Bank holiday book recommendations

Okay, so the weather forecast for this long bank holiday weekend isn’t looking as lovely as we hoped, but all is not lost.  Here’s my pick of seven brilliant, newly-released novels that no amount of inclement weather can spoil …

Nighthawking by Russ Thomas

Nighthawking is a brilliantly complex crime thriller, packed with twists, powerful visual imagery, and an invigoratingly diverse urban authenticity.  The plot and structure make for a compelling, don’t-look-away-now novel, and as for the cliffhanger … well!

The End Of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

The End Of Men is sweeping through the book Twittersphere like wildfire.  This remarkable debut novel strikes an intelligent balance between the tension and emotional impact of an utterly compulsive work of fiction, with an extraordinarily insightful social commentary.

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson

Prepare to fall head over heels for Norman! If ever there were a book to lift your spirits, soothe your soul, and restore your faith in humanity, then here it is …

Kill Day by Andrew Raymond

Official Secrets was officially one of my favourite thriller series of 2020.  It totally lived up to the hype (Line of Duty meets I Am Pilgrim).  So when I heard the best-selling author was embarking on a new spy-thriller series I couldn’t wait to start reading this first instalment; Kill Day …

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

The Summer Job is going to be guilty of many a ‘lost’ hour of pure, unapologetic escapism this spring/summer.  Not since the heady days of Bridget Jones’s Diary have I developed quite such a crush on a rom-com novel … and like the beloved Bridget, this wonderful book demands an accompanying glass of wine …

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

There’s been a lot of chatter about this book in Twitter, and as I can’t resist the promise of a good psychological thriller I was very excited to be sent an ARC.  And did it live up to the hype?  You’ll have to read on to find out …

Pre-publication exclusive! Kill Day by Andrew Raymond

Andrew Raymond’s superb action-thriller series, Official Secrets, exploded into my awareness and onto my reading list last year. Described as Line Of Duty (a very favourite tv drama of mine) meets I Am Pilgrim (oh! My! Word! What a book!!) I immediately knew resistance was futile. I can hand-on-heart say, this was a trilogy that totally lived up to the hype.  So you can imagine my joy when I heard he’s written us a new book! Kill Day is the start of something new for Andrew; a spy thriller with a fresh, work-in-progress protagonist. 

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

With influences including Stephen King, Daphne Du Maurier, Ruth Ware, and Alexandre Dumas, I was really looking forward to reading this debut novel.  *shivers*  Mirrorland is all goosebumps, sharp edges, gothic disquietude, and a refusal by the author to allow her readers to get comfortable … 

Another Life by Jodie Chapman

Having read so many great reviews about Another Life, I was over the moon to get my mitts on a beautiful, finished copy of this highly coveted book.  I picked it up initially planning to only read a couple of chapters before going to do something that seemed very important at the time, I quickly found out why this cover design was chosen.  Before very long at all, I was 108 pages into the book, and that thing which was very important never got done.  Even now I still couldn’t tell you what it was.