To save your child, you must open The Box.
An ordinary family. But it’s falling apart. The father’s been accused of sexual assault, his house is being picketed, his son won’t talk to him, and now his daughter’s disappeared. Add to that, his DNA is found on the body of a young woman and a nationwide manhunt follows. Things aren’t looking good. Is he a sexual predator? Or the victim of a conspiracy? Dan Malakin says the answer’s in the box. Viper • There’s never been an Eve Dallas thriller we haven’t loved. Nora Roberts, writing as JD Robb, has set Desperation in Death in New York forty years in the future … specifically in a place called the Pleasure Academy … a living nightmare of a destination, where abducted young girls are trapped, trained, and then auctioned off to the highest bidder. It’s a little more disturbing than most of her books – child trafficking, with fairly explicit descriptions. Piatkus
New on the bookshelves
On the bookshelves … just in time for Summer pool-side reading. Just add a G&T.
Love a JP Delaney (pseudonym for Tony Strong, who’s written under a few other names, too). My Darling Daughter sees a woman contacted on social media by a daughter she gave up for adoption years before … a young woman who appears to have secrets, of her own and of her birth mum. A terrific domestic thriller. Quercus • A New Year Eve’s party, with a generous, wealthy host and a host of locals, invited to drink champers and enjoy the party. But not everyone’s there to celebrate, and by midnight the host’s dead, and the local detective has a village full of suspects. Clare Mackintosh introduces DC Morgan in The Last Party, a brilliantly smart read to keep you guessing. Sphere • How far would you go for the thing you want the most? Would you … Kill For It? A game of cat and mouse in the media world work place … and there can only be one winner. A thrill-a-minute from Lizzie Fry. Sphere • A whopping big fat – almost 600 pages -of heart-stopping thrills. Quarter to Midnight is the first in Karen Rose’s new series, set in New Orleans and featuring a tough team of high-end private investigators who are after justice – no matter what they have to do to get it. And it takes some work to get to the heart of this …dirty cops, and a web of crimes, corruption, and murder that runs all the way to the top. Headline • Everyone wanted her life. Someone wanted her dead! Set in the dorms of Oxford University (where a student finds her room-mate strangled) and the streets of Edinburgh, Ruth Ware’s The It Girl switches between before and after, deals with the effects of trauma and survivors’ guilt, and will keep you guessing until the end. Simon & Schuster
Also look out for … two love stories
If you knew how the love story finished, would you turn the first page? In Molly James’ Skip to the End, Anna knows, from the first moment she kisses someone, how the relationship will end. And their appears to be many, many unhappy endings. Until, at a wedding, she drunkenly kisses three men. And one … he’s THE ONE! Small prob. She can’t remember which it is. Great fun … a proper beach read for the upcoming hols. Quercus • Sticking with love. In Holly Williams’ brilliant debut, What Time is Love, a couple meet and fall in love in 1947. And 1967. And 1987. And each time they meet, they’re 20. What, they need to ask themselves is, if they’ve met the right person, but at the wrong time. A wonderful love story, and a clever look at the changing world. Orion
Perfect gifts for fashionistas …
The Little Books of Paris Style by Alois Guinut and London Style by Karen Homer. Fashion stories of these iconic cities … full of info about street style, icons and influencers, classic designers and so much more. From Coco Chanel to Mary Quant, Jean Paul Gaultier to Zandra Rhodes, they’re lovely illustrated guides to the brands, trends and people of these fashion capitals. Welbeck
All these available at Exclusive Books – exclusivebooks.co.za
Boxed wine … it’s a good thing!
We’ve just come back from an island holiday where we drank Pearly Bay every night, and it’s really lovely. So, massive excitement when we discovered that they’ve launched a generous 3-litre box version. Easy drinking, value for money, environmentally friendly with sustainable packaging, and perfect for outdoor living and entertaining. A trio of delish options … the crisp and refreshing Dry White (all tropical fruit), a fruity and fresh Smooth Red (with an abundance of berries) and a Sweet Rosé (hints of strawberries, luscious berries and fragrant rose petals). Around R129.99 a box from your local bottle stores. Details: Pearly Bay Wines on Facebook and @pearlybaywines_sa on Instagram.
Compiled by: KYM ARGO
