child by Fran Dorricott.

This is a dark and frankly terrifying book about a serial killer. I don’t want to give too much away but it really does grab you by the throat and then does not let go. The idea is so clever and it is perfectly executed. This novel will give you whip lash. Fran Dorricott is one to watch: a brilliant writer with a stunning career ahead of her. 

He won’t forget her…

Erin and her brother Alex were the last children abducted by ‘the Father’, a serial killer who only ever took pairs of siblings. She escaped, but her brother was never seen again. Traumatised, Erin couldn’t remember anything about her ordeal, and the Father was never caught.

Eighteen years later, Erin has done her best to put the past behind her. But then she meets Harriet. Harriet’s young cousins were the Father’s first victims and, haunted by their deaths, she is writing a book about the disappearances and is desperate for an interview with the only survivor. At first, Erin wants nothing to do with her. But then she starts receiving sinister gifts, her house is broken into, and she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. After all these years, Erin believed that the Father was gone, but now she begins to wonder if he was only waiting…

A tense and emotive thriller, The Final Child is a powerful tale of a survivor being forced to confront her painful past.

The Final Child is available here.

The Queen of Monsters by Aria Mossi.

Perfect for fans of epic fantasy. 

Natalia comes from a past full of darkness and a horrific childhood spent in the Siberian taiga. Her Monsters are real, and they hide in every corner of her memory. Her state of mind, fragility and child-like innocence make both humans and aliens question her sanity.

In reality, Natalia is an inspiring young woman who owns her past and fears. Her determination shapes her new alien planet’s future, defeats a Sphinx and tames the scariest Monster of all. She may be afraid of her own shadow, but she is not scared to fight for love, even when it comes in the shape of her worst nightmare: a Monster.

Natalia owns her many weaknesses until they become her strengths. She fights darkness with light and unconditional love. As it turns out, those are the only weapons able to win the fight. Natalia’s dark past taught her the most important lesson of all: One is most likely to find their angels when running from Monsters.

The Queen of Monsters is the second book in The Tarrassian Saga. It features the inspiring story of one of the five Humans taken from Earth by alien slavers. The five books in the series are individual stories and do not end in cliffhangers. However, the stories are best enjoyed when read in order. The Tarrassian Saga is aimed at a mature audience.

The Queen of Monsters is available here.

White Christmas by Katie Flynn.

We love a saga at Frost and Katie Flynn is a master of the genre. This brand new festive romance is another glorious book, perfect to be read with a hot chocolate on a wintry day.  Katie Flynn was the pseudonym of Judy Turner who sadly passed away in 2019 at the age of 82. Her daughter Holly, who used to collaborate with her mother, now writes these fantastic books. White Christmas is just glorious. 

United by diversity, divided by war . . .

December, 1938

Rozalin Sachs has grown up in the vibrant city of Frankfurt. But with the Nazi Revolution gaining power, her family is forced to flee Germany. When a tragic accident separates Roz from her parents, she finds herself aboard the Kindertransport bound for Holland.

Here Roz meets a young lad called Felix and they vow to stick together as their journey takes them to England. Eventually they find themselves in Liverpool with the promise of a new life, until a devastating incident takes Felix away. And, in a desperate attempt to escape the terrible situation she has found herself in, Roz decides to join the Women’s Land Army.

On the sprawling farm at Hollybank Roz meets Bernie, a dashing farmer’s son, who has more than just friendship on his mind. Roz is flattered by his affections, but will he win her heart, or will her love for Felix remain as strong as ever?

White Christmas by available here.

The Shadowing by Rhiannon Ward.

This is a wonderful, creepy novel. Fantastic historical gothic mystery is dished out in spades. 

When well-to-do Hester learns of her sister Mercy’s death at a Nottinghamshire workhouse, she travels to Southwell to find out how her sister ended up at such a place.

Haunted by her sister’s ghost, Hester sets out to uncover the truth, when the official story reported by the workhouse master proves to be untrue. Mercy was pregnant – both her and the baby are said to be dead of cholera, but the workhouse hasn’t had an outbreak for years.

Hester discovers a strange trend in the workhouse of children going missing. One woman tells her about the Pale Lady, a ghostly figure that steals babies in the night. Is this lady a myth or is something more sinister afoot at the Southwell poorhouse?

As Hester investigates, she uncovers a conspiracy, one that someone is determined to keep a secret, no matter the cost…

The Shadowing is available here.

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner.

Lisa Gardner is one of my favourite novelists, full stop. This is her first stand alone novel in ten years and god, what a belter.  Gardner introduces Frankie Elkin, a forty-something former alcoholic who finds missing people. A new heroine is born. If there is any justice in this world Frankie will become a TV character soon, if ever a fictional character has to be brought to life on screen, it truly is Frankie. 

Lisa Gardner is a writer at the top of her game, as she has been for all of the books she has written. I raced through Before She Disappeared. My house was a state at the end but, needs must. Grab a copy now, you won’t regret it. 

A gripping thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten.

Frankie Elkin is an average middle-aged woman with more regrets than belongings who spends her life doing what no one else will: searching for missing people the world has stopped looking for. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking.

A new case brings Frankie to Mattapan, a Boston neighborhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier.

Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim’s wary family tells Frankie she’s on her own. And she soon learns she’s asking questions someone doesn’t want answered.

But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing will be her …

Before She Disappeared is available here.

Song in The Key of Madeleine by Pauline Crame.

This is a beautiful and poetic book. Written with beauty. It is about a tender love story. Just lovely. 

Song in the Key of Madeleine is the story of the relationship between Madeleine and Shibu: two individuals from socially and culturally very different backgrounds.

They meet when Shibu moves into Madeleine’s house as her lodger. From the start it is clear they are attracted to each other, and soon they begin an affair. Before long, however, their burgeoning relationship is tarnished, as Shibu’s religious beliefs and cultural expectations begin to clash with Madeleine’s troubled past.

The relationship offers the opportunity for growth and new beginnings, but it is also fraught with danger. For Shibu the threat of alienation from his community. For Madeleine the risk of falling prey to her childhood experiences.

Will Shibu be able to disentangle himself from his beliefs and values? Is Madeleine capable of coming to terms with her past? Or will their differences divide them?

Song in The Key of Madeleine is available here.

Perfect Timing by Own Nicholls.

Perfect Timing is a pretty perfect novel. Both Jess and Tom are great characters, and the story is fantastic. I cannot recommend this book enough, it is so full of depth. A truly multi-layered book that will leave you racing through all the way to the last page. Glorious.

For Jess and Tom, timing is everything.

For her, it’s the moment she delivers the perfect punchline. For him, it’s the heartbeat in the music he makes with his band.

And from the night they meet, sharing the same stage at the Edinburgh Festival, their attraction is undeniable. At first, it seems their timing is as perfect in the wings as it is in front of a crowd.

But as Jess and Tom’s careers take off, the moment for true connection is always just out of reach. With fate pushing them together, only to pull them apart, will the timing ever be right?

After all, when it comes to love, the timing has to be perfect. . . Doesn’t it?

Perfect timing is available here.