10 Ten Exciting New Releases Coming in August 2026

 

I am looking ahead to August and some of the lovely new books due to be released. I've limited myself to just ten which have caught my eye. Do any of these look like something that you would like to read?

John Grebble is Gone by Peter James

John Grebble wakes up to discover he’s been declared dead. His bank account is frozen, his car repossessed, and his entire existence erased. Someone wants him gone—permanently.

Within hours, his world unravels. His debit card is declined. His car is towed away. His office locks him out. The police treat him like a criminal. According to every system, every database, every official record—John Grebble is no more.

But John is very much alive. And as he tries to uncover who could have pulled off such an elaborate erasure of his identity, he realises this isn’t just a mistake—it’s personal. Someone with intimate knowledge of his life has gone to extraordinary lengths to scrub him out completely. And this is just the start…

In this gripping short thriller laced with dark humour, Number One Sunday Times bestselling author Peter James asks: can John Grebble uncover who would go this far to destroy him before it’s too late?

Amazon UK

Invitation From a Dictator by Rory Clements

ON THE EVE OF WAR, A ROYAL GUEST IS LURED INTO HITLER'S DEADLY WEB . . .

Munich, 1937. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have arrived in Germany for a historic meeting at Hitler's mountain retreat.

But recent attacks by ruthless Communist band, Red Freedom, has brought fear and bloodshed to the area. As brutal as the Nazis, their next targets are Edward, Wallis and the Fuhrer himself.

Detective Sebastian Wolff is charged with their protection, but the conflict between his job and his politics becomes even more complicated when Wolff realises who is behind Red Freedom: Ulrike, his first love and the mother of his son.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

Radiant as the Stars by Elaine Elinson

In April 1911, Jews escaping pogroms are fleeing to America, but 20-year-old Anna Reader, full of fierce conviction, is headed in the opposite direction—back to the Ukrainian shtetl from which her family fled six years earlier. She has decided to join her radical cousin Chava in the Jewish Labor Bund on the eve of the Russian Revolution, leaving behind her work in a Chicago sweatshop and the lover who jilted her.

Her warm reunion with her cousin is tainted by political intrigue. Anna is not fully trusted by the Jewish radicals she grew up with in Ukraine. She is given minor tasks, while Chava’s assignments become more dangerous. The threat of betrayal is constantly lurking. When Chava is arrested and imprisoned, Anna’s efforts to rescue her cousin further alienate her from her Bund comrades. When she is threatened with arrest by the Tsarists, Anna is undone, fighting for survival in a strife-torn land.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O'Neal

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. What begins as shared sketchbooks and stargazing becomes first love and a secret correspondence. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows―and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Across four decades and two continents, Elsie navigates a journey from lush colonial India to war-torn London, amid landscapes of beauty, protest, and peril. As past and present collide, the most impossible choices and sacrifices are yet to be made in the name of love, war, and survival.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage by Della Galton

When two best friends decide to share their wedding day, what could possibly go wrong?

Jade is over the moon to be tying the knot alongside her best friend, Sarah, at the stunning Bluebell Cliff Hotel in Dorset—a venue where no detail is too small and no expense is spared in the pursuit of perfection.

But as the big day draws closer, so do the complications.

A long-lost relative, a troublesome brother, and some wildly unexpected animal antics all threaten to derail the brides’ dream celebrations.

With emotions running high and chaos around every corner, their perfect day begins to unravel.

Can love and friendship hold everything together when it matters most?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Stray Dogs by Ruth Hogan

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Desmond and Leona are about to find out that it's never too late to start living your dreams . . .

Since his marriage ended, Desmond Leaks has been stuck in rut. But living alone does have some upsides - for one, there's no one to tell him that he's 'not allowed' chocolate spread on his toast.

And for Leona Lennox, a fresh start might just mean she can finally open that rescue centre for abandoned dogs she's always dreamed of. That's if she can learn to let people in occasionally - and accept help.

Take this Desmond guy, he's so nice that he's offering to get his old band back together to play some fundraising gigs for the rescue centre. If only Leona could say yes, just this once . . . The Stray Dogs might actually be decent, right?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Paris Seamstress by Catherine Law

Torn between love and duty, and a fierce need to protect…

Paris, 1940

For young, lively Murielle, working in the heart of Paris as a seamstress is a dream come true. She loves the bustle of the city, but as the War progresses and new restrictions for Jewish people appear, she begins to realise how quickly her world is changing – and how, soon, she may lose those cherished freedoms.

Her best friend Zoé has always lived a smaller life. Still reeling from an incident from many years ago, she’s already used to being on her guard. But as the Occupation tightens controls on everyone, Zoé knows she must find the courage to stand up and protect the people she loves.

When the two women come across a fallen English pilot, they don’t hesitate. As they put their lives on the line to help the airman escape, their friendship bonds are truly tested. For a chance of happiness, Murielle and Zoé will have to make an impossible decision — one that will demand the greatest sacrifice of all…

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Midwife by the Sea by Jo Bartlett

When midwife Hope Masterson arrives in Cornwall to start her dream job by the sea, she’s ready for a fresh start and a chance to make a real difference to the lives of the women and babies she cares for.

Working between St Piran’s hospital and the community midwifery unit of Port Agnes, Hope quickly finds herself drawn into the lives of her patients and colleagues. From dramatic deliveries and joyous newborns to heartbreaking struggles with infertility, she is on hand to share in all the hopes, worries and incredible love that motherhood can bring.

But Hope is carrying a secret that could change everything – and she faces an impossible dilemma.

Should she reveal the truth and shatter the lives of those around her, or protect the fragile happiness of the family she’s only just found?

As friendships deepen, romance blooms and emotions run high, Hope must decide whether some secrets are better left untold… and what it truly means to belong.

A gorgeously heartfelt, uplifting and unputdownable story of love, family and the many different paths to motherhood, by Top Ten bestselling author Jo Bartlett.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl by Clare Marchant

The dark marsh stretches around Margery. She can hear the sound of her mother’s voice, crying. Or is it the wind…? Will she get out of here alive?

1665: When Margery arrives in Saltmarsh looking for her mother, she finds silence, secrets, and backs turned.

But she is not the only thing that has arrived. As the Plague falls on the village, leaving almost no man, woman or child alive, rumours circulate – about a demon dog, about lights floating above the waters, about voices in the dark… And about a girl, one who has brought a curse.

With Margery’s mother missing, it becomes clear that these remote, desolate marshes are about to become the most dangerous ground she’s ever stepped on…

Now: A beautiful young opera singer named Angel Bailey has arrived in Saltmarsh. She’s there to visit her adoptive brother, but she’s also running away. Because, after years of longing to know where she came from, she’s received word from a woman claiming to be her sister, saying their birth mother’s dying wish is to meet the child she abandoned.

But when Angel becomes fascinated with the story of another mother and daughter, and a centuries old curse on the marsh, the land beneath her feet is about to shift forever…

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

A Fatal Love by Louise Tregar

Following Ruth Ellis' long-awaited posthumous conditional pardon in July 2026, never has there been a more compelling moment to revisit the woman behind one of Britain's most enduring legal cases.

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before...

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington - the assistant to Ruth's trial lawyer - tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

(header photo courtesy of Florencia Viadana/Unsplash)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

(all opinions are my own)

Books I Read in January 2026

January has been a wonderful month for me and my husband, as we have welcomed our fifth grandchild into the world. We couldn't be more excited, and as soon as I push the publish button on this blog post, we will be getting in the car and driving to meet my new little granddaughter. I can hardly wait for my first cuddle.

Somehow in all this excitement I have managed to read some good books.

What have you read this month? Anything you would recommend?

 The Market Girls of Petticoat Lane by Patricia McBride

This was a lovely story in which we meet friends Amanda, Maisie and Bethan. They all work together in the sewing factory making uniforms for the troops.  You can find my review here.

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale

I have read the majority of Kate Summerscale's books and enjoyed each one of them. So, when I saw this on my library shelves I picked it up and checked it out with a sense of glee. You can find my review here.

The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn

This was a lovely book and I have not had a blog gap to upload my review as yet. It is coming though so watch this space.

One Moonlit Night by Rachel Hore

I have read this book as part of the Clock Reading Challenge. There will be more about this when I upload my book review soon.

Dark is the Night by Rachel Evans

This book made for fabulous reading and I was gripped from the very first page to the last.  You can find my review by clicking here.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

This book had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last.  You can find my review by clicking here.

In the Blink of an Eye by Yoav Blum

This book was a locked room mystery combined with science fiction. I read 25% of the book and then decided it wasn't for me.

You Go, Girl! by Elaine Insinnia

A series of diary entries written by a grandmother in her youth during the 1950's. Not as good as I hoped but entertaining enough.

Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes

I found this hard to get into but probably because my mind was full of grandbabies. I shall try it again at some point.

Terrible True Tales: Saxons by Terry Deary

An excellent book for children of stories from Saxon history. My review will be coming soon.

(header photo courtesy of Picsea/Unsplash)

(all opinions are my own)

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale - #bookreview

In the evening of Tuesday 24 March 1953, Harry Procter, the star crime reporter of the Sunday Pictorial, drove over to a Victorian terrace in Notting Hill in which the bodies of three young women had been discovered...

The Blurb

In 1953, the bodies of three young women are found by a tenant in the walls of a Notting Hill house. He tells the police that he chanced upon them while trying to put up a shelf for his transistor radio.

As a series of further horrors are discovered, 10 Rillington Place becomes an address synonymous with murder.

A riveting tale of violence, misogyny and tabloid frenzy, The Peepshow lifts the veil on what really happened inside Britain's most notorious house - and suggests a new solution to the case that transfixed a nation.

My Review

I have read the majority of Kate Summerscale's books and enjoyed each one of them. So, when I saw this on my library shelves I picked it up and checked it out with a sense of glee.

It's no surprise that this book was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction in 2025. It was also a five-star read for me. 

The author has the ability to recreate a true crime story vividly on the page. I was already familiar with the murders at 10 Rillington Place, but this book still had something new to offer. She has created an easy-to-read, accessible retelling of the horrors which took place behind the innocent-looking front door of the Notting Hill house in which John Reginald Christie lived.

This was more than the retelling of a familiar story. It was an insight into the beliefs and culture of a community in 1950s London. It depicts the racism, misogyny and class differences of post-war Britain.

Despite this book being brilliantly written, it is an unsettling read nonetheless. How could we read of a serial rapist and murderer without a sense of shock, no matter how familiar one might already be with the story? We should be unsettled by such a quiet, unassuming man being able to carry out such brutalities. Although the author does describe the murders in some detail by using contemporary sources, at no point did I feel that she was describing these events in a gratuitous manner. Rather, she sought to present us with the facts of the horrendous crimes of this man.

It also considers whether the execution of Timothy Evans for the murder of his child was perhaps one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in Britain to date. Timothy Evans lived with his wife, and baby daughter, Geraldine, in the same house as Christie and his wife. Eighteen months prior to Christie's arrest, the bodies of Evan's wife and child were discovered in the house. It was largely the testimony of the apparently gentle and mild-mannered Christie which was instrumental in the conviction and execution of Timothy Evans.

The author's comprehensive research is evident throughout and the result is this excellent insight into the murders, society and legal system of 1950s Britain. 

Anyone interested in history or true crime will find this an excellent read that I highly recommend.

If you would like to read my review of Kate Summerscale's, The Wicked Boy you can find it by clicking here.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1526660510

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  320 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Kate Summerscale was born in London and lived in Japan and Chile as a child. She was then educated at Parliament Hill school in London, Bedales school in Hampshire and at Oxford and Stanford universities. She worked at various newspapers and magazines until in 2005 she left her job as Literary Editor of the Daily Telegraph to write The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. She has judged several literary prizes, including the Booker Prize, and in 2010 was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London.

Kate Summerscale’s first book, The Queen of Whale Cay, was inspired by an obituary she wrote for the Daily Telegraph — it won the Somerset Maugham award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread biography prize.

 The Suspicions of Mr Whicher won the Samuel Johnson prize and the British Book Award for both Popular Non-Fiction and Book of the Year. It was a Richard & Judy Bookclub pick and was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Non-Fiction Gold Dagger in the UK and the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime in the US. Hat Trick productions adapted the story for ITV, and went on to make three fictional dramas about Jack Whicher’s investigations.

 Kate’s third book, Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace, was a Sunday Times bestseller, and her fourth, The Wicked Boy, won the 2017 Mystery Writers of America Edgar award for Best Fact Crime. The Haunting of Alma Fielding was shortlisted for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, and The Book of Phobias & Manias has been published in 19 languages. The Peepshow was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction.

You can also find Kate at:

Author Website

(media courtesy the author/publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman - #coverreveal

I am so excited to be part of the cover reveal party for this gorgeous looking book. I am a big fan of Victoria Goldman's books. I have previously read and reviewed her books, The Redeemer and it's follow up book, The Associate. Together they form the Shanna Regan Murder Mystery series.

I will be back with a review of Little Secrets next month, and I am really looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you.  If the book cover is any indication of the book itself, I am in for a great reading experience.

The Blurb

Welcome to the true-crime controversy that’s divided the media for the last twenty years. To discover the truth, we need to delve back into the past…



THEN: In June 1999, the last five prisoners at HMP Panbrook were killed just before the prison closed its doors for the final time. Anna Kendall, the nurse accused of their murders, died before the case went to court. Her motive and guilt have never been proven.



NOW: The Panbrook Prison Hotel is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Hotel manager Madeleine Batten is determined to discover what happened there twenty years earlier. But as the prison’s dark secrets are gradually exposed, danger lurks in the shadows. And someone is determined to keep the truth locked away.



Little Secrets is a compelling, atmospheric locked-room mystery set in a former prison that's been converted into a luxury hotel. Ideal for fans of Sarah Pearse, Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware and Claire Douglas.

Book Details

Publisher:  Three Crowns

Formats:  e-book and paperback

Preorder Link

Amazon

About the Author

VICTORIA GOLDMAN is a freelance journalist, editor and proofreader. She was given an honourable mention for The Redeemer in the Capital Crime/DHH Literary Agency New Voices Award 2019 and was shortlisted for Best Debut Crime Novel of 2022 in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards.

Victoria lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two sons. Little Secrets is her third novel.

Victoria also featured here on the blog with her top eight books she would take with her to a desert island. You can read this feature by clicking here.

You can also find Victoria at:

Author Website

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(media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

The Vanishing Act by Jo Jakeman - #bookreview

Eloise Ford was a Small Pond person. And within that pond, she wasn't even a big fish...

The Blurb

Life as a missing person is absolute murder...

When artist Eloise Ford hears that human remains found in an abandoned mine are believed to be those of long-missing teenager Elizabeth King, the shock sends her reeling.

It can't be true. Eloise knows this for a fact because... she is Elizabeth King.

Now, her carefully curated life in Cornwall is falling apart. Her husband is acting strangely, her children aren't speaking to her and she can't sell a painting for love nor money. But much more worrying are the signs that someone knows exactly who she is... and why she had to vanish thirty years ago.

Eloise needs answers. Is her son's ex-girlfriend just plain annoying... or does she know something? Will the detection skills of the online 'Truth Seekers' group prove more than amateurish? What's the real story behind those village newcomers?

And just how far would she go to keep her family, her friends, and her fraudulent life, safe?

My Review

I enjoyed every page of this super book and was sorry when it reached it's satisfying conclusion, as I would have happily carried on reading.

The main character is Eloise Ford, who enjoys her life. She has good friends, a wonderful husband, and two children who have flown the nest. However, she is keeping a secret from the past. She used to be known as Elizabeth King, and when remains of a woman are found and they are thought to be Elizabeth, Eloise is the only one who knows that the remains aren't hers. It is at this point that Eloise's carefully constructed life in Cornwall begins to unravel. 

The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Eloise and her son's girlfriend, Holly. Holly is a fabulous character, and whilst she has flaws of her own, is very likable. She is drawn into a true crime Facebook group called Truth Seekers UK, and some of the narrative is told via the posted messages in the group.  This added another dimension to the story. It served to break up the prose whilst moving the story along perfectly. In addition, we are also introduced to other characters.

The book was well plotted, with some marvellous twists and turns which kept me guessing.  The author's excellent writing style had me gripped throughout. It was perfectly paced for the genre, and it was easy to read and to become engrossed in the story.

I am now very keen to read other books by this author. This was a fabulous book to read. It is publishing today and I highly recommend it.

Other books available by Jo Jakeman are:

One Bad Apple

What His Wife Knew

Safe House

Sticks and Stones

Book Details

ISBN:  9781408718421

Publisher:  Constable

Formats:  e-book and hardback

No. of Pages:  368 (hardback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

About the Author

Born in Cyprus, Jo Jakeman worked for many years in the City of London before moving to Cornwall with her husband and twin boys. When she's not writing or reading, Jo walks the coastal paths and plots the fictional downfall of those who have wronged her.

She is the author of One Bad Apple. 

You can also find Jo at:

Author Website

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(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

10 Ten Books I Want to Read in July 2025

 

July is here, and in my part of the world, the weather is glorious. I am very much hoping to carve out time to sit outside with a book, plastered in factor 50 and preferably in the shade. 

I hope you find lots of time to sit and read this month. It is so important that we take a little time out for ourselves, take a deep breath, and live in the moment. I hope you all have a wonderful month.

Here are ten books that I would like to read this month.

The Bewitching by Silvia Morens-Garcia

'Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches': that was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva - stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that's why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay's most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay's manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Preorder Link

 The Many Faces of Ann Boleyn by Helene Harrison

Mistress. Queen. Reformer. Traitor. Icon.

This book is not like any others you might have read on Anne Boleyn. It is not a biography of the life of Henry VIII’s second wife and queen. What this book does is to examine Anne Boleyn through images and perceptions of her. Through documents, letters, images, propaganda, films, novels and historical biographies, this book explores Anne Boleyn through more than 500 years of history. Explore how perceptions of her have changed and developed over time. Whether she is seen as a mistress, a queen, a mother, a reformer, a traitor, or a tragic heroine, Anne Boleyn continues to inspire so much exploration and even new discoveries today. See Anne through the eyes of people who knew her, loved her, hated her, and studied her. In the present day, Anne Boleyn has quite a devoted scholarship, honed through perceptions built over the last half a millennium. Her life, reign, and tragic death at the hands of the man who tore England apart to be with her have made Anne Boleyn one of the most divisive and exciting figures in English history.

Order Link

 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Nolan family are first-generation immigrants to the United States. Originating in Ireland and Austria, their life in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn is poor and deprived, but their sacrifices make it possible for their children to grow up in a land of boundless opportunity.

Francie Nolan is the eldest daughter of the family. Alert, imaginative and resourceful, her journey through the first years of a century of profound change is difficult - and transformative. But amid the poverty and suffering among the poor of Brooklyn, there is hope, and the prospect of a brighter future.

Purchase Link

The Lady in the Tower by Elizabeth St. John

London, 1609. Lucy St.John, a highborn orphan at the glittering court of King James, is drawn into a dangerous affair with the Earl of Suffolk—a fateful choice that creates powerful enemies. Betrayed by her sister, Barbara and cast out in disgrace by the formidable Countess of Rochester, the Earl's vengeful sister, Lucy’s life at court is shattered.

Armed with her intelligence, education, and skill in healing, she refuses to accept defeat. In a world where women’s fates are often sealed by the ambitions of men, Lucy fights her way back into society. An unexpected marriage elevates her to the position of mistress of the Tower of London, where she faces the harsh realities of plague, political upheaval, and tragic executions of both enemies---and friends. Inside the walls of the Tower, she tends to aristocratic prisoners and criminals alike, confronting the stark brutality of the world around her.

As Barbara's fortunes rise through a marriage into the powerful Villiers family, Lucy is drawn into a dangerous game of power and survival. Her sister’s alliance with the king’s favourite, the Duke of Buckingham, promises wealth and influence but brings treachery and peril that could destroy Lucy and everything she holds dear.

In a court rife with deceit, ambition, and shifting loyalties, Lucy must navigate a perilous path, fighting to protect her honour, her family, and her very survival.

Based on the true story of Elizabeth St.John’s ancestor, Lucy St.John, this critically acclaimed novel offers a vivid portrayal of one woman’s resilience in the face of betrayal, and her courageous journey through the turbulent politics of seventeenth-century England.

Purchase Link (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

Murder on the Train by John J. Eddleston

In the spring of 1910, a shocking murder rocked Edwardian England. John Innes Nisbet, a quiet, unassuming man, was found brutally shot five times in the head aboard the 10.27 Newcastle Central train, and the colliery wages he had been carrying were stolen. Days later, John Alexander Dickman, a gambler by trade, was arrested and convicted of the crime, despite the conviction resting solely on circumstantial evidence.

Sent to the gallows, Dickman maintained his innocence until the end. Over a century later, this gripping investigation reopens the case, re-examining the evidence and exposing the flaws in Dickman’s conviction. Could the real killer have escaped justice? With new insights and a compelling alternative theory, Murder on the Train unveils what might truly have happened that fateful day.

Purchase Link

 The Last Laugh Club by Kate Galley

In life, Norman George – passionate knitter, excellent friend and secret youtube sensation – liked nothing better than a good laugh. And, it seems, he gets the last laugh even in death, because at his funeral, he invites his three closest friends to scatter his ashes in a place close to his heart, the Shetland Islands. The only issue is, while Bridget, Gloria and Derek might have loved Norman, they can’t stand each other.

So it’s with trepidation that the eclectic trio set off in their minivan on the ferry to Lerwick, each harbouring their own reason for wanting to grant Norman this last request. But as storm clouds roll in over the Shetland Islands, all of them are about to discover that some secrets are best shared, and that even after death, good friendship can change everything…

Purchase Link

 Bleak Times at the Orchard Cottage Hospital by Lizzie Lane

Somerset, 1932

In the dead of night, a young woman is abandoned on the steps of Orchard Cottage Hospital and a man is seen fleeing. Nobody knows their identities.

When the young woman dies, Doctor Frances Brakespeare is keen to solve the mystery of her identity and find those responsible for her fatal injuries.

With her mother’s failing health and a very patient admirer, the last thing Frances needs is a dream job offer from a top London hospital. Torn, Frances must decide what matters more to her; her career or remaining in a small town she’s become attached to surrounded by those who need and love her…

With the society wedding of the year fast approaching will Nurse Lucy Daniels be able to unburden her shattering news and will Devlin Compton-Dixon be honest with his feelings and anxieties?

As Christmas blossoms into Spring there are huge decisions to be made, honest truths to be told and long kept secrets to be revealed – let’s hope happiness doth prevail.

Purchase Link

 Stormy Times for the Dockyard Girls by Tracy Baines

The Great War is over, and few families have been left untouched. Those who remain face a tough and uncertain future.

Letty Hardy has managed to keep her family afloat by running a café and chandlers on Grimsby Docks. She’s grateful for the safe return of her husband Alec from minesweeping duties, when many women were not so fortunate.

War has left deep scars buried beneath the surface and one explosive secret is set to blow the family apart.

Trawler owner Richard Evans worked hard to leave a legacy. Something to hand down through the generations. With his sons lost to war, Ruth, his only daughter, stands to inherit the Excel Trawler Company, so it's important that she marries well. But is her current suitor the right husband for Ruth?

Can the folk of Great Grimsby rebuild their lives and find the peace they so desperately seek?

Purchase Link

  There's Something About Mira by Sonali Deve

Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.

Purchase Link

 The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson

Jade’s new life in Spain is quickly unravelling. Homeless, broke, and out of options, she’s struggling to make it as a real estate agent.

But Jade isn’t just hiding from the truth of her situation. She’s hiding from her past. And maybe, from a particular person. Someone who knows exactly what she did that fateful day in Marbella...

When journalist Hayley stumbles across a story that could make or break her career – a suspicious death, a murderous widow and a personal invite to the scene of the crime – she jumps on the first plane to Marbella.

However, soon paradise feels like a prison, and Hayley may have made the worst mistake of her life coming to the mansion of a self-confessed killer. Will she get out alive?

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10 Ten Books I Want to Read in August 2024

 

The school summer holidays have begun now. When my sons were young, a trip to the library or a bookshop was always a must. It was a time to take things at a slightly more leisurely pace when we did not have the deadlines of school to get to and so on. 

I hope you get to share some quality reading time with the little ones in your life this summer. I would love to hear which books you have been sharing.

Here are ten books which I hope to read this month. There are a few for our young ones too this month.

A Christmas Gift for the East End Girls by Patricia McBride

The Not So Wicked Witch by Bethan Stevens

My Lady Jane by Hand, Ashton and Meadows

The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin by DG Coutinho

The True Crime Lover's Guide to London by Charlotte Booth and Brian Billington

The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

You're a Poet by Sean Taylor and Sam Usher

Rakiya: Stories of Bulgaria by Ellis Sherman

The Royal Palaces by Kate Williams

No Funeral for Nazia by Taha Kehar

(media courtesy of Unsplah/clipart.com)

(all opinions are my own)