by Katy Brent — Entertaining novel about a one-woman quest to redress the balance. Too many men are violent against women. They don’t all get away with it.
Inside Job
by Dr Rebecca Myers — Well-written, thoughtful book on the treatment of sexual offenders in a high-security prison in Yorkshire.
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone
by Benjamin Stevenson — A very clever and funny contemporary novel based on the 10 Commandments of crime fiction, as written in 1929.
The Whalebone Theatre
by Joanna Quinn — One of the best novels of 2022. An engrossing, moving saga following the lives of an eccentric British family from 1919 to 1945.
The Splendid City
by Karen Heuler — The Splendid City is set in a alternative reality. It’s loads of fun but also a serious satire of a world becoming ever more dystopian.
Email from the Future
by Michael Rogers — A compelling and thought-provoking speculative novel set in a future where things ARE better, where people managed to fix the world.
Free Love
by Tessa Hadley — An incisive novel about a 1960s housewife who throws up her life to become a hippy, and the family she leaves behind.
The Language of Food
by Annabel Abbs — Vivid, beautifully written novel about a wonderful 19th century cook, Eliza Acton, with characters and scenes that leap off the page.
The Man Who Died Twice
by Richard Osman — Residents in a retirement community are back, solving murder again. More fun, plot twists and witty dialogue than ever.
The Wrecking Storm
by Michael Ward — Politics religion, murder and mayhem are back in this pacey historical mystery set in London in 1641. Book 2 in the series.
Scenes of a Graphic Nature
by Caroline O’Donoghue — A clever, perceptive, well written and very readable novel about Ireland, history, lies and stories.
This Fragile Earth
by Susannah Wise — A dystopian novel and an implicit plea to take care of our precious, fragile planet. We’ll be sorry when we lose it.
Triflers Need Not Apply
by Camilla Bruce — There’s no excuse for being a serial killer… Or is there? Superbly written, captivating and vivid historical novel based on a true story.
Murder at Madame Tussauds
by Jim Eldridge — Well written, skillfully constructed detective novel set in London in 1896. A good ol’ pageturner with dead bodies galore – and bank heists.
The Answer to Everything
by Luke Kennard — A harsh look at modern, middle class people doing what people have been doing forever: cheating. In more ways than one. Great book club read.
The Devil You Know
by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne — Well written, moving accounts by a forensic psychiatrist, exploring the backgrounds of criminals and their motivations for committing crimes.
White City
by Kevin Power — Moving and well written story of family dysfunction, the corruption of wealth and a life shattered by a series of poor decisions.
Skelton’s Guide to Suitcase Murders
by David Stafford — Funny, quirky, clever, entertaining and well written historical crime fiction. Book 2 in the Skelton’s Guide series
Early Morning Riser
by Katherine Heiny — Shines with intelligence and warmth. Beautifully written exploration of love, marriage and the meaning of fidelity.
Murder in the Cloister
by Tania Bayard — Atmospheric mystery set in 1399 in a French convent. Featuring feminist writer Christine de Pizan, who really worked under King Charles VI.