Dinner plans were cancelled (and it was promising to be a great dinner). Steve Cavanagh’s Two Kinds of Stranger is an edge-of-your-seat read, and there was no chance of putting it down for a dinner date. The story of a woman who has it all … dreamy husband, perfect apartment, the ultimate job. She’s an internet celeb, known for her random acts of kindness. #RAK. But when she’s betrayed, live on social media, millions of people are watching. She’s already lost everything … then an apparently chance encounter with a stranger and one of her #RAK plunges her into a nightmare. Featuring Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn, it’s a nail-biting thriller. Headline • In Last Chance, Stephen Leather has Spider Shepherd infiltrate a group of professional killers, known as The Office, who’re carrying out hits for the Iranian government across the European continent. The targets are wealthy and privileged, and after a slew of murders in London, MI5 has had enough. The Office must be destroyed. And obvs Spider – the secret services’ most dangerous weapon – is the man to do it. Hodder & Stoughton
We adore Shari Lapena’s books. In She Didn’t See It Coming, Bryden and Sam have it all. Thriving careers. A smart apartment in a luxury building. A cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple. Until Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden – working from home that day – has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. After collecting her, he races home, where he finds Bryden’s car in the underground garage, her laptop open on the table in the apartment, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall. Everything’s normal … except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out. But how can she have disappeared from her own home? And did she even leave the building at all? Twists and thrills from start to finish. Penguin Random House
Starting at the end, and ending at the beginning, Kill Your Darlings is the story of Wendy and Thom Graves. He’s become a bit of a disappointment to her – what with his drinking, flirting, and knowing too many of the couple’s deadly secrets. So Wendy thinks it best she get rid of him. That way she’ll also bury the secrets that bind them. Peter Swanson’s mystery will have you speed reading … anxious to find out what the secrets are that make Wendy so desperate to kill Thom off. Faber
The Woman in Ward 9 is Laura. One who has no idea why she’s lost her memory, or why she was found covered in someone else’s blood. And Emma is a psychologist – the only person Laura will talk to. Emma has six days to help unlock Laura’s memories – and to find out what she’s hiding! Headline • Nightmare stuff. A bus driver and ten pupils – ranging from first to sixth grade – are hijacked and kidnapped, then put into a shipping container buried underground. Not a great day for driver, Jessa, who’s trying to stay under the radar since she lied on her job application about her past, or for 12-year-old Sage, exhausted after looking out for her younger sister all afternoon. The kidnappers promise everyone will be let out once a ransom has been paid. But it’s dark. It’s cramped. And it’s getting more and more difficult to breathe. Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W Ihli … a massively suspenseful read. Pan Books
Let The Bad Times Roll by Alice Slater. When her brother goes missing, his worried sister Caroline hosts a dinner, hoping to gain some insight from those who knew him best. There’s just one stranger at the table, a psychic who claims to have met the missing man some time before. Before the dinner’s over, doubt blooms, tempers fray and secrets spill. Hodder & Stoughton • Never Flinch by Stephen King. The police receive a letter from someone threatening to ‘kill 13 innocents and 1 guilty’. A women’s rights activist’s event is being disrupted. Two unrelated events converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion. Hodder & Stoughton
For these and more brilliant reads, visit exclusivebooks.co.za
Syrah is one of the most compatible wines to enjoy with food and one of the most generous wines to enjoy with friends. Launching this month, the 2022 La Motte Syrah was matured in 300-litre French oak barrels for 15 months … the violet red-hued wine has aromas of ripe mulberries, black olive and a subtle hint of aniseed, while the palate has a fresh and juicy profile with a smooth, mellow texture, brimming with vibrant cherry fruit. The medium-bodied wine character is wonderful with rich, flavourful dishes, grilled foods (including grilled vegetables), game dishes (particularly those incorporating stewed fruit and sweet aromatic spice components), peppercorn-crusted steaks and barbecued meat in a sticky, sweet marinade. The wine’s abundant fruit also latches on to the sweetness in jelly, chutneys and berry sauces.
Details: la-motte.com
