Archives par étiquette : Mushens Entertainment

THE BEHOLDERS de Hester Musson

The gothic historical debut of 2024.

THE BEHOLDERS
by Hester Musson
4th Estate, January 2024
(via Mushens Entertainment)

June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin.

Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she grew up, Harriet is entranced by the grand country hall; she is entranced too by her glamorous mistress Clara Gethin, whose unearthly singing voice floats through the house. But Clara, though captivating, is erratic. The master of the house is a muchlauded politician, but he is strangely absent. And some of their beautiful belongings seem totell terrible stories.

Unable to ignore her growing unease, Harriet sets out to discover their secrets. When she uncovers a shocking truth, a chain of events is set in motion that could cost Harriet everything, even her freedom…

Hester Musson studied English Literature at Bristol University and has a Masters in drama from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. While pursuing an acting career, her day jobs included working in TV as a freelance autocue operator. She currently writes for Art Fund, the national charity for art, and its magazine Art Quarterly, and blogs for a nature conservation and rewilding organisation in Devon.

THE SHADOW KEY de Susan Stokes-Chapman

From the best-selling author of Pandora.

THE SHADOW KEY
by Susan Stokes-Chapman
HarperCollins, TBC
(via Mushens Entertainment)

Meirionydd, 1783. Henry Talbot has been dismissed from his post at a prestigious London hospital. The only job he can find is as a physician in the backwaters of Wales where he can’t speak the language, belief in myth and magic is rife, and the villagers treat him with bewildering suspicion. When Henry discovers his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, he is determined to find answers.

Linette Tresilian, the unconventional mistress of Plas Helyg, lives a lonely life. Her father is long dead, her mother haunted by demons which keep her locked away in her room, and her cousin treats her with cool disdain – she has had no choice but to become fiercely self-reliant.

Linette has always suspected something is not quite right in the village, but it is only through Henry’s investigations that the truth about those closest to her will come to light…a truth that will bind hers and Henry’s destinies together in ways neither thought possible.

Susan Stokes-Chapman was born in 1985 and grew up in Lichfield, Staffordshire. She studied for four years at Aberystwyth University, graduating with a BA in Education & English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing.

ALWAYS ON MY MIND de Carys Green

A high-concept thriller that centres on a couple trying to reconnect after 10 years of marriage by getting the latest tech – an implant that allows you and your partner to share thoughts 24/7. What could go wrong? Everything.

ALWAYS ON MY MIND
by Carys Green
Harvill Secker, 2025
(via Mushens Entertainment)

When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten year anniversary, Anna is dubious and also relieved. She had been anticipating the request for a threesome in an attempt to spice things up between them, but instead Elijah wants to bond them in the most intimate of ways. Anna has seen the adverts, everyone has, the city is saturated with them –

Never again wonder if they are cheating.

Never again argue over what to have for dinner.

Know your partner intimately.

OneMind. For the ultimate closeness.

Anna is touched that Elijah would want this. A chance to share their conscious thoughts via a new, revolutionary technology. And at first things are great. Idyllic. Anna knows everything her husband is thinking. His every waking thought. But then she develops a strange side effect. Dreams that aren’t dreams. Dreams that are memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now experiencing Elijah’s memories, does that mean he can access hers? Does that mean he’s now aware of her darkest secret?

Suddenly Anna’s mind is a prison, where she has to repeat nursery rhymes to stop her thoughts betraying her. Everything has to be spoken. And soon she is trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Carys Green is an author living in Shropshire where she lives with her husband, daughter, and dog. When she’s not writing she can often be found indulging two of her greatest passions – either walking round the local woodland or catching up on all things Disney related.

BAD BLOOD de Sarah Hornsley

A debut thriller which reads like Blood Orange meets Sharp Objects, following criminal barrister Justine Stone who must return to the home she hasn’t visited in twelve years when her childhood sweetheart is accused of murder.

BAD BLOOD
by Sarah Hornsley
Hodder, TBD 2025
(via Mushens Entertainment)

When criminal barrister, Justine Stone, is handed the lead on her first murder case, she could never have imagined she’d find Jake Reynolds staring back at her. Jake Reynolds – the boyfriend who disappeared from her life twelve years ago and the same man now facing a double homicide charge. Since Jake left without a trace, Justine hasn’t returned to the rural Essex town, Maldon, where they grew up together. But, if she’s going to send Jake to prison for murder, this time she needs to know the truth – not just the story she’ll spin the jury.
Once she arrives there, memories start to surface – of the idyllic love she shared with Jake, and her doubts that such a good man could really have done such a terrible thing. Back in her childhood home darker recollections are harder to avoid. The death of her beloved father in a car crash, and the weight of the small town’s expectations on her shoulders. And when her elder brother Max goes missing, she starts to suspect that everything is connected. Because it turns out that you can never truly bury the past: no matter how much you might want to.

Sarah Hornsley works as a literary agent at PFD. After graduating from Durham University with a First Class Honours in History, Sarah worked at a publishing house followed by a short stint in script development before becoming a Literary Agent in 2015. She was named a Rising Star in The Bookseller in 2019. She lives in Essex with her husband and daughter.

THE CLIQUE de Rhiannon Barnsley

Exploring the toxic work culture at a top law firm, Rhiannon’s debut is perfect for fans of The Whisper Network or BBC’s Industry. 

THE CLIQUE
by Rhiannon Barnsley
One More Chapter/HarperCollins, June 2024
(via Mushens Entertainment)

There’s only one way to join their society. If someone leaves, or dies…

High-flying lawyer Sara O’Neil had it all; the career, the money, the prestige.

And then she jumped to her death.

Cassandra Harlow never expected to see her friend fall from their office rooftop. Someone knows what really happened. But the only people who might know the truth are a secret women-only society, Inside, whose promise is to fast-track your career.

But if Sara was part of it and they helped facilitate her rise to the top, could they also be the reason she came crashing down to earth?

Originally from the West Midlands, Rhiannon Barnsley currently lives in London with her boyfriend and her cat Salem. She’s a corporate lawyer by day and her experiences at work inspired this novel. She is a Faber Academy Writing a Novel graduate and loves to write dark and twisty thrillers with a particular focus on women.