Who’s That Girl?
by Mhairi McFarlane
(1 Review)
Edie thought she was in love… until he told her he was marrying someone else. Then, when he kisses her on the day of his wedding, life really starts to unravel. Labelled a homewrecker, overnight Edie is the office outcast. To help, her boss offers a chance to get out of town, and she jumps at it. But when this fresh start unexpectedly throws her into the path of Hollywood heartthrob Elliot Owen and the limelight, the question on everyone’s lips is: who’s that girl? Edie is about to find out. Who's That Girl is a sparkling laugh-out-loud romcom - the perfect summer read... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair  3rd June 2025

Hope to Die
by Cara Hunter
(1 Review)
Midnight. A call out to an isolated farm on the outskirts of Oxford. A body shot at point-blank range in the kitchen. It looks like a burglary gone wrong, but DI Adam Fawley suspects there's something more to it. When the police discover a connection to a high-profile case from years ago, involving a child's murder and an alleged miscarriage of justice, the press go wild. Suddenly Fawley's team are under more scrutiny than ever before. And when you dig up the past, you're sure to find a few skeletons. Hope to Die is the sixth twisty, up-all-night thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling Cara Hunter... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair  3rd June 2025

Blacklands
by Belinda Bauer
(1 Review)
Steven Lamb is 12 when he writes his first letter... to a serial killer Every day after school, whilst his classmates swap football stickers, twelve-year-old Steven digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to find a body. His uncle disappeared aged eleven and is assumed to have fallen victim to the notorious serial killer Arnold Avery - but his body has never been found. Steven's Nan does not believe her son is dead. She still waits for him to come home, standing bitter guard at the front window while her family fragments around her. Steven is determined to heal the widening cracks between them before it's too late - even if that means presenting his grandmother with the bones of her murdered son. But when Steven realises this is an impossible task, he crafts a careful letter to Arnold Avery in prison. And there begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between a desperate child and a bored psychopath... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 20th May 2025

Remainders of the Day
by Shaun Bythell
(1 Review)
The Bookshop in Wigtown is a bookworm's idyll - with thousands of books across nearly a mile of shelves, a real log fire, and Captain, the bookshop cat. You''d think after twenty years, owner Shaun Bythell would be used to the customers by now. Don''t get him wrong - there are some good ones among the antiquarian porn-hunters, die-hard Arthurians, people who confuse bookshops for libraries and the toddlers just looking for a nice cosy corner in which to wee. He''s sure there are. There must be some good ones, right? Filled with the pernickety warmth and humour that has touched readers around the world, stuffed with literary treasures, hidden gems and incunabula, Remainders of the Day is Shaun Bythell's latest entry in his bestselling diary series... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 20th May 2025

The House We Grew Up In
by Lisa Jewell
(1 Review)
When a tragedy breaks a family apart, what can bring it back together? The Birds seem to be the perfect family: mother, father, four children, a picture-book cottage in the country. But one Easter weekend, something happens - something so unexpected, so devastating, that no one can bring themselves to talk about it. The family shatters, seemingly for good. Until, years later, they are forced to return to the house they grew up in, and to confront what really broke the family apart...
The House We Grew Up In is an unforgettable story about a family with a terrible secret. From the #1 bestselling author of Then She Was Gone, The Night She Disappeared and The Family Upstairs... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 20th May 2025

She’s Not There
by Joy Fielding
(1 Review)
'I think my real name is Samantha. I think I'm your daughter.' When Caroline Shipley's two-year-old daughter disappeared, her whole world came crashing down. Now, fifteen years later, Caroline receives a phone-call that could change everything. But could this stranger really be her daughter? And what happened all those years ago to make her vanish without a trace? As Caroline pieces together the events of that ill-fated holiday, she begins to question whether the answers could lie dangerously close to home. She’s Not There is a gripping novel from a queen of psychological suspense and New York Times bestselling author, Joy Fielding... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 20th May 2025

The Stalker
by Kate Rhodes
(1 Review)
She thinks she understand stalkers. Until she becomes a target... Elly is an expert in stalking – an academic at Cambridge University and a popular media pundit. She knows the subject intimately: what motivates a stalker, how they behave, how to rehabilitate them. But now it’s personal. Someone is following her, making silent phone calls and sending her ominous notes. The message is always the same – me or you. Elly can’t trust anyone – not her family, her friends or her colleagues. She knows that her stalker must be someone close to her. And when they suddenly turn violent, she realizes she’s running out of time to find out who it is. Because it looks like only one of them will survive. A terrifying cat-and-mouse chase, told from the perspective of the stalker and the stalked - a roller-coaster ride with an ending you won’t see coming... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 11th March 2025

Red Side Story
by Jasper Fforde
(1 Review)
Finally, after 14 years, the sequel to Shades of Grey is here. It's the UK, but not as we know it: civilisation has rebuilt after an unspoken 'Something that Happened' five hundred years before. Society is now colour-based, the strict levels of hierarchy dictated by the colours you can see, and the economy, health service and citizen's aspirations all dominated by visual colour, run by the shadowy National Colour in far-off Emerald City. Out on the fringes of Red Sector West, Eddie Russett and Jane Grey have discovered that all is neither fair nor truthful within their cosy environment, and currently face trumped up charges that will see them die of the fatally soporific tones within the Green Room. Negotiating the narrow boundaries of the Rules within their society, Jane and Edward must find out the truth of their world: What is it, where is it and even when it is. Red Side Story delves into the strictures of a society imposed on itself by itself, immovable dogma and the spirit of humans trying to love and survive... more»»
Review by Nigel 10th February 2024

Murderabilia
by Craig Robertson
(1 Review)
The first commuter train of the morning slowly rumbles away from platform seven of Queen St station. And then, as the train emerges from a tunnel, the screaming starts. Hanging from the bridge ahead of them is a body. Placed neatly on the ground below him are the victim's clothes. Why? Detective Inspector Narey is assigned the case and then just as quickly taken off it again. Winter, now a journalist, must pursue the case for her. The line of questioning centres around the victim's clothes - why leave them in full view? And what did the killer not leave, and where might it appear again? Everyone has a hobby. Some people collect death. To find this evil, Narey must go on to the dark web, and into immense danger... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 1st January 2024

Laughter is the Best Medicine
by Peter Sykes
(1 Review)
It is said that a surgeon must have ‘the eyes of a hawk, the heart of a lion, and the hands of a lady,’ but have you ever wondered how a surgeon learns to operate, how he ‘cuts his teeth’ progressing from naive newly-qualified doctor to competent surgeon? In this collection of medical tales, the training of one slightly naive young trainee is viewed through the experiences of the patients he treats as he embarks on this most challenging of careers. We share his joy when things go well, his anguish when they don’t and learn that, at the end of the day, compassion and a sense of humour make wonderful medicine... more»»
Review by Chrissi 1st June 2023

Funny Girl
by Nick Hornby
(1 Review)
Make them laugh, and they're yours forever… Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh. So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself to London, and overnight she becomes the lead in a new BBC comedy, Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation's hearts. Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and the people behind the scenes. But when life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. How long can they keep going before it's time to change the channel? Insightful and humorous, Nick Hornby's latest does what he does best: endears us to a cast of characters who are funny if flawed, and forces us to examine ourselves in the process... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 1st June 2023

A Heart Full of Headstones
by Ian Rankin
(1 Review)
John Rebus stands accused: the once legendary detective is on trial, facing the rest of his life behind bars. How does a hero turn villain? Or have times changed, and the rules with them? Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke tackles Edinburgh's most explosive case in years, as a corrupt cop harbouring huge secrets goes missing. But is her loyalty to the police or the public? And who can she trust when nobody is truly innocent - including her former mentor Rebus - and a killer walks among them? As the time comes to choose sides, it becomes clear: after a lifetime of lies, the truth will break your heart... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 1st June 2023

Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
(1 Review)
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with - of all things - her mind. True chemistry results. Like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking ('combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride') proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo. Lessons in Chemistry is the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 1st January 2023

The Doomsday Brunette
by John Zakour and Lawrence Ganem
(1 Review)
In the deco-inspired, pop-culture-obsessed future, Zachary Nixon Johnson has made a name for himself as the last private eye on Earth. Now the wise-cracking PI and his supercomputer sidekick, HARV, are hired by Ona Thompson, one of four genetically-engineered super women known collectively as the Thompson Quads. Ona’s sister has been murdered, and she needs Zach to locate the killer. The list of suspects is long - including a butler, security experts, a giant monkey, and even Ona herself. And the list of motives is even longer. Vengeance, envy, wealth, and fun could all be at play. It isn’t long before Zach’s fedora is filled to the brim with danger and destruction in The Doomsday Brunette, the thrilling follow-up to The Plutonium Blonde... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen  3rd June 2025

Son of Sedonia
by Ben Chaney
(1 Review)
Imagine growing up in the largest slum on the planet in the year 2080AD. Twenty million people are your neighbors, huddled together in an ocean of rusted dwellings made from whatever Sedonia City, the towering metropolis in the distance, decides to throw away. Gang members, known as the T99s, are the heads of your community: smuggling tech, trafficking drugs, and fighting a constant guerilla war against the City’s bio-augmented EXO police force. There is little hope for survival. None for escape to a better life beyond the half-mile high Border between city and slum. This is Matteo’s world. A bright kid, but sick and weak since childhood, he is painfully dependent on Jogun: loving older brother, and hardened soldier for the T99s. When a luxury transport from Sedonia’s aerial traffic crash-lands in Rasalla, it threatens to change Matteo and Jogun’s fate forever. Son of Sedonia is an action-filled science fiction epic with a soul and a clear message. Its characters live, breathe, suffer, and love in their different worlds, each brought to the brink as the Third-World collides with the First. Their future could well be ours... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen  3rd June 2025

Wildcatter
by Dave Duncan
(1 Review)
Throughout human history wildcatters, the first great explorers and prospectors to lay claim to newly discovered lands, have marched to the beat of a different drummer - motivated by a deep yearning to be the first to walk on uncharted land and benefit from treasures yet to be discovered. In the future, wildcatters in space will travel to exoplanets, located in The Big Nothing, to search for new chemicals which, when transformed into pharmaceuticals, might bring untold wealth and fame to the individuals and corporations that stake their claim for exclusive exploitation rights. Such is the quest of the crew of the independent starship Golden Hind, whose mission is to travel a year and a half to "Cacafuego", beat the larger corporations to the exoplanets' resources, and strike it rich for themselves. Wildcatter is a raucous tale of mystery, greed and passion, told by master story teller Dave Duncan, once himself a real wildcatter... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen 20th May 2025

Milligan and Murphy
by Jim Murdoch
(1 Review)
There are no reasons for unreasonable things. So the protagonists of this novel are told having found themselves setting out on an adventure that they really didn't plan. Like many people, Murdoch has always had a great affection for the two lead characters in Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Have you ever wondered what Didi and Gogo were like when they were young and what led them to end up waiting for a man who would most likely never turn up? That's basically the premise Murdoch set out to explore in Milligan and Murphy but that was not the question he finally answered. Milligan and Murphy are not Didi and Gogo, nor are they Mercier and Camier, Beckett's less-well-known "pseudo-couple" - they are very much themselves - but after an unexpected encounter on the road out of the town with an old man who has decided that searching for someone that will never be found is better than waiting for someone who will never turn up, they suddenly find themselves with big questions to answer and they're not very good with questions, big or small... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen 20th May 2025

The Harbour
by Katrine Engberg
(1 Review)
When fifteen-year-old Oscar Dreyer-Hoff disappears, it's assumed he's another teenage runaway - an overlooked middle child who will turn up within 24 hours. But as the hours, and then days, tick by and the family become more frantic, Detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner begin to dig deeper into Oscar's life. Who has been sending the family malicious notes? What secrets is Oscar's best friend keeping? And what's really going on down at the harbour? With every passing hour and little evidence, the odds of finding a missing person grow dimmer and dimmer in Kørner and Werner's toughest case yet. The third thrilling installment in the internationally bestselling Copenhagen-set Kørner and Werner series, from a rapidly rising star in crime fiction. Combining pin-sharp storytelling and a rollercoaster investigation, The Harbour is an absorbing mystery thriller for fans of Jo Nesbo and Tana French... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 20th May 2025

The Commitments
by Roddy Doyle
(1 Review)
Barrytown, Dublin, has something to sing about.  The Commitments are spreading the gospel of the soul. Ably managed by Jimmy Rabbitte, brilliantly coached by Joey 'The Lips' Fagan, their twin assault on Motown and Barrytown takes them by leaps and bounds from the parish hall to the steps of the studio door. But can The Commitments live up to their name... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 11th March 2025

You Are Here
by David Nicholls
(1 Review)
Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way. Marnie is stuck. Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it's passing her by. Michael is coming undone. Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells. When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship. But can they survive the journey? A new love story by beloved bestseller David Nicholls, You Are Here is a novel of first encounters, second chances and finding the way home. David Nicholls, You Are Here, Number 1 Sunday Times UK bestseller May 2024... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 23rd September 2024

Good Material
by Dolly Alderton
(1 Review)
Every relationship has one beginning. This one has two endings. Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.
Now he is...
1. Without a home;
2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off;
3. Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking.
Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak at a time when everything he thought he knew about women, and flat-sharing, and his friendships has transformed beyond recognition, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of their broken relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 10th February 2024

The Paper Lantern
by Will Burns
(1 Review)
Set in a shuttered pub - The Paper Lantern - in a village in the very middle of the country adjacent to the Prime Minister's Chequers Estate, an unnamed narrator embarks on a series of walks in the Chiltern Hills. As he charts and interrogates the shifts in mood and understanding that have defined a transformative period in his own history and that of the surrounding area, he reveals a past scarred with trauma and a present lacking compass. Traversing local raves in secret valleys, to climate change and capitalism, The Paper Lantern creates a tangible, lived-in complicated rendering of a place, at the moment when the very sense of place itself is being questioned... more»»
Review by Ben Macnair 1st January 2024

George Pringate’s Last Hurrah
by Stewart Hoffman
(1 Review)
Hell is tears, pain, and depression, baked into a cake made of misery and despair. Heaven is meet-cutes and puppies, life-affirming moments, and hanging out with Elvis! George Pringate is dead, and he really wants to go to Heaven! But first, he must survive Hell’s assassin, confront his demons with the help of his afterlife counsellors, and most critically, be honest with himself... more»»
Review by Nigel 1st June 2023

Courvalian: The Resistance
by Benjamin Reed
(1 Review)
The teenaged Korza brothers, Matthew, Charles, and Travis, are all avid outdoorsmen, who thrive on mastering punishing wilderness conditions. They don’t know it but these skills will prove invaluable when they are mystically thrust into a medieval, forested world where a violent revolution against a venal monarch is underway. With no real memory of their former lives or even of their own relationships to each other, aside from a sense of unbreakable brotherly bond, the Korzas will have to somehow make their way amidst the turmoil of this new world. Encounters with the despotic king’s army of soulless killers inspire them to join the Resistance against him. As the war heats up to a boil, and new friendships, both human and animal, are forged in blood... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen  1st June 2023

Twice Sold Murder
by Margaret Evans
(1 Review)
Evans is back with an exciting new mystery series, Second Treasures. In the first volume, Twice Sold Murder, Margaret Evans takes us to the Mesabi Range in Minnesota, where Laura Keene returns to her hometown to dig into the past and solve the mystery of her parents’ deaths. What she finds, instead, are secrets buried in the goods of her thrift shop that entangle her in intrigue and danger, and only with the aid of an old friend and a mysterious cat does she have a chance to uncover what happened all those years ago... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen  1st June 2023

Lockdown
by Timothy O. Goyette
(1 Review)
No good deed goes unpunished, or so the philosophers suggest. Samuel Rochez did a very good deed and therefore is considered a traitor by the whole human race. Throughout the galaxy he is remembered as the Benedict Arnold of his time. Only in Samuel's case the humans lost the war, and he is reviled as the one ultimately responsible. For a time he manages to live in anonymity. Upon his discovery he is forced to join a mercenary band on what is supposed to be a simple in and out adventure mission. Soon he finds himself at odds with the band, running for his life, and striving to save the planet and its unusual life forms from destruction. This is a first contact that can doom an entire planet of hive mind aliens. When the planet is placed in lockdown, making the entire world seem claustrophobic. The military band's only hope for escape is to set off the biggest bomb in the history of the galaxy and destroy all aliens on the planet... more»»
Review by Paul Lappen  1st January 2023