Here’s a guide to some of the books you might want to pick up this month…
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel: A Miss Marple Mystery by Lucy Foley:
Arriving 50 years after Agatha Christie’s last Miss Marple mystery, Lucy Foley’s Murder at the Grand Hotel takes readers to Swiss Alps for a brand new murder mystery featuring the famous character. Filled with a variety of characters each with a motive when a guest of the hotel arrives in a gondola alive and later discovered dead the clock is ticking to discover who committed the crime before they strike again. It is set to be published on the 22nd September.
Styx: The River by Nikita Gill:
Nikita Gill’s latest book delving into the Underworld (following on from the excellent Hekate), reshapes Styx’s story and how she was able to carve her own path in the world having been overshadowed by her parents and unkind siblings. It is a story of identity, love, and war.
The History of the World: in 51 Heroes and Villains by Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook:
Discover the history of the world through some of the most prominent figures as Holland and Sandbrook invites readers to a shadowy realm where the divide between the noble and the nefarious isn’t quite as clear as it seems. Where saints can appear suspiciously traitorous, and scoundrels reveal unexpected glimmers of virtue – whether it is eleventh-century Japan or the studios of twentieth-century Hollywood.
The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain:
Following her books ‘Restoration’ and ‘The Road Home’, Rose Tremain offers a new perspective of Daphne du Maurier’s classic book ‘Rebecca’. The Housekeeper follows the story of Mrs Danowski – known as Danni, the housekeeper of a grand house on the wild coast of Cornwall. When a glamorous young writer, Daphne du Maurier, visits Manderville Hall to research her new novel, she and Danni are drawn into a clandestine and intoxicating affair. However, things change as Daphne releases her novel to great success, with Danni realising that she has been transformed into a malign and jealous character on the page. She seeks respite from the hurt by telling her own story…
All About My Mother by Rachael Stirling:
This mother-daughter memoir by Rachael Stirling not only brings to life her relationship with her mother Diana Rigg but also her mother’s life and supremely successful career. Becoming an icon at 27 and voted sexiest woman of all time forty years later, Diana Rigg was Emma Peel, the catsuited Avenger and 007’s only wife. She was known as Medea, Mother Courage, Mrs Danvers and Game of Thrones’ Queen of Thorns. This memoir will be extremely insightful, being written as it is by one of the people who knew her best.
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman:
This new book in the ‘We Solve Murders’ series sees Amy, Rosie and Steve ready to take on their new case. The story begins in the height of the Italian hills body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man. What follows is a chase around the world on search of a killer – but it isn’t going to be as easy as it seems with the number of suspects building up…
Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson:
Set to be released on the 10th September, Kate Atkinson’s new novel follows the story of a war-scarred journalist caught in the lives of a country rebuilding itself. Set in 1951, foreign correspondent turned war reporter Harry Flynn is in need of redemption, when the government announces The Festival of Britain, a celebration of the country’s creativity, grit and ingenuity. Having failed to resume his journalistic career, he reluctantly joins an oddball team of misfits, ne’er-do-wells and downright chancers helping to ready the Festival of Britain for launch.
Flynn’s attempts to resume some semblance of a romantic life also founder when one of his dates goes missing and he is deemed to be the last person to have seen her alive. Could he have been in some way responsible for her disappearance?
Little does he realize that the answer to some of his mounting problems may lie in the hands of a precocious, straight-talking thirteen-year-old called Veronica and a rather scruffy terrier who goes by the name of Mrs Betty…