Broken by Jon Atli Jonasson

 

Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson.

Translated by Uentin Bates.

Published 12th June 2025 by Corylus Books.

From the cover of the book:

Two broken cops. One irretrievably damaged and the other an outcast.

Dora struggles to cope with life after taking a bullet to the head. Rado is the child of refugees, his career shunted off the tracks due to his family conenctions to an organised crime gang. But they're the only ones available when a troubled teenager vanishes from a school trip, and the trail gets darker the further they pursue it.

Broken takes place in a side of Reykjavik no visitor would ever want to see, as the mismatched pair tread on all the wrong toes in the search for the missing youngster. This takes place against the backdrop of a vicious vendetta and price on Dora's head. A brutal turf war embroils Rado's family as he and Dora follow the threads of corruption higher and higher, to the top of the exclusive apartment block on the outskirts of the city.

The first novel by award-winning screenwriter Jon Atli Jonasson to appear in English, Broken is the first of a razor-edged crime trilogy shot through with black humour and characters who leap off the page.

***********

When rookie cop, Dora, and her partner, Ellioi, attended an incident at a swanky house in Reykjavik late one night, there was no knowing that it would change the course of Dora's life. Years later, the brain injury she received that night from a stray bullet keeps her desk bound, and distant from her fellow officers who are uncomfortable with her strange ways. But Dora's unusual way of looking at the world also gives her an edge when it comes to solving crime.

Rado, born of refugee parents, has worked his way up the police ranks, but his connection to organised crime through his wife's family has derailed all his hopes of a successful career. With a major investigation underway into his father-in-law, Rado feels himself an outcast.

When a call comes in about a missing girl, the only officers available to answer are the two outsiders - Dora and Rado. Determined to prove their worth, they are willing to work together to the bitter end to solve this case, even though they make for an ill-matched pair. It is an investigation that takes them deep into the dark underbelly of Reykjavik, and to the dizzying heights of an exclusive new apartment block built to house the city's elite, and at every turn they are making powerful enemies...

Broken is the first novel from award-winning screenwriter Jon Atli Jonasson to appear in English, focusing on two very different detectives who are bound by their status as outsiders within the Reykjavik police department. 

Dora's life-altering brain injury has caused a shift in the way she perceives the world. It often puts her at odds with those around her who find her compulsions and vocal ticks unfathomable, but gives her an intriguing advantage when it comes to looking at cases from a different angle - something which her boss Ellioi seems to be the only one who appreciates. In contrast, Rado's family situation is less than ideal for a serving police officer, and no one wants to be associated with him. His position is made worse when a power struggle in Reykjavik's underworld drags him in.

And so the scene is set for an unlikely buddy story, which has a spectacular cinematic feel - perhaps unsurprising given Jonasson's pedigree as a screen writer. The plot soon thickens as the missing person investigation gets ever more complicated, corruption rears its ugly head, and threads from Dora and Rado's personal lives add deliciously gritty grist to suspenseful Nordic Noir mill. Both characters are written with such lovely depth,  and they make a formidable partnership - just as well since Jonasson throws substantial trials and tribulations at them in the course of the story. I adored Dora, and enjoyed how Rado gradually wins you over as you get to know him.

Jonasson packs this cracking police procedural with juicy themes, particularly when it comes to exploring different facets of outsiders through neurodivergence, race, immigration status, sex, and gender. I promise your thoughts will be well and truly provoked.

Another absolute stunner from the translated fiction genre, which is exactly what I have come to expect from Corylus Books, with bags of pitch black humour, and a kicker of an ending,  Beautifully translated by Quentin Bates too, who always pulls out the stops to keep you totally immersed in all the twists, turns, and nuances of every book he works on.

I cannot wait to meet Dora and Rado again in the next part of the trilogy!

Broken is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook. Thank you to FMcM Associates for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join the blog tour.

About the author:

One of Iceland's foremost playwrights, Jon Atli Jonasson has made a significant contribution both on stage and screen. He started out in experimental and political theatre working with independant theatre groups. His plays have since gone on to be performed in major cities including London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Athens.

He has also written a number of film scripts, most notably The Deep, produced by 101 Studios Iceland and based on his own play, which was shortlisted for Best Foreign Feature at the 85th Academy Awards in 2015. In addition to his theatrical and film achievements, he has been nominated for the Nordic Film Prize three times and was named the Nordic Radio Dramatist in 2011.

His literary work includes four novels, a short story compilation, and a novella. His crime novels all take place in modern-day Iceland and focus on themes such as corruption within the police force, changing dynamics in Iceland's society, the evolving underworld and shifting power structures in politics and business.

Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver

 

Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver.

Published 19th June 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Compassion may be humanity’s deadliest weapon…

The threat of nuclear war is no longer scary. This is much worse. It’s invisible. It works quickly.

And it’s coming.

The scourge has already infected and killed half the population in China and it is heading towards the UK. There is no time to escape. The British government sees no way out other than to distribute ‘Dignity Pills’ to its citizens: One last night with family or loved ones before going to sleep forever … together. Because the contagion will kill you and the horrifying news footage shows that it will be better to go quietly.

Dr Haruto Ikeda, a Japanese scientist working at a Chinese research facility, wants to save the world. He has discovered a way to mutate a virus. Instead of making people sick, instead of causing death, it’s going to make them... nice. Instead of attacking the lungs, it will work into the brain and increase the host’s ability to feel and show compassion. It will make people kind.

Ikeda’s quest is thoughtful and noble, and it just might work. Maybe humanity can be saved. Maybe it doesn’t have to be the end.

But kindness may also be the biggest killer of all…

***********

In the wake of a shocking pandemic, the world faces a threat even more deadly. A poisonous cloud is heading for the UK and there is no way to escape the devastation it brings. In a desperate attempt to ease the passing of its population, the UK government has issued a 'Dignity Pill' to its citizens - better to fall into a sleep from which you will not awake than face the alternative...

In China, Japanese scientist, Dr Haruto Ikeda, has been trying to save the world's suffering in quite a different way - by mutating a deadly virus into one which makes people nicer. However, his noble cause has not gone quite the way he expected... Can humanity be saved by an outbreak of kindness, or will it prove to be the biggest killer of all?

Following his grisly visits to the Beresford, in his excellent last two books, Will Carver is back to his dark and twisted imaginings in the world at large with the intriguing Kill Them With Kindness. Carver, being Carver, this is a difficult book to sum up. However its inspiration clearly lies in the horribly real global pandemic that marked all our lives in recent years, and it is rather difficult to separate out fact from fiction when it comes to many of the events in this story - particularly given hindsight.

The story unfurls mostly via two slow-burn, supremely twisted threads, flipping between dodgy political circles in the UK, and the world of science via to Dr Ikeda in China. It also ranges far and wide to drop in on moments in the lives of a disparate cast of characters, in that way Carver does so well. The premise is brilliant, building on our fears to create a speculative tale about those determined to hold power at the cost of unhinged levels of collateral damage. Themes of control, corruption, and  gob-smacking amounts of spin-doctoring run riot through the story - and at no time do they seem unrealistic, given what we now know about the things that can happen, and how some take advantage for their own ends (spot the disgusting prime minister and his cronies).

This is by far the most disturbing book I have read by Will Carver, which is saying a lot. Carver's philosophical social commentary about humanity is powerfully hard hitting, and the real world parallels leave a bitter taste in the mouth. However, this is not a book without hope, as the best intentions of Dr Haruto Ikeda to make the world a nicer place have interesting consequences - even if they are not quite the ones he foresees. There are golden moments of Carver's typical pitch black humour throughout too.

I am not sure I can truthfully say I 'enjoyed' this book, because it touches an unsettling nerve, but I could not look away from it. Will Carver's dark magic does the trick once more...

Kill Them With Kindness is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can buy direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for providing me with an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series.

He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children.

His previous title published by Orenda Books, Hinton Hollow Death Trip, was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express.

Double Room by Anne Sénès

 

Double Room by Anne Sénès.

Translated from the French by Alice Banks.

Published 19th June 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

London, late 1990s. Stan, a young and promising French composer, is invited to arrange the music for a theatrical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play will never be staged, but Stan meets Liv, the love of his life, and their harmonious duo soon becomes a trio with the birth of their beloved daughter, Lisa. Stan’s world is filled with vibrant colour and melodic music, and under his wife and daughter’s gaze, his piano comes to life.

Paris, today. After Liv’s fatal accident, Stan returns to France surrounded by darkness, no longer able to compose, and living in the Rabbit Hole, a home left to him by an aunt. He shares his life with Babette, a lifeguard and mother of a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine of his own invention endowed with Liv’s voice, that he spent entire nights building after her death.

But Stan remains haunted by his past. As the silence gradually gives way to noises, whistles and sighs – sometimes even bursts of laughter – and Laïvely seems to take on a life of its own, memories and reality fade and blur…

And Stan’s new family implodes…

***********

London, late 1990s. Promising French composer, Stan, arrives in London to write the music for a ground-breaking stage adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The troubled production fails to open, but during his time in London he meets the love of his life, make-up artist, Liv. The two become a contented couple, and when their daughter, Lisa, arrives it seems that they could not be happier. Stan finds himself entering the most creative period of his life as a composer, surrounded by intense sensations inspired by domestic bliss.

France, present day. After the tragic death of Liv, Stan has returned home to reside in the house left to him by his aunt - the Rabbit Hole. The family now includes lifeguard Babette and her son, a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine Stan invented to get himself through the dark nights after Liv's death - traces of Liv live on through the device he has endowed with her voice.

Stan tries his best to face the future, but he is haunted by his past. Memories blur with reality, and Laïvely seems to be acting strangely, taking on a consciousness that she was never designed to have...

Double Room is one of those novels that defies easy explanation, as it is so much more than the sum of its parts. Sénès somehow combines a domestic drama, eerie speculative yarn, a twisty mystery, and a literary exploration of difficult emotions, all within a debut novel that spans no more than 300 pages - it is quite a feat of masterful writing, especially for a debut.

The novel unfurls in two compelling timelines, following the years of Stan's domestic bliss in London, and the present day in France, following Liv's death. There could not be a greater contrast between the man and his music in former, happy times, and in the latter iteration of his existence, where he is now a shadow of his former self and unable to write a single note, despite the love of Babette - woman very different from the complicated Liv.

As the chapters flow, flipping back and forth between present and past, Sénès unveils an unexpected mystery around Stan's marriage to Liv and the tragedy that tore her from him, hinting at why he is so fixated on the virtual presence of Laïvely. Ever so gradually the ideas you have formed about what is going on here shift and remake themselves into a rather different picture, culminating in a devastating revelation that stops you dead in your tracks. It is a truth so completely jaw-dropping, that when I finished the story I immediately went back to the beginning and read it all over again, to spot the subtle clues Sénès hides so cleverly within the text! A note here about the excellent translation by Alice Banks, which keeps you immersed so utterly in all the lovely misdirection and emotional melodrama conjured by Sénès in her original novel. I was floored!

There is no doubt that this is an unsettling book, which leaves images and ideas lingering long after you have turned the final page, but it is so rewarding. Sénès positively crams theme upon delicious theme into this story. The way she examines love, loss and obsession is superb, with all their messy associations with desire, expectation, and human frailty. She also explores synesthesia so vividly through Stan's experience of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, particularly when it comes to memory and music. What a cracker!

Double Room is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can buy direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to join this blog tour.

About the author:

Anne Sénès was born in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne, where she obtained a PhD in English Studies.

Her passion for Anglo-Saxon literature and culture has taken her all over the world, from London to Miami, passing through the south of France. She is currently based on the Mediterranean coast, where she works as a journalist and translator.

Chambre Double (Double Room) is her first literary novel.

Secrets Of The Bees by Jane Johnson

 

Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson.

Published 5th June 2025 by Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now...

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little Cornish paradise.

Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza, dies without leaving a will, putting the cottage's ownership into question. London financier Toby and his wife Minty are soon enticed by Trengrose's charm and, worse still, see a lucrative rental opportunity in Ezra's cottage.

But Ezra is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. What Ezra doesn't know is that Eliza also took some secrets to her grave - and she doesn't intend to rest quietly until they come to light...

A sumptuous Cornish tale packed with heart, relationships and mysteries from the past, from the bestselling author of The Sea Gate.

***********

In a quiet corner of West Cornwall, Ezra Curnow has lived in a cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life - just like his father and grandfather before him. Surrounded by his garden and orchard, and the wildlife that inhabits them, he is content to live out his days in the only home he has ever wanted.

But changes are afoot. Miss Eliza, mistress of the estate, has passed away without leaving a will, and having kept her family secrets hidden. His beloved Trengrose is now in the hands of newcomers from London, financier Toby Hardman and his aristocratic wife Minty, who have big plans - including removing the ancient Celtic cross that marks gateway to Trengrose, inviting 'glampers' on to the land, and worst of all, renting out Ezra's cottage to holidaymakers.

Ezra may be getting on in years, but he is not about to go down without a fight. He has impressive resources that make him a worthy adversary, and, unknown to him, the aid of a spirit from beyond the grave who will not rest until the truth is known...

What an absolutely fabulous book, full of many-layered storylines and themes about glorious Cornwall! 

The story begins with elderly Ezra communing with only remaining hive of bees on the once thriving Trengrose estate, telling them of the death of Miss Eliza, last bastion of the Rosevear family. He is unsure about what the future holds, but is determined to hold onto the little paradise he has fostered around him, come what may. And what comes is a battle with the boorish Toby and somewhat otherworldly Minty as they set about their scheme of 'improvements' that rip the heart out of Ezra's beloved Trengrose. But Ezra is not to be underestimated: a veteran of combat, starting with the rough and tumble that comes with being half of a set of twins, and honed by haunting experiences in the British Army during Cypriot unrest in 1957 (brought to bear through intense flashbacks), he is ready to defend his 'castle' in a variety of ingenious ways.

I was invested in this story from the first beautifully written page to the last. In a delicious mix of emotional family drama, environmental odyssey, gentle romance, and historical gold-mine, Johnson excels at bringing her characters and setting alive, and my goodness, does she put your heart through the wringer in the process. A difficult stand-off leads to burgeoning threads about Ezra's family; the Hardmans and their children; and the secret history of Trengrose, which is gradually revealed through a captivating mystery about Eliza Rosevear and her mother. 

In the telling, Johnson makes you fall in love with Cornwall in all its natural splendour, and revels in its flora and fauna (especially bees and the plants needed to sustain them) through the wise old eyes of wily Ezra, who I adored (along with Bucca the grumpy cat). She also cleverly shines a light on the tragic fate of rural communities under attack from property developers, holidaymakers, and second homers, in a way that hits you hard.

I laughed and cried my way through this incredible story, completely invested in the fate of Trengrose, and a happy ending for the characters worthy of rescue and redemption (and a suitably fitting ending for those that deserve neither). I closed the cover with my heart full. A book to treasure.

Secrets of the Bees is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Sophie Ransom PR for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Jane Johnson is a British writer and publisher who writes historical fiction set mainly in Cornwall and Morocco. Her novels include The Tenth Gift, The Salt Road, The Sultan’s Wife, Pillars of Light, Court of Lions and The Sea Gate.

The School Gates by A.A. Chaudhuri

 

The School Gates by A.A. Chaudhuri.

Published 5th June 2025 by Hera Books.

From the cover of the book:

First comes gossip … then comes revenge.

When single mum Lola Martinez’s son, Luca, starts school, she feels that she’ll never fit in with the yummy mummies in the playground. Confident, married to wealthy men, with ample free time, they are everything she isn’t.

However, Lola is invited into the inner circle, surrounded by seemingly friendly people, even if Lola’s silence about her child’s father puzzles them. Despite herself, Lola quickly becomes involved in playground politics, making as many enemies as friends.

But then Lola is brutally murdered, her death rocking the close-knit community. As the police investigate the case, they discover that Lola was hiding many secrets – as are the mums in her new social circle. But who had the most reason to kill her? And who else might unwittingly hold the answers to what happened that night?

***********

Devoted single mum Lola Martinez cannot help but be nervous amongst all the yummy-mummies in the primary school playground on her son Luca's first day in Reception at St Xavier's, in leafy Kingston-upon-Thames. Lola is worried she will never fit in with these confident, affluent women, so she is delighted when she finds herself being invited to join the most desirable clique of them all.

But being part of this inner circle soon has Lola out of her depth. Navigating the complex rules of playground politics while keeping the truth about her past hidden from their prying eyes is a nightmare. Unguarded moments result in secrets being spilled, and as tongues begin to wag, friends become enemies... 

When Lola is brutally murdered after events turn ugly at the class Christmas party, it falls to DI Banner to discover if one of these vengeful mums has it within them to be a murderer.

This twisty new thriller from A.A. Chaudhuri sees her returning to the format of slick ensemble piece, that plays out in a very familiar setting - the clique-riven, rumour-mill-fuelled crowd that rocks up to the primary school gates.

Thruming with a delicious Mean Girls vibe, Chaudhuri inserts anxious single mum Lola into a group of seriously complicated women, and tells the story of her demise, flipping back and forth between the times before and after her murder. Lola's voice (through her first person narrative, and the transcripts of conversations she has in an on-line forum with a mysterious character called 'Tracy') blends with alternative accounts of events from multiple perspectives, and vivid flashbacks to moments where shocking secrets are revealed. 

The plot thickens with parallel threads around Lola's murder, all manner of domestic dramas, and the actions of a rapist stalking Britain's college campuses. Luckily, you have canny DI Banner (truly a rose amongst entitled thorns) to help you solve this many-layered mystery. Banner is adept at feeling out the cracks and cover-ups in the testimonies of the other mums and their partners... and blowing their lies wide open.

As usual with a Chaudhuri thriller, she has a ball plumbing the psychological depths of her characters, especially when it comes to seething jealousy, creepy obsession, and back-stabbing betrayal. She misleads and misdirects with skill, and then hits you broadside with an orgy of twists, and you will love every single second. She explores weighty themes along the way too, delving into the way the secrets we keep shape our lives, make us vulnerable to the manipulation of others, and can feed a desire to manipulate in turn.

A page-turner to be consumed in a single tasty bite!

The School Gates is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to the lovely A.A. Chaudhuri for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

A. A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer. After gaining a degree in History at University College London, she later trained as a solicitor and worked for several major London law firms before leaving law to pursue her passion for writing. She lives in Surrey with her family, and loves films, all things Italian and a good margarita!

 May 2025 Reading Round-Up

A bit of a slow month on the reading front, but every one of these was a cracker!

You can find my thoughts on this lovely mix of books/audio books by clicking on the images below.

Human Remains by Cat Callaghan

Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf

A Beautiful Way To Die by Eleni Kyriacou

Under The Lemon Tree by Emma Cowell

Cat Fight by Kit Conway

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Shatter Creek by Rod Reynolds

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

Ghost Wedding by David Park

June is already off to a brilliant start on the book front, so keep you eyes peeled for more fab recommendations.

If you have enjoyed my pics above, come and give me a follow on Instagram at @brownflopsy for more.

Ghost Wedding by David Park

 

Ghost Wedding by David Park.

Published 8th May 2025 by Oneworld.

From the cover of the book:

When George Allenby is put in charge of building a lake in the grounds of an imposing Irish manor house, he intends to do the job as swiftly as possible and return to Belfast. Allenby is still wrestling with his time as an officer during the First World War, burdened by the many things he could have done differently.

Almost a century later, Alex and Ellie are preparing for their wedding, sparing no expense to hire a venue overlooking the very lake Allenby built all those years ago.

Like Allenby before him, Alex is haunted by decisions he made in the past. Now, with the wedding drawing ever closer, he is at a crossroads. Telling the truth might free him from his guilt; it might also take away everything he cares about, including Ellie.

In this masterful portrait of love and betrayal, David Park reveals the many ways the past seeps into the present: destructive, formidable, but also hopeful, in the moments of fragile beauty that remain.

***********

1920s. George Allenby has the unenviable task of constructing a lake and boat house in the grounds of the newly wealthy Remington family's estate. Poor weather, and too much mud makes the job hard going for a man plagued with the ghosts of his time in the trenches of the Great War. He longs to be done and be able to return to his isolated existence in Belfast, but then he meets housemaid Cora and finds comfort in her arms, but he fears to confess the secrets he is keeping.

A hundred years later, Alex and Ellie have booked the Boat House of the Manor House, now a hotel, for their wedding. Alex is finding his role working for his property developer father increasing difficult, despite the life if allows he and Ellie to live. He is also feels burdened by an act he sorely regrets, which plagues him with guilt he feels coming between him and his bride. Should he confess what he has done, even if it means he might lose the woman he loves?

The story unfurls in two interconnected timelines, Allenby in the past, and Alex and Ellie in the present, and is wreathed in themes that echo through time. Park reflects the haunting burden of guilt, regret and the impact of the choices the two central characters Allenby and Alex have made, cleverly flipping the story on its axis to look at aspects of their lives like two sides of a coin.

As an aficionado of between-the-wars tales, Allenby's side of the story was my favourite - even if it the most heart-breaking. He is a man unable to reconcile his experiences from the trenches, preferring to keep himself apart from emotional entanglements. The glimmer of romance between him and Cora is quite lovely, for as long as it lasts... On the other hand, Alex is much more difficult to take to your heart, because of his past, but there is intriguing light and shade in his character that makes his dilemma all the more through provoking.

The most beautiful thing about this book is the way Park uses the recurring presence of spirits tied to buildings and places, lingering on to look upon the actions of the living who cannot see them, but feel their presence. This works so well with the way Allenby and Alex are haunted by their own ghosts, born of the choices they have made. 

An unforgettable novel, which broke my heart. I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

Ghost Wedding is available to buy now in hardcover, and ebook formats. Audio book coming soon.

Thank you to Oneworld for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

David Park is the author of ten novels, a novella and two collections of short stories. The Healing won the Authors’ Club First Novel Award, and his novel Travelling in a Strange Land won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year. The Light of Amsterdam was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

His work has been shortlisted for the Irish Novel of the Year four times. He has received a Major Artist Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and an Honorary Fellowship in the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast.

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

 

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan.

Published 19th June 2025 by Mantle.

From the cover of the book:

In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .

As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But, with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.

Then she meets Kahu at the beach and he tells her about The Mystery. Two years ago, a girl went missing and none of the adults could find her. So the new friends decide to investigate – because people don’t just disappear.

But, as Alix and Kahu search for clues, they stumble upon secrets they wish they’d left alone. Is Alix's holiday house as safe as it seems? And is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people?

***********

Mid 1980's, New Zealand. In an uncharacteristic move, Alix's mother decides this year's summer vacation should be spent in a popular beach resort. Ten-year-old Alix longs to spend every minute on the golden sand and in the water, but her parents are preoccupied, and her older sister, fifteen-year-old Vanessa, is much more interested in boys than spending time with her annoying sibling.

Feeling lonely, Alix strikes up a friendship with Kahu, who is also on holiday for the summer. He tells her about the girl who went missing without a trace, and the two of them decide to search for her body around the town's murky lagoon. But as they ferret out clues, they end up discovering far more than they bargained for - particularly when it comes to Alix's family.

This glorious 1980's coming of age story is the incredibly impressive debut novel of Jennifer Trevelyan, whose writing captivated me from the very first page. The story is told from the point of view of ten-year-old Alix, whose summer holiday is rather different from normal this year for a number of unsettling reasons. 

Trevelyan does an incredible job of portraying the events of this slow-burn thriller meets poignant family drama through the eyes of a ten-year-old, creating a story that works beautifully on two levels - one which immerses you in the bemused thoughts of a child as she tries to make sense of perplexing events within her own family, and in the world around her; and another in which you, as the reader, understand the real significance of her experiences.

Knotty themes run beautifully throughout around family, friendship, marriages in trouble, the growing pains of adolescence, and the way adult motivations and behaviours are inexplicable to a child. They weave cleverly through the chilling thriller elements about the fate of a missing young girl in a very accomplished way. Trevelyan pulls a blinder by using the menacing presence of a creepy neighbour in the house next door to Alix too, who may, or may not be, an innocent old man.

I loved how Trevelyan floods this novel with 80s nostalgia, and how she uses names sparsely in keeping with the level of knowledge of a child. In fact, you actually only learn Alix's real name (rather than her nickname, Ally-Pally) at a crucial point in the climax of the story - which chimes with a watershed moment between her loss of childish innocence and an understanding about the horrors of the grown-up world.

Absolutely one of my favourite books of 2025, with shades of The Lovely Bones. This strings you along with your heart in your mouth, caught up in Alix's intensely palpable fears and bewilderment, but it is not without a full complement of tender moments too. Superb! I predict a great future for Jennifer Trevelyan...

A Beautiful Family is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

With a background in photography and children’s publishing, Jennifer is now a full-time writer living in Wellington, New Zealand, with her husband, son, daughter, dog and cat. When not at her writing desk, Jennifer can be found in the garden.

The Secret Of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

 

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 20th April 2017 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1925.

From the cover of the book:

A young drifter finds more than he bargained for when he agrees to deliver a parcel to an English country house…

Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand on behalf of a friend would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy.

Someone would stop at nothing to prevent the monarchy being restored in faraway Herzoslovakia. The combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Surete can do no better than go in circles – until the final murder at Chimneys, the great country estate that yields up an amazing secret…

***********

After an accidental meeting in Bulawayo, drifter Anthony Cade agrees to a favour on behalf of an old friend - taking a memoir manuscript to a publisher in London, and returning a parcel of letters to their owner at a house in the country. How hard can it be?

Well, much more complicated than he knows, because the manuscript is actually at the centre of a power struggle in troubled Eastern European country Herzoslovakia, and both sides of the conflict are desperate to get their hands on them. And as for the letters, they offer the additional complication of a blackmail plot involving one of Europe's most wanted criminal masterminds...

As soon as Cade arrives in England, all sorts of bizarre shenanigans play out, embroiling him in a situation of national importance at famous country house Chimneys, where a secret lies waiting to be discovered. Along the way, Anthony meets the vivacious socialite Virginia Revel (by way of an unexpected incident involving the letters and a dead body), who is his ticket to Chimneys - where he coincidentally arrives on the night of another inconvenient murder. 

Enter stage right, the enigmatic Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard in his first Christie adventure, who is tasked (along with secretive Monsieur Lemoine of the French Sûreté) with getting to the bottom of all the messy goings on at the home of the delightful Lord Caterham and his plucky daughter Lady Eileen 'Bundle' Brent. 

This is one of Christie's devilishly complicated mysteries. The intricately weaving plotlines centre on political intrigue about the fictional Herzoslovakia, and the cast of players is drawn from an international setting as befits one of her more adventurous capers. There is a lot going on at any one time, which really kept me guessing about who was at the bottom of the interconnected dark deeds - and there are a lot of likely characters for you to suspect!

Many of these characters reappear in the follow-up Battle story, The Seven Dials Mystery, but this is a very different beast in nature, as it it much heavier in terms of its international plot, and not nearly as humorous as its sequel - despite the best efforts of the adorable Lord Caterham and Bundle (and her younger sisters). There are many fun elements though, particularly in the way Christie uses hidden identities (lovely twist on this theme at the end), and the romance between perfectly matched Anthony and Virginia is charming.

This was a great book to explore this month's #ReadChristie2025 theme of Detectives, with its mix of professional and amateur sleuths, and I very much enjoyed discovering it through the delightful voice talents of my favourite narrator Hugh Fraser, in the excellent audio book.

The Secret of Chimneys is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham

 

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham.

Published 15th May 2025 by Aria.

From the cover of the book:

Maggie Flynn isn't your typical 1960s mum.

She's a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London's streets in myriad disguises.

Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession - providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.

But Maggie's world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what's worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.

As Maggie searches for answers, she'll question everyone - and everything - she thought she could trust. In the murky and perilous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?

***********

Maggie Flynn may look like your average 1960's mum, but appearances can be deceptive - something very apt given her career as an operative for the security services, a profession she has fallen into following the jaw-dropping news that her late husband was a spy working for Queen and country.

Grieving for the loss of a husband she feels she never really knew, Maggie now works as a lowly 'Watcher', part of a team tasked with keeping tabs on persons of interest on behalf of her shady paymasters. It is a job that is less than thrilling, and bunion-inducing hard on the feet, but it allows her to support herself, her teenage daughter, and her unconventional, born-again free-spirit mother.

Maggie's belief that her husband's death was an accident is called into question when a chance encounter with a Russian defector reveals that there was a lot more behind his demise than she has been told. It appears that he was actually investigating someone within MI5 itself, and a shocking betrayal led to his murder. Maggie is determined to find out the truth, so with 'Mary Poppins' bag in hand, a variety of quick-change disguises at her disposal, and a rudimentary knowledge of spy lore, she embarks on a dangerous mission of her own,  following the trail of clues her husband has left for her  - all while trying to track down some elusive Beatles' concert tickets for her daughter.

Robotham does an excellent job of bringing the Swinging Sixties alive, in all its popular culture glory, in this quirky espionage adventure, spinning a tale which is equal parts authentic Cold War spy caper as it is humorous family drama. 

Maggie is a most unconventional 'spy' in a scandal-ravaged MI5. She flips between hours trudging around London in disguise, hot on the heels of possible enemies of state, and chaotic domesticity. The two sides of her life are not easy bedfellows, given the need for secrecy, and Robotham creates many a humorous, and heart-wrenchingly poignant scene as Maggie does her best to balance the different parts of her life.

I loved Maggie from the first page. Her inner monologue is a delight - as are the characters Robotham creates around her who aid her in her endeavour to achieve a measure of justice for her husband's betrayal, especially the adorable Frank, and her helpfully placed pal Vivien. 

As befits a grand espionage thriller of the era, motives are as murky as a London pea-souper, and loyalties are not easy to ascertain until some surprising twists reveal who Maggie's real friends are within the corridors of power. You can tell Robotham loves a gritty spy story, as there is plenty of excitement to be had alongside the emotional, and hilarious content, which somehow manage to fit seamlessly together to make a real page-turner of a novel. There are fabulous themes running through the whole piece too, especially when it comes to the role of women both within the post-war, old school tie dominated security services, and in wider 1960's society where changes are afoot.

I cannot tell you how much I adored this book. It zings with period charm, characters to love and loathe, and a story that keeps you on your (hopefully bunion-free) toes. Absolutely one of my books of 2025, and it has real legs for a sequel that I am dying to read! More please!

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

Thank you to Aria for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

M J Robotham saw herself as an aspiring author from childhood, but was waylaid by journalism, birth, children and life. After twenty years as a midwife and a Creative Writing MA, she is a full-time author, writing historical fiction as Mandy Robotham. She lives in Gloucestershire with her partner.

Shatter Creek (Casey Wray Book Two) by Rod Reynolds

 

Shatter Creek (Casey Wray Book Two) by Rod Reynolds.

Published 22nd May 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Hampstead County Police Department is embroiled in scandal after corruption at the top of the force was exposed. Cleared of involvement and returned to active duty, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray nonetheless finds herself at a crossroads when it becomes clear not everyone believes she’s innocent.

CORRUPTION

Partnered with rookie Billy Drocker, Casey works a shocking daytime double-homicide in downtown Rockport with the two victims seemingly unknown to one another. And when a third victim is gunned down on her doorstep shortly after, it appears an abusive ex-boyfriend holds the key to the killings.

MURDER

With powerful figures demanding answers, Casey and Billy search for the suspect, fearing he’s on a murderous rampage. But when a key witness goes missing, and new evidence just won’t fit, the case begins to unravel.

DANGER

With her career in jeopardy, Casey makes a shattering discovery that threatens to expose the true darkness at the heart of the murders… with a killer still on the loose…

***********

Reeling from the corruption scandal that has ripped Hampstead County Police Department apart, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray is unsure how to reconcile the fact that her own partner was involved in dark deeds she was completely unaware of. Although she has been cleared of any wrong doing, not everyone is convinced of her innocence - including her new boss.

With her reputation tarnished, Casey and her rookie partner, Billy, are thrown into a tricky investigation when a double homicide takes place on a quiet morning in downtown Rockport. There is nothing to link the two victims, but when a third murder throws up a line of inquiry around an abusive ex-boyfriend, it seems he might be the key to unravelling the mystery - especially given the pressure being piled on from above to solve the case as quickly as possible.

But as Casey begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together, they just do not fit. Something else is going on here, but how can she convince her boss of her suspicions when there is no trust?

Not having read Black Reed Bay, which introduces DS Casey Wray, I was definitely on the back foot at the start of this book, but Reynolds gives you just enough to get to grips with the lay of the land, and how this affects Casey's actions, motivations, and ability to do her job, so it can be read as a stand-alone.

The action begins right out of the gate with a shocking double murder, and does not let up for an instant throughout the authentically gritty American noir twists and turns - which pleasantly surprised me given that the only Rod Reynolds' book I had read previously was the very British  financial caper Blood Red City.

The threads of the corruption backstory run indelibly through the warp and weft of the whole complicated plot, which Reynolds cleverly uses to underlie a combination of seductive police procedural and edge-of-your-seat political-themed thriller. Motivations are entertainingly murky, and Casey's frustrations become your own as she battles whispers about her integrity, the agendas of those who plan to make her the fall guy for their own failings, and uncomfortable relations within her own team. I loved her from pretty-much page one, and thoroughly enjoyed her spirit, and intelligence. She is an intriguing character, determined to get to the truth, and not beyond questioning her own attitudes as knotty themes of patriarchal power and manipulation rear their ugly heads.

Reynolds' writing is first-class, keeping your attention with suspenseful mystery, the tension of well-wrought menace, perfectly timed reveals, and drop dead gorgeous emotional barbs that add the punch of heavyweights like Dennis Lehane. And he makes it look so easy, especially given the way the threads all come together in a gripping climax, leaving just enough rope to hook you into the next book... which I am very much looking forward to. Have no doubt that I will be going back to take in Black Reed Bay very soon too! 

Shatter Creek is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can buy direct from Orenda Books HERE.

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

About the author:

Rod Reynolds is the author of four novels, including the Charlie Yates series. His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian have called the books 'Pitch-perfect American noir.'

A lifelong Londoner, in 2020 Orenda Books published his first novel set in his hometown, Blood Red City. The first in the Casey Wray series, Black Reed Bay, published in 2021 was longlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thriller of the year. Book two in the series, Shatter Creek, is out now. 

Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in novel writing from City University London. Rod lives with his wife and family and spends most of his time trying to keep up with his two young daughters.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This edition published 15th September 2019 by Wordsworth Editions.

Originally published 1925.

From the cover of the book:

Generally considered to be F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest novel, The Great Gatsby is a consummate summary of the "roaring twenties", and a devastating expose of the ‘Jazz Age’.

Through the narration of Nick Carraway, the reader is taken into the superficially glittering world of the mansions which lined the Long Island shore in the 1920s, to encounter Nick's cousin Daisy, her brash but wealthy husband Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and the mystery that surrounds him.

The Great Gatsby is an undisputed classic of American literature from the period following the First World War and is one of the great novels of the twentieth century.

***********

Spring 1922, young college graduate Nick Carraway, and former soldier in World War One, heads to New York to try his hand at being a bond broker. He settles in a modest bungalow on the West Egg shore of Long Island, amongst the palatial houses of New York's 'new money' - next door to the swanky estate of the mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby.

Through a meeting with his East Egg, 'old money' cousin Daisy Buchanan, Nick falls in with the set around Daisy, her wealthy husband Tom, and Daisy's pro-golfer friend Jordan Baker. He also earns himself an invitation to one of Gatsby's infamous, extravagant parities, and becomes unlikely friends with the enigmatic man behind the legend - who confides on him about his desire to win back his former love, Daisy.

Nick becomes enamoured of Gatsby, and the mystique surrounding him, losing himself in Jazz age excess. After having the knowledge of Tom's infidelity foisted upon him, he also becomes the go-between betwixt Jay and Daisy as they rekindle their relationship in secret. But fate will not let Gatsby have his happy ending...

This unforgettable Great American Novel is one of my favourite classic tragedies, and easily Fitzgerald's most well known book. I have been promising myself a reread since recently consuming Claire Anderson-Wheeler's highly entertaining, Long island murder mystery retelling The Gatsby Gambit, so when I spotted the Audible Original audio book, narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal, I was sold!

For the uninitiated, the plot follows the decline and fall of Jay Gatsby, a self-made man with many secrets whose obsession with an impossible fantasy brings tragedy, viewed though the heart-wrenching account of the thoroughly decent Nick Carraway. Based on episodes from Fitzgerald's own youth, it plumbs the depths behind the good and bad of the Roaring Twenties in East Coast USA, beautifully rendering the music, the economy, the libertine flapper lifestyle, rebellious youth, speakeasy culture, and the uncomfortable jostling of new money and old. Every character here falls prey to human frailty of one sort or another - some you will take to your heart, and others you will learn to despise... I leave it to you to decide who fits where.

Gyllenhaal does a fine job of taking on the role of story-teller Nick Carraway, the hopeful young man who becomes jaded after seeing the dark side of 1920's Jazz Age glamour. His voice carries you nicely through all the twists and turns of this dissection of love, money, hopes and dreams - and brings alive all the delicious subtleties of Fitzgerald's characters and prose. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my revisit to this story, and can highly recommend the audio book to new comers, and returning patrons, when it comes to this incredible novel. And it is currently free to Audible members!

The Great Gatsby is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 in St Paul, Minnesota, and went to Princeton University which he left in 1917 to join the army. Fitzgerald was said to have epitomised the Jazz Age, an age inhabited by a generation he defined as 'grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken'.

In 1920 he married Zelda Sayre. Their destructive relationship and her subsequent mental breakdowns became a major influence on his writing. Among his publications were five novels, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night and The Love of the Last Tycoon (his last and unfinished work): six volumes of short stories and The Crack-Up, a selection of autobiographical pieces.

Fitzgerald died suddenly in 1940. After his death The New York Times said of him that 'He was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a "generation" ... he might have interpreted them and even guided them, as in their middle years they saw a different and nobler freedom threatened with destruction.'

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

 

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

This edition published 3rd November 2011 by Penguin Classics.

Originally published 1817.

From the cover of the book:

During an eventful season at Bath, young, naïve Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time.

She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine's love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father's mysterious house, Northanger Abbey.

There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney.

With its broad comedy and irrepressible heroine, this is the most youthful and and optimistic of Jane Austen's works.

***********

Young Catherine Morland is thrilled to be invited to join wealthy, childless neighbours Mr and Mrs Allen for a season in Bath. Leaving behind her bustling household of many siblings, Gothic novel obsessed Catherine looks forward to an exciting time, but Bath proves to be a little dull when one has few acquaintance in the town - until she meets the vivacious Isabella Thorpe, whose passion for all things Gothic matches her own (and who also calls on her affections as the surprise love interest of Catherine's older brother, James).

Then the chance of adventure truly arrives for Catherine, in the shape of handsome Henry Tilney, who has turned her head with his intriguing ways. Her romantic hopes receive a boost when his sister Eleanor invites her to stay with them at their father's house, Northanger Abbey. Fired up by her indulgence in romantic novels with Isabella, Catherine looks forward to stepping into her own Gothic mystery, but her flights of fancy lead her into mishaps and misunderstandings...

Northanger Abbey was the first novel Jane Austen completed in full, although, along with her most mature work Persuasion, it was not published until after her death - in a pairing of two novels that could not be more different in nature.

The story follows the coming-of-age adventures of naive seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, who longs to emulate the literary heroines of her beloved Gothic novels - an unlikely prospect for a country clergyman's daughter. with little to recommend her beyond a good heart, easy humour, and a pretty face.

Bath proves to be a learning experience on many fronts, particularly through the influence of flirtatious Isabella Thorpe, and her meddlesome brother John. The twist and turns in their intimacies with the Thorpe family are confusing for our young heroine, and she comes to question their intentions over the course of the novel - with good reason.

Events become ever more complicated when Catherine decamps to Northanger Abbey with the Tilneys, and she gets herself into a terrible pickle through her obsessive desire to see intrigue and dark deeds where there are none - beyond a little financial ambition on the part of General Tilney.  Fortunately there is a quirky romance for Catherine and Henry at the heart of the story that ensures a happy ending for the beleaguered couple, which is rather sweet - and Henry is surely Austen's most comical hero of them all, even if he does rather take advantage of Catherine's unworldliness in his humorous joshing.

For me, this is an unusual book among the Austen stable, in the way it so obviously pokes fun at the fashion for extravagant Gothic novels - many of which are mentioned in the story, especially Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe. It also directly asks questions of its reader about the wildly unrealistic expectations, and actions, of the genre's protagonists in a hilariously unsubtle way, which Austen simply does not do in her other novels. I do love how she makes a case for novel reading among more weighty literary tomes, bigging up her own 'humble' efforts along the way. 

Although this one does not rank among my favourite Austen's, there is a lot to recommend it. It is definitely the lightest, and most relatable of Austen's works for a modern audience. It was fun to revisit through the lovely audio book narrated by the incomparable Juliet Stevenson on my journey through the wonderful works of Austen for #JaneAusten250. 

Onwards to a revisit of Emma next!

Northanger Abbey is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

Jane Austen, the daughter of a clergyman, was born in Hampshire in 1775, and later lived in Bath and the village of Chawton. As a child and teenager, she wrote brilliantly witty stories for her family's amusement, as well as a novella, Lady Susan.

Her first published novel was Sense and Sensibility, which appeared in 1811 and was soon followed by Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma.

Austen died in 1817, and Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously in 1818.

Cat Fight by Kit Conway

 

Cat Fight by Kit Conway.

Published 15th May 2025 by Transworld.

From the cover of the book:

When the peace shatters in suburbia, the claws come out . . .

Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett are friends. Sort of. They're neighbours on an exclusive Sevenoaks estate who get along. It's convenient.

But one May bank holiday, Coralie's husband insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. And cracks between the elite of the Briar Heart Estate begin to emerge.

As the summer wears on and there are more sightings, the big cat frenzy reaches a fever pitch. Tensions between neighbours threaten to boil over. Everyone is watching their back. But is the real predator a seventy-kilo cat with razor-sharp claws? Or is the actual danger of a much more domestic variety?

***********

On the exclusive Briar Heart Estate in leafy suburban Sevenoaks neighbours Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett appear to be the best of pals. But the cracks in their friendship begin to show when Coralie's  husband, Adam, claims to have spotted a 'big cat' crouching on his car bonnet during an elegant supper party in their garden.

As summer temperatures begin to spike, tensions rise between the friends, spilling over to include simmering resentments within their own families. Rumours abound of a 'Sevenoaks Panther' prowling the parkland beyond their gardens, but should this community be more worried about what goes on behind the closed doors of its sizeable houses, rather than the risk of harm from the tooth and claw of a leopard..?

This is one of those books that starts with a slow-burn sizzle, weaving through the leafy environs of a Sevenoaks Desperate housewives set-up as Kit Conway hints at what lies beneath the affable smiles of the King, Brooks, and Dorsett families... but it is not long before the action spins out of control with a breath-taking, and seriously original twist.

Set against a delicious atmosphere of hysteria about a wild beast stalking the Kent countryside, Conway spins a complex tale of secrets and lies, going far beyond well-trodden suburban plotlines to tickle deep dark primitive fears of being stalked by a dangerous beast - and she keeps her cards very close to the chest about whether the danger really lies.

The pace hots up nicely, flipping between the perspectives of Coralie, Emma and Twig to explore mysterious past misdeeds, with reveals that expose lashings of human frailties steeped in jealousy, obsession, infidelity, and money worries. At various points in the story all three women display seemingly unhinged behaviour, using the situation to their own ends, and I loved how this masks what is really going on until the twist and twist again ending that leaves you reeling.

Lovely themes run through this story, particularly about marriage, motherhood, and hiding your true nature. Unexpected alliances add lovely emotional content too. I really enjoyed the thought provoking elements about persistent tales of big cats roaming the British countryside, and how we should tackle the issue.

A cracking summer read!

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

Thank you to Transworld for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Kit Conway lives in Kent with her husband and three sons. Prior to writing she worked as a corporate lawyer in London.

Cat Fight, her debut book club suspense novel, will be published by Transworld (UK) and Atria (US) in Summer 2025.