Janet Gordon is married, retired, obsessed with her Westlake Terrier, Rollo – and books are her passion. She reads multiple books a week across all genres and reviews them for Rest Less.
This month’s round-up features We Solve Murders, Isolation Island, Lights Out, and Family Baggage.
Note: Prices can change often, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 29th of August 2024.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (Amazon £11, Kindle £11.99, Viking £22)
I feel as though I should apologise to Richard Osman. Having told my family that I’d received a copy of his new book (following on from his bestselling Thursday Murder Club series), I’ve been inundated with requests to join the queue to borrow it, depriving him (and Viking Press) of selling more copies.
There’s no doubt that this is one of the most eagerly awaited releases of the year – it’s being published simultaneously in over 40 countries. And if you like to be read to, the wonderful Nicola Walker has just been signed to narrate the audiobook.
So, meet Steve Wheeler – a semi-retired private eye with a love for routine. You know, the local pub quiz, his favourite bench, and his cat waiting for him when he comes home.
He’s happy to have more or less handed over his business to his dynamic daughter-in-law, Amy.
Amy can’t be doing with either routine or time-consuming habits. There’s work to be done, crimes to be solved, and world-famous authors to guard. However, when a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer threaten her, she’s forced to bring Steve out of retirement.
The pair go off on a supercharged race around the world, trying desperately to stay one step ahead of the killer.
This is going to be another mega-hit, with Osmond saying, “I can’t wait for readers to meet my new characters. I can promise lots of laughs, lots of tears, and, of course, lots of murders.”
Isolation Island by Louise Minchin (Amazon £9.99, Kindle £9.99, Headline £20)
Most readers will remember Louise Minchin for presenting BBC Breakfast for over 20 years. Since stepping down from that role, she’s also taken part in lots of reality TV shows, ranging from Masterchef to I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here. So, armed with all that insider knowledge, Minchin has written an absolutely cracking, and totally addictive, reality TV thriller.
The story follows a group of fading celebrities, up-and-coming Z listers, a sportsman, and a couple of influencers who’ve signed up to the most hard-core, gruelling, and abrasive reality TV show ever devised. And everyone is amazed to discover that a truly mega Hollywood superstar is going to be on the show too.
It’s told mainly from investigative journalist Lauren’s point of view.
She signed up for the show at the very last minute after days of dithering.
As the contestants set out to navigate what proves to be a truly hostile environment, they’re constantly monitored via cameras and microphones which are ready to capture their every move and whisper.
Having stayed up all night to finish this, I was so upset that there weren’t another million or so pages to read. I was just enjoying it so much. I’m sure this is going to be a bestseller.
Lights Out by Louise Swanson (Amazon £9.99, Kindle £4.99, Hodder £20)
You may remember back in 1973 when Prime Minister Edward Heath introduced the three-day week, limiting electricity use to three consecutive days. I can vividly remember the lottery of hairdresser visits when I’d pray that the electricity wouldn’t go off just when I had a headful of shampoo! But, obviously, it was a much more serious issue than not being able to wash your hair.
In Lights Out, the government has proclaimed a state of emergency. To get through the winter, the power supply will be turned off every night from eight pm until seven am. This will take effect from 5th January. While it won’t affect care homes or supermarkets, it will force thousands of people to retire to their beds in an attempt to keep warm.
Grace is a care home worker – she takes great solace from working at night and caring for those who are ready to pass to the other world. She’s also terrified of the dark.
It’s been reported that there’s a serial killer at large, operating during the hours of darkness. And when Grace comes downstairs in the morning to find that she’s had a nocturnal visitor who has left a note and signed himself ‘The Night’, she becomes hysterical. Her husband, Riley, is of no comfort whatsoever.
Grace is absolutely terrified and unable to even think about anything else. However, the trouble is that whatever The Night is doing in her house, nothing is stolen, so when she finally tells the police, they’re not really interested.
I honestly can’t imagine anything worse than lying in bed, unable to switch on a light, and hearing the sound of footsteps downstairs. This is a scary and thought-provoking read.
Family Baggage by Monica McInerney (Amazon £4.93, Kindle £2.99, Hachette £10.99)
Having scared myself silly with Lights Out, I’ve just finished the most heartwarming read.
Set in both Melbourne and Cornwall (with a side visit to Ireland), we meet the Turner family. Owners of Turner Travel, a busy travel agent which specialises in tours to locations from popular TV shows, their latest tour is centred around the show Willoughby.
Willoughby was a short-lived UK detective series which was shot in Cornwall. Repeats were shown endlessly in Australia and the tour will take fans around the picturesque Cornish countryside where detective Willougby not only delivers the post, but solves the murders that seem to abound here.
Most of the Turners work in the family business and it’s the interactions between them and the secrets revealed that make this read so compulsive. It’s a really family friendly, wonderful story.
I’m off to download all of McInerney’s other books as, somehow, even though Family Baggage is her 11th novel, I don’t seem to have read anything from her before!
Win!
Does anything give you more pleasure than having a little one sitting on your lap or tucked up in bed whilst you read them a story?
Caryl Lewis and Carmen Saldaña’s wonderful new picture book, The Boy and the Octopus, features glorious full-colour illustrations and, despite being a really easy read, is a story with a message.
Stanley is a little boy who finds it difficult to express his feelings. But with the help of his octopus bestie, he learns how to deal with bullies and talk things through with his Dad.
I’ve read this to my neighbour’s children and they loved it. And Rest Less have five copies of this delightful storybook to be won, courtesy of Puffin Books.
To win one of five copies of The Boy and the Octopus, please answer the following question…
Who is Stanley’s best friend?
a) A blue whale
b) An octopus
c) A crocodile
Terms and conditions
The giveaway will close at 11.59pm on 8th September 2024 and the winners will be chosen at random in a prize draw on 9th September 2024. Winners will be connected with Janet via email for the fulfilment of their prize.
For more reading inspiration, head over to the books, literature, and writing section of our website. Or, for further book and literature discussions, you might be interested in joining the thriving book club or short story club over on Rest Less Events.
Have you read any of these books? Or have you added any of them to your reading list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.