Pick up a gripping thriller, or discover the story behind one of literature’s most mysterious characters…
Fiction
1. The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson is published in hardback by HQ, priced £12.99 (ebook £5.99). Available now
Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is searching for a killer who has left a grisly trail of body parts in their wake. The case is strikingly similar to that of Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer she helped put behind bars – and now Henley is forced back into his disturbing orbit. Nadine Matheson’s debut takes you on a tour of south east London’s lesser known landmarks. And as a criminal solicitor, she brings pleasing authenticity to DI Henley’s investigation, from the intricacies of cell site and CCTV analysis, down to the tagging of evidence exhibits. The Deptford-born writer also draws on the capital’s rich multicultural heritage to breathe life into a fresh and engaging set of characters. For lovers of modern crime fiction, Matheson’s macabre novel will hit the spot.
7/10
(Review by Emily Pennink)
2. Kololo Hill by Neema Shah is published in hardback by Picador, priced £14.99 (ebook £8.49). Available now
Kololo Hill is the story of a family uprooted, when thousands of Asians were ordered to leave Uganda in 1972. The shadow of British colonialism sets the book in its historical context, as many Indians were brought as indentured labourers to build railways in the previous century. Given just 90 days to flee by brutal dictator Idi Amin, debut author Neema Shah’s characters – from newlyweds Asha and Pran, to elderly Jaya – are confronted with the loss of their home, business, and entire community, and face being scattered across the world. Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence. A nail-biting airport dash encapsulates the vulnerability of women during conflict, while vivid descriptions invoke the heat and noise of the landscape.
7/10
(Review by Jessica Frank-Keyes)
3. Nick by Michael Farris Smith is published in hardback by No Exit Press, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.99). Available now
Next month (February 25th to be exact!) we are incredibly proud and excited to be publishing NICK by @michael_f_smith, the exhilarating prequel to The Great Gatsby ✨
Pre-order your copy now: https://t.co/x9Dcrxp7EB pic.twitter.com/aXAKj3QYKR— No Exit Press (@noexitpress) January 13, 2021
For lovers of The Great Gatsby comes an ambitious reimagining of one of literature’s most elusive narrators. Michael Farris Smith finally gives readers a chance to unlock the true identity of Nick Carraway, and understand how he came to be an outsider in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic tale. From the trenches of WWI right up to Nick’s arrival in West Egg, Smith takes us on an emotional journey defined by trauma, heartbreak, love and loss, that will eventually leave us with a damaged narrator who, until now, has only ever existed in the background. While the writing is vivid, the book holds none of Gatsby’s glamour or allure. Covering themes of war, mental illness and childhood neglect, there are a number of sections that are difficult to get through. Perhaps there is a reason Fitzgerald left Nick in the dark?
6/10
(Review by Scarlett Sangster)
Non-fiction
4. The Panic Years by Nell Frizzell is published in hardback by Bantam Press, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now
My book is out on February 11th in all good bookshops (well, mainly their websites). Preorder it here and tell your friends, mothers, ex-boyfriends, grandfathers, bosses, accountants and bus drivers to do the same https://t.co/pyJpElpmks pic.twitter.com/1aOZH2J30u
— Nell Frizzell (@NellFrizzell) February 5, 2021
Nell Frizzell’s debut examines the lesser-talked about ‘panic years’ – the crunch time in a woman’s life where she’s faced with the overwhelming decision of whether to have children, with the unavoidable deadline of fertility looming. Frizzell considers how it is often during this time that women’s lives are in flux; changing their careers, partners and homes – all of which makes the choice around having babies all the more chaotic. This book is incredibly relatable and comforting, addressing the constant comparison and confusion women at this life stage often face. Frizzell writes beautifully and poetically on the subject, making the tricky balance between acknowledging the stark reality of a biological deadline, while reassuring and validating the reader’s concerns with hilarious and comforting anecdotes from her own panic years. This is an important read for all women in their late twenties and early thirties who are wondering what should come next, and when.
8/10
(Review by Liz Connor)
Children’s book of the week
5. Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll is published in paperback by Knights Of, priced £6.99 (ebook £). Available March 4
Show Us Who You Are puts 12-year-old Cora, who has autism, front and centre. Cora – who struggles to fit in and sees herself as an outsider – finds a friend in Adrien, who has ADHD, and then things get a bit sci-fi… Cora gets caught up in the weird goings-on at the Pomegranate Institute, the company Adrien’s dad set up that uses AI to create scarily realistic holograms of people who have passed away. Similar to her debut, A Kind Of Spark, McNicoll gives a voice to the neurodivergent – sharing with readers what it can be like to be autistic, while emphasising all experiences are unique. The most moving sections focus on the relationship between Cora and Adrien, showing how their ‘different’ brains make them special. However, you can’t help but feel McNicoll bit off more than she could chew – new developments and traumas come thick and fast, leaving less space for the personal relationships to flourish.
7/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 27
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
3. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
4. A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas
5. Daughters Of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
6. The Galaxy, And The Ground Within by Becky Chambers
7. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
8. Slough House by Mick Herron
9. Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan
10. Luster by Raven Leilani
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. How To Avoid A Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
2. All Dogs Great And Small by Graeme Hall
3. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
4. Clanlands by Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish
5. Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera
6. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
7. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
8. One Of The Family by Nicky Campbell
9. Guinness World Records 2021 by Guinness World Records
10. Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
2. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
3. Orwell Collection: Animal Farm & 1984 by George Orwell
4. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
5. Silent Child by Sarah A Denzil
6. How To Avoid A Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
7. Atomic Habits by James Clear
8. The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
10. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by JK Rowling
(Compiled by Audible)
