Everything She Didn't Say by Jane Casey

 

Ruth O'Rourke is discovered covered in blood at an isolated house. There's no sign of anyone else, but the blood definitely isn't hers. Ruth is adamant that her friend Maura was staying at the house too and is missing, but as far as everyone is concerned, Ruth was staying in the house alone. Who's telling the truth?

Everything She Didn't Say by Jane Casey opens on an ominous scene, one that fills the reader with trepidation. This sense of unease lingers throughout the story as you are never quite sure what is real and what is contrived. The main characters, Ruth and Maura, also add to the precarious feeling.

When we first meet Ruth, she elicits sympathy. She's in shock, unsure of what has happened, and is being treated as a suspect by the police. As she begins to recount how she ended up at the Shadow House, an isolated cottage in Ireland, these feelings continue. Loneliness and a run of bad luck seem to have plagued her recently. The only thing that seems to be going her way is the recent friendship she has struck up with Maura Ellender. Maura is bright and bubbly; she's brought Ruth out of her shell. The only problem is that Maura has disappeared.

As Ruth recounts the details of her relationship with Maura, you slowly begin to doubt what she's saying. My sympathy towards Ruth began to wane, and I wondered if the story was moving along the lines of "single white female", particularly as Ruth claimed the pair looked very similar. My other thought was that Ruth was delusional, that Maura was a figment of her imagination. These two thoughts kept resurfacing the more I read. While I found it impossible to make a definite decision about either, what I was sure of was that I liked Ruth less and less. My anxiety levels continued to rise, most notably when Ruth was with Ben Butler, one of the detectives investigating the case. Her role as a helpless and misunderstood woman put me on edge.

Ben and his partner, Liam, are brilliant characters. Initially, they don't seem to like each other; they are complete opposites. They do work well together though, having a healthy respect for each other and an almost telepathic form of communication.

My sense of unease grew and grew with each new revelation. I continued to feel that Ruth was manipulating everyone, but I couldn't figure out how or why. Twists and shocks abound as the truth is finally revealed. I was left slack-jawed over one incident in particular. With manipulation being the key to everything, it was wonderful to see the tables turned.

Everything She Didn't Say by Jane Casey will be published on 16th July 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hemlock Press for a review copy.

Author Details

Jane Casey is a bestselling crime writer who was born and brought up in Dublin. A former editor, she has written twelve crime novels for adults (including ten in the Maeve Kerrigan series) and three for teenagers (the Jess Tennant series). Her books have been international bestsellers, critically acclaimed for their realism and accuracy. The Maeve Kerrigan series has been nominated for many awards: in 2015 Jane won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Stranger You Know and Irish Crime Novel of the Year for After the Fire. In 2019, Cruel Acts was chosen as Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It was a Sunday Times bestseller. Stand-alone novel The Killing Kind was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2021, and is currently being filmed for television. Jane lives in southwest London with her husband, who is a criminal barrister, and their two children.

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

 

When Ellie moves into her new home, things don't go smoothly. Someone is lurking outside, and there's a body-shaped stain underneath one of the carpets. Ellie's instinct is telling her to flee, unfortunately she has nowhere else to go.

When you pick up a book by Catherine Ryan Howard, you just know to expect something creepy that is filled with twists. Buyer Beware ticks all these boxes, and more. The opening pages set the tone, as viewers move around a house, with one person in particular sensing an unpleasant atmosphere and wondering who the next "victim" of the house will be.

The story then introduces us to Ellie as she moves into the property. From the outset, mystery surrounds Ellie. The narrative is extremely vague about her past and why she has chosen to move into an empty, rundown property. As strange things begin to happen, it becomes obvious that Ellie has nowhere else to turn; the house is the only thing she has going for her. I'm pretty certain that I'd have been out the door like a shot.

As Ellie tries to figure out what is going on with her house, the story jumps back in time, and we are introduced to two more characters. Erin is in her late teens and looking forward to university and a career. Hannah is a successful business owner, happily single and enjoying doing what she wants, when she wants. I liked both of these characters, particularly Hannah. The big question is, how do all three women connect?

Slowly, the stories involving Erin and Hannah move forward, but the mystery surrounding Ellie's past lingers. I had a faint hunch about why she was alone, but couldn't figure out how it connected to Erin and Hannah. I love it when an author has such a carefully constructed plot that the direction of the story isn't immediately obvious to the reader. Catherine Ryan Howard is superb at doing this. 

Even when the three arcs converge, and we begin to get a better picture of what is happening, there are still unanswered questions. I loved the way everything was tied up in the conclusion, skirting around a morally grey area.

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard will be published on 16th July 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for a review copy.

Author Details

Catherine Ryan Howard is the author of nine novels including the no. 1 bestsellers The Nothing Man, 56 Days, The Trap and Burn After Reading. Her work has been shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Novel, the Crime Writers Association New Blood and Steel Daggers, and Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year multiple times. The screen adaptation of her lockdown thriller, 56 Days, is streaming now on Prime Video. She lives in Dublin.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 

Elsie Fitzpatrick lives a quiet and unassuming life in an Melbourne suburb. When her neighbour dies in suspicious circumstances, Elsie's life is upended as her infamous past resurfaces.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth is going to be a contender for one of my favourite books of the year. I simply loved everything about this book. I was entranced by Mabel, or Elsie as she is known when we first meet her, from the very start. At 81, Elsie is content with the life she leads. Although she knows all of her neighbours, she keeps them at arm's length and is happy to be considered unapproachable. Two things happen that disturb her peaceful existence. Firstly, new neighbours move into the street; a single mother and her seven-year-old daughter, Persephone. Secondly, another neighbour is found dead.

Having been the one to find the body, suspicion immediately falls on Elsie. It's at this point that we discover that she has a past, one she had hoped to keep hidden. Snapshots of Elsie's life as a child and into her teenage years give us a glimpse of what led up to her becoming Australia's youngest convicted murderer, Mad Mabel. Mabel's life should have been one of comfort and privilege, having been born into a wealthy family. However, emotionally distant parents and tragic events surrounding people close to her result in a sad childhood, not helped by being labelled "Mad Mabel" by other children from an early age. I felt so sorry for Mabel and rejoiced when she spent time with her aunt, who was able to shower her with love. 

What really makes this book a delight is the relationship between Mabel/Elsie and Persephone. Mabel wants nothing to do with a child; unfortunately Persephone has other ideas and refuses to stay away. As you would expect, the grumpy old woman act and sarcasm simply wash over Persephone. Gradually, we see Mabel's tough exterior thawing and her protectiveness coming to the forefront.

The ending is bittersweet; we learn of Mabel's conviction and incarceration, followed by a surprising twist in the narrative and a shocking event. This is going to be one of those stories that sits with me for quite a while.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth will be published on 9th July 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

Author Details

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family and one adorable dog.

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

 

When Jane finds a stray dog near her home, she does the neighbourly thing and returns it to its owner. As she's handing the dog over, she gets a strange feeling. Learning later on that the young woman who was seen with the dog has disappeared, Jane sets out to track her down.

Right from the beginning, It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell has you unsettled as a young woman flees a house back in 2005. The story then jumps to the current day, and we meet Jane, who finds a dog wandering close to her home. When she returns the dog to its owner, not only does she feel as if he is acting suspiciously, but we also discover that Jane was the young woman at the start of the book, and this is the very same house she ran from.

Returning home, Jane learns that the dog was seen locally with a young woman who has now gone missing. Concerned about the welfare of the young woman, and still feeling unnerved by her encounter with the man, Jane decides to investigate. I really liked Jane. An unconventional and, at times, traumatic childhood has meant that she is practical and direct. She's also empathetic, intelligent and dogged, refusing to give up when she appears to meet a dead-end.

There are times when the story switches to the perspective of others, at different time periods over the last thirty years. It is these parts of the narrative that really make you unsettled. Some sections offer us an insight into the family in the house, none of whom come across as likeable. However, I did have sympathy for some of them because of the power dynamic within the household. We also get an insight into Stuart, the suspicious man who answered the door when Jane returned the dog. Once again, his behaviour has you deeply concerned about the role he is playing.

As Jane continues to dig into the disappearance of the young woman and the story unfolds, I was shocked. For fans of crime fiction, the main storyline itself isn't particularly unusual; what I was surprised at was the assumptions I made. As the conclusion approached, I found my opinions about some of the characters changing completely, and by the end, when the shocking events were finally revealed, I was stunned.

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell will be published on 2nd July 2026 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Century for a review copy.

Author Details

Lisa Jewell's first novel, Ralph’s Party, was published in 1999 and was the best-selling debut novel of the year. Since then she has published another twenty-three novels, most lately a number of dark psychological thrillers, including Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and None of This is True. Lisa is a number one New York Times and Sunday Times author who has sold over ten million books worldwide and been published in more than thirty languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two daughters, Daisy, a Romanian rescue dog, and a mad orange cat called Ivy.

Not Like The Other Parents by Asia Mackay

 

Haze and Fox really are not like the other parents at the school gates. While trying to juggle family life and work, they also have a side hustle, eliminating sexual predators. Unfortunately, it looks like they are now being hunted themselves.

Readers were introduced to the serial killing duo Haze and Fox last year in The Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage (you can read my review here). I really enjoyed the satirical take on suburban life, so I was really pleased to see a return with Not Like The Other Parents by Asia Mackay. 

The story has moved on a couple of years, and the couple now have two children, four-year-old Bibi and four-month old Reggie. Haze is coping better with the suburban lifestyle than she was in the first book, mainly due to her friend Jenny. This time around, it's Fox who's struggling. There are references to an incident the year before, which has really dented his confidence.

From the opening pages, the tone is set. I just loved the idea of a pair of serial killers driving around in a minivan containing a dead body, while simultaneously trying to deal with the poonami of a four-month-old. This style continues throughout as the couple tries to deal with the playground mafia, accidentally killing people, and preventing an inquisitive four-year-old from eavesdropping.

The situation isn't helped by the shadowy Corporation putting a target on their backs and sending in The Chameleon, Europe's most successful hitman, to kill them. It is the completely wrong time for Fox to have a breakdown. The dark humour continues with Fox practicing yoga and seeking therapy, although trying to talk to a therapist without telling the whole truth proves difficult.

A variety of subplots keep the pace flowing, and the reader on their toes, as you never quite know where danger is lurking, particularly with The Corporation having such a wide reach. Everything builds to the climactic showdown, which many readers will probably have guessed at. I do hope we see more of our serial killer couple in the future.

Not Like The Other Parents by Asia Mackay will be published on 2nd July 2026 in paperback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for a review copy.

Author Details

Asia Mackay is a Chinese Scottish author and mother of four based in London. Asia studied Anthropology at Durham University and began her career in television. She moved to China, presented and produced lifestyle programmes in Shanghai before returning to London where she worked for the likes of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, and subsequently completed a Faber Academy course. A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage was shortlisted for The Radio 2 Book Club Award 2026 and her debut novel Killing It was the Runner Up in Richard and Judy’s Search for a Bestseller competition and Runner Up/ Exceptionally Recognised for the Comedy Women In Print prize.

Never To Be Found by Jo Spain

 

Veronica Page offers an unusual service; she helps people to disappear completely. When a police officer tracks her down and explains that one of her clients is a suspect in a double murder, she goes against her code of discretion and agrees to help track him down.

Never To Be Found by Jo Spain is my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story developed, and the characters, particularly Veronica, came across as very real.

The prologue was very interesting and sets the scene. It explains about johatsu, a phenomenon in Japan where people choose to vanish from their everyday lives, and that there are organisations that exist to help them. Veronica operates a similar operation in the UK. She uses a network of helpers, from people who provide new identities to those who find new employment, and all are kept separate to protect the new identity of the client.

When Veronica is approached by a police detective, she is shocked to learn that one of the people she has helped is wanted for murder. Veronica's clients are looking to escape abusive relationships or financial issues, but the thought of helping someone evade justice fills her with guilt. Agreeing to help the detective soon puts the pair in the spotlight, as the suspect turns the hunt into a cat-and-mouse chase.

I really liked Veronica, she's highly intelligent, empathetic, and adaptable, but she doesn't come across as superwoman, she's well aware of her own vulnerabilities. As we get glimpses of her life, we discover why she has chosen to help people disappear, and this gives us an understanding of why she is reluctant to let people get close.

Finding someone who doesn't want to be found, particularly when you know nothing about their identity, isn't easy. As the web closes on the suspect, you begin to wonder who is hunting whom, leading to a nail-biting conclusion and some shocking revelations.

Never To Be Found by Jo Spain will be published on 2nd July 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for a review copy.

Author Details

Jo Spain is the author of the bestselling Tom Reynolds detective series and several No.1 bestselling standalone thrillers. She began writing full-time when her first book, top ten bestseller With Our Blessing, was chosen as one of 7 finalists in the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition.

Jo is a full-time screenwriter. Her first show, critically-acclaimed crime series 'Taken Down', aired in 2018. In 2021, she co-wrote Harry Wild, starring Jane Seymour, with its creator, Emmy-award winning David Logan. She is currently working on several international productions, including adaptations of her own novels.

A graduate of Trinity College, Jo lives in Dublin with her husband and four children.

The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith

 

Worried about the whereabouts of his wife, Leo walks into the bedroom of their South African safari lodge and is met with a shocking sight. It is a scene of utter devastation, and there's something terrible lying on their bed.

The opening scene of The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith is one that will have your heart racing as you follow Leo Kennedy through his safari lodge, desperately trying to find his wife, Addison. As he approaches the bedroom, you find yourself in one of those situations where you want to look away, but you also need to know exactly what he's about to find. At this point, the author cuts away to two days before the shocking incident, and we meet Leo, who is at Heathrow airport, eagerly awaiting the return of his wife from South Africa.

When Addison doesn't materialise, there are frantic phone calls and text messages, all of which go unanswered. You can really feel Leo's confusion and his frustration as he strives for answers to his wife's no-show. Finding a draft email leads to even more confusion as Addison appears to be confessing to a crime. Leo knows his wife has been acting strangely since she was badly injured in a car accident; could her disappearance be part of this? And then strange texts begin to arrive from Addison. The way the messages hint at dark secrets builds up the tension. We slowly begin to realise that Addison isn't the only one who is keeping secrets.

Three other characters add further mystery to the narrative. Jake is an aspiring travel journalist who seems to have a fixation on Addison. Paige is Leo's ex-PA. Was there something more to their relationship? And then there's Addison's mother, a mother she claimed was dead. All of these characters add to the intrigue, making you wonder who can be trusted.

The story splits its time equally between England and South Africa. The parts set in the African wilderness sound amazing; the safari lodge is the height of luxury, and the sights are amazing, but as the story progresses, you begin to realise the danger that lurks just inches away. The terrain and its wildlife are very much a major part of the story.

I had all sorts of different ideas going through my head, and although I'd guessed one of the twists, I certainly didn't figure out what led to the eerie opening scene and how all the pieces fitted together.

The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith will be published on 2nd July 2026 in paperback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Nikki Smith worked in finance until 2017, when a 'now or never' moment prompted her to apply for the Curtis Brown Creative writing course. She is the author of five novels and the co-host of the podcast In Suspense. She lives in Guildford with her family and loves to travel, ideally somewhere hot and sunny.