Us Three by Ruth Jones (Bantam, £14.99)
The star and co-creator of Gavin & Stacey may be well known for her award-winning TV writing, but Ruth Jones is a fine author too. Us Three – her second novel – centres on the often-complicated dynamics of female friendships. A trio of women have been inseparable since childhood. They can’t imagine life without their close-knit unit. Until the fallout of a heady summer sets in motion a series of catastrophic events.
Written In Bone by Professor Dame Sue Black (Doubleday, £18.99)
Leading anatomist and forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black takes the reader on a fascinating journey. She charts the human body through the brain box, face, throat, spine, chest, pelvis, arms, hands, legs and feet. Each part has its own tale as every facet of our lives leaves a trace. Sometimes, these secrets stay hidden for years, even centuries. Professor Black unpicks a series of cases – historical, criminal and downright peculiar – in a spellbinding book.
More Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran (Ebury, £20)
When Caitlin Moran wrote her bestselling 2011 memoir, How To Be A Woman, she did so believing the worse was behind her: those angst-inducing, messy years between 13 and 30. Instead Moran found herself knee-deep in new challenges. The sequel, More Than A Woman, is a masterclass in midlife womanhood. There are light-hearted observations on married sex, housework and ageing, as well as sharing the heart-rending experience of dealing with her daughter's eating disorder.
Fifty-Fifty by Steve Cavanagh (Orion, £8.99)
Steve Cavanagh has garnered a loyal following for his Eddie Flynn series about an ex-conman turned New York lawyer. The latest, Fifty-Fifty, is another cracker. It begins with the transcripts of two frantic 911 calls less than one minute apart. Alexandra and Sofia Avellino are sisters. Each claims to have stumbled across the mutilated body of their father and accuses the other of murder. One is lying. One may go to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. A fast-paced and twisting thriller.
READ MORE: The 30 best autumn books for 2020 (Part 2)
Dangerous To Know by Chloe Esposito (Michael Joseph, £8.99, published Thursday)
This long-awaited final instalment in Chloe Esposito’s Mad, Bad, and Dangerous To Know trilogy is every bit as darkly delicious as you might hope. Anti-heroine Alvie Knightly has previously stolen her dead twin sister's identity, ran off with a handsome hitman and discovered life as an accidental serial killer is her ideal vocation. Dangerous To Know sees Alvie plotting to avenge the death of her lover. Glamour, murder, oodles of humour and revenge with a capital R.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (Granta, £12.99)
If you loved Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata then Earthlings will be right up your alley. The Tokyo author has a knack for characters that rail against the rigid constraints of societal norms.
When Natsuki was nine, she and her cousin Yuu made a promise. A childhood scandal forces them apart. Natsuki is now 34 and lives a quiet life with her asexual husband, pretending to be normal. Until she can’t any longer. Natsuki goes in search of Yuu. But will he remember their pact?
A Song For The Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Orion, £20)
The disappearance of a man in a remote part of the north-west Highlands may be 250 miles from the Edinburgh stomping ground of retired police detective John Rebus, but it feels a tad close to home. The missing person is his daughter’s partner and Rebus knows only too well that she will be the prime suspect. Meanwhile, back in the Scottish capital, a young, wealthy man has been found stabbed to death in the car park of a carpet warehouse.
The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves (Macmillan, £18.99)
Ann Cleeves has been busy lately, writing not only the final volume of her Shetland books but also the debut of the Two Rivers series. And now another milestone: 21 years since the first Vera Stanhope novel. The Darkest Evening opens with a blizzard and Stanhope driving through the snow when she spots a car off the road. Seeking help, Stanhope ends up at a stately home with ties to her family past. Cue a classic country house murder mystery.
Atomic Love by Jennie Fields (Michael Joseph, £12.99)
Blending historical fiction, espionage and a tangled love triangle, this romantic thriller centres on a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project to design the atomic bomb. An affair with a colleague ended in heartbreak. Five years later and now in Chicago, Rosalind Porter is contacted by an FBI agent who suspects her former lover is selling nuclear secrets to Russia. Torn between love and duty, she embarks upon a dangerous mission against a backdrop of the early Cold War.
Loud Black Girls: 20 Black Women Writers Ask: What's Next? (4th Estate, £14.99)
Edited by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinene – the duo behind hit book and podcast Slay In Your Lane – this must-read anthology brings together essays from 20 established and emerging black British authors, journalists, actors, activists and artists (with a foreword by Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo). Topics range from the cultural impact of Marvel’s Black Panther to celebrating community activism and giving a voice to the next generation of women.
READ MORE: The 30 best autumn books for 2020 (Part 2)
The New Hot: Taking On The Menopause With Attitude And Style by Meg Mathews (Vermilion, £16.99)
Former music PR Meg Mathews made front page headlines as the hedonistic heart of the 1990s Britpop scene. These days she has taken on a new mantle: menopause advocate. This no-holds-barred guide is borne out of Mathews’ own experiences and peppered with anecdotal advice, alongside informative insight from experts and a raft of excellent tips, such as how to take control and what to eat to beat your hormones.
The Courage To Care by Christie Watson (Chatto & Windus, £16.99)
During her 20 years as a nurse, Christie Watson worked in A&E, psychiatric and maternity wards, paediatric intensive care units and resuscitation.
The Courage To Care is her second book and a potent reminder that in grave time of need, nurses ensure we are not alone. Testament to its title, Watson joined the Covid-19 emergency nursing register in March and worked in critical care during the first wave of the coronavirus.
The Home Edit Life by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin (Mitchell Beazley, £25)
We’ve all been spending more time around the house lately, so it is little wonder that The Home Edit on Netflix has become essential viewing. The lifestyle series follows Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin as they organise other people's wardrobes, kitchen cupboards and living spaces. We're talking precision, colour coding and the beautiful curating of everyday objects. And it is glorious. This gorgeous book demonstrates how to apply The Home Edit principles to every part of your life.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Viking, £14.99)
House of Games and Pointless presenter Richard Osman holds a new record for the fastest-selling adult crime debut, with more than 45,000 copies of The Thursday Murder Club snapped up in three days. His novel is set in a quiet retirement village where four unlikely friends meet each week to investigate unsolved murders. When a grisly killing takes place on their own doorstep, the quartet are thrown into the midst of their first live case.
READ MORE: The 30 best autumn books for 2020 (Part 2)
The Haunting Of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story by Kate Summerscale (Bloomsbury Circus, £18.99)
Flying crockery, toppling wardrobes and a terrapin appearing out of thin air are among the myriad curious events that unfold as Kate Summerscale – author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher – delves into the 1930s case of the “Croydon poltergeist”. It tells the real-life story of Alma Fielding, who found herself the focus of a seemingly bizarre, often terrifying, paranormal phenomena, and Nandor Fodor, the investigator who attempted to uncover the truth.
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