From my desk to yours

Can you believe that next week is June!?! And you know what that means? Yes, it’s the long Jubilee weekend, but move over, Lizzie, because June is National Crime Reading Month!

Run by the Crime Writers’ Association in partnership with national charity The Reading Agency, NCRM is a festival that takes place throughout June across the UK and Ireland, culminating in the prestigious CWA Daggers ceremony at the end of the month. It aims to promote and celebrate crime reading across the genre through exciting events and activities in bookshops, libraries, museums, theatres and online.

This year, I’ll be supporting by sharing all the crime books I’ve been loving and the ones that I think you should be reading too (I mean, we have the long weekend, so why not put your feet up with a good book?!)

On 1st June, we’ll be kicking off with a bumper post, with not only an author Q&A but also a GIVEAWAY! Who says no to free books? So be sure to check in to be in with a chance of winning!

If you’ve got any suggestions for titles I should include in my round up this month, or just want to share what books you’re loving at the moment, then pop them in the comments below and #PickUpAPageTurner!

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🥳📚Happy Publication Day to NEVER TOO LATE, the latest in the Sally Rigby’s Sebastian Clifford Private Detective series.

I was so thrilled to be asked to work with Sally on this project, not only because it’s set in my home county of Leicestershire, but also because Sally’s a smashing writer!

Whether you’re new to Sally’s writing, or a die-hard fan, this is a fantastic crime read. And if you’re fan of Sally’s Cavendish and Walker series, you’re in for a treat, as your favourite duo make more than just a cameo in this novel. But fear not, if you aren’t familiar with the series, this is just as gripping a detective novel, all the same!

Over the Christmas holidays, I’d reached a bit of a rut in my personal free-time reading, with so many novels feeling a bit generic, but as soon as I picked up The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan, I was hooked and I could barely put it down. Despite the fact that I read psychological thrillers by the bookcase-load, the latest novel by the Sunday Times bestselling author feels fresh and the characters and voice so authentic! (Her best, yet, perhaps!?!)

Set in a holiday home on the wilds of a Northumberland moor, this is a tense and gripping exploration of the toxicity and fragility of friendships and the secrets that people hide from each other. Longtime fans of Gilly’s writing are going to love this novel – this one certainly does! – but also I’m sure it’s going to inspire many more readers to pick up Gilly’s books.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Gilly on one her previous books, The Nanny, so I was delighted to be part of the blog tour for The Long Weekend. Despite being super busy preparing for publication day, Gilly was lovely enough to answer some of my burning questions on how the novel came to be, but also how she always gets her legendary twists so right!

One of the best parts of working with authors is seeing their work get better and better with every manuscript, and A J Wills is one such superstar. I’ve worked with Wills on two books so far, and each time he’s brought an even more thrilling concept to the table – earning himself a Selfie Award nomination in the process. With a flair for creating complex characters and hooks that you just can’t resist, you can’t go far wrong with an A J Wills thriller.

It was an utter joy to work with A J Wills on his latest novel, NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE, an electrifying psychological thriller that poses questions about how one careless action can snowball into tragedy. And revenge.

I was delighted to get the chance to ask A J Wills some questions ahead of publication day – today – discussing what inspired him to write thrillers, and why keeping things close to home makes the twists all the more unnerving.

Christmas time is not only a time for joy and laughter, but it’s also a time to take a step back and slow down; enjoy some time to kick back and relax after what has, quite frankly, been one heck of a year. With that in mind, I’ve curated a list of Christmas-themed crime and thriller novels to get you in the mood for the holidays and for you to indulge in with your favourite tipple and a mince pies. These reads will have you gripped to the edge of your seat from Christmas Eve all the way to New Years day!

Whether you’re looking for a read for yourself, or a present for the crime fiction lover in your life, click the images to find out more – and try to shop indie if you can! If you’re after gift ideas for your writer friends, check out my Shop Small Gift Guide for writers, or why not give the gift of editing this year?