Archives de catégorie : Fiction

EVERYONE I KNOW IS DYING d’Emily Slapper

A razor-sharp, honest, uncompromising and bleakly funny literary debut novel for 2024, perfect for fans of Coco Mellors and Meg Mason.

EVERYONE I KNOW IS DYING
by Emily Slapper
hq, July 2024
(via Mushens Entertainment)

When she’s having sex with her boss, Iris likes to have the lights on so he can see how much younger she is than his wife. She likes watching her colleagues eat unhealthy lunches at their desk while her stomach aches with emptiness. She likes coasting at work knowing she’s going to land a big promotion anyway.

So why when it arrives does she find herself sprawled on her hallway floor, crying uncontrollably? Why, instead of a sense of triumph, does a crippling depression threaten to overwhelm her? Why does the support and stability of her family and friends feel so suffocating? And why, torn between her flatmate George – good, kind, reliable George – and cold, indifferent Patrick, does she only seem capable of making choices that cause her pain?

A razor-sharp, bleakly funny exploration of mental health crises, the societal pressures on young women, and toxic sexual and romantic relationships from one of the most exciting new literary voices. Perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss or Cleopatra and Frankenstein.

Emily Slapper grew up in Northampton before studying Cinema and Photography at the University of Leeds. After graduating she moved to London to work in advertising whilst hoping to one day become a screenwriter. But wanting to write films turned into wanting to write books and so she started a Creative Writing MA at Royal Holloway. Everyone I Know is Dying is her debut novel. In her spare time she loves walking around South East London with her dog, Tina.

THE FAVORITE GIRL de Monica Arya

Every family has secrets–dark ones, twisted ones, ones they hide. The Ivory family is no different.

THE FAVORITE GIRL
by Monica Arya
Self-published, May 2024 / Podium Audio, October 2024

An Amazon Top 60 Bestselling Thriller Novel
#1 Bestselling novel in multiple categories

From the outside of their gated estate, one would see a beautiful, wealthy family. But the more perfect they seem, it only shows how many imperfections they are trying to bury.

When Demi Rao, a young woman is at her wits’ end and on the run from escaping her captor, she comes across an employment ad from the Ivory family, looking for someone to help maintain their elaborate estate. Although the ad is strange with meticulous directions to wear all-white, no makeup and speak quietly, Demi applies.

With no choices, Demi gets and accepts the job and when she does, she quickly realizes she’s not there to clean, she’s there for a purpose. They picked her. They chose her. They’ve always known her. Behind the doors of the pristine estate lies secrets, a lethal human experiment and Demi’s entire life planned out for her.

The Ivory’s have picked a favorite girl.

And it might just be her.

Monica Arya is an Amazon Top 35 best-selling author. Her books have been #1 bestsellers in multiple categories on Amazon. She is a multi-genre author, writing both thrillers and romance. Monica resides in the Carolinas with her family. She loves to connect with readers and you can find her on social media @monicaaryaauthor.

THE QUANTUM CURATORS SERIES d’Eva St. John

Anyone can track down a priceless artefact that’s been lost for hundreds of years. Finding one that’s been hidden on a parallel Earth… now that’s a neat trick! Indiana Jones meets the Men in Black and all hell breaks out.

THE QUANTUM CURATORS SERIES
by Eva St. John
Self-published, 2020 – 2023
(via the Zeno Agency)

Embark on an exhilarating journey with the best-selling Quantum Curators Series by Eva St. John. Experience the thrill of interdimensional treasure hunts in five riveting novels, with protagonists Neith Salah and Julius Strathclyde. From unearthing the enigmatic ‘Fabergé Egg’ to decoding cosmic conundrums, every tale is a unique blend of high-stakes adventure and compelling science fiction. But as they step between two Earths, they must also outwit the rogue curators from within, intent on seizing these treasures for dark purposes. The Quantum Curators series is a potent mix of action, intrigue, and quantum mysteries that’s sure to captivate sci-fi enthusiasts.

Book 1: THE QUANTUM CURATORS AND THE FABERGÉ EGG (May 2020)

When Neith Salah – a quantum curator charged with traveling to our parallel Earth to rescue precious artefacts – is ordered to save a priceless Fabergé Egg, she figures it’s just another job. The only problem: she’s not sure what the egg looks like. Or where it is. Or when it is.

Enter Julius Strathclyde, a mild-mannered Cambridge professor whose closest brush with death-defying treasure hunts is finding lost coins down the back of the sofa. Not the usual “save the world” type, but when Julius’ best friend is murdered while searching for the egg, Neith realizes that this mild-mannered professor is the only person who can help her solve the riddles that will lead her to the egg.

She just has to keep him alive long enough to do it.

He’s got the fountain pens. She’s got the guns. They’ll just have to hope that’s enough to keep them ahead of the Russian Mafia, unknown assassins, and perhaps even other quantum curators who want the egg for their own dark purposes… and may not be picky about who they have to kill to get it.

Number one bestselling author Eva St. John invites you to join Neith and Julius on a fast-paced adventure that will take you from Russia and Poland to London and Cambridge, from our world to theirs, and beyond. If you love adventure, humour, and puzzles – with just a pinch of time-traveling thrills mixed in for luck – you’ll love The Quantum Curators and the Fabergé Egg.

Eva St. John was born in Norwich before being whisked away to Ireland and then back to the UK. After realizing that a degree might actually require some form of employment, she jumped into the work of a librarian and fell in love with books. A joy that had begun with her mother’s travelling library. From Wales, Eva moved to Cornwall and opened a bookshop. Always chasing the books, she eventually decided to start writing them. She also writes romance under another name.

IT’S HARD TO BE AN ANIMAL de Robert Isaacs

A hilarious and clever upmarket love story and cozy mystery with a strong thread of magical realism, for readers of Carl Hiaasen’s Squeeze Me looking for a bit more tenderness, or of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.

IT’S HARD TO BE AN ANIMAL
by Robert Isaacs
Grand Central, summer 2026
(via Frances Goldin Literary Agency)

Henry Parsons is walking through Central Park on a date with Molly Bent, the quirky, sweet, and endlessly interesting woman that his colleague set him up with. After a long spell of loneliness, he is feeling hopeful for the first time in years when a sweet little warbler tells him to f*** off.

A gentle soul already troubled by the rancor and insensitivity of humans in the city, Henry tries to brush it off as a hallucination. But suddenly he can hear the voices everywhere: dogs mocking their owners, sparrows fat-shaming each other, snakes pontificating about misogyny and gender politics, police horses profiling attendees of a street fair: the man who never speaks up for himself is suddenly surrounded by animals who do.

It’s all fun and games until he overhears three rats discussing a corpse in the New York subway. Unsure what to do, he lets it slip to Molly. She’s keen to investigate, and Henry is desperate for another date. Together they descend into an abandoned tunnel under the West Fourth Street station where they find a body… and the murderers find them.

For the first time in Henry’s careful life there’s no way to duck confrontation: he’s being hunted, and must find the courage to face the Scottish gangsters stalking him across the city. Of course, that same assertiveness might transform his chances with Molly too. Inspiration arrives, unexpectedly, from his roommate’s pair of feuding beta fish on an enemies-to-lovers arc, and the neighbor’s yapping Pomeranian whose wisdom changes Henry forever.

Robert Isaacs’ writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, Hindsight and The First Line.  He earned his MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University with a dual thesis in fiction and nonfiction. In his checkered past he’s also worked as a musician (Grammy nominated singer, conducted at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, etc.) and street-performer (juggling, unicycling, plate-spinning, and so on.).  

THE WHARTON PLOT de Mariah Fredericks

Mariah Fredericks’ mesmerizing novel follows renowned novelist Edith Wharton in the twilight years of the Gilded Age in New York as she tracks a killer.

THE WHARTON PLOT
by Mariah Fredericks
Minotaur Books, January 2024
(via Levine Greenberg Rostan)

New York City, 1911. Edith Wharton, almost equally famed for her novels and her sharp tongue, is bone-tired of Manhattan. Finding herself at a crossroads with both her marriage and her writing, she makes the decision to leave America, her publisher, and her loveless marriage.

And then, dashing novelist David Graham Phillips―a writer with often notorious ideas about society and women’s place in it―is shot to death outside the Princeton Club. Edith herself met the man only once, when the two formed a mutual distaste over tea in the Palm Court of the Belmont hotel. When Phillips is killed, Edith’s life takes another turn. His sister is convinced Graham was killed by someone determined to stop the publication of his next book, which promised to uncover secrets that powerful people would rather stayed hidden. Though unconvinced, Edith is curious. What kind of book could push someone to kill?

Inspired by a true story, THE WHARTON PLOT follows Edith Wharton through the fading years of the Gilded Age in a city she once loved so well, telling a taut tale of fame, love, and murder, as she becomes obsessed with solving a crime.

“Superb . . . Thanks to a literary plot laced with arch wit and precise put-downs, appearances by Wharton’s famous friends (including Henry James and the Vanderbilts), and an eclectic assortment of the upper crust in the waning days of a varnished era, Fredericks hits this one out of the park.”―Library Journal (Starred Review)

“THE WHARTON PLOT a vivid, fascinating, entertaining mystery. Readers looking for a bit of history with their suspense will be gripped.”―Publishers Weekly

« Fredericks’ elegantly written narrative gives a lively look at an author way ahead of her time. »―Kirkus Reviews

« Written with grace and wit, THE WHARTON PLOT is a pleasure to read. »―Wall Street Journal

« Based on the real murder of Phillips, Fredericks’ latest will especially appeal to bibliophiles, who will enjoy reading tidbits about the real-life authors who appear. »―Booklist

Mariah Fredericks was born, raised, and still lives in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series, which has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, as well as several YA novels.