Immersive story, set in the 17th century and the present, about female defiance of patriarchal control.
Blue Hawk
by Chloe Turner — Immersive story about a textile worker, set in 17th century Gloucestershire. Blue Hawk celebrates female tenacity and ingenuity.
The Busy Body
by Kemper Donovan — A homage to Agatha Christie, recommended for fans of well-written modern crime fiction in the classic tradition.
A Good Place to Hide a Body
by Laura Marshall — When you get a call about a dead body, how far will you go to protect your elderly parents?
Key Lime Sky
by Al Hess — A fun, quirky cozy alien invasion romp that also addresses themes of isolation, queer identity and “logical” family.
What A Way To Go
by Bella Mackie — Fun social satire featuring obnoxious rich people, murder, financial crime and true crime podcasting.
The Women Behind the Door
by Roddy Doyle — An ex-alcoholic mother and a traumatised daughter during lockdown. Superb, understated writing.
The Red House Mystery
by A.A. Milne — The Red House Mystery has it all; the country house, the witty dialogue, the tight plotting, superb writing, … Oh it’s a proper treat!
The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin
by DG Coutinho — Another in the latest slew of books about women truly killing it. Entertaining.
Versions of a Girl
by Catherine Gray — A superb novel. Beautifully written, highly insightful. Do we become who we are because of our past or in spite of it?
Sipsworth
by Simon Van Booy — Sipsworth is a gentle, beautifully written meditation on love, aging and connection. And a mouse. For anyone who has ever loved an animal.
Una, Unwanted
by Elin F. Styve — A moving story of family dysfunction, hypocrisy and a woman seeking the connection of family.
The Revenge of Rita Marsh
by Nilesha Chauvet — Rita Marsh is not in a good place. The last paedophile she exposed committed suicide soon after. Now her friend Leila needs help…
The Silence Factory
by Bridget Collins — Gothic, historical fantasy. The Silence Factory is an imaginative, immersive and spellbinding story. I was thoroughly captivated!
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways
by Eve Kellman — Another female serial killer novel with gallows humour and deplorable men getting their comeuppance in myriad painful ways.
A Curtain Twitchers Book of Murder
by Gay Marris — Highly entertaining yarn about a 1960’s London street where murder is just behind the curtains. Well written and great fun.
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.
Birding
by Rose Ruane — Birding is an immersive novel about women’s lives, consent and about how acknowledging and verbalising abuse can lead to greater clarity.
The Household
by Stacey Halls — A mystery and fictionalised account of the setup, by Charles Dickens and a wealthy heiress, of a house for fallen women.