The husband-and-wife team behind Nicci French are back with their latest thriller…
Fiction
1. Dealing With The Dead by Alain Mabanckou is published in paperback by Serpent’s Tail, priced £14.99 (ebook £8.99). Available January 16
“Dead men tell no tales” is not a truism that holds up well in the work of Congolese writer Alain Mabanckou. Dealing With The Dead, his latest novel, begins with young sapeur Liwa Ekimakingaï, addressed as “you” throughout, emerging from his grave in the second-class cemetery of the port of Pointe-Noire.
Dazed, he recalls his four-day-long funeral, overseen by Mâ Lembé, the grandmother who raised him. Other ghosts cross his path and relate their stories, warning Liwa against returning to town, but the narrative culminates as he spurns their advice and goes in search of answers and revenge.
Mabanckou sketches the eccentric cast of local characters, living and dead, with satirical wit and loving detail, though they materialise in the novel only fleetingly.
The brutal and dramatic climax arrives abruptly but amply demonstrates that in a society where superstition, corruption and violence intermingle, the dead are often the ones to be listened to the most.
6/10 (Review by Joshua Pugh Ginn)
2. The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French is published in hardback by Simon & Schuster UK, priced £18.99 (ebook £11.99). Available January 16
The Last Days Of Kira Mullan by Nicci French is the 26th novel from the acclaimed writing duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The story begins with Nancy and Felix relocating from East to West London after Nancy experiences a harrowing mental health crisis. Their lives take a dramatic turn when their new neighbour, Kira Mullan, dies by suicide. While everyone around her, including Felix, the neighbours, and the police, believes Nancy’s fragile state of mind might be clouding her judgment, Nancy becomes convinced that Kira’s death is suspicious.
Nancy’s relentless pursuit of the truth leads to unexpected friendships, betrayals, and hard-earned new beginnings. This engrossing novel is brimming with vibrant characters making the story unforgettable. Among them, Maud stands out as a gritty, quirky personality whose tenacity, toughness, and vulnerability serve as the perfect counterbalance to Nancy. Maud’s role ties the narrative threads together in a compelling way.
I found myself rooting for Nancy throughout, empathising with her struggles and determination. The novel kept me captivated until the very end, delivering a surprising and satisfying conclusion, everything you’d hope for in a great read.
10 /10 (Review by Amanda De Beer)
3. Forbidden Games by Katee Robert is published in paperback by Mills & Boon, priced £9.99 (ebook £4.99). Available January 16
Booktok favourite Katee Robert returns with a double dose of spice for romance publisher stalwarts Mills & Boon. This is romance, but not as your parents or grandparents will remember.
Forbidden Games is a book of two halves, Make Me Want and Make Me Crave. Both stories have strong-minded women at their core – in Make Me Want, lawyer Lucy has her eye on making partner, and after a rocky couple of years in the love department, she decides to take control and hire someone to find her the perfect husband. Make Me Crave follows a philanthropic business owner who has gone on holiday for the first time in 10 years, only to have a one-night stand with the man trying to pressure her into accepting investors for her women-focused fitness company.
Katee Robert tows the line between sweet romance and fiery desire. However the lines of consent are blurry and perception is a tricky thing.
If you want to warm up a dreary January commute or sit with something not too serious, this is a hot snack of a read.
7/10 (Review by Rachel Howdle)
Non-fiction
4. Make Change That Lasts: 9 Simple Ways To Break Free From The Habits That Hold You Back by Dr Rangan Chatterjee is published in paperback by Penguin Life, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now
Many ‘New Year, New You’ books focus on transforming health in a physical sense or changing your habits through practical advice. What makes TV’s Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s new manual so refreshing is that it delves deep into why we might have developed certain, unhelpful habits in the first place – helping readers identify what has been tying you down and aiming to work towards minimal reliance on those unhelpful habits.
Chatterjee addresses habits you might not have considered to be connected to health, like a need to be liked, an expectation that things can never go wrong, or a reliance on what you find comforting – rather than what will help you grow.
It made me think about my health in a much wider sense. Broken up into clear, helpful sections, it’s very user-friendly, and includes several case studies of his patients. Because it aims to change how you think (before what you do) it feels actionable, with a power to make authentic, longer-lasting change to your mindset – and therefore your life.
9/10 (Review by Lauren Taylor)
Children’s book of the week
5. Never Dance With A Dinosaur by Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Marc Boutavant, is published in paperback by Bloomsbury Children’s Books, priced £7.99 (ebook £6.39). Available now
With joyful. vibrant illustrations by French artist Marc Boutavant, this is a story of finding happiness through movement, feeling like you don’t fit in but staying true to yourself anyway.
Peri loves dancing but her personal style (wild, loud and stompy) doesn’t quite align with the elegant, controlled movements in a ballet class. After feeling sad for a while, the rhythm takes over and she dances anyway – a bit, as she imagines, like a dinosaur would – and finally finds her place.
It’s perfect for toddlers and older, my four-year-old loved it, and parents will approve of the strong, empowering message.
8/10 (Review by Lauren Taylor)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 4
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
2. Quicksilver by Callie Hart
3. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
4. The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakimi
5. In Too Deep: Jack Reacher by Lee and Andrew Child
6. Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
7. Precipice by Robert Harris
8. The Party by Tessa Hadley
9. There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
10. Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Want:Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous by Gillian Anderson
2. I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart
3. The Book of Gifts by Lucy Claire Dunbar
4. A Pawtobiography: My adventures on Gone Fishing by Ted the Dog
5. Pinch of Nom ALL IN ONE:Brand-new, One-pan Slimming Meals by Kay Allison and Kate Allinson
6. The Food For Life Cookbook:100+ Recipes Created with ZOE by Tim Spector
7. Open When…A Companion for Life’s Twists and Turns by Julie Smith
8. PATRIOT by Alexei Navalny
9. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
10. Private Eye Annual 2024 by Ian Hislop
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
2. Make Change That Lasts by Dr Rangan Chatterjee
3. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
4. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
5. I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart
6. Shakespeare: The Complete Works by William Shakespeare
7. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer
8. The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase
9. Unruly by David Mitchell
10. The Four Thoughts That F*ck You Up … and How to Fix Them by Daniel Fryer
(Compiled by Audible)
