LOLA IN THE MIRROR, TRENT DALTON
I adore the open-heartedness and bravery of Trent Dalton’s writing, and Lola in the Mirror just concreted that adoration into a permanent thing. This book made me cry and laugh and poke my husband on the shoulder about 10 times so I could read bits out to him. It’s the perfect present – for someone else or for yourself.
AFTER THAT NIGHT, KARIN SLAUGHTER
Sara Linton is a doctor in the emergency room when a young woman is brought in with injuries that bring back dark memories. This book is so sharply written, so tough and compelling and unflinching, but just full of compassion. Karin Slaughter is one of the very best of us, and I one hundred per cent promise that this book delivers an epic read.
THE HUSH, SARA FOSTER
Set in a near-future dystopia where the British government has used a plague of unexplained stillbirths to justify increasing control of women’s fertility and the stripping away of their human rights. Midwife Emma is right at the coal face of the problem, but everything gets more personal when her daughter, Lainey, suspects she might be pregnant. Shades of 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale, but with a fresh, frightening take all of its own. A brilliant, brilliant book and perfect for book clubs.
THE SOULMATE, SALLY HEPWORTH
Sally Hepworth has more talent in her little finger than most of us have in our whole bodies. Her books have a lightness of touch and a contemporary tone that draw you in and get your guard down and then … bam! There’s a twist that turns everything you thought you knew on its head. Gabe and Pippa live beside a cliff that has a dark reputation as a place for suicide. Gabe has talked many people back from that ledge. Until the night that everything changes. A masterclass in shifting perspectives.
THE OUTSIDER, STEPHEN KING
Terry Maitland, popular English teacher and Little League coach, is accused of a truly horrific crime (this book is not for the faint of heart). There’s an abundance of DNA evidence proving his guilt, not to mention a long line of witnesses. He has to be guilty. Except that he has an iron-clad alibi proving he was 70 miles away. “Unputdownable” is wildly overused, but I started this book and did nothing else for two days until it was done. Just brilliant.
is the international best-selling author of four novels, including NYT Thriller of the Year, The Murder Rule. Her latest stand-alone novel, What Happened to Nina? will publish in March.