Review - When You Looked Away by S.M. Govett

When I Looked Away by S.M. Govett
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Release date: 9 July 2026

Back cover blurb: Laura is ready to start a new chapter. Between her messy divorce with her ex-husband, and moving in with her new fiancé, her son Benjy and her successful writing career have been her only constants. Until that fateful day. The afternoon starts like any other. Laura collects Benjy from school, then heads upstairs to write. It’s not until the sun is setting that she realises the house is quiet. Too quiet. It’s not until she sees the footprints in the garden that she knows something is terribly wrong.  One set is undeniably Benjy’s. It’s the other set that strikes fear in her heart – those of an adult. Someone who took her son, right from under her nose… DI Stratton is called to investigate. She must trust no one - and suspect everyone. Even Laura. After all, doesn't her latest story follow a boy the same age as Benjy? One that takes a devastating turn...

Laura Forrester is a hugely sucessful author, often absorbed in her writing and detached from reality. Sometimes forgetting to check on her Son, Benji after school.

But then he is 11, and should be able to fend for himself to a certain extent.

Laura is well into her latest edit when she realises she hasn't prepared any dinner, and then comes the shocking realisation that her Son is missing. After a frantic search, Laura discovers that the worst possible outcome has happened, Benji is dead.

Seemingly taken from the house, led to nearby waters and drowned. The Police arrive quickly and work to understand the facts.

Ted, Benji's soon to be Step Father, Laura's fiancee is a teacher, and quickly becomes the prime suspect.

Formerly known as Simon Hunt, accused but never charged with the abuse of three young boys before moving away from the area he lived in previously. It transpired that one of the boys was later found dead in almost identical circumstances to Benji.

Laura can't believe it. Doesn't want to believe that Tim is capable of such horrific crimes.

But Ted has a ready made list of excuses, and more importantly he has an alibi. Which leads the detectives to their next prime suspect, Benji's actual Father, Laura's ex Richard. A stereotypical narcissistic arsehole.

But even he wouldn't have hurt his own son, surely?

Turns out, he also has an alibi as he's been sleeping with Laura's neighbour. Confirming the reason he lied about his whereabouts, but also justifying his reason for being near the crime scene.

Which leaves Laura herself. Could the Mother be the true killer? Has she confused fiction with reality and somehow killed her son in the name of her latest novel?

When You Looked Away is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Kate Riordan

The Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Kate Riordan

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Release date: 30 July 2026

Back cover blurb: It’s been years since Rain went home. To many, growing up on the Tanglewood estate, nestled in a beautiful corner of the Cotswolds countryside, seemed like a dream. But for Rain, memories of her childhood there are forever tainted by what happened that summer. The wild party. The body… Now estranged from her mother, and all ties to Tanglewood, Rain thought she’d moved on. Yet when another dead body is found at Tanglewood, she knows she must face her past. Rain has long held suspicions that what happened that summer wasn’t an accident. It was murder. And now's her chance to prove it.

Tanglewood.

A name that conjures thoughts of Woodstock and Glastonbury - the usual 70's stuff. And also Karl Lund.

Famous for one epic vinyl album, Lily of the Valley.

Rain wanted to escape Tanglewood as soon as she was able. She has always had a poor relationship with her Mother, who was more interested in drugs and sex with Karl than looking after her own daughter.

Now Rain is working for Dan, who is making a documentary about the 70's music scene, and in particular events like 'the gathering' at Tanglewood. 

Infamous for never actually taking place.

Now, 30 years on, Karl is planning a gathering anniversay, and a performance of 'the' album in full.

Rain doesn't want to go back to Tanglewood, but Dan doesn't know she grew up there, it isn't something that she ever speaks of, but he knows that she is local to the area and can potentially get something interesting for the documentary.

And then a young woman, Willow, is found dead on the Tanglewood estate and despite never wanting to return, Rain finds that she is curious. 

Especially when it transpires that there was another death on the estate, some 30 years previously...

The Last Time I Saw Her Alive is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - the Quickening by Claire McGowan

The Quickening by Claire McGowan

Publisher: Corsair

Release date: 9 July 2026

Back cover blurb: The Hope Party's new laws have transformed Great Britain: the countryside rewilded, children's rights prioritised, and births on the rise. But freedom is fading. Karen has learned to navigate this new world, keeping her head down as her fertility is constantly monitored. As her husband's career thrives, while hers stalls. As her son is drawn into misogynist groups. Like everyone else, she's too frightened to speak up. Until her teenage daughter reveals a life-changing secret: she's pregnant. With abortion and contraception banned, her future has gone up in flames. But Karen won't let this happen - Charlotte is going to have the life she lost. Karen turns to her sister Isobel, a doctor who's initially reluctant to help. But when they learn Charlotte's pregnancy is ectopic and life-threatening, the stakes skyrocket. The three women go on the run, getting deeper into danger with every hour that passes. With powerful enemies on their tail, they will risk everything in a desperate fight for freedom, and for life.

The year is 2040. 

Not too far away from where we are that you can't imagine it, and yet seemingly impossible because Britain as we know it has changed beyond belief.  

The new government and its laws promote new life, at any cost.

Following an unspecificed pandemic (we all know which one really), Britain's birth rate is at an all time low, the country is on it's knees and the so-called 'hope' party, give, well, hope to the masses.

At first its changes are subtle, but then the laws become harsher and the reality of living under them, terrifying (there are definitely echos of Nazi germany in there).

When Karen's daughter finds out she is pregnant, she wants an abortion. She is young, about to go to University, and doesn't want to have a baby.

The trouble is, under the Hope Party rule it is literally impossible.

Unless she wants to be arrested and placed into protective custody or worse.

Then she discovers that the pregnancy is ectopic and that her own life is also in danger. Karen knows that she must do something to help her daughter. 

She just doesn't know what...

The Quickening is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson

The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
Publisher: Hutchinson Heinemann

Release date: 2 July 2026

Back cover blurb: When writer Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, she falls immediately for its scenic beaches and New England charm – and even harder for Van Whittaker, a gorgeous, fleece-wearing, litter-collecting, kayak enthusiast. She meets his friends: Augusta, old money and uptight; Fran, drowning in everyone else’s problems whilst keeping two kids (and an inebriated husband) afloat; and Bailey, who is sexy, confident… and inconveniently pregnant with Van’s child. Determined nothing will dull the shine of her new romance, Caroline joins the friends as they run wild through Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, gossiping on beaches while their children paddle, and playing risky games. It seems the fun will last forever – until it doesn’t. As decades-old friendships and marriages begin to fracture, Caroline’s place in their world is called into question. And with all the group’s most tightly held secrets at stake, who knows what might come out?

I adored Jenny Jackson's debut, Pineapple Street, and was super excited for her second novel. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! A beautifully written novel about love and friendship...

When you are young adults and still friends with those you went to school with and have spent half of your life with, it seems like your friendship group is inpenetrable. And to a certain extent, it might be.

When Caroline Lash, daughter of the famous author Gwendoline Lash moves to Greenhead on a writing retreat she is doing so solely because she doesn't want to be accused of nepotism. She is not her Mother. They are very different people.

On the train to New England, Caroline first crosses paths with a man she later learns is Van Whittaker. Local to Greenhead, and essential to Caroline. She quickly falls head over heels for him. He is just so different from any other man she has met, or dated.

Quickly they become inseperable, and then he introduces her to his friends. Bailey, Fran, Augusta, Colin, Eben, Mark and RJ. These people have known each other since they were tiny. Their friendship group wants to be welcoming, you can tell this by how nice they are being. But ultimately they make Caroline feel like an outsider.

Which let's be honest. She is.

She doesn't know Greenhead, wasn't bought up there. And these guys have a lot of history. Some more than most. Particularly Van and Bailey, who hooked up during in High School, and have continued on and off ever since.

And then Van drops a bombshell. 

Bailey is pregnant and Van is the Father. He is adamant that they are not in love. They slept together just one time recently prior to Caroline's arrival in Greenhead. They're not in a relationship, and don't intend to be. Caroline shouldn't feel threatened. 

But she does..

Is this the start of everything unravelling? Or has Caroline found her happy ever after?

The Shampoo Effect is available now Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgally in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Not Like The Other Parents by Asia Mackay

Not Like The Other Parents by Asia Mackay

Publisher: Wildfire

Release date: 2 July 2026

Back : Fox and Hazel's to-do list: - Homework - Housework - Homicide? Fox and Hazel just want a normal life: two kids, a beautiful house, and the occasional date night murdering people who deserve it. Yet having it all is hard when you want to kill bad men but raise good kids. With a school mum tyrant on Hazel's case - and a botched kill leaving Fox with serious performance anxiety - their midlife crisis is spiralling. Therapy isn't helping, and bullet journaling has taken on a whole new meaning. But when the couple accidentally draw a deadly mobster to their doorstep, they must pull it together - and fast. Because surviving suburbia is no longer just a challenge. Now it's a real fight for their family's lives. And it turns out, having it all starts with staying alive. . .

Fox and Hazel are, well, not like the other parents, just as the title suggests. 

For a start, they are fabulously wealthy, impossibly glamorous, and the kind of attractive that only really comes with said wealth. 

Oh yes, and they are also both serial killers. 

The kind with morals. If there can be such a thing? Because they only kill bad men. The sort that really deserve it.

Fox and Haze (as she prefers to be known) are in recovery after things didn't exactly go to plan in Europe. Long story short, they pissed off the 'Chameleon' who now seems to know where they live, and more importantly, what they do.

They have always believed that they are 'safe'. They are always super careful, they have a list of safe 'dump' sites, and they have a detective on their side. 

But the Chameleon is ruthless. Much like Haze herself and will stop at nothing to get what he wants - which seems to be Fox and Haze dead.

Not a chance in hell...

They both have so much to live for.  And although they are going through a bit of a rocky patch, they always come together when it matters.

This is the 2nd book in this series that I personally have read, though I think there are more. I have found them easy to follow, and actually enjoy not knowing all of the back story as it feel it adds a little mystery. So they can definitely be read as standalone... 

But I'd encourage you to at least read the one before this if you are able.

Not Like The Other Parents is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - We Know What You Did by Kirsty Lockwood

We Know What You Did by Kirsty Lockwood
Publisher: Orion
Release date: 4 June 2026

Back cover blurb: Everyone saw the murder happen. Now they want to know why. Nineteen-year-old Odette and eighty-year-old Amos were already famous. Their unlikely, heartwarming friendship captured the hearts of thousands of fans online. But when Amos is brutally murdered during a livestream and Odette is filmed covered in his blood, there's no question who's to blame. The video of the murder quickly goes viral, and the world is hungry for answers. How did a sweet, lonely girl turn on her only friend? And why won't she say a word in her defence? As the media storm worsens, Odette is frightened, alone and refusing to speak. But time is fast running out and if she stays silent, the truth may never be revealed . . .

When Social Media star Odette films herself at the murder scene of her video companion and landlord Amos there sees to be little point in trying to understand who the perpetator is. It must be Odette, there can't be any other explanation? Can there?

Odette Adlin is mourning her Mother's death when she meets Amon Miichaels in a museum that she used to frequent with her Mum. 

Is it fate? Or just good luck?

Odette couldn't possibly say. But Amos is exactly what she needs in that moment and the pair of them strike up a unlikely friendship, despite the huge difference in age, interests, and lifestyles.

Over the coming weeks as they get to know each other, Odette can't help but feel like she's finally landed on her feet.  Due to her upbringing she doesn't really have any friends of her own age. So when Amos suggests that she comes to live with him, she only hesitates for the smallest moment.

It's a decision that she will wish she spent longer on, for she really doesn't know Amos at all.

When she suggests that she set up a social media account to document their unlikey friendship, Amos initially appears thrilled. They are both doing something to combat their loneliness, help each other, and maybe even others in the same position as them.

But then Amos begins to show a different side to Odette. One that he doesn't show the outside world, and Odette begins to wonder if she's made the biggest mistake of her life. A mistake that could prove deadly...

We Know What You Did is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Spy and the Snake by M.J. Robotham

The Spy and the Snake by M.J. Robotham
Publisher: Aria
Release date: 7 July 2026

Back cover blurb: One mission. One fake husband. One very real problem. Maggie Flynn has finally earned her place at of MI5-but with promotion comes paperwork. No more disguises, no more danger, just meetings, memos, and the quiet realisation that life feels a little too safe. With her daughter away at university and her spirited mother pursuing her own adventures, Maggie's days in London are starting to feel decidedly ordinary. So when the chance arises to return to the field, she doesn't hesitate. The assignment: fly to Budapest and pose as the wife of a notorious British defector in order to smuggle him back to the UK. It should be a straightforward operation. But Maggie Flynn has never done straightforward-and what's waiting in Budapest is anything but routine. As Cold War tensions simmer and shadows linger on every corner, Maggie finds herself navigating a city steeped in secrets-and drawn to a mysterious stranger who may endanger the mission… or steal her heart.

Mandy Robotham - writing here as M.J. Robotham is one of my favourite historical fiction authors, and I have absolutely loved the two novels in the Mrs Spy series (and am secretly hoping they may be revisited at some point!) 

Mrs Flynn (Maggie) is not your conventional spy, approaching 50, widowed with one daughter; she's an unlikely candidate for a covert MI5 mission. But her boss knows how capable she is, even if she's not sure she believes it herself.

Having been promoted to case officer since our last meeting, Maggie thinks she is happy with her lot. That is, until her boss, the head of MI5 assigns her her first mission as a potential agent. Her mission, should she choose to accept it, is to capture a former agent, a defector who wants to come back home.

Usually this would be an easy, straightforward assignment, but this one is off the books. For the agent has info that both British intelligence agencies will do anything to secure.

Maggie knows that her mission is potentially dangerous, but deep down she knows that she is capable.

And so off to Budapest she goes. It should be a simple mission, despite its risks, but as often happens in these scenarios, things don't exactly go to plan, and Maggie finds herself in the middle of secrets, lies and well - espionage, strangely enough!

A great read, and one I'd highly recommend.

The Spy and the Snake is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.