Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey #virtualbooktour #wastelandgirls @annabaileywrites @doubledayukbooks @alisonbarrowbooks @randomthingstours #bookreview

 

Wasteland Girls is a collection of lyrical, incisive and luminous stories by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tall Bones and Our Last Wild Days.

These stunningly powerful stories explore the wildness and beauty of the American heartlands, a place where lives are lived on the margins, but also where there is dignity, hope, revenge and restitution.

In 'Long Way to Come for a Sip of Water', which was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award, Texan man Ready drives through a divided US to see his dying brother. Wasteland Girls, the title story, is a powerful tale of a family of hoarders, of magic and revenge. In Yukon 1940, a woman sits beside the body of her husband in a remote cabin, trapped by the frozen sea. The Girl in the Ground follows a woman who suddenly reappears after twenty years of absence, but for whom the past is a void. A widower meets a man who should died many times.

Deeply atmospheric and soulful, the stories in Wasteland Girls are inspired by the author's experience of living amid the beautiful but often ferocious remote landscapes of the US, and among the wild and secretive people who inhabit them. In the vastness of the wilds, anything can happen...

Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey was published on 30 July 2026 by Doubleday. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

I really enjoy short story collections and have no idea why I don't read more!  I read and reviewed Anna Bailey's debut novel Tall Bones here on the blog back in 2021 and really enjoyed it. I've been looking forward to this anthology for a while 

This beautifully crafted collection of short stories is atmospheric, emotional and utterly captivating from the very first page.

Inspired by the author's experiences of living in the remote American heartlands, each story introduces people whose lives have been shaped by that same isolation, hardship and hope. The characters feel completely real and seem to carry their pasts with them while also trying to find a way forward. It takes real talent to create such depth in so few pages, yet every story feels complete and so satisfying.

The sense of place is simply superb. The author's America is vast and wild, but there is beauty threaded through every landscape that she writes about. Whether set in snow-covered wilderness, forgotten towns or remote communities, each location feels alive, and are as memorable as the characters themselves. I was completely immersed from beginning to end.

The prose is stunning. There is such a lyrical quality to her writing that makes every sentence a pleasure to read, yet it never feels too much, or too wordy.  The stories flow effortlessly, there are moments of tenderness, there are dark themes, and each one lingers in the mind long after you've turned the final page.

Although every story stands perfectly well  on its own, together they form a wonderfully cohesive collection. I didn't want to reach the end because I wanted to spend a little longer in each carefully created world.

Wasteland Girls is a collection to savour, one story at a time. Beautifully written, deeply moving and filled with unforgettable characters, it is a wonderful showcase of Anna Bailey's storytelling talent. This is a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Anna Bailey is a Sunday Times bestselling author from Gloucestershire. 

Their debut novel, Tall Bones, inspired by their experiences living in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, was nominated for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and Goldsboro Glass Bell awards, as well as the Prix Nouvelles Voix du Polar. 

Their short stories, based on their travels through rural America, have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4, including ‘Long Way to Come For a Sip of Water’, which was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. 

They live in Bordeaux with their wife.

A Farmhouse in France by Rachael Lucas #virtualbooktour @rachaellucas @randomthingstours #authorinterview

 

When Daisy Lewis inherits a crumbling farmhouse in rural France from the father who never knew she existed, she expects nothing more than paperwork and problems. What she finds instead is an overgrown orchard, a village full of people who knew her father better than she did, and Patrick - an infuriatingly handsome neighbouring farmer, who definitely doesn’t speak English… until he does.

Daisy’s life has been swallowed up with trying to keep her Yorkshire pub afloat. France was supposed to be a detour - one quick summer trip to sort out the details, sell up, and leave. But life has a way of happening when you’re busy making other plans…

A heartwarming, sun-filled later in life escape - full of romance, second chances and a setting you'll fall in love with!

First in a brand new series set in the heart of France, by the internationally bestselling author of the much-loved Applemore series.

A Farmhouse in France by Rachael Lucas was published on 3 August 2026. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour, I am delighted to welcome the author here to Random Things 
She's kindly answered some questions for us. 

Interview with author Rachael Lucas

The premise of A Farmhouse in France begins with an unexpected inheritance. What first sparked the idea for Daisy's story, and what drew you to set this new series in rural France?

The story idea came from a conversation with a neighbour here in France, who told me about a woman who’d inherited a little house from a father she knew nothing about. It grew in my head, and at the same time I was thinking about how it would feel if – at a certain age – you were given the chance to completely change your life but doing so would mean taking a leap into the unknown. I’m constantly drawn towards the idea of women rediscovering themselves, and it’s a theme that I keep coming back to in my writing.

I fell in love with France when I spent a summer here when I was seventeen, and dreamed of having a little house in the countryside one day. It took more than thirty years but we got there in the end, and the rural landscape is so beautiful that it’s lovely to write about.

Patrick makes quite the first impression - especially with the language twist! How much fun did you have developing the chemistry between Daisy and Patrick, and what makes them a good match despite their differences?

I think they’re both of an age where they know what they don’t want – and maybe needed a little bit of help to realise what they do, and that’s the joy of my job – I get to give them a little shove in the right direction. It’s funny because Patrick is pretty disenchanted and sees rural life as the cause of heartache and problems and meanwhile Daisy is falling in love with the place and seeing all the possibilities that it might offer, and watching as they realise why they feel that way was fun to write.

Your novels are known for creating places readers want to escape to, whether it's a small English village or now the French countryside. How do you go about bringing a setting to life so vividly on the page?

I have no idea! I think I’ve always been – ever since I was a child – a person who notices tiny little details about a place, and the feelings and the smells and the atmosphere of the places I love seem to soak into me so when I’m writing them it’s as if I’m there and I’m just describing how it feels. So when I’m writing about walking the stony track that leads up through the sunflower fields to the village I can close my eyes and feel the sun on my back and the crunch under my feet, and hear the distant hum of a tractor somewhere in the distance… and it just comes out through my fingers!

You've written more than twenty novels across both adult and young adult fiction. Has your writing process changed over the years, or do you still approach a new book in much the same way as when you started?

I am a LOT more disciplined and less chaotic now, which is a relief I think for everyone who lives with me! When I’m writing I have a rule that I have to write my words before I do anything else, and I tell myself that if I do a minimum of 1000 that will do. More often than not I end up writing more. But what hasn’t changed is the way the stories grow in my head – I spend a lot of time with the characters and settings living in my mind before I actually write anything so when I do write it looks like it’s very fast, but there’s often been months of thinking and what-iffing.

Readers often say your characters feel like people they know in real life. How do you build such believable communities, and do any of your characters ever surprise you as you're writing?

They surprise me all the time! It’s one of the most amazing things about writing – in A Farmhouse in France I had no idea that Margot, the older woman who befriends Daisy, was going to be Scottish, nor that she’d grown up in Applemore where my other books were set. It just fell out of my fingers and somehow she was there, fully formed. I feel like there’s a sort of soap opera going on in my head all the time – all the Applemore characters, and all the others I’ve written in the past, are all sort of there in the background doing stuff all the time.

This is the first book in a new series. Without giving too much away, what can readers look forward to as they return to this French village in future books?

The next story is set in the tiny little chateau that’s been renovated by Charlotte, an American woman who arrived in the village a while before Daisy. Her plan is to run retreats there, and the first one she does is a group writing retreat where four women come together for a week that will change all of their lives.

After such a varied career - from the Carnegie-nominated The State of Grace to bestselling feel-good fiction like the Applemore series - what continues to inspire you to sit down and write the next story?

I honestly don’t know! It’s like a compulsion – I keep writing because the stories keep appearing in my head. As I’ve grown older, I’m more interested in the choices people take, and the courage it takes to make leaps into the unknown, and less about straightforward romance stories, and luckily my readers don’t seem to mind. I like to think that I’ll be writing even when I’m in my eighties and beyond!

Rachael Lucas is the author of heartwarming, feel-good women's fiction set in small towns full of characters who feel like friends. She writes about friendship, family, and women in later life discovering happiness - and every story has a sprinkling of sweet romance.

Rachael writes her books at the kitchen table - all four of her children are grown up now, but with some of them still living in the family house and everyone coming and going, there's always something going on. The whole family of six are working together to renovate an old farmhouse in the middle of France, so summers are spent surrounded by sunflowers and pretty Limousin cows!

The Lumberjills Under Suspicion by Joanna Foat #VirtualBookTour #thelumberjillsundersuspicion @joannafoat @randomthingstours #authorinterview

 

Summer 1940. As bombs fall over London, another battle is raging deep within Britain’s forests. A war few believe women are strong enough to fight.

Fresh from forestry training camp, Keeva O’Connor and her fellow Lumberjills are sent to fell trees vital to the war effort. In the forests, they are watched, men mock their work and danger lurks in the shadows.

In the villages, trust is fragile, doors slam in their faces and suspicion grows. As romance kindles, rumours spread and friendships are tested by secrets, jealousies and forbidden longings.

When the Lumberjills are accused of espionage, can Keeva uncover the truth before prejudice tears their tender bonds of sisterhood apart?

Inspired by true events, this is a gripping story of resilience, friendship and love, bringing to life the forgotten story of the Lumberjills in World War Two – and the secrets they risked everything to protect.

The Lumberjills Under Suspicion by Joanna Foat was published on 22 July 2026 by Merrow Downs Press. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour,  I am delighted to welcome the author here today to Random Things. She's been kind enough to answer some questions for me. 

Questions & Answers with author Joanna Foat 

1. One of the book's central themes is prejudice; not just towards women doing 'men's work', but also suspicion, gossip and mistrust within communities. Why did you want to explore those emotional and social battles alongside the physical demands of wartime forestry?

During my research into the original Lumberjills, I discovered that prejudice, suspicion and mistrust were recurring themes in many of their stories. Their physical work was hard enough, but this emotional pressure often made it even harder. 

There were also many accounts of women being reported to the police for "behaving suspiciously" while working in the woods. One Lumberjill, Sylvia Evans, whose photograph appears on the cover of my history book Lumberjills: Britain's Forgotten Army, was arrested simply for waiting at a bus stop. Her son told me she was tall, blonde, wearing jodhpurs and so the police thought she looked German. She spent the night in a police cell before being released.

They weren't greeted with a warm welcome. Instead, the young women were told they weren't wanted because forestry was men's work, they were judged for having too much freedom and even for leading local men astray. 

Lumberjill, Barbara Beddow, believed local people often saw them as "a bit wild and too free." These women had left home, earned their own wages and enjoyed an independence that many young women had never experienced before. Their freedom challenged expectations, and that tension became an important part of the novel. I wanted to show that the greatest obstacles weren't always the trees they had to fell, but the attitudes they faced every day.

2. You've spent more than a decade meeting former Lumberjills and recording their memories. Was there one conversation or story that changed the way you viewed these remarkable women and ultimately influenced your writing?

One of the first Lumberjills I met was Eileen Mark (née Worsell). She had grown up in Hackney and worked in a glass factory making baby bottles and poison bottles before joining the Women's Timber Corps. She was full of life and had lots of stories and adventures. She said, "I was always up for a laugh, and if anyone was going to get into trouble it would be me."

After meeting Eileen, I remember thinking the Lumberjills would make an incredible film or television series. A screenwriter suggested I write a novel first, so I did. Eileen became the inspiration for Rosie. I even gave Rosie Eileen's maiden name, Worsell, because I wanted readers to know she was rooted in a real person, even though the story was fictionalised.

One of my favourite stories came from Eileen herself. She was stacking pit props beside a road when they mysteriously disappeared one evening. Furious, she marched into the nearby anti-aircraft camp to demand an explanation. The soldiers admitted they had used the timber for a campfire. The sergeant apologised, offered her tea and cake, and introduced himself as Wally. Wally later became her husband, and they were married for 54 years. Stories like that reminded me the Lumberjills' lives were filled not just with hardship, but with humour, courage and unexpected romance.

3. You've written both non-fiction history and historical fiction about the Lumberjills. How do you balance historical accuracy with creating compelling characters and storylines that resonate with modern readers?

My starting point has always been the stories shared with me by the Lumberjills themselves. I have always felt a responsibility to tell those stories honestly and authentically. That's why I wrote Lumberjills: Britain's Forgotten Army first, using their own words wherever possible so their voices could shine through.

Publishing the history book first then gave me more freedom to write fiction. The novels are inspired by real events and real women, but fiction allows me to explore the emotional highs and lows behind their experiences. Their stories provide the foundation and imagination brings them to life in full sensory detail.

Rosie, for example, is inspired by Eileen Mark, and many of her adventures come directly from Eileen's memories. Other characters are also shaped by moments shared by different Lumberjills. I stay true to the spirit of those stories, while weaving them into characters whose emotional journeys readers can follow.

Sometimes fitting character stories around major wartime events chronologically in the plot is the biggest challenge. But for me, the characters and their emotional journeys and the history of the Women’s Timber Corps as an organisation always comes first. This is the forgotten history and the story I am more fascinated by. I think this will always resonate with modern readers more deeply. If they care about the women, they'll care about the history too. 

4. Through your books, exhibitions and more than 200 public talks, you've dedicated much of your career to championing the Women's Timber Corps. What first sparked your fascination with the Lumberjills, and what has kept you so passionate about telling their story?

I was working as a freelance communications consultant for the Forestry Commission when I heard my boss, David Williamson, talk proudly about his all-female management team in the Chilterns. So I began researching stories about women in forestry. Someone in Forestry Commission Scotland's HR told me that women had first entered forestry during the First and Second World Wars and were called Lumberjills.

I could hardly believe it. Thousands of women had felled trees with axes and crosscut saws, yet I had never heard of them. Most of their records had been destroyed, there was only one small website dedicated to a few Scottish Women's Timber Corps members and just a few references in history books. Even my colleagues had never heard of them.

As a child I loved climbing trees. My dad bought me an axe for Christmas because I loved chopping wood for the fire. So, I thought, had I been born 50 years earlier, perhaps I would have been one of the Lumberjills. So I decided I wanted to meet them.

The story is a perfect mix of everything I love. Women working in jobs traditionally held by men, breaking through prejudices, proving they were strong enough to do the job. Triumph against adversity. This was not just the rare few exceptional women; this was 15-18,000 women across the country and felt like an incredibly important story to tell.

The Lumberjills themselves and their families are an incredible source of strength and encouragement for me. What also spurs me on is the reception I get from people who equally love discovering their stories often for the first time. It is also an opportunity to immerse in an adventure in nature and tell the history of the forests too. I have a great passion for nature. Together it makes a powerful combination that just fires up the passion in my belly and keeps me feeling inspired and motivated to reach more people all over the world with their stories. 

5. The women in your novel show extraordinary resilience, friendship and courage in the face of hardship. Do you think the legacy of the Lumberjills has something important to say to readers today, particularly about challenging expectations and supporting one another?

The real women of the Women's Timber Corps showed extraordinary resilience, friendship and courage in the face of hardship, and those are the qualities I most wanted to capture in my novels. Their stories constantly moved me, and many formed lifelong friendships that carried them through some of the most difficult years of their lives.

Absolutely, I think it is so important whoever you are to challenge expectations, but especially for women. Because we can find our options narrowed down by unconscious bias, peer group pressure, expectations from parents, school and bias in industry and the workplace. 

I feel the story of the Lumberjills can inspire young women to explore unconventional career paths, challenging norms and encouraging them to embrace their full potential in a wider career choice. With more women entering male dominated environments it will help create a safer, more welcoming and equal environment for women.

Against the backdrop of prejudice, bias and sexual harassment, I believe this togetherness of the Lumberjills is a real living example of how women overcame the problems they faced in the past. This is hugely relevant to women today. You really do need your friends and other women to stand up for you. This is what I have seen the Lumberjills do.

The Lumberjills have made me laugh and cry with their stories, they have inspired me and been my role models since I met them. They are wonderful. When I have found life tough, I always knew that writing about the Lumberjills would make me feel strong again and they have been there for me in spirit, pushing me on. I’d love other women to draw strength from the Lumberjills in the same way.

6. You've helped bring the story of the Lumberjills to audiences through books, exhibitions, television, radio and live events. Looking ahead, what would you most like people to remember about these forgotten women, and are there any new projects or stories you're hoping to explore next?

When I first met Irene Snow, she opened the door and said, "Nobody has ever asked me what I did in the war before." She was in her late eighties, had worked in dangerous conditions for the war effort and then quietly slipped back into ordinary life with no recognition. This made me realise how forgotten these women had been. I want people to remember that this is what will happen if you do not celebrate women’s achievements in society. You will lose half of our collective history.

I hope future generations remember the Lumberjills as strong, resilient and determined female role models. They learned to stand up for themselves with humour and courage because they did exactly the same jobs as the men and knew they were equal. I’d also like people to remember the role played by the forests, how nature brings out the best in people, their natural abilities and helps them to shine. 

Next, I'm writing the third novel in the series, following on from where Keeva, Rosie, Beatrice and Edith left off in The Lumberjills Under Suspicion. I'd also love to see the stories like the Women's Timber Corps become part of the national history curriculum so every child grows up knowing their story. And I'm still holding onto my original dream of seeing these stories adapted for television or film, so more people can discover these remarkable women.

Joanna Foat is an author, historian and public speaker specialising in
the history of the Women’s Timber Corps, affectionately known as the Lumberjills. For over a decade, she has travelled Britain researching the women who worked in wartime forestry during the Second World War, meeting former Lumberjills and recording their remarkable stories.

She is the author of four books on the Lumberjills, including the historical novel series The Lumberjills. Her books bring to life the courage, friendship and resilience of the young women who left ordinary lives behind to work in Britain’s forests during

wartime.

Joanna has written and curated two major exhibitions on the Women’s Timber Corps

for Forestry England and delivered more than 200 talks across the UK. She contributed to the VE Day 80 commemorations at the Royal Albert Hall. Her media appearancesinclude BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, BBC TV’s How We Won the War, WalkingWartime Britain, BBC South TV and Dan Snow’s History Hit podcast.

https://instagram.com/joannafoat/

https://facebook.com/thelumberjills.uk

https://linkedin.com/in/joannafoat/

The Healer's War by Olive Collins #virtualbooktour #thehealerswar #olivecollins @randomthingstours #bookreview #historicalfiction

 

Inspired by real events during the Biafran War (1967–1970), The Healers’ War follows three lives bound together by famine, faith, and survival in a besieged corner of Eastern Nigeria.

As war encroaches upon their region, Irish missionaries refuse to flee, instead building feeding centers, clinics, and a secret airstrip to smuggle in aid and evacuate children. Among them is Valerie Corrigan, a young Irish woman who arrives seeking purpose after heartbreak. But as the war closes in and the moral certainty of her mission begins to fracture, Valerie is forced to confront betrayal, violence, and troubling truths within her own congregation.

Amid the chaos, Valerie meets Azubuike, a precocious nine-year-old boy born in a village where time is measured not in numbers, but in events. Banished from his home because of his mother’s volatility, Azubuike is sent to live with the missionaries. There, he must adapt to a new world—one defined by unfamiliar gods and foreign calendars. His friendship with Sister Valerie becomes a rare light in a darkening world.
When Valerie’s former lover, Oscar, returns, old wounds reopen, and the lives of Valerie, Azubuike, and Oscar become dangerously entwined.

The Healers’ War is a story of survival, faith, and the impossible choices people make in the shadow of war.

The Healer's War by Olive Collins was published on 7 July 2026 and is book one in the Achill series. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

This is the first book that I've read by this author and I have absolutely devoured it. What I love most about historical fiction is that I am taught so much. I was just a small child at the time of the Biafran War, and whilst I do remember hearing about it, I had no real idea about the background and how the country of Nigeria was formed. 

The Healer's War proves that Olive Collins is such a gifted storyteller. This novel is a deeply moving story that shines a light on a chapter of history that really does deserves to be far better known. The author blends historical fact with fiction so seamlessly that I found myself completely absorbed from the very first page.

Olive Collins effortlessly transports the reader into another place and time. Her vivid descriptions bring Eastern Nigeria to life in all its beauty, while the ever-present threat of war creates a growing sense of unease that lingers throughout the novel. The historical detail is woven naturally into the narrative, and creates such depth.

The characters are wonderfully created.  Valerie's journey is compelling and believable.  Young Azubuike is an unforgettable character whose warmth, resilience and curiosity can be really touching. Every relationship feels real. 

I was so impressed with the author's compassion with the story, which shines thorough in her writing. She does not shy away from the realities of conflict, yet there is always hope and kindness woven through even the really dark times. 

The Healers' War is beautifully researched and elegantly written. It is one of those novels that quietly works its way into your thoughts and stays there. Historical fiction at its very best, this is a memorable, powerful read that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone who enjoys character-driven fiction inspired by real events.

Olive Collins is an Irish historical fiction writer from the Midlands. 

Her novels explore the lives of ordinary people against the backdrop of significant historical events, with stories set in Ireland, Jamaica, the American West, and New York. 

She is the author of four published novels, including an award-winning Irish bestseller. 

Her work has been praised by readers and book clubs for its rich historical detail and emotional depth. 


After many years of travelling and living abroad, Olive returned to her native County Tipperary, where she now lives and writes. 

Her novels include The Memory of Music, The Tide Between Us, The Weaver's Legacy, and Manhattan Ember.

If you'd like to read more, please feel free to sign up to her newsletter for updates, new releases, background stories and much more https://olivecollins.com/

The Tango Chain by Linda MacDonald #virtualbooktour #thetangochain @LindaMac1 @randomthingstours #bookreview

 

Two women, two dangerous obsessions, one tangled web of love, longing, and lies.

When newly retired teacher Taryn stumbles into the seductive world of the Argentine tango, the unexpected reappearance of her charismatic ex, Marc, threatens to unravel the stable life she’s built with steady, dependable Neil. As she spirals between exhilaration and self-destructive temptation, Taryn risks repeating the very mistakes she once swore she’d left behind.

Down the road, Rachel – clever, impulsive, and half Taryn’s age – is trapped in an affair with a married man she calls “Sam”. She knows he’s wrong for her. She knows the relationship is doomed, but Rachel can’t tear herself away. When Taryn, determined to save her from heartbreak, draws her into the tango scene, a truth erupts that leaves both of them reeling.

With their lives suddenly entwined, Taryn and Rachel must confront the illusions that have kept them captive: illusions about love, about themselves and about the people they’ve placed on pedestals.

The Tango Chain by Linda MacDonald was published on 28 July 2026 by Troubador Publishing. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

The Tango Chain explores the complexities of ordinary lives with real honesty and warmth. Linda MacDonald weaves together the stories of two women whose lives are shaped by their longing, their poor decisions and the hope that happiness might still be theirs.

 Taryn is recently retired finds and herself drawn into the passionate world of Argentine tango, where old feelings she thought were long gone begin to resurface. At the same time, younger Rachel is caught in an affair she knows has no future, but she cannot seem to escape. As their paths become intertwined, both of them are forced to examine the choices they've made and the illusions they've created. 

The author's great strength is in her character creation.  Taryn and Rachel feel authentic, flawed and very relatable, it is very easy to  become emotionally invested in their journeys. Their decisions are sometimes frustrating, but I always understood them, and the supporting cast adds depth to a story rich in family dynamics, relationships and self-discovery. 

The pacing is done so well and the author enables the emotional threads to develop naturally, and the themes of second chances and obsession are handled with sensitivity. 

Thought-provoking, engaging and full of heart, The Tango Chain is an absorbing exploration of love, temptation and the courage it takes to face the truth about ourselves.

Linda MacDonald is the author of five novels: Meeting Lydia, A Meeting of a Different
Kind, The Alone Alternative, The Man in the Needlecord Jacket and The Tango Chain. 

After studying psychology at Goldsmiths' London, Linda taught secondary science and biology for several years, later moving to a sixth-form college to teach psychology and health and social care. 

She was born and brought up in Cockermouth, Cumbria. 

After thirty-six years in Beckenham, in south-east London, she now lives in Weymouth with her husband and dog.

The Mermaid's Cry by Kate Rhodes #VirtualBookTour #TheMermaidsCry @k_rhodeswriter @orendabooks #bookreview #dibenkitto #mystery

 

DI BEN KITTO RETURNS…

A COAST IN CELEBRATION

When DI Ben Kitto sees a baby thrown into Penzance harbour, he prays it’s a trick of the light. But the threat is real. The child survives – barely – and soon a chilling pattern emerges. As the Dark Sky Festival brings dancers, dreamers and stargazers to Cornwall’s coast, children begin to vanish.

A KILLER IN THE CROWD

A small mermaid figurine is found beside each scene, echoing the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor, who lured a man to his death beneath the waves. Still reeling from a devastating bereavement and determined to protect his young son, Ben is pulled back into the field and into a deadly investigation. When the killer’s messages begin arriving at his home, the threat becomes terrifyingly personal.

A FINAL RECKONING

Suspicions fall on familiar faces. When the summer solstice approaches, Ben must confront the boundaries of love, loss and obsession. In a final, desperate chase along the headland, only his bond with Noah – and the loyalty of his dog, Shadow – can prevent tragedy from repeating itself.

The Mermaid's Cry by Kate Rhodes was published on 16 July 2026 by Orenda Books and is Book 9 in the DI Ben Kitto series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Virtual Book Tour

DI Ben Kitto is back! Whilst I would always advise reading from the beginning in any crime series, The Mermaid's Cry can easily be read as a stand alone story. So if you are not familiar with Kitto, you will be fine to read this one. 

I always think that Kate Rhodes has such a wonderful ability to combine crime and setting and The Mermaids Cry is another wonderful addition to the Ben Kitto series. Although this story takes us and Ben away from the familiar Isles of Scilly and onto the Cornish mainland, it still has that rich atmosphere and real emotional depth that we readers have come to expect.

Set against the backdrop of Cornwall's Dark Sky Festival, the novel opens with a shocking incident, and then the disappearance of local children which sends fear through the community. The discovery of small mermaid charms at each scene links the investigation to the haunting legend of the Mermaid of Zennor, and this adds such an eerie layer to the story. The folklore is woven naturally into the plot, and creates an unsettling feeling that the past is never too far away.

Ben Kitto is dealing with immense personal loss, and this adds another dimension to the story without ever overshadowing the investigation. His fierce determination to keep his young son safe makes every development of the novel feel really urgent, while the search for the truth keeps the tension building from beginning to end. Kate Rhodes expertly balances the emotional moments with a cleverly constructed plot that had me questioning everything. 

The Cornish setting is a real highlight. From the dramatic coastline and changing skies to the bustling festival atmosphere, every scene is vividly described. The landscape becomes an integral part of the story, and whilst beautiful, it also has an underlying sense of menace. It is impossible not to become completely immersed in the sights, sounds and legends of Cornwall.

This is a beautifully paced and structured crime novel with memorable characters, a compelling mystery and a fabulous, vivid sense of place. It's is a captivating read, recommended. 

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet, selected for Val
McDermid’s New Blood panel at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival for her debut, Crossbones Yard. 

She has been nominated twice for the prestigious CWA Dagger in the Library award, and is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group. 

She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker Dave Pescod, and visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child, which gave her the ideafor the critically acclaimed Isles of Scilly Mysteries series.

The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly #thenightstairs @erinjkelly @harvillbooks #bookreview #gothicthriller

 

St Cordula’s Catholic boarding school has survived for centuries on tradition, discipline and silence. Now its future is under threat, and Deputy Head Fiona Fox is preparing to lead the controversial change that could save it from ruin.

But St Cordula’s has always had rules of its own.

Legend has it that the ghost of fifteenth-century nun, Sister Matilda, will keep the school safe. But only as long as the words ‘GOD FORGIVE ME’, scrawled by Matilda on a chapel staircase wall before she fell to her death, remain.

Every year, the words are repainted.

The only time they were allowed to fade, in 2002, a terrifying outbreak of vertigo swept through the pupils. One girl died on the night stairs. And only three people know what really happened.

Now the vertigo is back, and as panic sweeps the school, Fiona must confront a dark secret from her past.

Or face the deadly consequences…

The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly was published on 9 July 2026 by Harvill. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I have said this many times and I'm now going to say it again; Erin Kelly is one of the very best authors of our time. Her writing is stylish, polished and her plots are always intricately woven. A new Erin Kelly novel is a treat to be savoured. 

In the past this author has taken us to a ballet company, to a vintage clothes shop and to an asylum, amongst others in her fiction. What ties those locations is her ability to make them into characters. The Nights Stairs introduces us to St Cordula's Catholic Boarding School; once a convent and now a school, complete with its very one fables and myths which are central to this incredible story. 

The author has tackled some sensitive subjects within this novel, and I'm sure that some readers may find those difficult. I didn't, and I am not even going to attempt to dissect them.

Dark, unsettling and completely immersive, this is a novel that I became totally engrossed in, so much so, that I found myself reading when I should have been working! 

St Cordula's Catholic boarding school is an unforgettable setting. Steeped in history, tradition and superstition, it is wonderfully vividly created. Every corridor, every chapel and every shadowy corner seems to hold a story of its own, but it is the infamous night stairs that become the actual heart of the novel. The school building has such a strong presence that it almost becomes another character, watching over the events that unfold within its ancient walls, and for me, that is always a winner. 

Deputy Head Fiona Fox is preparing to lead the school through a period of significant change and long buried memories are beginning to surface. When a mysterious outbreak known as 'the spins' returns, Fiona is drawn back to a tragedy that has haunted both the school and her own past for decades. The blend of folklore, history and psychological suspense is really fabulous, there is a sense of unease that builds with every chapter.

Erin Kelly writes with such confidence, allowing the tension to develop naturally, and also giving her characters real depth and authenticity. I was completely invested in Fiona's story and fascinated by the traditions that continue to shape life within St Cordula's walls. The atmosphere is exceptional.

This is an intelligent, beautifully crafted thriller that combines the Gothic with an excellent mystery. It is compelling, haunting and wonderfully atmospheric from beginning to end. Most certainly, for me, one of Erin Kelly's best novels and a book that I will be recommending to everyone.

Erin Kelly is one of the most well respected and critically acclaimed voices in the crime-writing
community. She is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said / She Said, Stone Mothers (published in paperback as We Know You Know), Watch Her Fall, The Skeleton Key and Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. Its sequel, The House of Mirrors, was published to rapturous reception in 2024.

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He Said / She Said spent six weeks in the top 10 in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. Watch Her Fall was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award in 2022 and Erin was nominated for the CWA’s Dagger in the Library. The Skeleton Key was the Waterstones Thriller of the Month in September 2023 and won the Genre-Busting Book of the Year category at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards 2023. It was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller and a Times number one bestseller in paperback.

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Erin has worked as a freelance journalist since 1998 and written for the Guardian, The Sunday Times, Daily Mail, New Statesman, Red, Elle and Cosmopolitan. She has also taught creative writing on the Curtis Brown Creative course. Born in London in 1976, she lives in north London with her husband and daughters. 

 

Her latest gothic thriller, The Night Stairs, is out now

www.erinkelly.co.uk