BOOKSIMO

  Description *The sparkling new novel from the award-winning, million-copy bestselling author of  The Maid* ‘Witty, joyful and utterly unique’  A J FINN ‘Captivates from page one’  JANICE HALLETT ‘A flawless and brilliant read’  LIZ NUGENT _________________________________________________________________ A new mess. A new mystery . Molly the maid returns . . . Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection. But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands. As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long. Because Mol

  Description A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation,  The Secrets Between Us  is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war. ‘Sublimely satisfying’ Veronica Henry, author of  The Forever House High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war. Fifty years later, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself… Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's  The Lake House  and Dinah Jeffries'  Before the Rains . Revi

  Description Now in his seventies, Robert Parkin is stunned to find himself the unlikely sex symbol of the village gardening club. Living in happy solitude with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook, entertained by his mischievous chickens and goats, Robert has never figured out the rules of romance. But as the local ladies vie for his company, it soon becomes clear that Robert’s Victoria Sponge cake is the lure, and as his baking prowess grows, so does his confidence. Cheesecakes, meringues, puddings, Robert can do it all, but his real masterpieces are his scones – ginger, rosemary, coconut, fruit, his recipes are inspired and soon come to the attention of the local media. Which county does the best cream tea – Devon or Cornwall? It’s time for an age-old debate to be settled with a competition. Robert’s sisters Bunty and Hattie are both at crossroads in their lives, so news of their brother’s baking competition is the perfect excuse to bring them to Millbrook. And as

  Description One split-second decision. Two different love stories. Lucy's life is at a crossroads. She's just walked out of her unrewarding job and has no idea about her next step: use her savings to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, or move to London to try and revive her career? It almost seems like fate that on that same night she meets Caleb, a stranger in a bar, and runs into Max, the one-time love of her life. Should Lucy stay in the seaside town she grew up in, and in doing so, get to know Caleb better? Or should she go to London and reconnect with Max again after he broke her heart a decade ago? It's just one decision - but sometimes one decision can change the course of your whole life . . . WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN is a sweeping and unforgettable novel for anyone who has ever believed in destiny and soulmates - or paused to wonder what your life might look like if you'd made a different choice. Review If you've seen the film Sliding Doors or read the Tw

  Description It's never too late for the adventure of a lifetime . . . Heather Winterbottom  has worked side by side with her husband as GPs in their idyllic rural practice for over forty years. But as the time comes to hang up their stethoscopes, the Winterbottoms discover that they have rather different visions of retirement . . . Heather dreams of exploring the Greek Islands, of escaping the shackles of her routine life and embracing an exciting new adventure. Alan dreams of growing his own vegetables. When things come to a head at a family lunch, Heather announces that she has decided to take a year off. From her old life, from her marriage - from Alan. Alone in beautiful Greece, Heather embarks on her very own odyssey - complete with peak experiences, pitfalls and temptations. But what if coming home is the biggest adventure yet? Review There were so many facets to this story and I enjoyed all of them. What I loved most about this book is that it covered lots of things I foun

  Description Rose used to love Christmas – until the year everything changed. She hasn’t been home to visit her family for the holidays since. Charlie is facing his first Christmas alone. It may be the most wonderful time of the year for some, but not for him. Not this year. In search of comfort and seclusion, Rose escapes to a cottage in rural Donegal to hunker down for the festive season alone. But when Charlie opens the door to Seaview Cottage, the two strangers realise that their holiday rental has been double-booked. Both of them expected to spend this Christmas alone. But their lives could be changed forever if they agree to spend it together. . . Review A lovely read, especially for fans of The Holiday. Whilst this books was quite similar to the premise of the movie "The Holiday", it does have a little more depth, and is not so sugar coated. We don't know why Rose and Charlie chose to go away by themselves for Christmas, only that it doesn't hold happy memorie

Description Tension, danger and  pace, pace, pace  . . .  Emma Makepeace is being tracked by a deadly traitor in the second novel in the Alias Emma series. 'Thoroughly enjoyed this  fast-paced, entertaining spy thriller'  Shari Lapena ‘A gripping new read…  the perfect thriller’  Sunday Times 'The  glamour and glitz  of the Riviera is brought to life in this  nail-biting thriller'   The Sun 'You're in for a treat ...  The hottest new page turner of 2023'  Cosmopolitan ____________ LONDON - EARLY MORNING . . . A body is found in a padlocked suitcase. Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it's murder. And it's personal. She quickly establishes that the dead man had been shadowing two oligarchs suspected of procuring illegal weapons in the UK. And it seems likely that an insider working deep within the British government is helping them. To find out who the traitor is, Emma goes deep undercover on a superyacht owned by one of the oligarchs. But the glamorou

  Description One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths. They’re looking for answers. But will they find love? Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either. But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis. When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad. With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too? A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Ka

Description ‘One of our major novelists’ Salman Rushdie‘One of our finest living authors’  New York Times A dazzling new collection of short stories, spanning 15 years of writing, from Yiyun Li, the prize-winning author of  The Book of Goose  and  Where Reasons End A dazzling new collection of short stories written over a decade, spanning loss, alienation, aging and the strangeness of contemporary life – from Yiyun Li, the prize-winning author of  The Book of Goose A grieving mother makes a spreadsheet of everyone she’s lost. A professor develops a troubled intimacy with her hairdresser. And every year, a restless woman receives an email from a strange man twice her age and several states away. In Yiyun Li’s stories, people strive for an ordinary existence until doing so becomes unsustainable, until the surface cracks and grand mysterious forces – death, violence, estrangement – come to light. And even everyday life is laden with meaning, studded with indelible details: a filched jar o

  Description One sister is a cop. The other a con artist. Both are suspects. When DI Tess Fox arrives at her first murder scene there are already two big problems. First, the victim was thrown from the balcony of an apartment locked from the inside. Second, Tess knows the victim, and a clue left at the scene means the killer knows that too. Only one person knows about Tess’s link to the victim and has the skills and criminal background to mastermind a locked-room murder. But Tess’s half-sister Sarah is a con-artist, not a killer. And Tess is going to need her expertise if she’s ever going to crack the case. Soon two more bodies turn up in equally mysterious circumstances and also known to the sisters. Tess now has three locked room mysteries to solve and even more reason to be suspicious of Sarah. Can she trust someone who breaks the law for a living, even if she is family? Review A great fast paced read. I just love a locked door mystery and this was certainly a page turner for me. T

  Description Readers have fallen in love with this beautiful, heart-warming and uplifting story about one woman's journey from invisibility to being seen once more... 'A  heart-lifting  and  thoughtful  read, that gives a huge shout out to the  power and strength of women ' 'This book is  all heart and soul  ... and just the right amount of  humour ' 'A story of  courage  and  strength  that's  witty ,  warm  and filled with  wisdom ' 'Helen writes so sympathetically about characters who may not fit into the 'normal' bracket but are so  likeable and instantly relatable ' ------------------------------------------------- Ignored. Seventy-something Janet Pimm is invisible. Spending most of her days alone, she tends her beloved allotment with the care and love she doesn't receive from people. Plants, Janet thinks, are more important than friends. Overlooked. Janet's neighbour, Bev, has reached the age when a cloak of invisibility th

  Description Early morning, 1902. In a gloomy Edinburgh tenement, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, a cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat. This is to be the cat's last day on earth. But he is going to return... as The Ghost Cat, a spirit-feline destined to live out his ghostly existence according to the medieval proverb of "The Cat with Nine Lives" - For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays. Follow The Ghost Cat as he witnesses the changes of the next two centuries as he purrs, shuffles and sniffs his way through the fashion, politics and technological advances of the modern era alongside the ever-changing inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement. As we follow our new spirit-feline friend, this unique story unearths some startling revelations about the mystery of existence and the human condition and provides a feel-good read full of charm for any fan of history, humour and fur-ridden fun. Revi

  Description They think as one. They act as one. They kill as one. ‘ Look Both Ways  is devilishly good – exciting, thrilling – Barclay at his best!’ SHARI LAPENA, No. 1 internationally bestselling author The residents of Garrett Island are part of a ground-breaking experiment. For a month, their cars will be replaced by self-driving vehicles – voice-controlled, comfortable and safe. Single mum Sandra is prepping for the huge media event, and she’s ready for a driverless future. Widowed after her husband fell asleep at the wheel, she’s relieved that her kids may never need to drive themselves. But as the day gets underway, disaster strikes. A journalist vanishes, possibly murdered. And before long, it’s clear something is very wrong. The cars are no longer taking orders from their passengers. They’re starting to organise. They’re starting to hunt. And they’ve got the residents of Garret Island in their sights. Review Different from the author's other books.  This was not the usual

Description An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the bestselling author of  The Dead Romantics . Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it. Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with  a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks . And it’s been working. That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie.  The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . . He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. Review Loved that this is a time travel novel, about a book publicist, set in NYC! Clementine has inherited her late Aunt's apartment

  Description 'Unputdownable' MICK HERRON 'Fast-paced and exhilarating, you'll be hooked'  HEAT 'A summer read which exudes menace' SARAH VAUGHAN When Finn Hensen gets a call from his sister Jess to say their father has died, neither is heartbroken. Their parents divorced many years ago, after which their father, Jimmy, continued to live a bohemian lifestyle in sun-soaked Mallorca. Ownership of his beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse in the mountains now passes to Finn and his sister. The only problem is that Jimmy recently remarried and his new wife, Ruensa, is still living there. The pair agree that Finn should go to Mallorca and tactfully take possession of their inheritance. When he arrives, however, Finn is surprised to find that Finca Siquia has been completely transformed into a chic Mediterranean bolthole by Ruensa and her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Roze. The Spanish police, meanwhile, are asking awkward questions about Jimmy's death . . . A

  Description Escape to Italy this summer with The Little Italian Hotel, the uplifting new book from Phaedra Patrick, the bestselling author of The Library of Lost and Found. 'The perfect book to read when you want to give your heart a holiday' Sally Page, bestselling author of  The Keeper of Stories ’An uplifting story full of hope, love and healing. A perfect summer read’ B. A. Paris Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and relationship expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So, she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift, he surprises her with his own very different plan: a divorce. Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively goes live on air to invite four heartbroken listeners to join her instead. From hiking the hills of Bologna to sharing a gondola in Venice and dancing until dawn, Ginny and her guests embark on a holiday of full of f

Description Saffy Huntley-Oliver has a secret. A secret that she is deeply ashamed of. It's not the fact that she's a serial killer in her free time. In fact, she's quite proud of that. After all she's only killing the bad men. She is making the world a better place. No, her secret is far worse than that. Saffy has a messy, inexplicable, uncontrollable crush. So while she's busy plotting her next murder, she also has the much harder task of figuring out how to get a boyfriend. But if there's one thing Saffy knows, it's how to get her man . . . The feminist serial killer you didn't know you were waiting for. Bad Men is sensational ― CLARE MACKINTOSH I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a thriller this much. Bad Men is a delight on every page. Saffy is an unforgettable character, funny, charming, horny, posh, homicidal in the tradition of Villanelle or Sweetpea, but also totally original. 10/10 from me ― ERIN KELLY What a great read - revenge-hungr

  Description Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books. Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier. When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop. As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books. Review Translated from the Japanese

Description A double life with a single purpose, getting away with murder. Cilla is a 22-year-old contract killer, specialising in the dry job: a murder interpreted as death by natural causes. Her main client, Vladimir Haugr, is the owner of TGR's bridge club in London. In return for a flat, a retainer and expenses, Cilla does five jobs a year. She occasionally works freelance. Neither strong, nor beautiful, Cilla isn't your typical female protagonist. In fact, she is so unremarkable as to render her almost invisible, an advantage in her line of work. She has survived because she is clever, stubborn and lucky. But Cilla knows that, statistically, her luck is about to run out. She must find a way to reinvent herself. Soon. Review If you like Killing Eve then I think you will really enjoy this book. Cilla is a contract killer and her client Haugr owns a bridge club. The beginning of the book focusses a lot on the bridge playing aspect,  it may deter you from reading on if you are

  Description The Keeper of Stories  meets  The Lost Apothecary  in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found… For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems. Review A magical and enchanting read. The book is set over two time lines. One begins in the 1920s and the other is present day. There are three narrators and we see the story through their experiences.  The story is very surreal, which will not appea