Adult Books
The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths. Quercus.
Hardback £22. 31st Jan.
Not a review, but just a heads up for all our Elly Griffiths fans out there – the FINAL Ruth Galloway novel, The Last Remains, comes out on 31st January! Fans will be gutted that Ruth’s adventures are coming to an end, but this looks to be a highly dramatic conclusion, involving Ruth and Nelson working on a murder case in which Ruth’s dear old friend Cathbad emerges as the prime suspect. Can they uncover the truth in time to save their friend?
We hope to arrange an event or signing with Elly around the publication date.

Leviathan by Rosie Andrews.
Bloomsbury, paperback £8.99. 5th Jan.
I was HOOKED by this compelling debut historical novel, which simmers with darkness and tension.
Set against the bloody backdrop of the English civil war, the action starts in 1643, when young soldier Thomas is summoned home by his sister, who is concerned that their widowed father has been seduced by a new servant girl. By the time Thomas reaches the family farm, in the depths of rural Norfolk, he finds his father insensible, felled, perhaps, by a stroke – and the servant girl in prison, accused of witchcraft. 'Oh, another witchcraft novel' I thought, at this point – but NO … Leviathan goes so much deeper....
Thomas, a rational man, does not believe the village superstitions, and trusts the servant girl’s protestations of her innocence. Trying to uncover the truth, and beginning to doubt his sister’s account of events, he finds himself embroiled in a battle with an ancient, briny evil, linked to his father and a shipwreck, many years before. What is wrong with his sister? What has awoken? And can it be laid to rest?
Richly researched, seething with atmosphere, utterly gripping, and deeply unsettling, I could not put this down!

The Slowworm’s Song by Andrew Miller. Hodder.
Paperback £9.99. 19th Jan.
A profound, tender and beautifully-written tale of guilt and redemption, by the Costa-award-winning author of Pure.
Stephen Rose is an ex-soldier and recovering alcoholic living quietly in Somerset. He has just begun to form a bond with the daughter he barely knows when he receives a summons - to an inquiry into an incident during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which he has spent his life trying to forget.  To testify would jeopardise his fragile relationship with his daughter. And if he loses her, he loses everything. Instead, he decides to write her an account of his life; a confession, a defence, a love letter… What was his youthful error, back in 1982, and why has it consumed him so?

Children’s Books
Katya Balen’s previous novel, October October, won the YOTO Carnegie medal 2022. This warm-hearted novel about blended families is a well-observed and sensitive story for readers aged 8-13.
Tom and his mum live a quiet life, just the two of them, in a little flat in the city, having escaped from domestic violence. Tom is anxious, timid, scared of the dark, and finds comfort in folding origami birds.
Zofia couldn’t be more different – competitive, energetic and loud, she lives by the sea with her dad, and is super popular and a fearless sea swimmer. When Tom's mum and Zofia’s dad fall in love and announce a pregnancy, it’s a shock to both children. Zofia is mean and bitter towards Tom, as she worries about being replaced in her dad’s affections. Tom shrinks into himself to avoid being noticed, and is terrified of Zofia, of the sea, and of starting a new school. As the children try to get used to their new lives, tragedy threatens to strike. Both Tom and Zofia are forced to reassess what is truly important – and what makes a family.
This moving, compassionate story is heartfelt and uplifting.

Iszi Lawrence is a writer, comedian, podcaster and history presenter, and, as if that wasn’t enough, is also a rising star in children’s writing! Her 2 previous novels The Unstoppable Letty Pegg and Billie Swift Takes Flight are both excellent, exciting historical stories which we rated highly. Blackbeard’s Treasure, her new book, is a riveting pirate tale set in the eighteenth century during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean.
It's 1718: pirate ships sail the oceans and brutal slave masters control the plantations. Eleven-year-old Abigail Buckler lives with her father in the Caribbean. Her clothes are made of finest muslin so she can't play in them, not that there's anyone to play with anyway. She isn't even allowed to go out alone. But when pirates attack Abigail's life will change forever.
Suddenly her old certainties about right and wrong, good and bad start to unravel. Maybe Abigail doesn't have to be so ladylike after all... Packed with historical detail about the Atlantic slave trade, the ravages of empire and human cost of providing luxuries like sugar, cotton and tobacco to Europe, Blackbeard's Treasure is a page-turning, swashbuckling adventure which takes a look at the real pirates of the Caribbean! Perfect for readers aged 8-12.

Harley Hitch and the Fossil Mystery by Vashti Hardy.
Scholastic, paperback £7.99
Local favourite Vashti Hardy's Harley Hitch series is perfect for emergent readers, and we are excited to unveil the 3rd book, in which our intrepid hero Harley is whisked off onto a time-travelling adventure!
On a school trip to the Jurassic Coast, Harley discovers a mysterious fossil. Determined to prove she has discovered a new dinosaur species, Harley dreams big and attempts to invent a time machine .... inevitably, there is prehistoric chaos ...and what's she going to do about the huge dinosaur wandering around Forgetown?
With plenty of vibrant illustrations, action, adventure and dino-fun, this will please readers aged 6-9 years.