Week 2 of February - New Releases
An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch
Description
In what promises to be a breakout in Charles Finch's bestselling series, Charles Lenox travels to the New York and Newport of the dawning Gilded Age to investigate the death of a beautiful socialite.
London, 1878. With faith in Scotland Yard shattered after a damning corruption investigation, Charles Lenox's detective agency is rapidly expanding. The gentleman sleuth has all the work he can handle, two children, and an intriguing new murder case.
But when Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli offers him the opportunity to undertake a diplomatic mission for the Queen, Lenox welcomes the chance to satisfy an unfulfilled yearning: to travel to America. Arriving in New York, he begins to receive introductions into both its old Knickerbocker society and its new robber baron splendor. Then, a shock: the death of the season's most beautiful debutante, who appears to have thrown herself from a cliff. Or was it murder? Lenox’s reputation has preceded him to the States, and he is summoned to a magnificent Newport mansion to investigate the mysterious death. What ensues is a fiendish game of cat and mouse.
Witty, complex, and tender, An Extravagant Death is Charles Finch's triumphant return to the main storyline of his beloved Charles Lenox series—a devilish mystery, a social drama, and an unforgettable first trip for an Englishman coming to America.
First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
Description
The author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes...
Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the prize: conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages—until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.
There’s just one wrinkle: he has no idea who she is.
The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that’s a new one. As much as he’d like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he can’t get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her…
When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia can’t help but wonder: Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life?
All Girls by Emily Layden
Description
"A striking debut." ––Good Housekeeping
"Sharp, engrossing."––Town & Country
"For fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub." ––Booklist
"Incisive, astute." ––Publishers Weekly
"An exciting, innovative debut from a fresh new voice." ––Taylor Jenkins Reid
A keenly perceptive coming of age novel for fans of Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, and J. Courtney Sullivan, All Girls follows nine young women as they navigate their ambitions and fears at a prestigious New England prep school, all pitched against the backdrop of a scandal the administration wants silenced.
But as the months unfold, and the school's efforts to control the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary girls are forced to discover their voices, and their power.
A tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of an unforgettable cast of female students, Emily Layden's All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world––when the world still isn't yours for the taking.
You grow to love a place... and then you grow up.
Where Ravens Roost by Karin Nordin
Description
‘A delicious slice of Scandi noir – such a dark, atmospheric and compelling story! And ahh, if only those ravens could talk…’
Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple
The raven cawed at him, craning its neck unnaturally. As it dug its hooked beak into the mess of dried grass and twigs that made up its nest, a shiny glimmer reflected off a low-hanging bulb. Kjeld edged closer to get a better look. It was a human tooth.
Detective Kjeld Nygaard wants nothing more than to forget his family and Varsund, the small mining town he once called home, even exist. But while on suspension after his last case went disastrously wrong, his estranged father Stenar leaves a message on Kjeld’s phone claiming he’s seen a murder.
But with no evidence and Stenar suffering from Alzheimer’s, the local police think he must have imagined it. Kjeld can’t stop himself from investigating what actually happened, and soon discovers a body. But when the police start to suspect Stenar, it’s a race against time to discover the truth before it’s lost forever.
But will uncovering the truth expose family secrets that are best left buried?
Atmospheric and chilling, Where Ravens Roost is a gripping crime debut perfect for fans of J M Dalgliesh, Angela Marsons and Jo Nesbo.
Everyone LOVES Where Ravens Roost!
‘Brooding and atmospheric – full of mystery and twists where nothing is quite as it seems’
Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet
‘Such a great thriller with superb characterization to boot. Hard to believe that it's a debut’
Khurrum Rahman, author of Homegrown Hero
‘Absolutely loved it! If you like a slow burner, Scandi Noir this is the one for you!’
Laure Van Rensburg, author of The Downfall
‘The menacing, wintry heart of Where Ravens Roost gripped me from the very first page! Complex, layered characterisation, skilful writing and a twisty plot combine to create a Scandi-Noir thriller as dark as a raven's wing. Hard to believe this is a debut!’
Louise Mumford, author of Sleepless
The Perfect Father by Charlotte Duckworth
Description
'The perfect read. Surprising and original' LESLEY KARA
'Masterful . . . a great twist' HARRIET TYCE
'Doctor Foster meets Gone Girl' BP WALTER
THE PERFECT HUSBAND . . .
After a difficult pregnancy, Esther is grateful that her husband Robin offers to put his career on hold so that she can return to the job she loves.
But Esther finds leaving her daughter Riley behind more challenging than she'd thought. And soon the new imbalance in her relationship with Robin brings old tensions to the surface.
OR A PERFECT LIE?
Then one day Esther arrives home from work to find Robin and Riley are missing. As the police investigate their disappearance, it becomes clear that nothing about this modern-day family is what it seems...
Is Robin the perfect father everyone thinks he is? Or was it all a perfect lie?
'A real thriller of a ride with a twist I did NOT see coming' NIKKI SMITH
'An emotional and intelligently written thriller' ELISABETH CARPENTER
'Had me hooked from the first page' RUTH HEALD
'Realistic, gripping, emotional and distinctive' NICOLA MOSTYN
'Unpredictable, tense and engrossing' REBECCA FLEET
'I love Charlotte's dark, messy takes on modern relationships' CLAIRE MCGOWAN
'Fresh, thrilling and packed with unstoppable tension' LAUREN NORTH
**********
READERS ARE LOVING THE PERFECT FATHER
'Deceit, ambition, suspense and betrayal: this book has it all' *****
'Gripping and nuanced' *****
'Totally twisty, dramatic and addictive' *****
'The best thriller I have read this year' *****
Advance Praise
PRAISE FOR UNFOLLOW ME
'A timely, page-turner of a novel' Araminta Hall
'Taut, chilling, with a killer twist' Sun
'An intriguing slow burner that reveals the dark side of social media' Heat
'Brilliantly dark, twisty thriller' Vikki Patis