From the Welsh mountains to a New York bar to Mallorca … travel through the pages of this month’s book club reads.
There are only nine criminals in the UK who, due to the atrocity of their crimes and for their own safety, have been granted lifelong anonymity. But what if someone exposes their identities to the families of their victims … family who are desperate for revenge? In Eye For An Eye, MJ Arlidge gives a fictional version of this truth … that criminals are hiding in plain sight. Making everyone a suspect. Anyone could be a killer. Who deserves justice? And who gets to decide. A cracking, 500+ page chilling read. Orion • A summer love affair on a remote Greek island, between teenager Rachel and a man almost 20 years her senior. A man she’s never forgotten, never fallen out of love with, despite being married to someone else. But a chance meeting with an old friend forces her to re-examine her memories of that golden summer, and confront the truth about the relationship, and about her time working for an enigmatic and wealthy man on the island. In The Girls of Summer, Katie Bishop asks ‘what if everything you remember was a lie?’, and explores the unsettling and complicated nature of memory and trauma, power and consent, victimhood and shame. Penguin
Two strangers meet by chance. Two women who are both desperate for revenge against the men who they say destroyed their families. Over drinks in a New York bar, they come up with the perfect plan. One will kill for the other. And vice versa. Could it be the perfect murder plan? Steve Cavanagh’s Kill For Me Kill For You … a thriller with twists that you just don’t see coming. Headline • They say the camera never lies. But on this reality TV show, you can’t trust anything you see. Set in the Welsh mountains, it’s all about exposing – and keeping – secrets, with stakes higher than the seven contestants taking part could ever have imagined. Clare Mackintosh’s DC Ffion Morgan thriller A Game of Lies has twists on twists … it’ll keep you guessing until the last page. Little Brown
A world’s most valuable missing painting. An art restorer and spy. A beautiful computer hacker and professional thief. And a billion-dollar business deal. Daniel Silva’s The Collector is about much more than the missing masterpiece and daring heist … it’s a conspiracy that, if successful, could plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions. Harper Collins UK
It’s London, April 1943, with the war raging in Europe. And Woman’s Friend magazine has a new owner, one who plans to destroy everything the readers love about the mag. But Agony aunt Emmy Lake is going to save the day! Mrs Potter Calling by AJ Pearce is a charming, joyful read. Picador
A lovingly restored Mediterranean home. A new wife. Spanish police asking awkward questions. The inheritance of a dilapidated Mollorcan farmhouse turns out to be more complicated than initially thought in JP Delaney’s The New Wife – creepy, chilling and tension-filled. Quercus
Shari Lapena’s latest thriller, Everyone Here Is Lying, is a real one-sitting read. A local girl goes missing from her home in a family-friendly neighbourhood. A father – devastated about the end of an affair – loses his temper. Witnesses are lying. And there’s a twist around every corner. Penguin
This wine, says the winemaker, goes well with sunshine. Could there be a happier pairing? We think not. Vondeling Petit Blanc Chenin Blanc 2023 also goes well with prawn risotto, lobster, soft cheeses … a trio of our favourite dishes. We’re sold! The full, fresh wine has a striking, pale lime colour, with pronounced tropical scents – think guava, passion fruit, and melon with an interesting floral, potpourri twist. And on the palate … white peach, kiwi fruit, and pink lady apple, underpinned by a delightful flinty freshness and delicate citrus finish. It’s vegan friendly, eco conscious, and book club price friendly – R105 from vondelingwines.co.za
