As the pages of the calendar turn to February chances are you have already finished any new books you received from Santa. Here are a few suggestions to escape the winter weather…
by Andrew Hirst
Maxwell’s Demon
by Steven Hall
The author of the acclaimed Raw Shark Texts second novel is another free-wheeling psychological metafictional thriller which looks at the magic power locked inside the alphabet, love through the looking glass, the bond between parents and children, and, at its heart, the quest for meaning in a chaotic and untidy world. The story starts when Thomas Quinn receives a seemingly impossible voice message, he can’t help but wonder if Andrew Black – a legendary, reclusive mystery writer and his father’s protégé – is somehow involved. Thomas knows that Black can’t be trusted, that he should be avoided at all costs. But as the search for answers spirals into an examination of the nature of time, entropy, the true forms of angels, fictional stalkers and the secrets of the nativity set… Thomas realises that he might not have a choice.
Lovers of this genre will soon fall for this engaging page turner. It has been 15 years since Hall’s first novel, but I can definitely say it has been worth the wait.
Release date: Out now.
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Author of the is a New York Times best seller The Guest List sees her new mystery released later this month.
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there…
Release date: 22 February.
Spark
by Mitch Johnson
An explosive, action-packed new adventure for middle-graders from the Norwich based award-winning children’s author of Pop.
Ash has always lived in Last Village, lonely since the day his father left and never came back. The world is unbearably hot, water is drying up, and life is hard. After a vicious thunderstorm, Ash wakes to find that the village’s water has completely run out, and all the other villagers have mysteriously disappeared.
Accompanied by the outcast Bronwyn, Ash sets off in search of water, for answers about the villagers, and with hope they might find ‘The Kingdom’ – a rumoured land to the north where life still flourishes. They must survive
a journey fraught with dangers. Lying in wait are the answers Ash is searching for, and maybe even the truth about what happened to his father. If only he could get past The Wall…
Release date: 3 February.
Top Girl
by Danielle Marin
Top Girl is the tell-all, true story of a grammar school girl turned county lines drug dealer. Danielle has a safe, happy childhood growing up in West London, but her bright future fades as she turns her back on school for gang life and crime.
Betrayed by the police after a brutal gang rape, she finds protection under the wing of organised criminals and falls in love with the local ‘top boy’. However, her allegiances bring terror to her doorstep when gun-toting rivals target her flat – and the authorities answer by taking away her baby. Her lifestyle is the envy of her friends, but the good times and cash mask the grim realities of her life.
Danielle’s gritty, emotional, no-holds-barred memoir lays bare the reality of a county lines insider and reveals the truth about life on the frontline of Britain’s biggest drug threat for a generation.
Release date: 3 March.
Steal
by James Patterson & Howard Roughan
Undoubtedly the world’s best-selling author James Patterson’s latest release with Howard Roughan is coming this month. The brilliant, crime-solving Professor Dylan Reinhart returns in the third thrilling instalment of James Patterson’s Instinct series.
Imagine everyone’s surprise when Carter von Oehson, a sophomore in Dr. Dylan Reinhart’s Abnormal Psychology class, posts on Instagram that he plans to kill himself. 24 hours later and still no one has seen him.
A massive search ensues. But when Carter’s sailboat rolls in with the tide without him or anyone else on it, the worst seems to be confirmed. He really did it… or did he?
Dylan now finds himself wrapped up in multimillion-dollar secrets and danger and it’s going to take every bit of his wit to stay ahead of his enemy.
Release date: 8 February.