June 2026 Reads

 

Author Catherine Ryan Howard can always be relied upon to produce a story with a creepy feeling. Buyer Beware certainly fits the bill. When Ellie moves into 1 Delaney Row, she has an unsettled feeling. Not only is someone lurking around the property, but there’s a strange body-shaped stain under one of the carpets. Ellie has nowhere else to go and nothing to her name; her only option is to stay in the house. As she tries to get to the bottom of what happened at the property, we learn more about her troubled past.

Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey is another book that will have you feeling unsettled. Ruth O’Rourke wakes to find herself covered in blood and her friend missing. As far as everyone else is concerned, Ruth was alone in the isolated cottage. As Ruth recounts how she and her friend, Maura, met, you begin to wonder if she is delusional. Or is something far more sinister taking place? I was on edge throughout, unable to decide what was true and what wasn’t.

Set in 1984, Tell Tale by Claire Parkin evoked lots of memories for me. Eleven-year-old Debbie is a bit of an outcast in the small Welsh village she lives in. She’s prone to telling tales and blackmailing people. Deciding to run away, she stumbles across a dead body. Who can she turn to for help? Her only real allies aren’t available. What she doesn’t realise is that a serial killer is close at hand.

David Fennell has written some of my favourite serial killer thrillers. All Killers Aboard is a slight deviation from his usual work. Set aboard a luxury cruise liner, struggling author Martha is helping a faded TV star write a novel. What Martha doesn’t realise is that the ship is playing host to a serial killer convention. This is such a fun read, with some truly comedic elements. I can easily see Martha and TV legend Jacqui popping up again.

Con man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn returns in One Of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh. Alarm bells immediately begin to ring when Eddie is hired by one of the country’s richest families in a murder trial. It is obvious that the head of the family is willing to sacrifice his daughter-in-law in order to protect his son. Eddie, however, relishes being the underdog. There’s a lot of violence along the way, and there’s a chance that Eddie may not survive the case.

The Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Kate Riordan is a slow-burning mystery. Rain reluctantly returns to her home, the legendary Tanglewood estate, home to a famous musician from the early 1970s. When a dead body is found just days before the 30^th anniversary of Tanglewood’s famous Gathering, dark secrets begin to surface. There are similarities between current events and those of thirty years ago. As Rain digs deeper into the past, she is faced with danger and uncovering the long-hidden truth about her identity.

The only audiobook I managed this month was One Dark Summer by Sarah Hornsley. Lily is desperate to know more about the mother who abandoned her when she was only four. Discovering her mother’s family used to have a holiday home on the exclusive Osea Island, she travels there hoping to learn more about her mother. As the tale jumps backwards and forward, we follow Lily’s quest and the disturbing story of how her mother left the island under tragic circumstances. There are some very distressing moments within the story, particualry those told from the perspective of a very young Lily.

Publication dates to watch out for are;-

One Dark Summer by Sarah Hornsley will be published on 9/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard will be published on 16/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.

Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey will be published on 16/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.

Tell Tale by Claire Parkin will be published on 23/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.

All Killers Aboard by David Fennell will be published on 30/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.

One Of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh will be published on 30/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.

The Last Time I Saw Her Face by Kate Riordan will be published on 30/7/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.