Plus, filmmaker Werner Herzog makes his fiction debut…
Fiction
1. The Daughter Of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is published in hardback by Jo Fletcher Books, priced £16.99 (€18.95). Available July 19th.
The name Dr Moreau may well conjure memories of Marlon Brando’s bizarre performance in a schlocky Nineties movie – but the story of a mad genius and his disconcerting experiments with humans and animals belongs to the futurist science fiction master H.G. Wells. Silvia Moreno-Garcia reimagines the tale from the perspective of Moreau’s daughter, the beautiful and enigmatic Carlota, and his scarred assistant Montgomery, an alcoholic Englishman in exile on the Yucatan peninsula. Romance, intrigue and body horror swirl together fantastically, as Moreau’s isolation is breached by outsiders with unclear intentions, leading to a dramatic conclusion to an eerie book, in which strange creatures lurk and simmering passions ignite.
9/10
(Review by James Cann)
2. One Last Secret by Adele Parks is published in hardback by HQ, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now
OUT NOW
One last client. One last chance. One last secret.
Don't miss @adeleparks's provocative and explosive new gripping thriller, #OneLastSecret! Available now in hardback, eBook and audio 👉 https://t.co/i2kkcyD8ab pic.twitter.com/8x0c76K1Al— HQ Stories (@HQstories) July 8, 2022
Dora has resolved to leave the exclusive escort world behind. Ready to settle down with her new fiancé Evan, she is talked into taking one last job – a week pretending to be a former client’s girlfriend at a chateau in the south of France.
Leaving her engagement ring behind, she steps into a role where she must convince everyone around her that she is a whole different person. But things start to go awry and as her memory begins to blur, events start to scare the usually unflappable Dora.
Is she losing her mind, or is there something more sinister at play? Can Dora escape from the mounting horror and confusion that is building up around her? Parks has crafted a fabulous fast-paced and brutal tale of love, revenge and vengeance, that is also filled with heart, understanding and compassion.
9/10
(Review by Rachel Howdle)
3. The Twilight World by Werner Herzog is published in hardback by Bodley Head, priced £14.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now
A fever dream, the re-imagining of an incredible historical episode, an epic struggle between man and jungle... the first novel from legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog is absolutely hypnotising. Enter @vintagebooks The Twilight World: https://t.co/Tz4Wro5PZ3 pic.twitter.com/slN59zoTDd
— Foyles Bookshop (@Foyles) June 30, 2022
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Filmmaker Werner Herzog’s first novel is based on the true story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who carried out his orders to defend the island of Lubang in the Philippines for almost 30 years after World War II ended.
Herzog balances the non-fiction memoirs of Onoda’s campaign with his own mesmerising descriptions of coping with unremitting solitude and enmity in the hostile wilds of Lubang’s jungle. Just as time sticks and jumps for Onoda, the pace of The Twilight World is erratic; one moment describing rich intricate detail and the next leaping forward by several years.
The true story is extraordinary in its own right, but Herzog’s concise yet meandering account of unending loyalty, resilience and desolation transmutes Onoda’s personal history into a poetic tragedy.
8/10
(Review by Rebecca Wilcock)
Non-fiction
4. The Missing Cryptoqueen by Jamie Bartlett is published in hardback by Ebury Press, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now
The Missing Cryptoqueen book is now out!
The story of the multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme OneCoin, crypto-hype, investor FOMO & a missing founder.
Our podcast was just one part of this crazy story. Now here's the rest...https://t.co/36QZZHBZZW pic.twitter.com/aVbmW49b8B— Jamie Bartlett (@JamieJBartlett) June 23, 2022
This book is truly a page-turner. Brilliantly researched and well-written, it’s made even more compelling because it’s based on a true story.
The book version of the podcast of the same name, Bartlett gives a much more in-depth look at the Oxford graduate Dr Ruja Ignatova, who launched the new cryptocurrency OneCoin in 2014 – making huge amounts of money, only to have Ignatova disappear in mysterious circumstances.
From start to end, the pacy book is full of intrigue and crafted to tell a far richer story beyond the podcast, featuring never-before-told additions. An excellent example of first-class investigative journalism, it is a truly unbelievable tale of events – you won’t be able to put it down.
9/10
(Review by Ellie Iorizzo)
Children’s book of the week
5. Know It Owl by Emma Perry, illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier, is published in paperback by Storyhouse, priced £7.99 (no ebook). Available July 14
Looook what just flew in!
Author copies of our book @andreastegmaier
Andrea's art work is so detailed and immersive and glorious!
KNOW IT OWL - Convinced they know everything about building dens, Owl sets about helping loudly. And often. A little too often.
JULY 2022 pic.twitter.com/qbVeQFKZWb— Emma Perry ☔🦉 (@_EmmaPerry) June 23, 2022
We all know someone who is a bit of a know-it-all. They might be loveable and knowledgeable, but you can’t help but roll your eyes every time they claim to know everything about everything.
This is a book about a know-it-owl (get it?) who wants to help their friend build a den – but the owl actually ends up bulldozing everything and not contributing all that much.
This is very much a teachable book – the owl soon realises the error of its ways, and why you don’t want to be a know-it-all when you could just help your friends. A tale of friendship and humility, while it might not be fresh content, the illustrations and storyline are still whimsical and enjoyable for bedtime reading.
7/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JULY 9
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. The House Of Fortune by Jessie Burton
2. Murder Before Evensong by Reverend Richard Coles
3. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
4. The Partisan by Patrick Worrall
5. Lore Olympus Volume Two by Rachel Smythe
6. Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby
7. Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola
8. The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
9. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
10. Elektra by Jennifer Saint
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith
2. The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland
3. The Hong Kong Diaries by Chris Patten
4. Old Rage by Sheila Hancock
5. House Arrest by Alan Bennett
6. Chums by Simon Kuper
7. Russia by Antony Beevor
8. Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen
9. Putin by Philip Short
10. The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. This Much Is True by Miriam Margolyes
2. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith
3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
5. Atomic Habits by James Clear
6. A Mind To Murder by P. D. James
7. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
8. The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters
9. Bamburgh by L. J. Ross
10. One Last Secret by Adele Parks
(Compiled by Audible)
