Touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear

If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this

Big-hearted novel. By turns charming and shocking, it's both a deftly-woven mystery and a redemptive family drama - and I was cheering July on all the way

July Hooper is such a brilliant creation - smart, inquisitive and determined - that you'll be rooting for her every step of the way as she unravels the mystery of her own life in this captivating story.

Tenderly told and utterly compelling, this coming-of-age mystery is as full of twists and surprises as it is of heart. July is an unforgettable lead - I loved following her back to the 90s!

Stick What July Knew by Emily Koch on your TBR pile - it's a beautiful coming of age story that will break you then make you as July navigates her quest to find out the truth about her mother. Outstanding. One for Joanna Cannon fans

What July Knew is a quirky, original, and immersive read. I was rooting for July on her quest to uncover what happened to her mother. A gloriously nostalgic and affecting read

This book broke my heart. I adored July's voice throughout. Heart-wrenching, deeply moving and so compelling, July and Sylvie's story will stay with me for a long, long time

Hugely enjoyed this story of a brave 10-year-old girl seeking the truth about her mother's death. Beautifully written and full of warmth, nostalgia and the complex, unsettling emotions of family life.

A moving and heartfelt mystery. Funny, thrilling, nostalgic and deeply affecting. Emily Koch is such a wonderful storyteller.

A heartstopping, heartbreaking, heartwarming drama. I was with brave and funny July down every alley, wrong turn and misstep until she finally found out the shocking truth. She'll live on in my imagination for a long time

A compelling, dark tale ... an enthralling central character. What July Knew is a seamless canvas of how secrets affect a family dynamic and the powerful consequences when they are revealed. A coming-of-age story quite unlike any other. Brilliant!

Intriguing, with an unravelling mystery that really kept me guessing. The story is a rollercoaster which increases in intensity as the pace ramps up towards the denouement, and I was bereft when I finished as I wanted to still be reading it!

What July Knew is a compelling story about growing up and grief told in the fresh and innocent voice of a child. I was gripped.

Come for the 90s nostalgia and stay for the warm and unforgettable protagonist. I rooted so hard for July and will always remember her.

What July Knew is a winning blend of sweet, nostalgic, compelling, shocking and heartbreaking. I defy readers not to root for July as she searches for the truth about her mother

What a wonderful story. Full of vivid characters, but mostly of course, July.

Heartbreaking, joyous and deeply compelling, What July Knew is a beautifully-told tale of great loss and great hope. I loved it.

The plot is full of extremely satisfying twists and turns. Koch has written other thrillers, but this is destined to be her big breakout.

[What July Knew is] touchingly effective in conveying the oppressiveness of a childhood lived in fear

Compelling plot, this is an emotional read

Fans of Joanna Cannon's The Trouble with Goats and Sheep will devour this

Totally heartbreaking, but also uplifting, this is a real gem of a read

Extraordinary and Sinister. The mystery overlaps with blackmail and revenge in a dark and convoluted plot that takes the breath away.

A stunning, clever and ingeniously plotted thriller with jaw-dropping gasp out loud twists

'Be careful who you root for, as no character is safe in Sarah Pearse's new novel The Retreat. In the spirit of a true thriller, the tension is taut and the suspense is real as the pace builds to a heart stopping finale. A triumphant second novel, which is no mean feat.'

'Sarah Pearse is an expert at building tension and then holding us suspended until we're on our last nerve. The Retreat is utterly thrilling and destined to be yet another must-read from the queen of the murderous holiday read.'

Wonderfully atmospheric, frequently surprising and cleverly plotted. If you loved The Sanatorium, you'll never want to leave The Retreat.'

A story as unsettling as the island that serves as its setting. Don't trust anyone at The Retreat.

Deliciously paced with rich worldbuilding, The Retreat teems with questionable motives, unspoken frustrations, and hair-raising cliffhangers. I absolutely could not put this book down!

'Dazzling and inventive, like an Agatha Christie mystery split open by a heatwave. The Retreat is transporting, with an unforgettable setting and a complex web of secrets. I didn't want it to end.'

'The Retreat is a delightfully creepy thriller set in a fantastic gothic location. I loved it!'

What Harris does here is nothing short of masterful.

Harris displays an impressive grasp of the historical context without taxing his readers by showing his 'workings'.

Based on real and fascinating history, this is Robert Harris's best since An Officer and a Spy

Pacy and tense, and the pungently evoked past offers up some shrewd present-day parallels

An absolutely stunning historical novel and a ripping crime thriller at the same time. I've been recommending it far and wide and buying it for people for Christmas!

The best historical fiction combines a gripping plot with meticulous research - leaving the reader inspired to learn more about the real-life protagonists. And the latest release from Robert Harris once more proves his mastery of the genre

I loved Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, which achieves the astonishing feat of taking 17th-century events and people and telling their stories in 21st-century language without a single seam showing

Thrilling

This is a novel that asks big historical questions. You could read it as a pure thriller, and it is one of Harris's most compellingly paced to date. You could read it as a piece of intelligent historical immersion. I think it is more; I think it is his best novel since Fatherland.

It's a belter.

If only all historical thrillers could be this entertaining.

In this tense and beautifully written account of the ensuing manhunt, Harris brings sympathy to characters on either side of the civil war that divided a nation.

A brainy, compulsive page-turner.

A violent, gripping, globetrotting chase thriller

He’s my go-to person that I know will keep me entertained

[A] rich, propulsive novel