BOOKSIMO

  Description There is something wrong with Mathilda. She's still reeling from the blow of a gut-punch break up and grieving the death of a loved one. But that's not it. She's cried all her tears, mastered her crow pose and thrown out every last reminder of him. But that's not helping. Concerned that she isn't moving on, Mathilda's friends push her towards a series of increasingly  unorthodox remedies. Until the seams of herself begin to come undone. Tender, unflinching and blisteringly funny,  What a Shame  glitters with rage and heartbreak, perfect for fans of Emma Jane Unsworth, Dolly Alderton and Holly Bourne. Review I wasn't sure what to make of this book. I was confused at first as Mathilda is talking to someone she addresses as "you". Then I began to realise that the "you" was two different people, which would be correct if this was in your own head, but to read it is a different matter. Intrigued by what the remedies her friends w...

  Description *** THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE APPEAL ***  'It totally foxed me. So clever and totally brilliant' - LISA HALL  'Enid Blyton meets Agatha Christie with a cracking twist' - MARION TODD   'An elegant puzzle of a book with an exquisite heart' - MATT WESOLOWSKI  It's time to solve the murder of the century... Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children's book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle, and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford's novels. Then Miss Iles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the ...

  Description 'Sex and the City' with a killer edge for fans of QUEENIE, EXPECTATION and MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER See me, see trouble Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all choose to see it that way. Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her 'urban vibe' yet again. When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them. Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may just have repeated itself. A dar...

  Description Resolutions are made Marriages are broken… A gripping domestic thriller set in The Cotswolds and perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Adele Parks! It started with the party… Frankie, Verity and Alice live in the idyllic Cotswolds community of White Fir Lake, but behind closed doors everyone has a secret they’re desperately trying to keep… And ended with a bang! Now, as midnight on New Year’s Eve approaches, the three women will face the consequences of a long-ago holiday, one which changed their lives forever … and threatens to shatter their perfect worlds into perfect pieces. Review A different seasonal read. Despite the title of the book it's obviously only one night, so the main story begins early in the month but also stretches back to events many years ago too. Three characters Frankie, Verity and Alice take turns telling us the tale.  I did not like the exact same dialogue being repeated as the story was told from the different point of view. I also got a...

Description 'A howl of feminist rage, but also one that is pure fun'  Stylist The wives here are different. They are living proof that women can have it all: successful careers, loving families, beautiful homes. Their husbands are different too. They are living proof that men can do just as much as women. They can remember the kids' schedules, use an iron and notice when the house needs dusting. Nora thinks she's found the perfect new home for her family. But when she agrees to get involved in a wrongful death case in the neighbourhood, Nora becomes convinced that there's a dark secret at the heart of this perfect world. For these women, it seems the secret to having it all is worth killing for . . . 'This gender-swapping  Stepford Wives  story is as creepy as it is delicious'  Good Housekeeping Review Some of what Nora has to say will probably resonate with you. Nora has to do it all, even the things her husband says he will do and all while taking care of ...

  Description The perfect murder mystery for fans of Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood. 'Spotswood understands that [...] spending time with unforgettable characters is paramount.' -  New York Times New York, 1946: The last time Will Parker let a case get personal, she walked away with a broken face, a bruised ego, and the solemn promise never again to let her heart get in the way of her job. But she called Hart and Halloway's Travelling Circus and Sideshow home for five years, and Ruby Donner, the circus's tattooed ingenue, was her friend. To make matters worse the prime suspect is Valentin Kalishenko, the man who taught Will everything she knows about putting a knife where it needs to go. To uncover the real killer and keep Kalishenko from a date with the electric chair, Will and Ms. Pentecost join the circus in sleepy Stoppard, Virginia, where the locals like their cocktails mild, the past buried, and big-city detectives not at all. The two swiftly find themselves l...

  Description How well do you know your neighbour? Would you trust them with your life? I heard  Emily  before I saw her. The harsh smack of heels against cheap wooden floorboards. The loud phone calls. The incessant music. I knew  Emily  before I met her. Discarded receipts in our communal hallway. Sticky leftovers in the shared food waste bin. Wine shop vouchers in the letterbox. Now she’s gone  missing , and I’m the only one who can find her. The only one who can save her. Because I know her best, and I heard  everything . Review Suzie lives in a flat in London with only one other flat upstairs, which is occupied by Emily. There is a lot of unwanted noise from upstairs and Suzie is getting very fed up of it all, and the way Emily treats the communal hall.  So when upstairs suddenly goes quiet you'd think Suzie would be pleased, and to begin with she is. Until she gets the feeling that is all is not as it should be, and maybe Emily is missing. S...