Storytime

Romance CONFESSIONS OF A FORTY-SOMETHING by Alexandra Potter, Pan Macmillan

The pressures of hitting 40 in an Instagramperfect world ring clangingly true in this uplifting romcom. In these troubled times, Alexandra Potter’s story is like a comforting hug with a side order of knowing laughter, so it’s no surprise it has already sold in more than 22 territories around the world. When her business, romance and California life fall apart, Nell Stevens heads back to London to start again. But everyone she knows has moved on. Friends are married, rents are exorbitant and her life feels a total mess when compared to those around her. But then she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Cricket, an octogenarian widow who refuses to give in to grief.

Dramedy BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME by Kate Hilton, Allen & Unwin

TV rights have already been sold for this clever and topical inter-generational tale which traces a year in the life of the Hennessey family. Feminist icon and mum Lydia is a tough role model to live in the shadow of for her three daughters, Mariana, Nina and Beata. And when the biggest women’s march in history calls for the family to unite, there’s a lot to unpack. Mariana’s marriage is over and her journalism career is imploding. Beata’s son Oscar has opened a can of family worms by tracking down the father he has never met.

And doctor Nina’s latest assignment - working in a war-torn country has thrown her life into disarray but she won’t discuss it. A smart, witty and enjoyable ride.

Thriller THE SILENT WIFE by Karin Slaughter, HarperCollins

As this pacey thriller opens we’re in Atlanta, Georgia, where a woman on a dawn run is brutally attacked in a wood, a hammer lodged in her skull. It’s an arresting start to Slaughter’s 10th crime thriller with Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent, who comes together with another of the author’s top characters - from her ‘Grant County’ series - medical examiner Sara Linton. Sara is Will’s girlfriend and when a prison murder points to cases from Sara’s past, a mess of emotion opens up. The supposed killer of Sara’s ex-husband claims he’s innocent of the crime. He says there are links with the new woodland murder and the one he was accused of eight years before. If he’s right, the killer is still at large.