Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney
A savage killer stalks the streets of Birmingham, targeting young boys and tearing out their throats.
Most thirteen-year-olds would be traumatised if they found a body in such a state. But Ava isn’t like most thirteen-year-olds. Fascinated by the process of decomposition, Ava spends her time studying roadkill and is unfazed when she stumbles upon the body of a missing boy.
And while the police are stumped by the murders, Ava notices some unusual details and begins to formulate a very unexpected theory…
This pacy and unique crime novel had me hooked from page one. Perfect for fans of Chris Whitaker and Liz Moore. – Nethmi
Villager by Tom Cox
Having recently read a couple of Tom Cox’s non-fiction books, I feared that Villager couldn’t possibly live up to my hopes. How wrong I was!
In the west country village of Underhill, the stories of the inhabitants are partially narrated by the hill that watches over the village like a cynical and dubious deity. The story crosses hundreds of years into the past and future, each story taking root and resurfacing in a new time like modern legend.
You are introduced to a varied cast of characters who are all tied to the land or inspired by the local stories and music. There is an elusive musician, a sad man in his beach hut, an amateur painter, a widower watching the river rise, a music journalist and a talented young golfer. The themes of love, music, environment and rural life are explored with such playfulness and the most wonderfully quirky humour. – Katrina
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
An American spy, working in the private sector after being sacked by the security services, infiltrates a commune in rural France, intent on finding (or manufacturing) evidence of eco-terrorism.
At the same time, she hacks the group’s email and becomes obsessed with the group’s pseudo-deity, Bruno, a man nobody has seen in a quarter of a century, a mysterious philosopher intent on restoring the culture of the Neanderthal to curb the damages of modern progress.
This stunning novel may be framed as a spy narrative, but opens up to discuss philosophy and anthropology, satirises the bourgeois nature of eco-activism, and asks what is the true cost of human progress and capitalism.
Gripping, thought provoking, and always surprising, Creation Lake is one of the standout novels of 2024 and is very deserving of its place on the Booker Prize longlist. – Tom M
*Don’t miss our event with Rachel on September 18th – click here for tickets!*