The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Hidden in the depths of 18thcentury London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardised when her newest patron, a precocious 12-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries. Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved murders that haunted London 200 years ago.
A highly anticipated new release for 2021, Penner’s debut novel has been called ‘bold, edgy and accomplished’ by bestselling author Kate Quinn.
Release date: 2ndMarch
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week. What happened to those three men, out on the tower? Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story.
Inspired by real events, this suspenseful mystery is both a love story and a ghost story, full of atmosphere and emotion.
Release date: 4thMarch
Dangerous Women by Hope Adams
London, 1841. The Rajahsails for Australia. Aboard, 180 women convicted of petty crimes. Daughters, sisters, mothers – they’ll never see home or family again. Despised and damned, they have only one another. Until the murder. As the fearful hunt for a killer begins, everyone on board is a suspect.
This claustrophobic historical thriller is based on a real-life voyage and promises to be a tense, entertaining murder mystery set on the high seas.
Release date: 4thMarch
Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay
University student Matt Pine has just received devastating news. Nearly his entire family have been found dead while holidaying in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI aren’t convinced – and they won’t tell Matt why. The tragedy thrusts his family into the media spotlight again. Seven years ago, Matt’s older brother, Danny, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend. Danny has always sworn he was innocent, and last year, a true crime documentary that claimed he was wrongfully convicted went viral. Now his family’s murder is overlapping with Danny’s case, Matt is determined to uncover the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison.
Another highly anticipated new release for 2021, bestselling author Liv Constantine has said Every Last Fear‘keeps you guessing until the final explosive twist’.
Release date: 2ndMarch
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
Germany, 1945. Mia, a 19-year-old woman, is sent by the OSS to find Wernher von Braun, the world’s foremost rocket scientist. Her mission: to stop the Russians getting hold of him. But von Braun is suspicious. And so he should be. For Mia is no ordinary woman. She only looks human. And helping the Allies win the Second World War is just one part of her plan. Because there’s an even darker conflict on Earth. A secret struggle thousands of years old. One that has taken generations of Mia’s people.
The author of the brilliantly bizarre trilogy Themis Files returns with another intelligent sci-fi thriller.
Release date: 4thMarch
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
1940. French schoolteacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone wants nothing to do with the war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is willing to become. 1914. Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Astor Chanler is daunted by nothing. But after witnessing the devastation in France and delivering war relief over dangerous seas, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime: convincing America to fight for what’s right. 1774. Noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband’s political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France, Adrienne must choose whether she will risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come.
A sweeping novel that weaves together the courageous stories of three different women, this book shows the heroines triumphing against impossible odds.
Release date: 30thMarch
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
Kazuo Ishiguro returns with a new novel, his first since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, to examine a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
Release date: 2ndMarch
Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews
Florence Darrow wants to be a writer. Fired from her first job in publishing, she jumps at the chance to be assistant to the celebrated Maud Dixon, the anonymous bestselling novelist. The arrangement comes with conditions – high secrecy, living in an isolated house in the countryside. Before long, the two of them are on a research trip to Morocco, to inspire the much-inspired second novel. Beach walks, red sunsets and long, whisky-filled evening discussions; it’s idyllic, until Florence wakes up in a hospital, having narrowly survived a car crash. How did it happen? Where is Maud Dixon, and who was in the car with her?
Author Ann Patchett has said of this book: ‘Anyone longing for a good old-fashioned thrill need look no further’.
Release date: 4thMarch
Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter
Like every woman, Celeste Morton holds a map of the future in her skin, every mole and freckle a clue to unlocking what will come to pass. With puberty comes the changeling period – when her final marks will appear and her future is decided. Celeste’s marks have always been closely entwined with her brother, Miles. Her skin holds a future only he, as a gifted interpreter, can read. But when Celeste’s marks change she learns a devastating secret about her brother’s future that she must keep to herself – and Miles is keeping a secret of his own. When the lies of brother and sister collide, Celeste determines to create a future that is truly her own.
A debut novel that explores fate and female agency, this book has already earned heady comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale.
Release date: 16thMarch
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
Taryn Cornick barely remembers the family library. Since her sister was murdered, she’s forgotten so much. Now it’s all coming back. The fire. The thief. The scroll box. People are asking questions about the library. Questions that might relate to her sister’s murder. And something called The Absolute Book. A book in which secrets are written – and which everyone believes only she can find. They insist Taryn be the hunter. But she knows the truth. She is the hunted.
A tale of sisters, murder and a forgotten library, this book, according to the New York Times, ‘spans the genres of thriller, domestic realism and epic fantasy’.
Release date: 18thMarch
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