My huge thanks to Jo Bennet at Oneworld for sending me a copy of Charlotte Levin’s latest book, Outside, in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share my review of Outside today.

Outside was published by Oneworld imprint Magpie on 6th August 2026 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

Outside

Following a tragic incident, rising-star Beatrice is struggling. Having retreated from life entirely, she finds herself unable to leave the house. With her acting career now over, (Though don’t tell her agent), and discovering who her real friends aren’t, her world has shrunk—its only inhabitants, an elderly Polish neighbour, the world’s most boring postman, her therapist with issues of her own, and Piano Bitch from across the road. Thank God for Matisse, her beloved, foul-mouthed parakeet.

When she hires Irish gardener, Finn, to tame the overgrown garden that she cannot even enter, things take an unexpected turn. Their connection blossoms, and she’s no longer isolated and alone. But can a relationship survive the restrictions that control her, or will love enable Beatrice to confront her fears and step outside again?

My Review of Outside 

Beatrice cannot leave the house.

Oh my word. Outside is magnificent and I loved it. Before I forget, when you read Outside, afterwards make sure you also read the Author’s Note for a real insight into humanity that will break your heart.

Essentially, in terms of action, the plot to Outside is relatively simple as it illustrates Beatrice’s struggles with her inability to leave the house, but that completely belies the enormous impact of the narrative, the pivotal moments, the skilful and compelling structure and the absolute assuredness of presenting a flawed and struggling character. 

The seasonal, Before, and Now sections oscillate through the narrative in a manner that mirrors Bea’s own unstable emotions so that the impact is felt even more strongly. Her declining mental health is depicted with devastating insight. Much of how Beatrice feels will resonate with readers, and whilst her physical response to her emotional turmoil may be extreme, Charlotte Levin presents it so authentically that it is mesmerising. 

If that sounds unremittingly bleak, rest assured that Outside may be emotionally impactful, but it is also funny, hugely relatable and actually very reassuring. The inclusion of Matisse provides Shakespearean light relief and, as well as shedding a tear, I laughed aloud at times. Outside is filled with compassion, hope and life. I loved the references to music, nature and the performing arts because they added reality beyond Beatrice’s confined life. Whilst Beatrice may be having therapy, her experience is simultaneously therapy and balm to the soul of her readers. 

Beatrice is one of the best defined characters I have encountered in fiction. She is grief stricken; she’s often selfish, irrational and stubborn. Frequently she will say or do audacious things rather than present others with the truth of her illness. She also has resilience (far more than she gives herself credit for), a huge capacity for love and the strength of character to survive. I adored the way forgiveness in all forms was explored in Outside, through what we learn of Bea’s parents, and Bea’s relationship with Finn, Jonathan and Zoey because the theme helps shape who Bea is and enhances our understanding of her. 

Other themes are woven into the narrative with compelling dexterity. Charlotte Levin explores friendship, family, duty, guilt, grief, betrayal and so many aspects of life that we can all relate to, making Outside incredibly impactful, especially when the seemingly sanguine Finn is shown to have problems of his own. These people don’t feel like characters in a book, but rather they appear like you and me, our friends and neighbours, providing a sense of belonging as well as brilliant entertainment.  

I thought Outside was superb because it’s layered, interesting and, rather like an Exocet missile, creeps up on the reader and hits them with such emotional force that the impact is tremendous. What Charlotte Levin does in Outside is to show that we are all messy, complicated individuals and, most importantly, she gives us permission to be human. That’s a wonderful thing to do. 

About Charlotte Levin 

Charlotte Levin is the bestselling author of If I Can’t Have You and Richard & Judy Book Club pick, If I Let You Go – emotional yet darkly humorous character-led novels that centre on the morally grey, the outsiders, and those who could probably do with some therapy.

She has been shortlisted for the Andrea Badenoch Award, part of the New Writers North Awards, and has written for publications, including The Observer and Marie Claire.

Charlotte lives in Manchester with her cats Opal Moon, Leonard, and Walter.

For further information, visit Charlotte’s website and find her on X @tinycharlotte72, Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook.

I’m not entirely sure which lovely publicist sent me a surprise copy of A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger, but if it were you, then thank you so much. I’m delighted to share my review of A Fatal Love today. 

I have previously reviewed Louisa’s The Dragon Lady here, and her The Paris Muse here.  

A Fatal Love was published by Bloomsbury on 27th August 2027 and is available for purchase through the links here. 

A Fatal Love

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before…

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington – the assistant to Ruth’s trial lawyer – tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

My Review of A Fatal Love

A factual reimagining of the life of Ruth Ellis. 

It doesn’t matter whether a reader has a passionate interest in Ruth Ellis or has no idea who she is. A Fatal Love can be read and fully appreciated as an intelligent and compelling novel without any concept of the protagonist. The inclusion of real people like Stirling Moss adds interest and the 1950’s nightclub settings are just brilliantly depicted. 

However, A Fatal Love is the most assured, sensitive and assiduously researched insight into a female murderer. I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that I enjoyed A Fatal Love because it made me furious, it made me uncomfortable and it ensnared me rather like a car crash. I almost didn’t want to know what was happening, but I couldn’t look away.

Given that I knew the outcome, I was fascinated to read some of the real story behind Ruth’s murder of David Blakely. There are so many layers explored within their relationship that, although this is a slim volume, its gravitas is immense. Through Ruth’s life and her affair with David we see the impact of institutionalised sexism, of overwhelming desire, of nature and nurture, of family, addiction and the strata of society. I think it’s impossible to read A Fatal Love without wanting to rage like Lear in the storm. I loved the inclusion of Kitty as part of Ruth’s defence team because she gave me hope and emphasised the feminist strand in the narrative.

David, however, I loathed with a passion. Weak, self-centred, violent and despicable, I got to the point where I could cheerfully have shot him myself. But it is David who caused me the greatest dilemma in reading A Fatal Love. I so despised everything he stood for that he coloured my attitude towards Ruth.

Louisa Treger’s depiction of Ruth Ellis completely confounded me. How could such a determined, hard working and feisty young woman be so undone by her love for a man that she would tolerate his dreadful behaviour to the extent of abandoning her children and being prepared to give up her life? I wanted to hate her for it. And yet, I was mentally supporting her every step of the way. Her vulnerability, the way she has been treated from childhood, her desire to improve and make something of herself whilst held in the thrall of an intense and irresistible passion are such compelling positives. In A Fatal Love, Louisa Treger has depicted Ruth Ellis as a complex woman, but, above all else, as brilliantly human. 

A Fatal Love will leave readers thinking about Ruth continuously. She engendered so many conflicting emotions in me as a reader, the greatest of which was probably sorrow. I wept for her. It will also raise uncomfortable internal debate about capital punishment, the patriarchy and the horrible realisation that 70+ years on from Ruth’s story, very little has truly changed. 

I thought A Fatal Love was utterly compelling. Be prepared to experience the full gamut of emotions if you read it. Oh, and be sure to read the Afterword and author notes too. They are utterly fascinating. 

About Louisa Treger

Louisa Treger, a classical violinist, studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher.

She subsequently turned to literature, earning a Ph.D. in English at University College London, where she focused on early-twentieth-century women’s writing and was awarded the West Scholarship ‘for distinguished work in the study of English Language and Literature.’

Louisa’s first novel, The Lodger, was published in 2014, and her second novel, The Dragon Lady, was published by Bloomsbury in 2019. She lives in London.

You can find out more by following Louisa on Twitter/X @louisatreger,  or visiting her website. You’ll also find her on Facebook and Instagram. 

My enormous thanks to Mikka at Everything With Words for a copy of The Silver Bones of Frances Winter by Fiona Goggin. It’s my very great pleasure to share my review today.

The Silver Bones of Frances Winter is published by Everything With Words on 24th September 2026 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Silver Bones of Frances Winter

‘I swear I can hear the creak and crack of my bones growing in the night. The weight of them, a whale washed up on the shore, the rusting carcass of a ship. My growth is an unstoppable force, impossible to contain. Where will it end? That is forever my question.’

At eight years old, Frances is almost the same height as her father; by sixteen, she is over six feet tall.

As she continues to grow to an extraordinary height, Frances seeks a way to reduce her size and struggles not to lose herself in the process; desperate to remain hidden, while longing to be seen, and loved for who she is, all of her. But the streets of Victorian London are not an easy place to be a woman – least of all one as striking as Frances. Wooed by the showman of a questionable ‘theatre troupe,’ taken in by shrewd spiritualists and charmed by a collection of hedonistic Pre-Raphaelites, Frances must reckon with what it means to inhabit a body that does not conform; grappling with how the world sees her versus who she is discovering herself to be.

My Review of The Silver Bones of Frances Winter 

Frances Winter cannot stop growing.

The Silver Bones of Frances Winter is utterly glorious and I loved it.

Fiona Goggins doesn’t just write about the past; rather, she immerses the reader in it so that they live and breathe the streets of 1850s London, the ale houses, the quackery, the food, the poverty and riches, the charlatans, the art and the general society. The writing is beautiful, scenic, brutal, realistic and so vivid. Frances’s first person account feels equally compelling, being intimate and enthralling. It is a real privilege to be allowed a glimpse into her life and personal thoughts. 

Frances is wonderful. Unable to stop growing she is treated as a freak; at best an inconvenience to her father and as a curiosity to others, and frequently as an object of fear and ridicule to many who encounter her. As a result, it is impossible not to take her to your heart. Her relationship with her sister Emily is beautifully depicted. The mixture of love and jealousy Frances feels towards the conventionally beautiful and feminine Emily is so realistic. There are moments when her pain is almost unbearable to witness. Fiona Goggins’s skill in writing deep emotion is superb. 

Consequently, given such sensitive insight by Fiona Goggin into Frances’s mind and emotions as she struggles to come to terms with her increasing height, is impossible not to feel every hurt, every embarrassment and every pain with her. Frances truly is an unforgettable character. Her story might be set in a wonderfully described historical era, but her struggle with body image, her desire to conform to perceived societal perfection and her desperation, both literally and metaphorically, to fit in, feel modern and universal. The Silver Bones of Frances Winter is simultaneously comprehensive and unique.

It is utterly heartbreaking to witness how Frances is treated and used by others. The title of the book couldn’t be more apt. Inside, Frances has a character that should shine bright like silver but her spirit has been dulled and tarnished by the treatment she has received, as externally her giant stature means she is treated as a commodity for others to manipulate and exploit to suit their own purposes. Even those with more altruistic motives use Frances to inspire their work or to make them feel better about themselves regardless of the effect on Frances. The Silver Bones of Frances Winter put me in mind of Judas’s pieces of silver because Frances is so betrayed, and this story is equally as impactful. 

There are captivating adventures in the plot for Frances that make for great reading, but essentially it is the journey of self discovery that is so affecting. Themes of trust, betrayal, and familial love weave into the plot and the moments when Frances realises she has also been self-deceptive are profound and moving. 

The end of The Silver Bones of Frances Winter is superb. It draws together all the threads without sentimentality so that the feeling of having encountered a real person in Frances is intensified. I thought The Silver Bones of Frances Winter was absolutely brilliant. It’s definitely written with compelling and convincing skill, but above all else it is written with compassion and understanding. I adored it. Do not let The Bones of Frances Winter be a quiet book that passes you by. Read it! 

About Fiona Goggin

Fiona Goggin was inspired to write based on a lifelong love of Victorian gothic novels. She completed the Curtis Brown Creative Three-Month Novel-Writing course in 2021. Fiona has two young children and works as a library assistant in a local public library in Kent. She loves spending her days talking to readers, young and old and everything in between.

For further information, find Fiona on Instagram.

I’m incredibly grateful to Philippa Cotton at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of Eyes on You by Adele Parks and am delighted to share my review today.

Although I have reviewed Adele Parks for national magazines, it’s far too long since I reviewed her here on Linda’s Book Bag. 

Eyes on You was published by Harper Collins imprint HQ on 27th August and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

Eyes on You

Be afraid. Someone’s watching.

At fifteen, Amy witnessed her father brutally murder his secret lover. Her testimony sealed her father’s fate. With him in prison, Amy and her mother must rebuild their lives in the shadow of a notorious crime.

Years later, Oliver Harrington walks into the restaurant where Amy works. Just like Amy, Oliver has a past he’d rather forget. Amy is drawn to him at a profound level; they feel a connection, an understanding…

This seems a lot like love, but does it hide something darker – an obsession that could lead Amy into a web of deception and violence she thought she’d escaped? As the truth looms ever closer, Amy must confront a harsh reality: where there is love, there is often betrayal.

My Review of Eyes on You

When Amy was fifteen she saw her father murder his lover.

Wow. Eyes on You is utterly compelling and impossible to put down without a feeling that the reader is missing the action. I loved it.

The plot is magnificent, keeping the reader guessing throughout and threaded with clues that seem inconsequential but, on reflection, are brilliantly incorporated. Structured in a way to draw in the past to the present, it is impossible to guess all the outcomes, because Adele Parks is so skilled in manipulating both characters and readers. In fact, it’s quite hard to review Eyes on You without spoilers, but believe me when I say it is a must read book.

Amy’s first person narrative in Eyes on You is brilliant. I found myself completely fascinated and, actually, somewhat compromised. The writing means that the reader is placed inside Amy’s mind and that isn’t always a comfortable place to be. I had no real control over what I was feeling because Amy ensnared me completely so that I almost became her. The research that went into creating Amy must have been thoroughly assiduous and comprehensive because she is totally, totally convincing. She’s vulnerable and strong, needy and independent, strong minded and indecisive – in effect a complex, believable and terrifyingly real person.

I found Oli equally engaging. I didn’t trust him at all, but I’m not going to say whether I was right in that, as you’ll have to read Eyes on You for yourself to find out. Both Oli’s and Amy’s backgrounds are fascinating insights into the roles of nature and nurture. As their relationship develops, there is a lurking sense of unease and danger that adds to the attraction of the narrative.

In fact, whilst Eyes on You has everything a reader wants in plausible characters, a thrilling plot and some highly dramatic moments, it is also a superb exploration of theme. Adele Parks considers justice and revenge, family and parenthood, social strata and mental health so that, although Eyes on You can be read as a compelling and riveting drama, it has additional depth, interest and magnetism that make it a truly fabulous read. 

In case it isn’t obvious, I thought Eyes on You was brilliant. It’s a stunning read and definitely one not to be missed. 

 About Adele Parks

Adele Parks MBE is the author of twenty-five bestselling novels including the recent Sunday Times hit Just Between Us and the audible number one sensation One Last Secret. Over 6 million English editions of her work have been sold and she is translated into 31 different languages.

Her number one bestsellers Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck were both shortlisted for the British Book Awards and have been optioned for development for film & TV.

63,000+ 5 star reviews have kindly been written by her fans on Amazon

She is an ambassador of the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency: two charities that promote literacy in the UK.

Adele was born in North Yorkshire and has lived in Botswana, Italy and London and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey.

For further information, find Adele on Instagram @adele_parks and Facebook @OfficialAdeleParks or visit her website for more information.

Had I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons not been the chosen book for this month’s U3A reading group, I doubt I would have encountered it. I’m so glad I did and it’s my pleasure to share my review today.

I, Mona Lisa was published by Penguin in paperback in 23rd February 2023 and is available in all formats through the publisher links here. 

I, Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa has hung in the Louvre for over two-hundred years. She has watched alone in silence as millions of people have admired her behind the glass.

Now, she is finally ready to tell her own story.

Over five centuries, from da Vinci’s bustling Florentine studio to the opulent French court, Mona will be desired, stolen, heartbroken, curious, furious, and above all, she will be heard.

 My Review of I, Mona Lisa

The life of the painting Mona Lisa told through her own voice.

What a remarkable book. Initially I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it as it took me a while to adjust my reluctant acceptance of a first person narrative told by a painting. I didn’t much like Mona Lisa either to begin with. However, my prejudices were entirely that – prejudice based on ill formed opinion, and I confess I was entirely wrong. I ended up being mesmerised by Natasha Solomons’ narrative.

It’s impossible to overstate the exquisite, meticulous and fascinating research that has gone into I, Mona Lisa. The historical details, the real people and places, and the superb insight into art that meld into the most convincing, sensuous prose, all provide a unique and spell-binding story. So vivid are descriptions, that Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings and drawings become instantly recognisable and the settings are fabulous. The narrative is an aesthetic delight – not least because of the realism included. 

Whilst the reader is given huge insight into the artist, and thereby becomes almost as obsessed by Leonardo da Vinci as is Mona Lisa, it is the painting that is the star of the narrative. I love the bold first person signifier of the title, because even though Lisa becomes all things to all men over the centuries as they try to define and possess her, her sense of self is never diminished in the story. What made me despise her initially made me admire her later. I, Mona Lisa is a feminist text every much as it is a mesmerising imagining of the famous painting. 

Indeed, it is the themes like feminism in I, Mona Lisa that are the greatest triumph for me as a reader. The sense of obsession and love, the depiction of power and corruption, the insight into greed and jealousy are all brilliantly illustrated. But above all, the sense of grief is utterly compelling. Lisa may be an unfinished image, but she is a fully emotional person too.

Whilst I usually zip through books, I, Mona Lisa took me ages to read. It is so intense, so intimate and so intricate that I needed time for my brain to assimilate and appreciate what I’d read. Honestly, I began reading I, Mona Lisa thinking I might not finish it, and ended up being stunned by its brilliance. It might be for every reader, but I thought it was wonderful. 

About Natasha Solomons

Natasha Solomons is the author of five internationally bestselling novels, including Mr Rosenblum’s List, The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and The Gallery of Vanished Husbands. Natasha lives in Dorset with her son, daughter and her husband, the children’s author, David Solomons with whom she also writes screenplays. Her novels have been translated into 17 languages. When not writing in the studio, Natasha can usually be found in her garden.

You can find Natasha on X @natashasolomons, and Instagram.

My enormous thanks to Suk Pannu for arranging to have Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts sent to me after we chatted at Capital Crime and to Felicity Denham for making sure it arrived. I so enjoyed Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone (reviewed here) and am delighted to share my review of Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts today. 

Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts is published by Harper Collins imprint Hemlock and is available for purchase through the links here. 

Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts

It’s the most glamorous event of the year

Mrs Sidhu has snagged the contract of her life: catering the grand opening of Berkshire’s new art gallery.

But there’s horror among the hors d’oeuvres

Then the gallery’s star painting is stolen, and Mrs Sidhu’s favourite waitress is left dead on the floor.

Now it’s caterer vs murderer

The odds are stacked against her, but Mrs Sidhu is determined to crack the strangest case of her career and serve up her signature dish: just desserts.

My Review of Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts

Mrs Sidhu is catering a prestigious event. 

Hurrah! It’s always an anxious time when reading a second book in a series in case it doesn’t quite match up to the first (Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone) but I thought Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts was even better. It felt a little bit darker this time because of Daisy’s demise, but that served as a contrast to the wit and humour threaded throughout so that the narrative is completely engaging. Suk Pannu’s observational eye for who we are is a truly winning feature of the story.

The plot is stunning, being twisty and packed with action. I made several incorrect guesses as I was duped by the writing, just as much as Inspector and Mrs Sidhu are so that I felt immersed in the action. Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts races along making it impossible to put it down. I think what works so well is the plausibility of red herrings and the hugely satisfying end to the narrative. The story is completely absorbing.

I loved the development of Mrs Sidhu. She retains all those features of a typical Indian ‘Auntie’ that were in the first book, but this time there is more of her internal persona so that she comes to life even more. She retains her obsession with food and solving (interfering in) crimes so that she feels familiar. However, her stultifying grief at the loss of her husband, her frequent suppressed anger and some surprising actions give her an edgier and thoroughly compelling aspect. I adore her relationships with Burton and with her son Tez as she realises Tez isn’t just a child. Mrs Sidhu begins to understand her own loneliness, making me want Burton to fall in love with her but you’ll need to read Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts to discover if this happens.

Underpinning a warm, witty and engaging story are affecting, relatable and engaging themes of self-awareness, humility and pride, loneliness, friendships, relationships and an assiduously researched insight into the world of art. These combine into a really absorbing story.

I think Mrs Sidhu’s Just Desserts is a fabulous cosy crime. It is also a wonderfully observed insight into humanity. Entertaining, engaging and exciting, I think it deserves a top slot in the genre. Make sure you read it. 

About Suk Pannu

Suk Pannu wrote for Goodness, Gracious, Me and five series of the Emmy Award winning Kumars at No. 42. He’s written for BBC’s My Family and is a regular contributor to TV and Radio sketch and topical shows with spells on The News Quiz, Swinging, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive.

His debut cosy crime novel, Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone was published by HarperCollins in 2023.

For further information, follow Suk on X @SukPannu, Bluesky and Instagram. 

My grateful thanks to Caitlin Moran at Harper Collins for sending me a surprise copy of Playing the Field by Tabitha Webb. It’s my pleasure to share my review today.

Playing the Field was published by Harper Collins imprint HQ on 30th July 2026 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

Playing the Field

An escape to the country never looked so good…

Eliza Fox is down and out in London. 38-years-old with no savings, a boss with a diva complex, and a boyfriend who is shagging his secretary, it is definitely time to call a halt to city life.

So, Eliza straps her sequins and heels into her trusty yellow Citroen, and arrives windswept and exhausted into Farmington. Her to-do-list for her fabulous new life is simple: locate an acceptable flat white outside London, pay off her mounting debts, and absolutely do not fall for any devastatingly handsome farmers.

But when she spots local heartthrob Luke Stanley emerging shirtless from a lake, like some sort of rural Poseidon, Eliza wonders if she might just be in for the ride of her life…

My Review of Playing the Field

Eliza’s relationship has broken down. 

Anyone who thinks all the most exciting action takes place in the big city needs to read Playing the Field! Eliza’s relocation to Farmington sees her plunged into a passionate affair, and includes a cast of characters that are a microcosm of the greater world. I loved the fact that there are people of all ages in the gossipy village because it added different perspectives and interest. 

Eliza’s life is so complicated that reading Playing the Field is a real roller-coaster. Tabitha Webb intermingles a steamy developing love affair between Eliza and Luke with village life, weddings, puppies and a smattering of celebrity, in a manner that feels fresh and modern to read. Playing the Field has several well written spicy scenes that are occasionally quite explicit but which add to the enveloping sense of attraction between Eliza and Luke. 

Luke is a glorious heartthrob, but what sets him apart from stereotype is that, whilst he is physically perfect and does have secrets of his own, he is not the conventional Darcy-esque brooding hero, but rather is an open, generous and reliable individual. This serves as a brilliant contrast to the more mercurial Eliza who runs away from her own problems and refuses to trust her own judgement. 

I confess I didn’t initially warm to Eliza. Certainly I was sorry for her that her so-called partner Henry was so unfaithful, but her seeming obsession with rebound sex felt a bit too prevalent. However, as Playing the Field developed, I realised this aspect was part of her own self-deception and an aspect of Eliza becoming more comfortable in her own skin whilst learning what is really important to her. From being unsure about her at the start I found myself urging her onwards and I was desperate for her to recognise Luke’s true worth! 

Indeed, whilst Playing the Field can be read as a straightforward sexy romance, if the reader looks more closely they discover a depth and breadth of emotions from love to jealousy, and insecurity to determination. Tabitha Webb explores the difference between lust and love and illustrates how age differences between partners, nationality and romance for those more mature in society are all part of the rich tapestry of love. Other themes explore first love, infidelity, the need to have our own identity beyond marriage and parenthood and, really fabulously, how friendships and communities function. All these elements make the story thoroughly engaging.  

Playing the Field is sheer escapism in a fun, sexy romp that is highly entertaining and that has added depth. I raced through it and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

About Tabitha Webb

Tabitha Webb is a British fashion and homeware designer, author, and broadcaster. She launched her eponymous womenswear collection in 2015. For five years, Tabitha wrote a monthly fashion and lifestyle column for HELLO! Magazine. She is also a regular podcast guest, public speaker, and commentator on fashion, interiors, and entrepreneurship.

In July 2026, Tabitha launched a collaboration with PRAI Beauty and Marks & Spencer, alongside her new YouTube channel and podcast, Tabitha Talks Love.

An accomplished author, Tabitha’s second romance novel, Playing the Field, follows her debut novel No Regrets.

Tabitha lives in Hampshire with her husband, Gav, and their two daughters, Betsey and Primrose.

For further information, visit Tabitha’s website, or find her on Instagram. 

It has been my pleasure to know Elly Griffiths for some years and to have interviewed her too. However, I simply haven’t read enough of her books, so I’m thrilled to share my review of the opening story of the brand new Ali Dawson detective series, The Frozen People, not least because The Frozen People has recently been awarded the prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the year for 2026.

You’ll find Elly featured here on Linda’s Book Bag on other occasions.

Available in all formats, The Frozen People is published by Quercus and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

The Frozen People

Ali Dawson is a police officer working on crimes so old, the joke goes, that they are not only cold but frozen. What most people don’t know is that the team travels back in time to complete their research – a process pioneered by the mysterious Italian physicist, Serafina Pelligrini.

So far the team has only ventured a few years back but Ali’s boss has a new assignment for her. He wants her to step back to 1850, the heart of the Victorian Age, to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of Tory MP Isaac Templeton.

To prepare for the challenge ahead, Ali researches the Victorian era. She learns that Cain Templeton was part of a sinister group called The Collectors, the rumour being that you had to kill a woman to become a member. Duly prepared, she arrives in London in January 1850, at the peak of the so-called mini ice age, to start her journey in a house used by artists, with a dead woman at her feet.

Soon she finds herself in extreme danger. Even worse – she appears to be stuck, unable to make her way back to the present, to her life and to her son, Finn.

My Review of The Frozen People

Ali Dawson is a time travelling detective.

What a fabulous book. The Frozen People is Elly Griffiths at her very best as a consummate story teller. No wonder this is a prize winning book. I absolutely loved it.

The plot of The Frozen People simply hums with authenticity, blending modernity with Victorian London perfectly. The sights, sounds, conventions and society of 1850 are so astutely depicted that it is as if the reader has been transported back in time with Ali. It feels all the more satisfying because Elly Griffiths weaves in those prosaic aspects that are usually skated over or ignored, such as personal hygiene. Not only does this add realism, it creates humour. Indeed, The Frozen People is frequently witty and all the more engaging as a result. 

I thought the story was completely fabulous. Interwoven with references to literature as well as containing highly dramatic moments, there’s a captivating narrative that is spell-binding. What I thoroughly enjoyed was the way Ali is left hanging in Victorian London whilst the story switches to her son Finn so that the reader experiences at first hand Finn’s desperation to know what has happened to her.

Both Finn and Ali are magnificent characters. The mother son relationship is brilliant and I really appreciated the naturalness between them. It is so refreshing to have a feisty protagonist in Ali who is believable, likeable and strong without cliched ‘detective problems’ such as bitterness in failed marriages, volatile anger or illicit substance addiction. This makes Ali hugely appealing. It’s not to say that she is one dimensional, but rather that she is a mother and a woman confident in her own skin who is not averse to taking matters into her own hands. I cannot wait to discover what happens to her in the future as seeds are sown throughout The Frozen People. Ali is an absolute blinder of a character.

I loved, too, the themes of The Frozen People. There’s a real sense of history and a subtle look at race and gender without the heavy handedness of an axe-grinding agenda so that the reader has cause to reflect almost without realising it. There’s loyalty, trust, relationships, a sprinkling of feminism and a lightness of touch in examining how historical and modern societies function. 

I absolutely adored The Frozen People. It’s the perfect embodiment of how to write a crime mystery. Forget readers who will inhale this series as that goes without saying, but aspiring writers will learn so much from its superb crafting. Fantastic book! 

About Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths is a multi-award-winning author and a No. 1 bestseller. She has written numerous crime novels for adults; four for children, and a volume of short stories. Her books for adults include the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries, the Brighton Mysteries and the Detective Harbinder Kaur series, as well as The Frozen People and The Killing Time, the first two books in the Ali Dawson Mysteries. Elly’s many accolades include the CWA Dagger in the Library, the Edgar Award, the Fingerprint Award for Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award, as well as the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year Award. Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband and their cat, Pip.

You can follow Elly X @ellygriffiths, find her on Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook or visit her website for more information.

Having absolutely adored Frank & Red by Matt Coyne (reviewed here) and it being one of my books of the year in 2024 I genuinely let out a yelp of pleasure when a surprise copy of Matt’s second novel, The Trouble with Sister Francis arrived. I cannot thank enough Joe Thomas at Headline. It’s my pleasure to share my review of The Trouble with Sister Francis today.

Published by Wildfire on 27th August 2026, The Trouble with Sister Francis is available for pre-order through the links here. 

The Trouble With Sister Francis

Sister Francis is an unlikely nun.

She’s sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club.

Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet.

Set against early 1980s Britain, The Trouble with Sister Francis is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope.

And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything. 

My Review of The Trouble With Sister Francis

In the early 1980s, young lads Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan encounter Sister Francis.

I confess that having so utterly adored Matt Coyne’s first novel Frank & Red, I was apprehensive about The Trouble with Sister Francis. What if it didn’t live up to my expectations? It didn’t. It exceeded them! I completely adored this book too. I’m going to struggle to review it because I don’t want to give anything away and really just want to say ‘Buy the book because it’s brilliant…’ 

The 1980s setting is superb. The sweets, the music, the clothing, the vocabulary used by the lads attending the local church club, all of them combine into the most vivid sense of time. So too does the thread of The Journal of Reginald R. Hartfeld 1938-1941 [Abridged] which presents the life of an evacuee and gives an insight into the war years.

It is the bringing together of these two eras that is so compelling. As Rich, Kenny, Bennet and Stan find themselves drawn into Sister Francis’s orbit, the two time frames support some of the major themes of Matt Coyne’s story. He explores societal convention, a sense of duty and responsibility, and all manner of weighty concepts with the lightest of touches so that the reader fails to recognise the impact and importance of his story until it hits them hard in the solar plexus. However, the most profound aspects are the themes of friendship, belonging and home. Matt Coyne’s ability to convey meaning as well as entertainment is remarkable. Through fantastic humour – and I literally laughed until I cried, and couldn’t breathe, on more than one occasion – and heart-rending emotion – I wept inconsolably too – Matt Coyne entertains, educates and completely blindsides his readers. Truthfully, The Trouble with Sister Francis is one of my all time favourite reads. 

And what a person Sister Francis is. Her unconventional feisty nature, her quietly ironclad control and her hidden softness make her simply wonderful. She might be a nun, but she’s a rule breaker unafraid to turn a blind eye when necessary and so uncompromising on occasion that grown men quake in their boots when she has them in her sights. Reading about Sister Francis made me laugh and cry, but it also made me cheer aloud and fist bump the air even as she made me reflect on true humanity, compassion and empathy. Reading about Sister Francis does not leave the reader unchanged or emotionally unscathed. I’ll be thinking about her for a very long time. 

The characters are actually all stunning. Except for Father Sheridan and a couple of others whom I would quite cheerfully throttle, I think of them with such affection and fondness that it’s hard to grasp that they are not real people. It is impossible not to have your heart broken by Kenny. He put me in mind of so many of the underprivileged youngsters I taught in the past, as did all the boys, because Matt Coyne’s portrayal is so realistic. I thought Rick’s narrative voice was amazing. The story is presented through his adult lens and yet he loses nothing of his childhood perspective, making him all the more unforgettable and affecting. 

I know I’ve been somewhat vague in this review, but I cannot express emphatically enough how much I loved The Trouble with Sister Francis. Matt Coyne has created the most exquisite narrative. It’s hilariously funny. It’s realistic. It’s emotionally charged. It’s written with beautiful human understanding. The Trouble with Sister Francis is sheer perfection and I pity those who don’t get the chance to read it. Fantastic! 

About Matt Coyne

Man vs Baby’s Matt Coyne is from Sheffield, South Yorkshire.  In September 2015, Matt’s life was turned upside down by the arrival of his son Charlie. After three months of parenthood, he logged on to social media and wrote about his experience of having to live with ‘a furious, sleep-murdering, unstable and incontinent, breasts-obsessed midget lodger’. Within days, his post about surviving the first few months of parenthood was shared by millions all over the world.

Following this, Matt created his popular blog Man vs Baby, which now has over 370,000 followers on social media. And has written two Sunday Times bestselling books based on his parental triumphs and disasters, the first entitled: Dummy and the second Man vs Toddler.

He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph and GQ Magazine and has been Vuelio Parenting Influencer of the Year and Blogosphere Parent Influencer of the Year.

Matt lives in Sheffield with his son Charlie, his partner Lyndsay and a Jack Russell terrier with ‘issues’ called Eddie.

For further information, visit Matt’s website, follow him on X @mattcoyney and find Matt on Facebook and Instagram.

My absolute gratitude to Caitlin McCoy at Harper Collins for sending me a surprise copy of The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson. I’m delighted to share my review of The Wild Beneath today.

The Wild Beneath will be published by HQ on 27th August 2026 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

The Wild Beneath

The pull of the land or the call of the sea…

Annie MacLeod always knew she was different, growing up on a sailboat, navigating by stars and swimming with sea creatures, alongside her best friend, Evan. But when a tsunami hits, Annie is stranded on land; her entire world, and her eccentric identity, torn apart and upended.

In the wreckage, she rescues a wordless man named Walker, who emits a hum only she can hear. Their connection is instant. Walker’s touch gives Annie visions of the ocean’s hidden world, a life she’s never known but feels inexplicably drawn to. Yet even as she is pulled toward him, Evan – the steadfast love who has always been there – remains on dry land, offering stability and security. Annie is torn between Evan’s grounding presence and Walker’s magnetic secrets. But then, Walker vanishes, along with the answers Annie needs about who she really is.

Six years later, Annie has left the sea and buried the past – until Walker returns, pulling her back towards the ocean and the life she abandoned. The truth has roots more ancient than she ever could have known, and Annie must confront a choice that will test her heart and determine her future.

A fierce and entrancing debut novel of one woman caught between two worlds that won’t let her go.

My Review of The Wild Beneath

A tsunami has shattered Annie MacLeod’s world.

This. This is exactly what a book should be. The Wild Beneath is utterly, utterly wonderful and I could not have loved it more. 

The plot of The Wild Beneath is mesmerising. I felt the pull of the narrative every moment I wasn’t reading so that my experience was akin to Annie’s experiences – she is pulled by the sea, by her relationships with Walker and Evan and by the sounds reverberating through her body. When I wasn’t reading The Wild Beneath, I was thinking about it. It permeated my thoughts continuously.

It’s impossible to categorise The Wild Beneath. In part it’s a magical fantasy, drawing on traditional fables of merfolk, in part it’s a love story and it’s also a coming of age narrative. Alongside these aspects The Wild Beneath is also an ecological story. But what it is above anything else, is an intangible, pulsating tale that is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. It is, quite simply, superb. 

Kelly Anderson’s prose is beautiful. With the briefest of sentences she conveys a profound depth of emotion. The writing is as fluid, varied and immersive as the sea against which the narrative is set. I adored the division of the story into the four phases of tides because it gave unity and coherence whilst allowing the wildness and capriciousness of the sea to be explored. Direct speech is natural and so engaging that it feels so intimate and real it is as if the reader is eavesdropping on the characters. The Wild Beneath is an absolute masterclass in emotive and immersive writing.

The characters are magnificent. Each is unable to be truly themselves, each needs to learn to listen not only to others, but to the universe, and, more importantly, to their own innermost pulse of life – to the wild beneath. Through Walker, Annie and Evan learn that listening skill. This is a story that illustrates how we can be true to ourselves. Walker is magical, mythical, magnificent. He is the drum beat at the heart of Annie. 

Annie is superbly depicted. She is every bit her mother’s daughter and yet she is as individual as it is possible to be. Her love for both Walker and Evan is as instinctive and raw as it is possible to be so that I had no idea how the story would resolve or whether I had the emotional strength to find out, whilst being unable to draw myself away. My heart ached for her.

Whilst I was completely captivated by Annie’s character development and the love story that surrounds her, other themes enthralled me too. In The Wild Beneath Kelly Anderson considers what constitutes family. Mara and Ruth have very different approaches to caring for Annie but it is obvious they are both doing their best within their own parameters.  Kelly Anderson looks at mental and physical health and how they are affected by lifestyle and pressure to work or conform, especially through Evan’s relationship with his father. She also considers the environment as the sea disgorges objects through the tsunami and Isaac logs the trees. These themes may sound ‘worthy’ but they are woven with such dexterity into the narrative they simply make it even more multi-layered and engrossing.

It’s impossible to articulate filly my views of The Wild beneath. I feel my review has barely scratched the surface. Metamorphic, magical and moving, The Wild Beneath is absolutely fantastic and I adored it unconditionally. What. A. Book. 

Read it and discover how to listen to the beat of your own essence!

About Kelly Anderson

Dr. Kelly Anderson is a family physician with fellowships in HIV and emergency medicine. She has worked extensively in rural and remote emergency departments, spent fifteen years at the Inner City Family Health Team at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and built the clinical team at Felix Health. After completing the Bookends Novel Fellowship, she trained in the Gateless Writing Academy and is a certified Gateless writing teacher. Kelly spent much of her childhood in British Columbia, and now lives in Guelph, Ontario with her family. The Wild Beneath is her first novel.

For further information, visit Kelly’s website and find her on Instagram .