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Murder At The End Of The World by Akane Araki

 

Murder At The End Of The World by Akane Araki.

Translated from the Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood.

Published 2nd July 2026 by Pushkin Vertigo.

From the cover of the book:

TWO MONTHS UNTIL THE APOCALYPSE. TWO WOMEN WITH NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

An asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and the human race has just over two months to live. But twenty-three-year-old Haru, stargazer and chronic worrier, is still trying to pass her driving test.

Then she finds a body in the boot of her car: a woman, stabbed and tortured. There's a murderer on the loose. And it turns out that Haru's driving instructor is an ex-cop with a manic devotion to justice.

So, despite the small matter of an impending apocalypse, the two women team up to catch the culprit regardless of the danger.

After all, the world's not quite over yet...

***********

In just over two months, a giant asteroid named Telos is due to hit the Earth. For those not wiped out by the impact in Japan, a miserable, lingering death awaits. Desperation has driven many to flee to parts of the world where they hope to survive the collision. Some have chosen suicide as a way out. Meanwhile, the rich plan to travel to space in a foolish attempt to wait out the apocalypse.

For those unable or unwilling to leave their homes, like twenty-three-year-old Haru, life continues in a strange new world order of lawlessness and dwindling resources. With her parents gone, and just herself and her reclusive younger brother Seigo at home, she decides the time is ripe for her to finally gain her driving qualifications before the end. Fortunately, when she arrives at the Dazaifu Driving School, there is a sole instructor on hand to teach her, the enigmatic Isagawa who has stayed behind for reasons of her own.

The two spend their days driving around virtually deserted Fukuoka. One morning, before the two set off on another driving lesson, they discover the brutally murdered body of a woman stashed in the boot of the training vehicle, and set off on quest for justice...

This delicious end-of-the-world adventure, meets whodunit crime-caper, meets female buddy-story is the brain child of debut author Akane Araki, and it explores a host of lovely themes about humanity tied up with a twisty murder mystery.

The absurd premise of a young woman deciding to learn to drive in the lead up to the apocalypse, negotiating debris strewn streets, and multiple corpses of suicide victims, spirals into a clever, many-layered story. What Haru does not know is that Isagawa is actually a former police detective, with a very particular set of skills, and strong sense of right and wrong. She persuades Haru to accompany her as they track down clues to find the killer and anxious Haru makes for a reluctant side-kick, with reasons of her own for searching out the guilty party.

Along the way, the pair encounter friends and enemies, and spend quite a lot of time hiding things from each other - including how they plan to deal with the murderer in a world which has no clear rules anymore. There are numerous likely suspects, especially given the intriguing sub-plot around high-school bullying and revenge, and it was a lot of dark-themed fun picking out the relevant clues from the slick trail of breadcrumbs that leads to a gripping, mountainside climax.

This book is rich in awkward relationship dynamics, and asks a lot of thought-provoking questions about how people might cope in an end of the world situation. The many examples of selfishness, crazed ambition, and exploitation, jockey nicely against duty, sacrifice, the kindness of strangers, and making restitution. It leaves you with a lot to ponder upon, as well as entertaining you with a cracking murder mystery in an imaginative dystopian setting. All praise to the translation by Jesse Kirkwood which kept me engaged from beginning to poignant end.

I look forward to more from Akane Araki!

Murder at the End of the World is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Pushkin Vertigo for sending me a review copy.

About the author:

Akane Araki was born in 1998 in Fukuoka, Japan. She is a graduate of Kyushu University's School of Letters. Murder at the End of the World is her first novel, and it won the prestigious Edogawa Rampo Prize.

Sorry For The Dead (Josephine Tey Mysteries Book Eight) by Nicola Upson

 

Sorry For The Dead (Josephine Tey Mysteries Book Eight) by Nicola Upson.

Published 2nd July 2020 by Faber Books.

Audio book narrated by Sandra Duncan.

From the cover of the book:

Summer, 1915: a young woman falls to her death at Charleston Farmhouse on the Sussex Downs.

But was it an accident?

Twenty years later, Josephine Tey is faced with the accusation that it was murder and that she was complicit in the crime.

Can she clear her name and uncover the truth, exposing the darkest secrets of that apparently idyllic summer?

***********

Cambridge, 1938. Josephine Tey is enjoying life in the city where her lover Marta has settled, but the past intrudes in the form of a newspaper article suggesting Josephine was complicit in the murder of a young girl at Charleston Farmhouse in 1915. 

The girls' death had been ruled an accident at the time, despite a scandal surrounding goings on at Charleston. Now Josephine must clear her name, before old secrets derail her life in the present.

The story unfurls in three beautifully wielded timelines, and a number of related perspectives that shone light upon events. Nicola sets the scene with a poignant prologue set in 1948; segues to the moment when a the newspaper article sets Josephine on a slow-burn course to the truth in 1938; then dives back to 1915 to explore a past that shaped Josephine's life in more ways than one, before bringing things full-circle. 

This is the most fragmented book in the series in terms of timelines and the voices that make up the glorious whole of the story, but Nicola pulls all the threads together with consummate skill through her echoing themes of forbidden love, prejudice, guilt, shame, and revenge. The way the plot touches on Josephine's life at each stage makes for compelling reading, and I adored how Nicola introduces Josephine's close friend DCI Archie Penrose (only a fleeting appearance for Archie in this one) and her future fiancé Jack through their accidental meeting in 1915 (absolute gold if you have read the previous books), and examines how the shattered hopes of first love under stressful circumstances affected so much for Joesphine in the years that follow.

As is Nicola's forte, each part of the story thrums with evocative vibes fitting to time and place, particularly when it comes to the role of women, the expectations place upon them, and the ever-present theme of sexuality and societal judgment. I think this is probably the most affecting book of the series when it comes to the insidious impact of hatred on so many women, simply for choosing to follow their hearts. The shadow of the First World War on the men in the trenches, and those left behind, is intensely moving too. And, the twists are literally to die for!

I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying my reread journey through the Josephine Tey books - via the eminent voice talents of Sandra Duncan in the audio books. This one was just as powerful as the first time I read it, and the different perspectives make it an ideal vehicle for the spoken voice.

Onwards to book nine, Dead of Winter, one of my absolute favourites! 

And a heads up for fans of the series... book twelve, the brand new Voices of the Dead, hits on 5th November, and I already have a copy in my hot little hands. I cannot wait to read it!

Sorry for the Dead is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

Nicola Upson was born in Suffolk and read English at Downing College, Cambridge. Her debut, An Expert in Murder, was the first in a series of crime novels to feature Josephine Tey - one of Britain's finest Golden Age crime writers - and was dramatised for BBC Radio 4.

Nicola is a member of the Detection Club, and several of her novels have been listed for the CWA Gold and Historical Daggers. Sorry for the Dead and her latest book, The Christmas Clue, were both Waterstones Thrillers of the Month.

 August 2026 Reading Round-Up

August was a very busy month on the family front, so I did not get as much reading time as usual - the books I did read were a typically eclectic mix though!

You can find my thoughts about these books by clicking on the pictures below.

The Ark by Haruo Yuki

The Mermaid's Cry by Kate Rhodes

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

The Shipikisha Club by Mubanga Kalimamukwento

The Trouble With Sister Francis by Matt Coyne

(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall

Lochbound by Rebecca Templeton

Under Story to Chloe Benjamin

An intriguing selection of books coming up in September, so stay tuned!

Under Story by Chloe Benjamin

 

Under Story by Chloe Benjamin.

Published 1st September 2026 by Tinder Press.

From the cover of the book:

At an isolated research station in Antarctica, biologist Laurel Salter washes dishes for a living ten hours a day, six days a week. She tells no one why she left her career, or why her marriage ended.

But even in this remote outpost, Laurel can't outrun her past. When a strange light appears across the ice and draws a group of physicists to McMurdo, her former husband, Eli, won't be far behind.

Laurel is captivated by the Arc: its surreal glow; the way it seems almost alive. And though Eli is reluctant to test her wildest theory, Laurel is convinced that the Arc leads down a rabbit hole and into a world they can barely imagine. Can she persuade him to risk everything to fix the burden that hangs between them - to turn back the clock and live their story a second time?

And this time, live it differently.

Once read, never forgotten, Under Story is a genre-defying exploration of the promise of this life, what might lie beyond it, and how far we would go for more time with the people we love.

***********

Personal tragedy and a broken marriage has led Laurel Salter to leave her career as a research mycologist behind, and escape to an isolated research station in Antarctica. She now spends her days working long shifts as a kitchen steward, and she keeps the secrets of her life to herself.

But Laurel cannot outrun her past. When her ex-husband Eli, a physicist, arrives at the research station to study a strange phenomena out on the ice, that everyone has named the Arc, she is forced to confront the pain she has left behind.

Laurel is fascinated by the Arc, and has an idea about what its presence might mean. A vivid dream leads to her sharing her theory with Eli, and together they decide to risk everything to confirm if what she believes could be true.

This ambitious, high concept novel has a fascinating speculative premise, and Chloe Benjamin pushes expansive boundaries in exploring many facets of the themes she explores within its pages. Without giving too much away, the story revolves around the idea that our universe is not alone, but rather one of a matching pair of duo universes in which time moves differently.

The first part of the novel bleeds between Laurel's present in Antarctica, and the history of her relationship with Eli, her mother, her friends, and her work colleagues - as well as delving in detail into her research studying fungi. It then moves firmly into speculative country, introducing mind-bending ideas about the universe which is the antithesis of our own, and the opportunities this presents to Laurel and Eli in making amends for the mistakes of their past. This latter part of the story also brings relevance to her research as a mycologist, which it is not easy to see at the beginning.

In many ways, this is an amorphous novel, torn between a hard-edged sci-fi story with a really original premise, and a slow-burn exploration of love, loss, and redemption. Sometimes it does not feel like all the many themes being explored belong in a single story, and elements of the anti-universe world-building are deeply unsettling. As someone who prefers their speculative novels on the fast-paced, propulsive side, with logical constructs, this meant I did struggle getting though some parts of this one.

However, it absolutely ticks all the boxes on the thought-provoking front, and if high concept novels that get into the nitty gritty of the human condition are your bag then you will find lots here to enjoy. It certainly left me with a lot to ponder on about the nature of time, and the laws of physics we take for granted.

Under Story is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Tinder Press for sending me a review copy of this book.

About the author:

Chloe Benjamin is the author of The New York Times bestseller The Immortalists, and The Anatomy of Dreams. The Immortalists was a Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly and NPR Best Book of 2018. Her work has been translated into 30 languages. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay area.

(Mostly) Human Resources (Entity Case Files Book One) by Grace Viall

 

(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall.

Published 4th August 2026 from Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Amongst mountains as old as time, the jackalopes and ghouls are the least of your worries.

At Entity - the organisation responsible for managing the world's monsters - Alexys is perfectly happy honouring her late father's legacy from behind a desk, far from anything with teeth. But when she heads into the Appalachian Mountains for a routine review with her newly assigned Warden, Elliot, she finds. nothing.

Elliot has vanished. And after his reports of sightings of a never-recorded creature, Alexys can't ignore the danger he might be in. Against all her instincts, she pushes deeper into the mountains to find him.

Nic, Entity's ambitious (and irritatingly charismatic) Director of Research & Cataloguing, refuses to let the chance to investigate an undocumented monster pass him by. And if joining the search means annoying his favourite work-nemesis, he's already lacing his boots.

But as Alexys and Nic descend into the ancient Appalachians, they begin to learn why some monsters stay unrecorded. and why no one should wander these mountains after dark.

***********

Alexys enjoys her job working in Human Resources for Entity, the organisation responsible for keeping the World's monsters in check - she's good it it too, ensuring the four Wardens in her district (District 13: Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia) have everything they need to do their job out in the field. It is as close to actually dealing with monsters as she ever wants to get, despite the fact that her late father was a renowned Warden himself... perhaps because he died 'on the job'.

Nic is Entity's infuriatingly smug Director of Research and Cataloguing, and the one person at the organisation who always seems to rub Alexys up the wrong way. His thirst for knowledge about the monsters who occupy their time is fathomless, as is his delight in insisting on acting the know-it-all whenever possible. 

When Alexys' newest Warden, Elliot, goes missing in the Appalachians, chasing rumours of a very nasty supernatural presence, she is forced to leave the safety of her office to try to find him. What's worse, is that her arch nemesis Nic deems it necessary to accompany her...

This first part of a cosy-meets-creepy series following the employees of Entity was a lovely surprise, incorporating lashings of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and Romantasy elements, whilst also poking fun at the corporate world.

Alexys and Nic are constantly bumping heads at South Carolina's Entity Head Quarters, and Viall uses the work nemesis trope nicely, throwing them together in an atmospheric forced-proximity setting that allows an enchanting slow-burn romance to develop.

To thicken the plot, stickler-for-rules Alexys is suffering from her own potential case for Entity to be concerned with, while also mourning the loss of her father, hoping for an upturn in her romantic life, and holding out for a promotion at work. She really is not the type to be travelling off into the unknown, especially given her lack of self-confidence outside the office. In contrast, over-confident Nic is dying to get out in the field to follow his own pet project, and he is not too worried about throwing the Entity rule book out of the window in the process - but there is more to him than meets the eye.

Sparks fly as the co-workers negotiate the Appalachian wilderness and its accompanying flora and fauna - some of which is most definitely unnatural, and unwelcoming - and the love-hate boundary gradually gets crossed in their search for Elliot. There is everything you want from an enemies-to-lovers story; plenty of well-plotted danger, fear and gore; an enjoyable balance of humour and wit; and an array of ghosts, ghouls, witches, and things from your nightmares to boot.

I flew through this story, thoroughly enjoyed the characters, settings, and fantastical content - and the little snippets from Entity handbooks, case files, and journals heading up each chapter work so well. This has great bones (pun intended) to build a series around, and I cannot wait for the next instalment.

(Mostly) Human Resources is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a review copy.

About the author:

Having been raised on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains by a pair of bookworms, Grace Viall can usually be found in a randomly selected state park or forest gathering inspiration for her monster-filled fantasy projects.

Grace is currently living in Maryland (US) with her husband and two dogs and is an avid reader and book hoarder. She grew up with a grandfather who loved to spin stories around campfires, and that love of storytelling has stayed with her as she pursues her career as an author. Grace's hope is to give a new life to old stories but with her own special twist.

Lochbound by Rebecca Templeton

Lochbound by Rebecca Templeton.

Published 16th April 2027 by Sphere.

From the cover of the book:

Mermaids. Monsters. Magic. But this story is no fairy tale...

Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine.

When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible. So a hunter - the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver - is summoned to slay the monster of the loch.

Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara's hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction.

And when a figure from Iris's past suddenly reappears, she must choose what - or who - she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom.

Because there is no happily-ever-after when you are the monster.

***********

Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has been living with a tragic curse. By night, she may walk the shores of Loch Moine in human form, unmarked by the years that have passed, though still plagued with the heartbreak that brought about the cruel twist in her fate. By day, she exists only as rage-driven Moireach, a monstrous creature of legend trapped beneath the waters of Loch Moine.

When mutilated bodies begin appearing around the village, with the hearts torn from their chests, the villagers believe Moireach must be responsible. To placate the villagers, the laird hires a sullen monster hunter, Henry Carver, to slay the monster. Iris now faces an impossible choice: to hide away hoping Henry will not discover her secret, or try to break the curse.

Taking inspiration from her fascination with Han's Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid, Rebecca Templeton spins a dark and delicious retelling that makes the most of its setting in eighteenth century Scotland.

The novel unfurls in misty Kilmara, a placed steeped in folklore and scarred by Laird Crawford's witch-burning campaign, through the perspectives of Iris/Moireach, as she wavers between her two identities; Iris' childhood friend, and sole confidant, Duncan; and the hunter, Henry Carver. The voices of these characters wind around each other, following Iris' quest to break the curse before Henry can slay Moireach; Duncan's desperate attempts to protect Iris; and Henry's single-minded pursuit of the task he has been set. But things are not as straightforward as they first appear.

Iris' quest seems impossible in a land where witches have been burned to ashes, and to delve into magic leads to suspicion and danger. Her only hope is to get closer to Henry, who she feels a strange connection with, even though he has been summoned to kill her - while Moireach fights to gain control. Meanwhile, Henry becomes fascinated with the beautiful, red-headed girl he keeps bumping into at night beside the loch, as he searches for Moireach, and starts to question what he has been told about what is going on in Kilmara. In parallel, Duncan's over-protectiveness, driven by the unrequited love he feels for Iris, warps into obsession.

With dark and delicious, slow-burn loveliness, the threads of the story weave into a spell-bound knot that takes a very enjoyable mix of enchanted fairy tale, heart-rending love story, and rip-roaring historical adventure to unpick. Love, loss, family drama, jealousy, betrayal, and darkness within all have a part to play as the plot builds in pace and tension, and the twists around who are the real monsters in Kilmara come thick and fast at the climax of the tale - many of which had me gasping out loud. Brava, Rebecca! 

I alternated between the gorgeous hardback edition, and the spectacular audio book for this one, skilfully narrated by Susie Riddell and Norman Bowman - which I highly recommend if audio books are your bag, as this story is a perfect vehicle for the spoken voice.

Fabulous from start to finish! I cannot wait to read more from Rebecca Templeton!

Lochbound is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Sphere for sending me a review copy of this book.

About the author:

Rebecca Templeton has had a love of books from a very early age, and had lofty childhood aspirations of being a writer, though she ended up joining the legal profession instead. When her husband encouraged her to start writing again, she rediscovered her creative outlet and has not looked back since.

When not writing or working, Rebecca can usually be found crocheting giant blankets, baking, or watching Gilmore Girls. She us also owned by two very energetic children.

 

The Trouble With Sister Francis by Matt Coyne

 

The Trouble With Sister Francis by Matt Coyne.

Published 27th August 2026 by Wildfire.

From the cover of the book:

Sister Francis is an unlikely nun.

She's sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club.

Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet.

Set against early 1980s Britain, THE TROUBLE WITH SISTER FRANCIS is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope.

And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything.

***********

Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan, four best friends from the Whittle council estate, are looking forward to the long heady days of summer, even if there is not much for them to do around here. When their usual hang-out becomes a no go area, due to an altercation with the local bullies, they decide to see what the re-opened Blessed Assumption Boys Club, run by the very unconventional nun Sister Francis, might have to offer them.

Unconvinced that the crumbling club building, and its sixty-year-old, heavily smoking, very sweary custodian, is the solution they are looking for, they agree to help get the dilapidated building ship-shape -  on the promise they will be able to use it over the holidays without paying the expected daily subscription. They set to work, and in the process find a place, and a person, that will change their lives for ever.

With lashings of heart-warming loveliness, The Trouble with Sister Francis, Matt Coyne's follow-up novel to the fabulous Frank and Red, is a joy from start to finish. 

The story follows the adventures of four lads from a northern council estate, who fall in with the very unholy Sister Francis when the meagre rewards from a dubious scheme make them the target for local heavies. The book unfurls in two beautifully wielded timelines, switching back and forth between the present in early 1980's Britain, and the past through a diary Ritchie finds hidden amongst the debris at the club - which reveals the experiences of one Reggie Hartfeld, who was evacuated to Whittle during the Second World War, and who was part of the original cohort of the Blessed Assumption Boys Club (aka The Dead Dad's Club).

I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this book, totally invested in the lives of the four boys, set against the richly described, and incredibly nostalgic background of 1981, as they face a number of coming-of-age challenges together - and realise that Sister Francis hides a heart of gold beneath her sombre nun's habit, and a wealth of pain. In parallel, Reggie's diary transports you back to 1940's Britain on the home front, through the eyes of a young man on the brink of adulthood - and impressively introduces oodles of historical detail in the process.

Golden moments of friendship, found family, quiet resistance, love, loss, true kindness in unexpected places, and standing up for what you believe abound, bleeding into a hilarious caper-meets-heartrending love-story. Matt's writing is as engaging, witty, heartfelt, and utterly compelling, keeping you turning the pages, and I felt all the emotions as the storylines collided, when Ritchie realises exactly what Reggie's diary reveals.

This is a book that captures you heart and soul. There is an impressive complexity here that belies the simplicity of Frank and Red's unconventional buddy story, even though I adored Matt's debut. The way he echoes his themes through the timelines is wonderful, and the bond that ties the members of The Dead Dad's Club together across time is beautifully portrayed. There were moments when I hardly read the words as I sobbed uncontrollably in the final swathes of the novel, and I turned the final page knowing I will always carry these characters in my heart. 

If that was not enough to convince you that this is a must-read, Matt's notion that while you can never go back to the past, you can peep at it through a keyhole, and carry what you have learned through the doors of the future, is mind-blowingly delicious.

A triumph, and a front-runner for my book of the year!

The Trouble with Sister Francis is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Wildfire for send8ng me a review copy of this book.

About the author:

Matt Coyne is from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. In September 2015, his life was turned upside down by the arrival of his son, Charlie. Three months into parenthood, he took to social media to write about his experience as a clueless first-time dad. Within days, his post about surviving the early months of parenthood was shared by millions around the world.

Following this, Matt created his popular blog Man vs Baby, which now has more than 500,000 followers. He is the author of two Sunday Times bestselling books - Dummy and Man vs. Toddler - both based on Man vs Baby and has written for the Guardian, Telegraph, Private Eye and GQ.

The Trouble with Sister Francis is Matt's second novel, following his acclaimed, award-winning debut Frank and Red.

Matt lives in Sheffield with his son Charlie, his partner Lyndsay and a Jack Russell terrier with 'issues' called Popcorn.

The Shipikisha Club by Mubanga Kalimamukwento

 

The Shipikisha Club by Mubanga Kalimamukwento.

Published 23rd July 2026 by Casava Republic Press.

From the cover of the book:

A woman on trial. A marriage built on silence. A culture that demands endurance.

Sali, a working mother of three, is on trial for the murder of her husband, Kasunga. Accused of shooting him after a fight in their bedroom, she pleads not guilty and must rely on an overworked legal aid lawyer as a courtroom hungry for judgement looks on.

Fourteen years earlier, Sali’s life was shaped by a different kind of violence. The pressure to conform, to endure, to shipikisha. When an affair with a wealthy, married man ends in sudden death, she enters a loveless marriage to escape the shame of unwed motherhood. What follows is a life marked by infidelity, financial strain, postnatal depression and quiet suffering, until endurance finally gives way.

Told through a braided narrative moving between past and present, The Shipikisha Club is a powerful literary novel about marriage, motherhood and the devastating cost of silence in contemporary Zambia.

***********

Mother of three, Sali is on trial for the murder of her abusive husband, Kasunga. She pleads not guilty to shooting him dead one night after his drunkenness turned into violence, but his family are determined she will pay for what she has done.

The story unfurls through the narratives of three generations of women from Sali's family (following a short prologue from Kasunga's mother, Mayo) - Sali herself, Sali's teenage daughter Ntashé, and Sali's mother Peggy - switching between Ntashé and Peggy's voices in the present, and a timeline that follows Sali's experiences from the day that changed the future she saw for herself.

The story comes together in a spectacular combination of tense court-room drama, coming of age heart-breaker, painful retrospective, and cultural analysis that explores a myriad facets around the expectations women face on entering the Shipikisha Club - a Zambian idiom that likens marriage to a test of endurance, and the requirement for female silence that comes with its many trials.

At the beginning of the story, Ntashé is on her way to the courtroom for the commencement of Sali's scadalous trial. She is negotiating a mass of contradictory feelings about the night that led to the break-up of her family, grief at the loss of a father she idolised, and confusion around the idea her mother may actually be guilty. Over the course of the trial she learns many things about her mother, her parent's relationship, and herself that shape her ideas about marriage, motherhood, and being a woman in Zambian society. Ntashé steals your heart as a girl lost in the consequences of events she does not understand.

The central core of the story is about Sali herself, examining the things the trial reveals, the ordeal she faces after her arrest, and what you learn about the experiences that led her to the pivotal moment when she was facing down a gun in Kasunga's hand. Kalimamukwento does an incredible job delving into the cultural and emotional threads that weave together around Sali, making a rich tapestry of the circumstances that precipitated a reluctant marriage to a man she did not love, and how his role as 'saviour' became a burden that eventually broke her. Sali is a difficult character to come to terms with at times, as she is written in well-judged shades of grey, but I liked how this makes her spring from the page as such an authentic character.

To complete the circle, the latter part of the novel introduces Peggy's reflections on her own marriage, her daughter, and her despair at how events have turned out. For me, Peggy is the hardest to like, as there is a bitter taste of complicity in what she shares about herself and her relationship with Sali, that I found very hard to accept as a mother myself.

The three women are an integral part of each other's stories, making a whole that incorporates a seriously impressive number of themes. Kalimamukwento touches on so much on around cultural traditions, family, fertility, religion, marriage, motherhood, violence against women, gender roles, expectation, guilt, shame, prejudice, and, of course, the endless cycle of dysfunction that patriarchal authority breeds.

Raw and powerful, this is a book that is going to stay with me for a long time. 

I would love to see this one produced in audio format, as it is the perfect vehicle for three separate voice actors to take on the roles of Ntashé, Sali, and Peggy.

The Shipikisha Club by Mubanga Kalimamukwento is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook formats.

About the author:

Mubanga Kalimamukwento is a Zambian writer and criminal lawyer. Her debut novel The Mourning Bird won the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award, and her work has received the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the 2024 Dzanc Prize for Fiction.

She holds an MFA from Hamline University and lives in Minnesota, USA.

The Mermaid's Cry (DI Ben Kitto Book Nine) by Kate Rhodes

 

The Mermaid's Cry (DI Ben Kitto Book Nine) by Kate Rhodes.

Published 16th July 2026 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

DI BEN KITTO RETURNS…

A COAST IN CELEBRATION

When DI Ben Kitto sees a baby thrown into Penzance harbour, he prays it's a trick of the light. But the threat is real. The child survives – barely – and soon a chilling pattern emerges. As the Dark Sky Festival brings dancers, dreamers and stargazers to Cornwall's coast, children begin to vanish.

A KILLER IN THE CROWD

A small mermaid figurine is found beside each scene, echoing the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor, who lured a man to his death beneath the waves. Still reeling from a devastating bereavement and determined to protect his young son, Ben is pulled back into the field and into a deadly investigation. When the killer's messages begin arriving at his home, the threat becomes terrifyingly personal.

A FINAL RECKONING

Suspicions fall on familiar faces. When the summer solstice approaches, Ben must confront the boundaries of love, loss and obsession. In a final, desperate chase along the headland, only his bond with Noah – and the loyalty of his dog, Shadow – can prevent tragedy from repeating itself.

***********

Personal tragedy brings DI Ben Kitto to Penzance. Having taken leave of absence from his job as a police detective in the isles of Scilly, he is trying to keep things together for the sake of his young son, Noah, but heartache makes the long nights difficult for them both - despite the protective presence of faithful canine companion, Shadow.

One night, Ben takes Noah out in his stroller, hoping to lull him back to sleep. The peace is suddenly shattered when a shadowy figure snatches a baby from a young mother also out for a walk, and throws it into the harbour. Ben reacts on instinct, and saves the baby from drowning. Later a small figure of a mermaid is found at the scene, reminiscent of the legendary Mermaid of Zennor. Ben is certain this is an important clue...

Ben Kitto is back! Having relocated from the Isles of Scilly to Cornwall, and temporarily taken a job as a carpenter, he finds himself on the track of a killer once again - even though his current job involves making furniture rather than arrests. 

After his selfless act of bravery, Penzance's Chief of Police, DCI Lynne Farraday, asks Ben to help search for the mystery assailant. Already up to her neck in the messy politics of removing corrupt colleagues from the local police force, Farraday needs someone she can rely on. Ben is reluctant to get involved, but when another child is targeted, and more mermaid figures are found, he is persuaded to lead the investigation.

The story flips between Ben's perspective, and that of the unknown person obsessed with honouring the Mermaid of Zennor with child sacrifices. Nicely wielded threads about loss, family, mental health, the innocence of children, and closely-guarded secrets weave cleverly through the whole book, packing a punch on the emotional front - keep the tissues handy - and the timely modern themes of social problems clash like waves against the rocks of deep-seated dysfunction. Rhodes uses local folklore about the mermaid to unsettling perfection, and makes the most of a small community setting where dark undercurrents are at play too.

Once the slow-burn beginning builds pace, the personal lives of Ben and DCI Farraday get dragged dangerously into the investigation, and the guilty-party becomes increasingly unhinged. There are twists and turns galore, and a bevy of creditable suspects to consider - something Rhodes does so well - on the way to an epic climax set against the high summer crowds of Dark Sky Festival. I do not think I paused for breath during the final scenes when Ben and Shadow do their thing. So good!

This is my second Ben Kitto thriller post Kate Rhodes' move to Orenda Books, following Deadman's Pool, and I am rapidly seeing why her books are so well received. I absolutely inhaled this one, consuming it in a single sitting, and cannot wait for more!

The Mermaid's Cry is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a review copy of this book, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet.

She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker Dave Pescod, and visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child, which gave her the idea for this series.

She is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group.