BOOKMARK November 2023 Book recommendations
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Noveber's Titles
All books are available from Waterstones in Perth and Adventure Into Books in Blairgowrie.
Past Lying by Val McDermid
(Little Brown Book, 2023)
Crime Fiction
Past Lying by Val McDermid (ISBN: 9781408729076, hardback; paperback is out in February 2024). When an author’s manuscript appears to be the blueprint for an actual cold-case crime, Pirie has to investigate. But the author died before finishing his book, and the crime has twists galore.
The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffith
(Quercus, 2024)
Crime Fiction
Elly Griffith’s new book, The Great Deceiver (ISBN: 9781529409901, hardback; paperback is out in April 2024). The latest expertly plotted story in the Brighton Mysteries series starts with the murder of a magician’s assistant, Cherry, in a boarding house. The police are involved, along with two private detectives, and – despite the apparent risks as a second magician’s assistant is murdered – the show must somehow go on.
A Thief's Justice by Douglas Skelton
(Canelo, 2024)
Historical Fiction
A Thief’s Justice (ISBN: 9781804365472, paperback). An action-packed thriller set in London, 1716. Justice Geoffrey Dumont has been found dead at the base of St. Paul’s cathedral, and a young sex-worker, Sam Yates, has been arrested for his murder. Jonas Flynt – thief, gambler and killer – is asked to investigate, but must move fast if he’s to save an innocent life.
Three Fires by Denise Mina
(Birlinn, 2023)
Historical Fiction
Three Fires by Denise Mina (ISBN: 9781846976384, hardback) has a link to another BOOKMARK event author, DV Bishop. His latest historical crime novel, Ritual of Fire (recommended earlier this year), is set in medieval Florence and references the Dominican friar Savonarola – a hell-fire preacher and anti-corruption campaigner. In Three Fires, Denise Mina reimagines Savonarola’s life and the events that lead to the Bonfire of the Vanities: a febrile time that holds many modern-day echoes.
The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri
(Bonnier Books, 2023)
Fiction
Christy Lefteri’s new book The Book of Fire (ISBN: 9781786581563, hardback), which charts the story of an English-Greek family caught in the trauma of a devastating conflagration that consumes their once beautiful village and changes their lives forever. By the author of The Beekeeper of Allepo, this is a story of fear, survival, hope and redemption.
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
(Little, Brown Book Group, 2024)
Fiction
Jenny Colgan’s Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop (ISBN: 9781408726235, hardback). It offers seasonal warmth, the angst and longing of romance, and of course a wonderful and surprising bookshop. A curl-up-under-a-rug-with-a-glass-of-wine sort of book. Enjoy.
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by Various
(Little, Brown Book Group, 2023)
Fiction
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights (ISBN: 9781408727584, hardback). A collection of 12 short stories from various and varied writers, including Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton and Jess Kidd, it offers mysteries, ghosts and scares galore.