** You can find full reviews for all the books below on my
blog
The month began with one of my favourite series. Roy Grace
returns in Dead In Three Two One by Peter James. A well-known
criminal, along with a female guest, checks into an exclusive hotel. Hours
later, they have disappeared, and the room is spotless, almost as if they hadn’t
been there. When a severed leg is discovered at a waste treatment facility, Roy
Grace and his team immediately begin to worry about the safety of the
unidentified female.
I was incredibly excited to finally get hold of a copy of The
Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett. This is the sequel to The Appeal,
and once again features The Fairway Players amateur dramatic society. As usual,
it is told in epistolary format, a style that just keeps you turning the pages.
I sat up late into the night, devouring this as I tried, unsuccessfully, to
figure out not only who the murderer was, but also who the victim was.
Alex Lake is a new author for me, and the premise of You
Are Mine sounded suitably creepy to grab my attention. Lawyer Mary Jordan
begins to receive disturbing notes hinting that she is being stalked.
Initially, she passes it off as a tasteless prank, but it soon becomes obvious
that someone close is targeting her. The sense of menace is let down by some
erratic pacing.
Uplifting fiction is a genre I love; it makes a lovely
change from all the thrillers, and anything by Mike Gayle fits the bill
perfectly. I did find On We Go quite an emotional read as Cal tries to
reconnect with his seventeen-year-old stepdaughter, Zoe, eighteen months after
her mother died. The suggestion is to inter-rail across Europe, but what Cal
didn’t expect was the rest of Zoe’s family to accompany them, leading to lots
of complications.
Christmas is fast approaching, so I was pleased to get hold
of a copy of Bah Bloody Humbug by Jo Middleton, the third book in
the Christmas Murder Mysteries. Anna is determined to avoid the complications
of the previous two years by doing away with Christmas traditions, but first,
she has to get through helping with the school Christmas Fair. Alongside Anna
is best-friend Jen, and a collection of weird members of the PTA. It isn’t long
before a dead body turns up.
Another book I was excited to finally get hold of this month
was We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman. I love the characters of
Rosie, Steve, and Amy; in fact, the plot is secondary as far as I’m concerned.
The interactions between the trio and other characters are wonderful. We meet
some very interesting individuals as the threesome tries to track down the man
who is bumping off his rivals.
Robyn will be glad to see the back
of 2025, the year her mother died very unexpectedly. Unfortunately, on New
Year's Eve, she sets in motion a curse that forces her to relive the year over
again. Robyn hopes that this time around, she can save her mother. I found Time
After Time by Clare Swatman to be a very emotional read, but it does
have an uplifting conclusion.
My book group read for the month
was The Searcher by Tana French. Cal Harper is a retired Chicago
cop who has relocated to Ireland. Having bought himself a rundown farmhouse, he’s
in the process of modernising it when young Trey Reddy asks for his help. Trey’s
older brother has disappeared, and no one seems concerned. I found this a slow
burner initially, but once it got going, I loved the suspense.
As I started reading No One Is
Safe by Simon Kernick, I just knew that it would be a rollercoaster ride.
The pace is relentless. A family hears a call for help while they are out
walking. What follows is a nightmare situation as two of them are kidnapped and
the third, Luke Jones, is told that unless he follows the kidnapper’s
instructions, his family will die brutally. Knowing he is being watched at
every turn, Luke does as instructed. His only hope is a contact from his past
who may be able to help.
The One by John Marrs is the perfect dystopian novel to
interest me; nothing too different from the society we live in today. Scientists
have discovered the gene that links you to your ideal partner, ‘The One’. The
book follows five different characters as they find out who they are matched
with. The variety of characters, along with some moral issues, kept me turning
the pages.
I love the style of the first two
novels by Hannah Brennan, a mixture of police investigation and mixed media
from the past linked to the investigation. The information from the past really
piques your interest as you try to figure out how it connects to the crime that
has taken place. In No Good Reason, a car has been driven into a group
of people waiting at a bus stop. This shocking opening has you immediately jumping
to conclusions.
My first audiobook of the month was The Twilight Garden
by Emma Davies. This is a gentle tale of a woman, Gemma, struggling with
grief, who loses her job and her home, all at the same time. Taking a leap of
faith, she answers an advert looking for help on a newly established
smallholding, in exchange for board and lodge. Over time, Gemma discovers a
different pace of life and reconnects with someone from her past.
Eyes On You by Adele Parks is a brilliant
audiobook. Told over three different time periods, we meet Amy as a teenager
when she witnesses her father beating his mistress to death. We also see Amy as
she meets Oliver, and an unexpected relationship slowly develops. Finally, in
the present, we see Amy after a shocking death has happened. The intertwining
of all three timelines keeps you gripped and has you wondering how everything
is connected in this twisty thriller.
You can always guarantee a twisty thriller from Lauren
North, and the audiobook of His New Girlfriend is no exception. Laura is struggling. Her partner, James, has left her after
revealing he was having an affair with her best friend, Sadie. With James
living only a few doors away with Sadie, they are co-parenting their teenage
daughter, Grace. When Grace tells her mother that she witnessed Sadie assault
their elderly neighbour, Laura finds it impossible to get anyone to believe
her, especially as the neighbour is missing. As I listened, I wasn’t
sure if this was a classic case of gaslighting, an elaborate set of lies, or a
tale of paranoia.
Publication dates to look out for are:-
His New Girlfriend by Lauren North will be
published 7/10/26 in paperback, ebook, and audio format.
Dead In Three Two One by Peter James will be
published 22/10/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.
You Are Mine by Alex Lake will be published
22/10/26 in paperback, ebook, and audio format.
Bah Bloody Humbug by Jo Middleton will be
published 22/10/26 in paperback, ebook, and audio format.
Time After Time by Clare Swatman will be
published on 27/10/26 in paperback, ebook, and audio format.
No One Is Safe by Simon Kernick will be
published 5/11/26 in hardback, ebook, and audio format.
No Good Reason by Hannah Brennan will be
published 19/11/26 in paperback and ebook format.
