Shutterstock©REVIEWED BY LINDA HILL
It’s certainly getting colder and darker as the months go on, so why not cosy up in the evenings with a great book? We’ve picked 5 crackers to light up your autumn!
Linda’s top 5 books for autumn 2024:
“Estella’s Revenge” by Barbara Havelocke, Hera, RRP £9.99
Dickens’ Miss Havisham might be the world’s most famous jilted bride but her daughter, Estella, has her own story – and her own expectations. Estella is trained to harden her heart to love and knows she doesn’t feel emotion quite like others do. But is the darkness inside her more than just a product of her upbringing?
Finding herself married to the abusive Drummle, Estella soon learns her survival depends on her wits, her deviousness and her determination to get her revenge – at any cost…
“Estella’s Revenge” is a dark, gothic and wonderful reimagining of Estella, ranging over two equally compelling timescales. It’s a story that hits right at the heart of who we are and how we are made. And Estella isn’t finished with us yet! Don’t miss this exceptional new series.
“Murder by Candlelight” by Faith Martin, HQ, RRP £9.99
Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift, author of “The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting”, is staying at the Old Forge in the quiet village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh to investigate a possible ghost. Arbie finds himself playing detective when his host, Amy Phelps, is found dead. With all the windows and doors to her room locked from inside, how – and by whom – was she killed?
Drawing on the Golden Age of crime fiction this is a fabulous romp of Cotswolds cosy crime that is witty, devious, fast paced and totally absorbing.
“The Inheritance” by Cauvery Madhaven, Hope Road, RRP £12.99
It’s 1986 and Marlo O’Sullivan has inherited a cottage in the stunning Beara Peninsula where he goes to escape the startling news that his sister is, in fact, his mother.
Drawn into the community, and falling in love, Marlo finds his new young acquaintance Sully is obsessed with an imaginary friend in the ancient oak forests of Glengarriff. As events unfold, a 400-hundred-year-old tragedy reveals itself.
“The Inheritance” is a beautifully told and mesmerising story blending love, acceptance, forgiveness and belonging.
“Nature Tales for Winter Nights” by Nancy Campbell, Elliott and Thompson, RRP £9.99
A treasure trove of nature tales from storytellers across the globe, that brings a little magic and wonder to every dark night.
With the clocks changing at the end of October, this is the perfect companion to a chilly evening. Dip in at random to discover beautiful illustrations, well known names and a whole host of brilliant new writers who evoke the season through poetry, prose and acute observation whilst leaving the reader with a true sense of hope for spring.
“The Good Liars” by Anita Frank, HQ, RRP £9.99
In the summer of 1914, a boy’s disappearance on Stilwell land is overshadowed by looming war. By 1920 the Stilwells no longer have the respect they once held as owners of the now decaying Darkacre Hall.
Detective Sergeant Verity is about to unsettle their lives further as he uncovers dark secrets and dangerous truths from their past – and no-one is entirely safe.
“The Good Liars” is a superbly crafted tale of deception, murder and retribution, with just a hint of ghostliness that holds the reader totally spellbound.
Don’t miss book reviews, great fiction stories and serials in the pages of “The People’s Friend”, out every Wednesday.
