We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough @sarahpinborough @orionbooks ‪@sarahpinborough.bsky.social‬‪ @orionbooks.bsky.social‬ #BookReview

 

If their new new home doesn't break them, their secrets will...

When Emily wakes from a coma following an accident that nearly kills her, she finds herself agreeing to move from London to the wild moors of Devon with her husband Freddie. A fresh start is exactly what their marriage needs.

As their car pulls up to Larkin Lodge, their dream country home, Emily's heart sinks. Outside, everything is covered in an icy gray mist. Inside, the air is filled with dust and abandonment.

And then she finds the empty suite on the second floor. A room so bleak, so cold, so void of anything good. Something bad happened in here. Someone dies in here. Why can't Freddie feel the darkness that stirs within its walls?

There's something wrong with the house, this strange house, where the floorboards creak at night, the doors rattle, the windows slam shut, the taps turn on and off - and on and off.

But if the house is hiding something, so are Emily and Freddie...

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough is published on 5 June 2025 by Orion. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

There seems to have been quite a few crime novels recently that have incorporated a hint of horror in them. And I like it!  Last year, Stuart McBride served up a giant dollop of horror and I believe there is more to come from him this year. Sarah Pinborough's novels have always had that edge to them. Remember the #WTFThatEnding hashtag that was everywhere on social media when Behind Her Eyes was published?  Well, guess what? We could have EXACTLY THE SAME HASHTAG for this one. 

That ending! That final few pages. I absolutely screamed with laughter aswell as cringed with horror. She's a genius. Where do these ideas come from ..... she scares me. 

So married couple Emily and Freddie have had a traumatic time lately. Emily has been in a coma in hospital, she then got sepsis. She's weak. Freddie has got himself into something of a pickle, although neither Emily, or the reader know what he's done for a while. It's time to move away from London. They buy an old house in the countryside. Larkin Lodge in Devon sounds perfect for them. Little do they know. 

This is a haunted house story with plenty more added on. Not only do we hear Emily and Freddie's narrative, there is also another voice. A voice that is chilling, but is also poignant. I suspect that most readers will have more empathy for that voice than for our main characters. 

It is not for me to go into detail about the plot, but needless to say, there are unexpected noises, smells, windows opening, nails appearing in floorboards. Emily is driven almost crazy, Freddie just disappears inside himself. Selfishly allowing Emily to convince herself that the end is near. 

This is a novel that starts slowly. The pace quickens as the story continues until we get an almost frantic ending that left me breathless. Larkin Lodge is as much a character as any of the humans, it is a huge part of the story and the sense of doom and gothic terror is on every page. 

It is twisty, it is shocking, it is so brilliant. I loved every strange page of it. Highly recommended. 

Sarah Pinborough is an award-winning and New York Times, Sunday Times, and internationally bestselling author and screenwriter who is published in over 30 territories worldwide. 

Having published more than 25 novels across various genres, her recent books include Behind Her Eyes, now a smash-hit Netflix limited series; Dead to Her, in development with Amazon Studios; The Death House, which she is adapting herself for Compelling Pictures; and her most recent book Insomnia, which she has adapted for Left Bank Pictures, coming to Paramount+ in 2024, starring Vicky McClure. 

Sarah was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story, the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and she has four times been shortlisted for Best Novel. She was also shortlisted for the British Book Award for Best Thriller. 

Sarah lives in the historic town of Stony Stratford, the home of the Cock and Bull story, with her dog, Ted. 

You can follow her on social media @sarahpinborough.

Happy Is The One by Katie Allen BLOG TOUR #HappyIsTheOne @KtAllenWriting @OrendaBooks @katieallenauthor.bsky.social‬‪ @orendabooks.bsky.social‬ #BookReview

 

What if halfway through your life was just the beginning?

Robin Edmund Blake is halfway through his life.

 Born in 1986, when Halley’s Comet crossed the sky, he is destined to go out with it, when it returns in 2061. Until that day, he can’t die. He has proof.

 With his future mapped out in minute detail, a lucrative but increasingly dull job in the City of London, and Gemma to share his life with, Robin has a plan to be remembered forever.

 But when Robin’s sick father has one accident too many, the plan starts to unravel. Robin must return home to the tiny seaside town of Eastgate, learn to care for the man who never really cared for him, and face the childhood ghosts he fled decades ago.

 Desperate to get his life back on schedule, he connects with fellow outsider Astrid. Brutally direct, sharp-witted and a professor at a nearby university, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever met. But Astrid is hiding something and someone from Robin.

And he’s hiding even more from her…

Happy Is The One by Katie Allen was published on 22 May 2025 by Orenda Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this blog tour

Way way back in June 2021 I read and reviewed Katie Allen's debut novel; Everything Happens For A Reason. I fell in love with her writing style instantly. It has been a long wait but I am delighted that Happy Is The One is now published.

Fans of Matt Cain, Freya North, Mike Gayle and Jojo Moyes will love this novel. Katie Allen's compassionate and engaging story telling is utterly addictive. Her characters are wholesome, realistic and totally human. 

Robin Edmund Blake knows exactly when he will die. He is currently half way through his life, he is thirty seven years old and the rest of his life is carefully planned out, with spreadsheets to back it all up. He was born when Halley's Comet crossed the sky and he knows that he will die when it returns in 2061, just like Mark Twain! 

Robin's firm plans go awry when it becomes clear that his sick father needs him. Robin moves back to the small town of Eastgate where he spent his childhood, to care for his Dad. This move opens up so much for Robin, he has to deal with the issues that caused him to move away in the first place. He never felt as though his Dad really cared for him, especially after his Mum was killed in a car accident, it's a struggle for him, having to communicate with this man who can no longer speak.

Growing up, Robin's best mate was Danny. They lost touch years ago and Robin knows that they are bound to bump into each other. They do, and their reunion is joyful to follow. Two blokes, with so much history that they probably should deal with, but instead they find new issues to sort out.  The banter and the friendship is beautifully created.

Robin begins a slight romantic entanglement with Astrid. With her bright red hair and her enormous scarves, Astrid is also something of an outsider. This relationship is not all plain sailing, but it is warm and funny in places. 

Robin, Danny and Astrid are our three main characters but there is a fabulous cast of supporting people too. From Jackie the carer, to Bee, Danny's Mum, each and every one of them have their own special place in this fabulous story. 

There is absolute heartbreak, be prepared.  There are also times that you will chuckle, and times that you will sigh as Robin makes yet another suspect decision. Not only is this a wonderful novel, elegantly written, with characters that you will come to love; it is also a lesson in life. Robin has planned everything to the exact day, but this is real life and things come along that will totally upset your plans, but have to be dealt with. 

As much as we (and Robin) would like to be ordered and prepared, we aren't and we can't. We have to seize the moment, we have to realise that today, here and now, is our life and we have to treasure it and try to live it to its fullest. Bravo Katie Allen; Happy Is The One is beautiful, I loved every page. Highly recommended by me. 

Katie Allen was a journalist and columnist at Guardian and Observer, starting her career as a Reuters correspondent in Berlin and London. 

Her warmly funny, immensely moving literary debut novel, Everything Happens for a Reason, was based on her own devastating experience of stillbirth and was a number-one digital bestseller, with wide critical acclaim. 

Katie grew up in Warwickshire and now lives in South London with her family.

www.katieallenauthor.com

X @KtAllenWriting

Instagram @monkey_and_miko

Bluesky @katieallenauthor.bsky.social

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Shatter Creek by Rod Reynolds BLOG TOUR #ShatterCreek @rodwr.bsky.social‬‪ @orendabooks.bsky.social‬ @OrendaBooks #BookExtract

 

Hampstead County Police Department is embroiled in scandal after corruption at the top of the force was exposed. Cleared of involvement and returned to active duty, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray nonetheless finds herself at a crossroads when it becomes clear not everyone believes she’s innocent.

 CORRUPTION

Partnered with rookie Billy Drocker, Casey works a shocking daytime double-homicide in downtown Rockport with the two victims seemingly unknown to one another. And when a third victim is gunned down on her doorstep shortly after, it appears an abusive ex-boyfriend holds the key to the killings.

 MURDER

With powerful figures demanding answers, Casey and Billy search for the suspect, fearing he’s on a murderous rampage. But when a key witness goes missing, and new evidence just won’t fit, the case begins to unravel.

 DANGER

 With her career in jeopardy, Casey makes a shattering discovery that threatens to expose the true darkness at the heart of the murders… with a killer still on the loose…

Shatter Creek by Rod Reynolds was published on 22 May 2025 by Orenda Books and is the second Detective Casey Wray novel. 

I adore this series. I have read this one and my review will be in the June edition of The Mature Times. I will share it when it has been published.

As part of the Blog Tour today, I am delighted to share an extract with you. 

Extract from Shatter Creek by Rod Reynolds 

CHAPTER THREE

Twenty-four hours later – Eighth & Villanova

The EMTs tried to stabilise the woman on the spot, but she was

losing blood too fast. Within ninety seconds, the call was made

to move her to the ambulance for transport to the emergency

room at St Mark’s.

The risks attached to moving the woman were huge, which

told Casey all she needed to know about her chances.

She could see Billy further up the street, moving from person

to person. There was a vacant property on the lot next to

Strongbox and beyond that a sign for a 7-Eleven. Two more

patrol cars had arrived, parking in the street by where the dead

man had fallen, and the presence of HCPD was enough to

bring some civilians out from wherever they’d been sheltering.

A drip became a steady flow, and the block filled with dazed

faces, becoming even more chaotic than it already was. Billy

was trying his best to catch people as they emerged, assessing

potential witnesses, but there were men and women crying,

strangers hugging each other in shock, a mom gripping two

children to her chest. One man fell to his knees on the sidewalk

and began to pray.

Clusters formed around the uniformed officers, some

witnesses eager to talk to the police. Casey could see the cop who she’d first spoken to on the corner surrounded by three men and two women, all talking at once as he tried to make notes. From an investigatory standpoint it was a disaster, but Casey’s biggest worry was if the shooter came back – or if they were already moving through the crowd. In the confusion, they were all sitting ducks. She radioed Dispatch for an update.

‘Every available car is either there already or on the way. Still

no description of a suspect. We have Patrol criss-crossing the

area around and to the north of your location, where the last

shots were reported, but right now we’re looking for suspicious

vehicles or behaviour, nothing more concrete than that.’

‘When was the last report of shots fired?’

‘911 took a call from a payphone on Villanova, north of

Eighth.’

‘Yeah, I heard about that one. Nothing since?’

‘Negative.’

‘Copy.’

Casey radioed instructions for assembly points to be set up,

one at either end of the block, and for uniforms to ID and

question as many of the people there as they could. But no

matter how efficiently they worked, there would inevitably be

some who slipped through the net, often unaware they might

possess vital information. The hope was always for a witness

who’d seen the whole thing and could give them a description,

a licence plate or even a suspect name – but that was almost

never how it played out. Assembling a picture of a scene like

this was like piecing together a jigsaw, and it only took one

witness not to realise the significance of the small detail they’d

seen to leave Casey with a gaping hole. 

Rod Reynolds is the author of five novels, including the Charlie Yates series. 

His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian has called the books 'Pitch-perfect American noir.' 

A lifelong Londoner, in 2020 Orenda Books published his first novel set in his hometown, Blood Red City. 

The first in the Casey Wray series, Black Reed Bay, published in 2021, was shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger, with its long-awaited sequel, Shatter Creek, out in 2025. 

Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in novel writing from City University London. 

Rod lives with his wife and family and spends most of his time trying to keep up with his two daughters.

The Darkest Winter by Carlo Lucarelli t. Joseph Farrell BLOG TOUR #Giveaway @CarloLucarelli6 @OrendaBooks #Win #Prize

 

In November 1944, in the worst winter ever known in Bologna, in the depths of the war, the bomb-scarred streets are home to starving refugees who have fled the advancing Allies. The Fascist Black Brigades, the officers of the S.S. and the partisans of the Italian Resistance compete for control of the city streets in bloody skirmishes.

Comandante De Luca, who has proved himself "the most brilliant investigator" in Bologna, but who is now unwillingly working for the Political Police in a building that doubles as a torture facility, finds himself in trouble when three murders land on his desk: a professor shot through the eye, an engineer beaten to death, and a German corporal left to be gnawed on by rats in a flooded cellar.

De Luca must rapidly unravel all three cases with ten lives on the line: ten Italian hostages who will face a Nazi firing squad if the corporal's killing is not solved to the German command's satisfaction.

As he navigates a web of personal and political motivations – his life increasingly at risk – De Luca will not stop until he has uncovered the dangerous secrets concealed in the frozen heart of his city.

The Darkest Winter by Carlo Lucarelli was published on 22 May 2025 by Open Borders Press; an imprint of Orenda Books. It was translated from the Italian by Joseph Farell.

As part of this Blog Tour, I am delighted to have one copy of The Darkest Winter to give away. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in this post. UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK!

One copy of The Darkest Winter by Carlo Lucarelli

Carlo Lucarelli was born in Parma in 1960. 

While researching for his thesis on the history of Italian law enforcement, he became intrigued by the Italian police force’s role in the political upheavals of the 1940s during and after the Second World War. 

From this seed sprouted his De Luca trilogy, later to grow into an oeuvre of more than twenty crime novels focusing on various characters. 

Lucarelli hosted the popular late-night Italian television programme Blu notte misteri d'Italia, on unsolved crimes and mysteries, and he is the founder of the Italian crime-writing collective Gruppo 13. 

He is also a journalist and has worked for multiple Italian newspapers.

Some Of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins #SomeOfUsAreLiars @FionaAnnCummins @fionacumminsauthor.bsky.social @laurasherlock21 @panmacmillan.bsky.social‬

 

She must face justice. As her sister it kills me to say it. As his mother I demand it.

When Jen Miller entrusts her youngest child to the care of her beloved sisters, she has no idea of the devastating tragedy that is about to unfold.

To celebrate her sister's wedding, global superstar Winter Kellaway throws the party of the decade at her luxurious beachside estate. The decorations are flawless. The champagne is on ice. The guests have arrived. But one misstep will have heartbreaking consequences that will rock this close-knit family to their core.

With her life in pieces, how can Jen ever begin to forgive?

Saul Anguish, a brilliant but tormented young detective, is called in to investigate and uncovers a long-buried and shocking family secret. As the trail takes a dramatic turn, they must now all face the truth that you can never truly leave the past behind . . .

Some Of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins is published on 19 June 2025 by Macmillan. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This author burst onto the scene in 2017 with her two DS Fitzroy novels, she then delivered some stand alone books and more recently she has introduced us to DS Saul Anguish.  I have devoured every single one of her books, she is an incredible talent. She writes beautifully, always with compassion and empathy even when dealing with the darkest of issues. 

Some Of Us Are Liars is not the traditional thriller, it is more of a slowly unfolding family drama. The title is very apt as the reader is never quite sure if the narrators are truthful or not.  We know that there has been a terrible incident which tears this family to pieces. These three sisters; Winter, Jenn and Alyssa have always been close.  Winter is a world famous actress and single, Jenn has two children with Phil and they are about to marry, Alyssa's daughter is just a few weeks old.

It is Jenn's wedding day and her small son Teddy is with her two sisters and the wider family whilst she gets ready. A terrible incident happens and Jenn's whole life changes in a couple of seconds. Will she ever be able to get over this?  Will she ever be able to even look at her sister again? 

DS Saul Anguish is investigating the incident and what he discovers will change the family dynamic forever. Long buried secrets are about to be uncovered and it becomes clear that the past can never be wiped out or changed. 

Saul doesn't play as big a part in this novel, although things are not looking great for him and Blue. He's a dark and solitary figure with his own demons which are sometimes a little macabre. The ending of the story makes it clear that he's not as far under the radar as he thinks he is! 

With her trademark beautiful writing, this is another well thought out and absorbing novel that raises so many questions. The issues touched upon are often emotionally challenging, but always dealt with sensitively. Recommended by me. 

Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former journalist and a graduate of the Faber
Academy Writing a Novel course. 

Rattle, her debut novel, was the subject of a huge international auction and has been translated into several languages. It received widespread critical acclaim from authors and reviewers. 

She has since written bestsellers The Collector, The Neighbour, When I Was Ten and Into the Dark in which she introduces DC Saul Anguish, a brilliant young detective with a dark past. 

Fiona lives with her family in Essex.

X @FionaAnnCummins

IG @fionacumminsauthor

@fionacumminsauthor.bsky.social‬

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean #TheDeathofUS #AbigailDean @Hemlock_Press #BookReview

 

It’s the story everyone wants to hear.

That spring night in South London, when Isabel and Edward’s lives were torn apart.

The night Isabel learned that the worst things wait, just outside the door.

The night Edward learned that he was powerless to stop them.

The night they never talk about.

When their attacker is caught, it's finally time to tell the story of that night.

Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other.

This is a story of murder. This is a story of survival. But most of all, this is a story of love.

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean was published on 10 April 2025 by Hemlock Press; the crime imprint from Harper Collins. 

I read and reviewed both of Abigail Dean's previous books; One Day and Girl A. I really like her writing style and her subject matter. She chooses to write about very dark subjects but she does it with such style and ease. I had been looking forward to The Death of Us for months. 

The novel is unusually structured and is narrated by the two lead characters; Isabel and Edward. Isabel's chapters are told in the first person with Edward's sections being narrated in the third person. This is such a great way to distinguish between voices. The events take place over twenty-eight years but the story is not in chronological order.  The reader is taken back and forth, from the now to the then and back again. 

Isabel and Edward were attacked in their own home when they were aged thirty. Their attacker, known as the South London Invader, had many victims over the years, and whilst Isabel and Edward both survived, their marriage did not. 

Twenty-eight years later and retired police officer Nigel Woods has been caught and identified as the South London Invader. It is his court case and victims are invited to submit and read a victim statement. Isabel and Edward have reunited for the trial. Isabel is so keen to read out her statement. Edward is not so happy at the thought of reliving that time, or even thinking about how that one violent act seemed to have ended his marriage. 

This is a tense, deeply moving and very emotional novel. The reader feels like a sometimes unwelcome onlooker, being exposed to Isabel and Edward's innermost thoughts and the flaws and cracks in their relationship that are not going to be mended. 

Isabel's narration, spoken directly to Nigel Woods is almost suffocating at times, it is so very honest and open, yet bleak and almost unbearable at times. Edward's words and actions seem to be more measured, yet he still has many issues to address during the novel. 

This is disturbing, yet beautifully and flawlessly written. It is a gripping thriller, it is also the story of a marriage,  a story of love and a story of survival. Highly recommended.

 

Abigail Dean was born in Manchester and grew up in the Peak District. 

Abigail has worked as a Waterstones bookseller and a lawyer. 

Her debut novel, Girl A, was a New York Times and Sunday Times top ten bestseller and a Kindle number 1 bestseller. 

The rights to Girl A have sold in 36 territories and a television series is being adapted with Sony.

IG @abigailsdean

A Maid on Fifth Avenue by Sinéad Crowley BLOG TOUR #AMaidonFifthAvenue @sineadcrowley.bsky.social @AriaFiction @RandomTTours @annerandomthings.bsky.social

 

In 1924, Annie, dreaming of a new life, leaves her home in Ballydrynawn, West Kerry, and boards a ship bound for New York. With Irish maids in demand, she soon finds work with the wealthy Cavendish family in their opulent Fifth Avenue mansion. Only Annie knows the secrets she left behind though and when her friendship with an Italian waitress named Elena deepens into something more passionate and dangerous for them both, Annie's past rises up to haunt her. Will be she be forced to flee again?

Now, Emer arrives at her family's holiday home in Ballydrynawn. Burnt out and desperate for more, Emer has run away from her new life in LA. But even as the village begins to work its healing magic, the past refuses to stay silent.

As Annie and Emer's past and future begin to intertwine in the shadows of the village's magical Fairy Tree, long buried secrets will be revealed.

A Maid on Fifth Avenue by Sinéad Crowley was published in paperback on 24 April 2025 by Aria. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour. 

I do love a novel with a dual timeline narrative. It is almost as though you are getting two books in one and in this one the author has expertly crafted the story seamlessly. With two incredibly created female lead characters this is a family drama with an air of mystery running through it. 

In 1924, Annie Thornton sets sail to New York. She has always dreamt of going to America but her mother's illness and her best friend's woes have stopped her in the past. Now it time for Annie and she begins work as a maid to the wealthy Cavendish family in their luxury Fifth Avenue apartment. Crowley really immerses her readers into time and place, and we become aware of the huge differences in the lives of the rich and that of the poor. When Annie meets Elena, her life will change dramatically. 

In the present day, Emer is holed up in the holiday cottage that her family own. She's fled LA and her high powered job. It soon becomes clear that despite the many years between them, there's a link between Annie and Emer. The author develops her story so well, with tension and a little suspense. She introduces characters who are obnoxious, but perfectly created. 

This is a fabulous historical novel filled to the brim with larger than life characters in a setting that is beautifully described. Highly recommended by me. 

Sinéad Crowley is a writer and broadcaster, whose three DS Claire Boyle crime novels were all nominated for the 'Best Crime' category at the Irish Book Awards, with the first two becoming Irish Times bestsellers. 

She is currently Arts and Media Correspondent with RTE News, the Irish national broadcaster.

@sineadcrowley.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/sinead.crowley/

Vianne by Joanne Harris #Vianne @joannechocolat.bsky.social @orionbooks.bsky.social @Joannechocolat @orionbooks #Chocolat #BookReview

 

Secrets.

Chocolate.

A touch of magic...

On a warm July evening, Sylviane Rochas scatters her mother's ashes in New York and lets the changing wind blow her to the French seaside town of Marseille.

For the first time in her life, Vianne holds the future in her own hands. Charming her way into a job as a waitress in a local bistrot, she knows that she is not here to stay - when her child is born in a few months, she must be gone.

As she discovers the joy of cooking, making recipes her own with the addition of bittersweet chocolate spices, she realises that it possesses its own magic in this town full of secrets.

Yet Vianne will never forget her mother's warning: that there is danger in revealing the true desires of those around her - and she must flee these cobbled streets before it's too late...

Million-copy bestselling author Joanne Harris returns to the world of Chocolat with the long-awaited story of Vianne, which begins six years before she opens her scandalous chocolaterie in the small French village of Lansquenet.

Vianne by Joanne Harris is published in hardback on 22 May 2025 by Orion. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

The day that my proof copy of Vianne arrived through my letterbox felt like every birthday and Christmas combined. Chocolat and the other books in the series have long been a favourite of mine. I had never imagined that Joanne Harris would come up with a prequel, and that we were about to learn more about Vianne's earlier life. Who she was before Lansquenet and the the chocolaterie, what she did in her earlier life, what made her the woman that we grew to love?

I don't know if Harris always knew about Vianne's early life, or if she's recently created this narrative, but I do know that it is totally and utterly beautiful. It took me all of around 10 minutes to be immersed in Vianne's world again, it was as though she'd never been away. 

We meet Vianne in Marseille, France. Her and her mother had been living in New York, her mother has recently died and this is the first time that Vianne will travel alone. She's not really alone though, as she is pregnant, her child is due in a few months time. 

Stumbling across a small bistro, Vianne eats. Louis, the landlord, offers her a room for a couple of nights and Vianne negotiates a job in the kitchen. It is there, guided by the recipe book written by Louis' late wife that Vianne discovers the joy of cookery and food. She has some fans in the bistro and one noticeable enemy. 

It is meeting Guy and Mahmed that really changes Vianne's life though. These two would-be businessmen who are experts in all things chocolate pass on their knowledge to Vianne, she sprinkles that chocolate magic amongst her new found colleagues and friends. 

We all know how talented this author is and she has excelled herself with Vianne. That trademark blend of magic and food and sumptuously created characters just jump from the pages and the reader is drawn in so deeply. It's very difficult to put this one down. 

Deliciously irresistible, intriguing and magical, this is the perfect prequel for fans of Chocolat, and for Vianne! Highly recommended. 

JOANNE HARRIS is an Anglo-French author, whose books include twenty novels, three cookbooks, and many short stories. 

Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology, and fantasy. 

In 2000, her 1999 novel Chocolat was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. 

She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an honorary fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE by the Queen.

@joannechocolat.bsky.social

www.joanne-harris.co.uk