For weeks she’s been saying it will be their special day. One last, perfect day with her children before she returns to work after maternity leave. What, she asks, is the worst thing that can happen? Unfolding over 24 hours, Natural Disasters by Lisa Owens is about the absurd, frustrating, hilarious, precarious, bittersweet, astonishing challenge of being a woman, a mother, a wife, a person, for one single, entire day. Hysterical. But true. Read it and weep. Virago
The Poppy Fields is the name of an experimental and controversial treatment centre that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain. Similar to a medically induced coma, they enter a long-term state of sleep … a minimum of a month, maybe longer. When they wake up, they will have avoided the harshest pain caused by their grief. The twist. One in four will experience the shadowy side effects … their emotions will be completely wiped out. On their way to the centre are four strangers … a firefighter whose brother died soon after leaving the Poppy Fields, an occupational therapist hoping to find relief from the pain of a lost love, a book illustrator looking for her sister, and a young free spirit. On the way to the fields, each of their past secrets and motivations come to surface … and they all contemplate how far they would go in order to be healed. Nikki Erlick’s book is a story of healing, self-discovery, forgiveness and found friendship. William Morrow
The perfect wife. The perfect life. The perfect nightmare. Faith is a beautiful trad wife social media star … handsome husband, five cute kids, millions of followers of their picture-perfect life. When they employ English content creator Melissa to promote their brand, she has no idea what she has signed up for. Because behind the veneer of domestic bliss lies a nightmare! Domestic bliss comes at a price in Carrie Huges’ The Trad Wife. Hera
It’s the Texas Lone Star Princess Pageant. Rhinestone heels and plunging necklines. And secrets from 25 years back. Now it’s all scores settled and beautiful liars … and death! Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox … beauty pageant turned crime scene. Hodder and Stoughton
These books will keep us up all night. Forget wine. We need coffee! Toko The Late Roast is dark (like the books), with flavours of Irish whiskey, oak and caramel. R250 for a tin of filter coffee from tokocollective.co.za
Hide and Seek is Chris Carter’s first stand-alone novel, and fans of his wickedly twisted Robert Hunter series won’t be disappointed. A woman finally manages to gather together the courage to leave her abusive husband, and has enough evidence to send him to prison. His last words to her … “I will be coming for you. No matter how long it takes.” She’s granted a new identity, takes off across the country, but constantly looks over her shoulder. She knows what her ex-husband is capable of. She finally feels comfortable enough to settle down … bad mistake! It reads like a thriller movie … it’s a hold your breath, heart-pounding read. Brilliant. Simon and Schuster
Cross Rivers is the kind of small town where everyone knows your name – and your secrets. Silas Tucker was destined for glory until a devastating accident brought him back to the place where his life fell apart … when he was a young boy, his father was gunned down on a deserted country road, the killer never brought to justice. Now, teenage girls are vanishing and the Southern Mafia’s shadow looms over his hometown. The community is terrified. The police need help. And Silas Tucker has nothing left to lose. In James Patterson and Mike Lupica’s The Country Road Murders, Silas believes when the law isn’t enough, sometimes you have to take justice into your own hands. Century
No killing close to home. No killing outside the Game. Those are the only rules the players of the game have to follow. The aim is simple … abduct and kill a stranger without getting caught. And the players are good. They’ve been playing a long time. But now the rules have been broken. And a private investigator is digging … and forced to confront a band of men without morality, and without loyalty. Murder, intrigue, revenge … A River Red With Blood is John Connolly’s latest dark thriller. Hodder and Stoughton
When alarms go off simultaneously around the world, creating panic, the signal is traced back to China. And as world leaders scramble to respond, two women are called to the White House. One, a first-generation Chinese-American food blogger, the other, her mother, a globally recognised human rights activist and advocate for a free and democratic China. The mother and daughter are estranged, and have to figure out how to work together as forces within both American and Chinese governments try to stop them. On top of this, they need to decode an old legend, and an old language invented by women, for women. The Last Mandarin written by the brilliant Louise Penny along with Mellissa Fung. Hodder and Stoughton
These, and more fab reads, from Exclusive Books
