Here’s this week’s list of new fiction titles. These are titles appearing in hardback/paperback for the first time. In some cases the ebook might already be available. All titles are based on the listings found in The Bookseller, so I’m not working from a list of all titles being published.
Just a reminder I don’t see any advance copies, my choices are based on the blurb, gut instinct and what takes my fancy at the time.
(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)
Index
Historical (I tend to take this as pre 1960’s ie not in my lifetime!)
Crime, Thriller & Mystery
The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman
Think you know your neighbors? Think again.
When actress Allison Langley leaves her former rockstar husband in the middle of the night, her sudden departure becomes the talk of upmarket Oak Hill. But the relentless gossip comes to an abrupt halt when five-year-old Billy Barnes disappears on his walk home from kindergarten. Is there a predator lurking in the leafy suburb? Weeks later, three-year-old Amy-Pat Davies vanishes from her backyard. In addition to sharing a zip code, the missing children have another thing in common – their babysitter, Cassidy McLean, who has a secret of her own.
The Angels of Venice by Philip Gwynne Jones
It’s the night of 12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. 85% of La Serenissima is underwater. Gale force winds roar across the lagoon and along the narrow streets. And the body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread- a young British art historian, specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting – is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop on the Street of the Assassins.
As the local police struggle to restore order to a city on its knees, Nathan Sutherland – under pressure from the British Ambassador and distraught relatives – sets out into the dark and rain-swept streets in an attempt to discover the truth behind Whiteread’s death.
The trail leads to the “Markham Foundation”, a recent and welcome addition to the list of charities working to preserve the ancient city. Charming, handsome and very, very rich, Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles, and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch.
But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that, in Venice at least, angels come in many forms – merciful, fallen and vengeful…
The Island of Lost Girls by Alex Marwood
Sun-drenched glamour and obscene wealth hide the darkest of secrets and lost girls in this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller.
1985
For twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is the place she calls home. It is an island untouched by the modern world, with deep-rooted traditions – though that is all about to change with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his spoiled young daughter, Tatiana. The Meades bring with them unimaginable wealth, but the price they will all pay is far darker than Mercedes and the islanders could ever have imagined.
2016
Robin is desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who has been missing for over a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, the island playground of the international jet set, Robin is out of her depth. Nobody wants to help and Robin fears she is running out of time to find her child.
But someone has been watching, silently waiting for their moment to expose the dark truth and reveal to the world what really happens on the island of lost girls.
Good Husbands by Cate Ray
Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie are all happily married to men they think they know inside out.
Then each woman receives a letter accusing her husband of involvement in a sexual assault that took place 20 years ago.
Who do they believe, what should they do and can they come together as their lives are upended?
General/Contemporary Fiction
Good on Paper by Valeri Tejeda
Is the universe telling her to follow her heart?
Journalist Jazmine Prado has always believed that timing is everything. So when her magazine reveals plans to lay off writers as they pivot to video content, she’ll do whatever it takes to stay on the pay roll. Like agree to take part in the magazine’s first web series, Our Big Day, chronicling her Cancún wedding to her gorgeous, internet-famous fiancé, Hudson Taylor. It’s not the way fiercely private Jaz envisioned getting married. But at least she’ll keep her job . . . right?
What Jaz could not have foretold is that she’d know the show’s videographer – intimately. Leonardo Couture is her former best friend and first love who she hasn’t seen, or spoken to, for seven years.
With her career hanging by a thread, and the boy who broke her heart filming her wedding to another, is now the best time to question everything? But as the show takes over, Jaz has to ask herself what and who she really wants for her life. Maybe it’s time to listen to the universe . . .
The Best is Yet to Come by Debbie Macomber
Sometimes the end of the road is just the beginning . . .
After the devastating loss of her twin brother, Hope Goodwin packs up her things and moves across the country for a fresh start. Arriving in Oceanside, Hope finds solace walking on the beach and teaching history at the local high school. Until she meets John Harrison and everything changes.
John, like Hope’s twin brother, is ex-military, and after suffering an injury in the line of duty he is discharged and left to deal with his problems alone. Despite their personal struggles, Hope and John grow close, and their friendship blossoms into a love neither could have ever expected.
But as Hope and John begin to move forward in their new life together, secrets from the past resurface and put their relationship to the test. Will the couple find a way through together?
Happy Dreams at Mermaid Cove by Marie Laval
From the big city to a little yellow mobile library on the Isle of Skye …
When Jenna Palmer agrees to the new position of mobile librarian on the tiny Arrandale peninsular of the Isle of Skye, she knows she’s signing up for difficult working conditions and mediocre wages. But Jenna needs to get away, and a little yellow mobile library called Buttercup could be her escape to happier dreams …
However, whilst Jenna can get to grips with foggy island roads, local mermaid legends and even big purple monsters, she never expected to have to contend with a boss as grumpy as Daniel McGregor, or a young book lover as enthusiastic as his niece, Katrina.
Arrandale might represent Jenna’s safe port in a storm, but could she and Buttercup also become a beacon of hope to Daniel, Katrina and the entire island community?
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Her best friend’s brother. A broken heart. A fake relationship.
Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. Until he realises his inheritance is contingent on being married.
A fake marriage will get Daisy’s matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfil the terms of his late grandfather’s will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago . . .
Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimise their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that this might not be the perfect plan.
Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton
ONE PROMISE
Aged thirteen, best friends Eleanor and Fin are inseparable. Convinced it will always be this way they make a pact – to go to university together, always live near each other, and if they’re both single at 35 they’ll get married.
TWO DECADES
Eleanor and Fin haven’t spoken in fifteen years. Life has run away from them and they’re both far from where they’d dreamt of being all those years ago.
CAN THEY STILL KEEP THEIR WORD?
It takes tragic circumstances for Fin to come back into Eleanor’s life, but everything has changed since the last time they met. Is it too late to mend their friendship? Or is there a chance they can keep some of the promises they made?
So that’s all for this week.
Happy Reading!
Jill's Book Cafe 