Ho Ho Ho!!!

Yes that time of year to help you find books for the end of the year either as gifts for loved ones or for yourself! To help you here are some notable releases I think worthy of your attention. My absolute faves will be announced on the 31st as usual.

Starting off with Thrillers! What strikes me about eh list to come was either they really played with the traditional format or particularly with an effort to read more non-UK/US authors I got some fascinating insights into how thrillers work in other countries.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward – this novel really does deserve all the attention that it has gathered in the year. A young girl’s disappearance drags one of the darkest stories I’ve read (and this was one I nearly moved to horror). Driven by some fascinating point of view including a very disturbed young man and even the house cat it’s a genius piece of storytelling and when it all comes together a chef’s kiss of reading awaits.

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone – this novel plays with reality with two sisters who lived a life unlike any other childhood. Years later their strange fantasy world comes back to haunt them years later with a tragic death that needs investigation. Atmospheric, sinister, and haunting.

The Distant Dead by Heather Young – This tale in a rural small town is a study in tragedy of bad things happening to people out of the blue. Secrets, guilt, and loss all combine in a compelling mystery and a novel that stays with you long after reading it.

Good Neighbours by Sarah Langan – A nasty but smart look at the issue sof suburbia as a family who do not fit in are made to feel as pariahs. Very very absorbing and sets the clock to a disaster you know will be terrible.

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – A huge fan of everything this writer produces but this tale of two very strange people drawn into a plot around the time of a rising right wing revolution reminds me of Graham Green with its very flawed yet very human characters.

Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams – Serial killers have almost fallen out of fashion but the amazing Jen Williams’ first foray into thrillers gives us a new angle. Dark family secrets and a fascinating Then and Now time narratives plus some of the best jump scares in a book I’ve read mean this is a perfect tale for dark nights!

Repentance by Eloisa Diaz – a fascinating tale of Argentina now and in the time of a deadly right wing government. Guilt and redemption are brilliantly compelled in our flawed lead detective learning to do the right thing.

A Walk In The Dark by Gianrico Carofiglio (translated by Howard Curtis) – A character focused legal drama  that takes a very standard crime and uses it to explore how the Italian system work with sexual assault crimes and the results are not great. Has its heart in the right place