Coming Soon

Thanks to NetGalley and some wonderful publishers I've had the chance to pre-read some exciting novels well ahead of time. So, here's a few much anticipated releases not due out until much later in the year – but all available to pre-order from your favourite bookshop.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (8 November 2022)

Harriet Reed, a novelist, is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir of an extremely powerful family. As Harriet is drawn into their lavish world, the family seems perfectly welcoming. So when Edward's father hands Harriet a tape of a book he's been working on, she is desperate to listen. But as she presses play, it's clear that this isn't just a novel. It's a confession. And, suddenly, the game is in motion. Harriet must work out if this is part of a plan to test her loyalty. Or something far darker. This might be a game to the Holbeck family but losing might still prove deadly.

In my opinion: ★★★★
Another really unique if slightly far-fetched storyline from an author I always enjoy. I was totally captivated by the frighteningly bizarre games the family played such as a treasure hunt where the losers' secrets will be exposed to the winning player and hide and seek in the pitch black with the seeker a terrifyingly realistic monster. The ending was a crazy blood bath but I didn't see the twist coming at all.

The Will by Rebecca Reid (10 November 2022)

Cecily Mordaunt is dead. On the evening of her funeral, her family will gather for dinner and each will be given a letter, revealing who is the next custodian of Roxborough Hall. The house is a burden, a millstone, a full-time job . . . but they all want it. And some are willing do anything to get it.

In my opinion: ★★★★
A unique and intriguing concept where at a ceremonial dinner the deceased's family are each given a letter revealing why they have or have not been chosen to inherit the family mansion. So of course there's various secrets and reasons why each might or might not be worthy of the house and a family of extremely interesting but flawed characters. The book switches POVs and timelines often, with all the characters getting equal air time and therefore my attention. However, only the eventual heir's story is ever completed, meaning the rest end up serving no real purpose. Similarly there were a few suspicious happenings that didn't really amount to anything either and so by the end I was left feeling 'is that it?'.