Until the Last Light Goes Out by Courtney Gould

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, PTSD, trauma, blood, injury, bullying

The concept of this was fantastic and I enjoyed the way it explored the lingering effects of trauma & intergenerational trauma in particular. However I was not a huge fan of the ending and found the pacing slightly hit and miss.

After the Storm by G. D. Wright

🧠

CW: death, death of a child, murder, violence, stalking, suicide

Stomach-churning concept and a brilliant opening chapter. However I really couldn’t get to grips with the characterisation and was not on board with the ending.

The Defence by Steve Cavanagh

⭐️🧠

CW: death, murder, violence

After seeing Cavanagh speak at Harrogate this year, I wanted to come back to the Eddie Flynn series and work my way through. What a bombastic and brilliant opening this is to the series.

Her Rising Flame by Cliodhna O’Sullivan

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, sexual harassment, assault, torture, injury

This is a sensational sequel that continues an adrenaline-inducing story all about the rippling effects of our choices and the corrosive effects of power, enforcing a cycle of perpetual violence and oppression.

Full review here.

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

🧠

CW: medical trauma, blood, childbirth, sexism, misogny, sexual harassment, sexual assault

This was frankly the scariest book I have read all year. It just descends into chaos and madness and these wild stories that are true and about some of the most powerful people & corporations on the planet.

Full review to come.

Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, gaslighting, manipulation, blood, addiction, PTSD

I really enjoyed the set-up of this and the peek behind the curtain at the pageant world, which is cutthroat and so focused on maintaining the perfect image. What I think fell down slightly for me was the ending.

Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, paedophilia

The writing was so good – atmospheric and characterful in a way that completely grips you. I think I found the pacing uneven at times and elements of the characterisation didn’t quite sing for me. I am excited to see more from Hannigan though.

I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, fire, grief, arson, cheating

Liang’s writing just always enraptures me. She has this way of creating characters that pull you into their world and believe it. This is quite a dark book but still has hope and heart.

Yearning Difficulties by Elle McNicoll

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: ableism, sexism, bullying, harassment

This is a picture-perfect YA contemporary romance that continues a series that has found a place in my heart. It is essential autumnal reading, curl up with a hot drink, a blanket and let McNicoll sweep you into the story.

Full review here.

The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, sexism, fire, arson

And with that, The Inheritance Games series is finally over. I do think it got a little over-extended and therefore this conclusion suffered as a result. Individual aspects were satisfying but as the ultimate ending, it was a little below par for me.

Fall from Grace by Leye Adenle

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, indoctrination, racism, sexual assault, rape

This has a great premise and I enjoyed the characterisation. While I appreciate this is a start of a series, I do prefer a slightly more self-contained story and felt like too many threads were left hanging.

The Golden Child by Lucinda Berry

🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, addiction, gaslighting, manipulation, car accident

This has a wonderful dilemma at its heart but I did feel like it was often just replaying this over and over. The ending was interesting but fairly predictable and wasn’t quite for me.

Nobody Deserves This by Andy Callahan

🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, grief, torture

The intermittent chapters were genuienly chilling and I liked Callahan’s craft. I just think the pacing was completely off for me and the actual story a little underwhelming compared to the expectations I had going on. Could have had a stronger exploration of class and privilege too.

Eden Falls by Ajay Chowdhury

⭐️🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, torture

Unfortunately this was another case of fantastic premise and not quite the execution I was looking for. Chowdhury does a good job of balancing the technological and thriller elements but it dragged a little for me at times and the ending wasn’t quite for me.

The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

CW:  death, murder, violence, gore, body horror, racism, sexism, sexual assault, harassment, injury

This is a story all about appetite and ambition. It asks how far we would go to make the world bend to our will and raises questions about power, structural inequality and acts of violence as reckonings.

Full review here.

If We Were Cursed by Lisa M Sylvan

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, grief

I really enjoyed the throughline about grief and different ways of grappling with it. For me, I wasn’t so keen on the relationship dynamic but the mystery was interesting and the pages kept flowing.

The Domino Man by Helen Jones

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, dismemberment, beheading, stalking, abusive relationship, PTSD

This is an excellent debut with sharp characterisation and a compelling plot, offering new light on cold cases and a particuarly brutal one here. I think this is the start of a brilliant series!

Full review to come.

How the Other Half Lie by P. C. Roscoe

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, abusive relationship, coercive control, blood

Roscoe has such a flair for exploring rich people behaving badly and we return to this world once again here. It is a compulsive read with plenty of twists and turns and a romantic thread I enjoyed too. Keeps you guessing until the final page.

Full review to come.

When the Night Comes Knocking by Katherine Daniel

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, trauma, PTSD, traumatic flashbacks

This was exceptionally good horror. Really got under my skin and made me jump at any knocks at my window. It is psychologically tormenting with a brilliant examination of grief and guilt.

Full review to come.

Cherry by Rose Wilding

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, obsession, hallucinations, injury

This got off to such a strong start but petered out a little for me. It was a tight portrait of obsession but then stepped a little sideways for my tastes.

The Party in the Woods by Fiona McPhillips

🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, grief, PTSD, traumatic flashbacks, addiction

I think the main kernel of this story is interesting but I struggled to root for any of these characters, as they were just deeply unlikeable and I could not understand their motivations or decisions.

Even Your Bones Would Do by Claire Schultz

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, sexism, grief

This is a hauntingly lyrical take on a familiar tale but with a distinctive twist that makes it stand out from the crowd. Schultz’s prose shimmers with tension and the threat of violence is omnipresent.

Full review to come.

All That Remains: A Life in Death by Sue Black

🧠

CW: genocide, war, violence, gore, death, murder

Dame Sue Black was one of my favourite speakers at Harrogate Crime Festival and her work is just like her, hugely intelligent and informative but also caustic and deeply humourous in an incredibly dark way. This taught me so much. What a refreshing way to look at death and consider our own mortality.

The Game of Oaths by S. C. Bandreddi

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, injury, racism, xenophobia, classism, sexism

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA fantasy that has a deeply understandable motivation at its heart and this vividly imagined murder game meets magic. A wonderful cast of characters and sumptuous world-building to boot.

Full review to come.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, violence, sexism, rape, child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, pregnancy, childbirth, misogny, forced institutionalisation

Hendrix truly is a name you can rely on in the horror genre. This is a more grounded offering looking at the real-life historical horrors enflicted upon women and their chilling modern counterpoints but does have a fantastical thread woven in too.

The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, classism, sexual harassment

I really loved this historical murder mystery which was slightly on the cosier side but still with a substantial body count. It treads the line between humour and darkness very well. Excited to pick up the sequel!

The Magpies by Mark Edwards

🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, stalking, harassment, miscarriage, blood

This was another chilling work from Edwards. Takes an excellent concept and spins it into something unfathomably twisted and evil. Now I understand a few references from other books and will finish this story too.

White Smoke by Nick Brucker

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, torture, slavery

This is a heist novel like no other. That pitch of Conclave meets Ocean’s Eight is accurate but the biggest selling point of the story for me was the characters. They were three-dimensional and unforgettable, layered and harbouring plenty of secrets which are slowly revealed over the course of the book.

Full review to come.

The Plea by Steve Cavanagh

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, gore, shooting

This was another Eddie Flynn book and I do have to ask if Cavanagh will ever let him be happy for five minutes or more. Sharply plotted, incisively written and with characters that sneak into your heart.

Dead Teenager Movie by Cethan Leahy

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, gore

I liked the slasher vibe of the set-up and some of the themes being explored around class, but it tapered off quite quickly for me. The plausibility got stretched too far personally and the pacing suffered too.

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, injury, gore, child sexual abuse, paedophilia

I liked the way Harrison looked at the figure of the werewolf and the idea of trauma transforming who you are. For me, some aspects were just resolved too quickly and too neatly.

Milk, Bread, Teeth by Amy Twigg

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, body horror, gore, animal death, animal cruelty, blood, injury, bingeing

Your new Weird Girl Lit superstar has arrived. This was the type of book that creeps under your skin. It is obsessed with appetite and self-image, gorging itself over and over again.

Full review to come.

Murder on the Mistletoe Express by Katy Watson

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, infidelity, stalking, gaslighting

I really love the Three Dahlias series and this brings us back to them in a classic mystery scenario, the gorgeous luxury train full of the beautiful elite. As usual, Watson delivers the perfect mix of cosy and compelling with a real edge of darkness bubbling underneath.

Full review to come.

Tylor Whitlock Just Won’t Die by Kendall Annette

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, grief, stabbing, gore, infidelity

This has such a fantastic take on a closed-loop slasher, blending it with a YA mystery and elements of romance. It is a gorgeous character study and a creatively compelling whodunnit wrapped up in one.

Full review to come.