by Karsten Dusse — ‘I didn’t kill anyone until I was forty-two. […] Admittedly, I did kill almost half a dozen in the week that followed.’
Category: 5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Maiden of Florence
by Katherine Mezzacappa — A beautifully written historical novel based on true events in 16thC Italy and a profoundly moving portrayal of sexual trauma.
Heart of Cruelty
by Maybelle Wallis — Gripping, atmospheric historical fiction in the sensationalist tradition. Forbidden love amidst evil and murder.
The Peepshow
by Kate Summerscale — Meticulously researched and highly readable account of the infamous mid-20th century murderer, Reginald Christie.
Top 10 novels of 2024
Looking for a really great read among novels published in 2024? Here (in no particular order) are my top 10 favourites. Covering a range of fiction genres — literary, speculative, historical, crime and fantasy — they are all guaranteed great
How the Victorians Lived
by Shona Parker — A very readable social history. Money, food, fashion, science, communication and travel, medicine, crime, etc.
Blue Hawk
by Chloe Turner — Immersive story about a textile worker, set in 17th century Gloucestershire. Blue Hawk celebrates female tenacity and ingenuity.
The Women Behind the Door
by Roddy Doyle — An ex-alcoholic mother and a traumatised daughter during lockdown. Superb, understated writing.
Briefly Very Beautiful
by Roz Dineen — Conveys an aching sadness for a lost world, and the exhaustion of daily struggling in a hostile environment.
When We Were Silent
by Fiona McPhillips — When We Were Silent is a raging, screaming #MeToo. It’s also very well written: well constructed and vivid, with strong characters and plot.
The Book of Secrets
by Anna Mazzola — We are plunged into 17th century Rome, where women strive to survive in a patriarchal world perhaps not so very different from our own.
The Ministry of Time
by Kaliane Bradley — Secret government mission involving a myopic civil servant, time travellers and a plot to save our future. Gripping and beautifully written.
Violet Hamilton, Lady Detective series
by Hannah Dolby — Meet the most delightful detective ever written, Violet Hamilton, in No Life for a Lady and How to Solve a Murder Like a Lady.
Toxxic
by Jane Hennigan — A matriarchal world damaged by and struggling to move on from its patriarchal, violent past. A moving novel and a painful read.
What Doesn’t Kill Us
by Ajay Close — A beautifully written, gripping and immersive, and still very relevant historical novel about misogyny and activism.
The Hunter
by Tana French — Another episode of American ex-cop Cal Hooper in rural Ireland. Intelligent, insightful and well written. French gets better all the time.
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband
by Alexia Casale — The Best Way to Bury Your Husband is, surprisingly, a very moving AND uplifting AND very funny book about domestic abuse and violence. Really!
Top 10 novels of 2023
Looking for a really great read among novels published in 2023? Here are my top 10 favourites. Covering a range of fiction genres — literary, speculative, historical, crime and fantasy — they are all guaranteed great reads! Weyward (Emilia Hart)
The List of Suspicious Things
by Jennie Godfrey — A child tries to track the Yorkshire Ripper. Immersive and multilayered.
Under Ground
by E.S. Thomson — Victorian filth is Under Ground. Feel it clinging to your shoes and smell it as it assails your nostrils. It is gross — and engrossing.