So 3 September 2020 is set to be a bookish explosion. Over 600 books are to be published on the first Thursday in September, many pushed back from previous publication dates because of a pesky invisible virus that has brought the world to its knees. Demand for books has never been so high as people fall back on books to bring comfort in an uncertain time, or find for the first time the wonder they can bring.

Of those 600, about 250 (give or take) are commercial fiction or non fiction, by that I mean non text books, manuals or other guides to life and work.  So I thought it might be an idea to show case as many of them as I can in one post, though that will certainly not include all of them. I’ve tried to include a variety of books and topics, not necessarily just the books I personally would read. Call it a shopping list if you will (because I am).

Your local independent bookshop will be primed and ready to go, so grab a pen and paper and get read to make a must read list. First up is fiction. I’ve split it into two separate posts to make it easier to read.  Come back tomorrow for the non-fiction list.

So without further ado, here’s part two.

Oi Aardvark! by Kes Grey and Jim Field, published by Hodder Children.

Baboons sit on balloons, crocs sit on clocks and donkeys sit on long keys . . .

Let Frog, Dog and Cat guide you through the alphabet from Aardvark to Zebra in this hilarious new picture book from the creators of Oi Frog! With a special fold-out surprise!

The laughter never ends with Oi Frog and Friends!

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant, published by Faber and Faber.

In the aftermath of World War One, everyone is trying to rebuild their lives. If Ben is to avoid being sent back to the orphanage, he needs to find his brother Sam, wounded in action and is now missing. Lotti’s horrible aunt and uncle want to send her away to boarding-school (when she has just so successfully managed to get expelled from her last one!) And Clara, their young teacher, is waiting for news of her missing fiancé.

Just as they think they’ve found their feet in the new order, disaster strikes, and Lotti and Ben must get away. And so they hatch a plan – to cross the Channel on Ben’s narrowboat and find Sam. And there’s something in France that Lotti is looking for, too…

Buffeted by storms, chased by the police, Lotti, Ben, Clara and a growing number of dogs set out on an epic journey, on the search for lost loved ones and a place to call home.

Kidnap on the California Comet by M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, published by Macmillan Children’s.

After the excitement of his adventures aboard the Highland Falcon Thief, Harrison Beck can’t wait for the opportunity to go on another amazing train journey. So when his Uncle Nat invites him aboard the California Comet, the iconic three-day train journey from Chicago to San Francisco, he leaps at the chance to travel. But when the daughter of billionaire entrepreneur August Reza goes missing en route, Hal finds himself with another mystery to solve. Can he uncover the kidnapper before the journey’s end?

An adrenaline-fuelled journey across America from bestselling authors M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman in the second mystery adventure in the major Adventures on Trains series.

You Choose Fairy Tales by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, published by Puffin.

Make up your very own fairy tale adventure where YOU CHOOSE what happens next!

Which fairy tale hero would you like to be today? Where will you go on your fairy tale quest? And what fairy tale baddy would you least like to meet?

The possibilities are infinite in this captivating creative toolkit which will inspire children from three up to make their own stories again and again.

The Complete Bramley Hedge by Jill Barklem, published by Harper Collins Children’s.

The mice of Brambly Hedge made their first appearance in 1980 when the four seasonal stories were published. Ever since, readers have loved exploring the miniature world of the hedgerow and meeting the families that live there.

In this collection the mice have many adventures, but they always have time for fun and relaxation too. Whatever the season, and whether they are by the sea, in the hills, or simply at home by the fire, there is always someone ready to lend a helping hand.

Contains: Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story, Winter Story, Poppy’s Babies, Sea Story, The High Hills, The Secret Staircase.

Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze, published by Fourth Estate.

This life is like being in an ocean. Some people keep swimming towards the bottom. Some people touch the bottom with one foot, or even both, and then push themselves off it to get back up to the top, where you can breathe. Others get to the bottom and decide they want to stay there. I don’t want to get to the bottom because I’m already drowning.

This is a story of a London you won’t find in any guidebooks.

This is a story about what it’s like to exist in the moment, about boys too eager to become men, growing up in the hidden war zones of big cities – and the girls trying to make it their own way.

This is a story of reputations made and lost, of violence and vengeance – and never counting the cost.

This is a story of concrete towers and blank eyed windows, of endless nights in police stations and prison cells, of brotherhood and betrayal.

This is about the boredom, the rush, the despair, the fear and the hope.

This is about what’s left behind.

Inheritance by Jenny Eclair, published by Sphere.

Beginnings, middles and ends; Peggy, Serena, Natasha and Bel. This is the room that binds them, this is how consequences work . . .

In deepest Cornwall, the mansion Kittiwake has seen many pass through its doors since it was bought by American heiress Peggy Carmichael seventy years ago.

Over the decades, the keys have been handed down through the family, and now it belongs to Bel’s adoptive brother, Lance. It’s where he’ll be celebrating his fiftieth birthday, and Bel is invited.

But Bel barely feels like she’s holding it together as it is, and in going back to Kittiwake, she will be returning to the place where it all began – where, following the death of a child, a sequence of events was set in motion, the consequences of which are still rippling down through the generations . . .

The Elected Member by Bernice Reubens, published by Abacus.

(No cover available)

Norman is the clever one of a close-knit Jewish family in the East End of London. Infant prodigy; brilliant barrister; the apple of his parents’ eyes . . . until at forty-one he becomes a drug addict, confined to his bedroom, at the mercy of his hallucinations and paranoia.

For Norman, his committal to a mental hospital represents the ultimate act of betrayal. For Rbbi Zweck, Norman’s father, his son’s deterioration is a bitter reminder of his own guilt and failure. Only Bella, the unmarried sister, still in her childhood white ankle socks, can reach across the abyss of pain to bring father and son the elusive peace which they both desperately crave.

Private Moscow (Private 15) by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy, published by Century.

An invitation from an old friend draws Jack Morgan into a deadly conspiracy . . .

On a cold January morning, Jack Morgan stands inside the New York Stock Exchange with his former US Marine comrade whose company is being launched onto the market, eagerly awaiting the opening bell.

But before the bell rings, a bullet rips through the air and finds its mark.

In the aftermath of the murder, the victim’s wife hires Jack to find the killer. As the head of Private, Jack has at his disposal the world’s largest investigation agency. What he discovers shakes him to his core.

Jack identifies another murder in Moscow that appears to be linked. So he heads to Russia, and begins to uncover a conspiracy that could have global consequences.

With powerful forces plotting against him, will Jack Morgan make it out alive?

Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito, published by VIZ Media.

This striking collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story “Human Chair” and fan favorite “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” With a deluxe presentation—including special color pages, and showcasing illustrations from his acclaimed long-form manga No Longer Human—each chilling tale invites readers to revel in a world of terror.

Cut Short by M.W. Craven, published by Constable.

In The Killing Field, Poe and Tilly are having breakfast, wondering how to spend the rest of their holiday, when their presence is requested at a Cumbrian airfield. An airfield that, during the 2001 foot and mouth crisis, was known as the killing field . . .

In Why Don’t Sheep Shrink?, a global pandemic forces Poe and Tilly to self-isolate together. Things don’t go well. They’re bickering and on the verge of falling out until Poe finds an old case file: a locked room mystery he’s been mulling over for years. Step forward, Tilly Bradshaw . . .

Dead Man’s Fingers sees Poe, Tilly and Edgar, Poe’s English springer spaniel, enjoying a picnic at a nature reserve. When Edgar chases a rabbit, and Poe and Tilly chase after him, they stumble upon a twenty-year-old mystery, a mystery that couldn’t be solved until now . . .

Love at the Little Wedding Shop by the Sea by Jane Linfoot, published by One More Chapter.

It’s the most romantic day of the year but the girls aren’t just gearing up for Valentine’s Day and a busy wedding season ahead, it’s also the 10 year anniversary of their beloved shop!

Jess is planning the party of the decade and with the champagne and cocktails flowing, sparks are going to fly…and not just from the fireworks display!

Secret Weapon (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz, published by Walker Books.

Ever since MI6 recognized his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger. From a routine visit to the dentist that turns into a chase through the streets of London, to a school trip with a deadly twist, no day has ever been ordinary for the teenage super-spy. This collection of thrilling adventures features familiar and new assailants from the best-loved world of Alex Rider, and also includes three never-before-seen stories.

Orfeia by Joanne Harris, published by Orion.

When you can find me an acre of land,
Every sage grows merry in time,
Between the ocean and the sand
Then will you be united again.
(Inspired by The Child Ballads 2 & 19)

So begins a beautiful and tragic quest as a heartbroken mother sets out to save her lost daughter, through the realms of the real, of dream, and even into the underworld itself.

But determination alone is not enough. For to save something precious, she must give up something precious, be it a song, a memory, or her freedom itself . . .

Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.

Storm Birds by Einar Karason and Quentin Bates, published by MacLehose.

In February 1959, several Icelandic trawlers were caught in a storm off Newfoundland’s Grand Banks. What happened there is the inspiration for this novel. Not since The Perfect Storm has there been a book which captures the sheer drama and terror of a crisis at sea. Karason is an exceptional storyteller, an Icelandic Erskine Caldwell or William Faulkner.

The side trawler Mafurinn is hit by a major storm just as they prepare to turn for home. Thirty-two men aboard, and a hold full of redfish. The sea is cold enough to kill a man in minutes, and the trawler quickly ices up in the biting frost and violent tempest.

The heavy icing weighs down the already fully laden craft, which is pummelled by one breaker after another – and here, out on the open sea, there is no exit route. Distress signals from other ships in the same circumstance and be heard from the fishing grounds around them. It is a battle of life and death.

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben, published by Arrow.

Thirty years ago, a child was found in the New Jersey backwoods.

He had been living a feral existence, with no memory of how he got there or even who he is. Everyone just calls him Wilde.

Now a former soldier and security expert, he lives off the grid, shunned by the community – until they need him.

A child has gone missing. With her family suspecting she’s just playing a disappearing game, nobody seems concerned except for criminal attorney Hester Crimstein. She contacts Wilde, asking him to use his unique skills to find the girl.

But even he can find no trace of her. One day passes, then a second, then a third.

On the fourth, a human finger shows up in the mail.

And now Wilde knows this is no game. It’s a race against time to save the girl’s life – and expose the town’s dark trove of secrets…

The Time-Travelling Caveman by Terry Pratchett, published by Doubleday Children.

Imagination is an amazing thing.

It can take you to the top of the highest mountain, or down to the bottom of the deepest depths of the sea.

This is where it took Doggins on his Awfully Big Adventure: a quest full of magic and flying machines. (And the world’s best joke – trust me, it’s hilarious.)

It took three young inventors to the moon (where they may or may not have left a bottle of lemonade) and a caveman on a trip to the dentist.

You can join them on these adventures, and many more, in this incredible collection of stories . .

Tangled Lives by Stephanie Harte, published by Aria.

Alfie doesn’t forget… and he certainly doesn’t forgive. Can Nathan and Gemma’s marriage survive the mob boss’s return?

Nathan has tried to be a changed man for Gemma after they escaped gangster Alfie’s clutches, but it doesn’t take long for him to give into temptation… and now Alfie’s back to get what’s his.

Alfie doesn’t like losing. The gangster has been biding his time ever since Nathan and Gemma escaped his clutches, but he’s determined to collect his debt now. It helps that he knows about Gemma’s big secret…

Gemma’s been hiding something life-changing from her husband while they’ve been on the run. But now Alfie’s back in town, her lies could cost her Nathan… and her son.

After the Silence by Louise O’Neill, published by Quercus.

On the day of Henry and Keelin Kinsella’s wild party at their big house a violent storm engulfed the island of Inisrun, cutting it off from the mainland. When morning broke Nessa Crowley’s lifeless body lay in the garden, her last breath silenced by the music and the thunder.

The killer couldn’t have escaped Inisrun, but no-one was charged with the murder. The mystery that surrounded the death of Nessa remained hidden. But the islanders knew who to blame for the crime that changed them forever.

Ten years later a documentary crew arrives, there to lift the lid off the Kinsella’s carefully constructed lives, determined to find evidence that will prove Henry’s guilt and Keelin’s complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa.

Dog Gone by Rob Biddulph, published by Harper Collins Children’s.

Every dog has his Dave (or otherwise-named human)… but on a walk in the park, the adorable Teddy the pug, loses his!

And when Teddy finds himself at the shed of the TERRIBLE TROLL in the woods, he might find more than he bargained for… a new friend.

Packed with delight, dogs, and even a Dave, this hilariously funny and exquisitely illustrated new book from the incredible Rob Biddulph, the creative star behind the viral and phenomenal #DrawWithRob, will have you panting for more!

This is the perfect story for boys and girls of 4+, and dog-lovers everywhere, to share with their families! Roll around in the rhymes and enjoy Rob Biddulph’s trademark warm-hearted humour.

The Confession by Jessie Burton, published by Picador.

When Elise Morceau meets the writer Constance Holden, she quickly falls under her spell. Connie is sophisticated, bold and alluring – everything Elise feels she is not. She follows Connie to LA, but in this city of strange dreams and razzle-dazzle, Elise feels even more out of her depth and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever.

Three decades later, Rose Simmons is trying to uncover the story of her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was a now reclusive novelist, Rose finds herself at the door of Constance Holden’s house in search of a confession . . .

The Queen’s Rival by Anne O’Brien, published by HQ.

One family united by blood. Torn apart by war…

England, 1459: Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, is embroiled in a plot to topple the weak-minded King Henry VI from the throne. But when the Yorkists are defeated at the Battle of Ludford Bridge, Cecily’s family flee and abandon her to face a marauding Lancastrian army on her own.

Cecily can only watch as her lands are torn apart and divided up by the ruthless Queen Marguerite. From the towers of her prison in Tonbridge Castle, the Duchess begins to spin a web of deceit – one that will eventually lead to treason, to the fall of King Henry VI, and to her eldest son being crowned King Edward IV.

This is a story of heartbreak, ambition and treachery, of one woman’s quest to claim the throne during the violence and tragedy of the Wars of the Roses.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr Seuss, published by Harper Collins Children’s.

Celebrate sixty years of this Dr. Seuss classic with this special anniversary edition paperback!
From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere in this hilarious exploration of simple concepts from the irrepressible Dr. Seuss.

Sixty years ago this classic Dr. Seuss adventure was first published, and it’s still a bestseller today. This hilarious exploration of opposites, colours, numbers and nonsense is the perfect gift for children of any age, as Dr. Seuss paints a crazy world of singing Yings, boxing Goxes and seven-hump Wumps!

Join us and celebrate this very special anniversary with this gorgeous new paperback edition.

With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic Cat in the Hat, and ranked among the UK’s top ten favourite children’s authors, Seuss is firmly established as a global best-seller, with nearly half a billion books sold worldwide.

Silver by Chris Hammer, published by Wildfire.

A HOMECOMING MARRED BY BLOOD
Journalist Martin Scarsden returns to Port Silver to make a fresh start with his partner Mandy. But he arrives to find his childhood friend murdered – and Mandy is the prime suspect. Desperate to clear her name, Martin goes searching for the truth.

A TERRIBLE CRIME
The media descends on Port Silver, compelled by a story that has it all: sex, drugs, celebrity, and religion. Martin is chasing the biggest scoop of his career, and the most personal.

A PAST HE CAN’T ESCAPE
As Martin draws closer to a killer, the secrets of his traumatic childhood come to the surface, and he must decide what is more important – the story or his family…

Bury Them Deep by James Oswald, published by Wildfire.

When a member of the Police Scotland team fails to clock-in for work, concern for her whereabouts is immediate… and the discovery of her burnt-out car in remote woodland to the south of Edinburgh sets off a desperate search for the missing woman.

Meanwhile, DCI Tony McLean and the team are preparing for a major anti-corruption operation – one which may raise the ire of more than a few powerful people in the city. Is Anya Renfrew’s disappearance a co-incidence or related to the case?

McLean’s investigations suggest that perhaps that Anya isn’t the first woman to have mysteriously vanished in these ancient hills. Once again, McLean can’t shake the feeling that there is a far greater evil at work here…

Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan, published by Faber and Faber.

Everyone has a Tully Dawson: the friend who defines your life.

In the summer of 1986, in a small Scottish town, James and Tully ignite a brilliant friendship based on music, films and the rebel spirit. With school over and the locked world of their fathers before them, they rush towards the climax of their youth: a magical weekend in Manchester, the epicentre of everything that inspires them in working-class Britain. There, against the greatest soundtrack ever recorded, a vow is made: to go at life differently. Thirty years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has news.

Mayflies is a memorial to youth’s euphorias and to everyday tragedy. A tender goodbye to an old union, it discovers the joy and the costs of love.

The Invention of Sound by Chuck Palahnuik, published by Corsair.

Private detective Foster Gates is a father is in search of his missing daughter, and sound engineer Mitzi harbors a secret that may help him solve the case. It’s Mitzi’s job to create the dubbed screams used in horror films and action movies. She’s the best at what she does.

But what no one in Hollywood knows is the screams Mitzi produces are harvested from the real, horror-filled, blood-chilling screams of people in their death throes–a technique first employed by Mitzi’s father and one she continues on in his memory–a deeply conflicted serial killer compelled beyond her understanding to honor her father’s chilling legacy.

Soon Foster finds himself on Mitzi’s trail. And in pursuit of her dark art, Mitzi realizes she’s created the perfect scream, one that compels anyone who hears it to mirror the sound as long as they listen to it–a highly contagious seismic event with the potential to bring the country to its knees.

Lessons by Jenny Colgan, published by Sphere.

Lessons is the third novel in Jenny Colgan’s beloved Maggie Adair series.

As the summer holidays start, scandal hits Downey House. The attraction between Maggie Adair, the fiery, committed English teacher at Downey House and David McDonald, a teacher at the local boys’ school, has escalated – and now both are facing an uncertain future.

The girls of Downey House – mercurial Fliss, glamorous Alice and shy, dependable Simone – are facing long summers at home. But the new term is not far away – and it will bring new pupils and lots of fresh new challenges . . .

The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell, published by Bloomsbury.

Fresh off the boat from England, Vita Marlowe has a job to do. Her beloved grandfather Jack has been cheated out of his home and possessions by a notorious conman with Mafia connections. Seeing Jack’s spirit is broken, Vita is desperate to make him happy again, so she devises a plan to outwit his enemies and recover his home.

She finds a young pickpocket, working the streets of the city. And, nearby, two boys with highly unusual skills and secrets of their own are about to be pulled into her lawless, death-defying plan.

Katherine Rundell’s fifth novel is a heist as never seen before – the story of a group of children who will do anything to right a wrong.

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!: An Animal Poem for Every Day of the Year by Fiona Waters and Britta Teckentrup, published by Nosy Crow.

A glorious and ambitious sequel to I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree – winner of Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year 2018 and Red Magazine’s Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year 2019, and described by Julia Donaldson as “An absolutely beautiful book.”

This lavishly illustrated gift book treasury of 366 animal poems – one for every day of the year – ranges from unforgettable classics to contemporary works from around the world, including poetry in translation. The spectacular range of poems for children includes work by Roger McGough, William Blake, Dick King-Smith, Ted Hughes, Grace Nichols, Lewis Carroll, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson. Britta Teckentrup’s breathtaking illustrations bring together all the richness and wonder of the animal kingdom, making this poetry anthology a perfect gift that will be treasured by generations.

With sumptuous finishes including cloth binding, full colour illustrations throughout, textured paper jacket, ribbon marker, and head and tail bands.

The perfect gift for any child or adult to treasure.

To the Eastern Seas: Thomas Kydd 22 by Julian Stockwin, published by Hodder.

With Bonaparte held to a stalemate in Europe, the race to empire is now resumed. Britain’s ambitions turn to the Spice Islands, the Dutch East Indies, where Admiral Pellew has been sent to confront the enemy’s vastly rich holdings in these tropical islands. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd joins reinforcements to snatch these for the British Crown.

The two colonial masters of India and the East Indies face each other in mortal striving for the region – there can be only one victor to hold all the spoils. The colonial genius, Stamford Raffles, believes Britain should strike at the very centre of Dutch spice production, the Moluccas, rather than the fortresses one by one but is fiercely opposed. Kydd, allying himself to this cause, conspires to lead a tiny force to a triumphant conclusion – however the Dutch, stung by this loss, claim vengeance from the French. A battle for Java and an empire in the East stretches Kydd and Tyger’s company to their very limits.

Brimstone Bound by Helen Harper

A werewolf killer. A paranormal murder. How many times can Emma Bellamy cheat death?

I’m one placement away from becoming a fully fledged London detective. It’s bad enough that my last assignment before I qualify is with Supernatural Squad. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next.

Brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, I wake up twelve hours later in the morgue – and I’m very much alive. I don’t know how or why it happened. I don’t know who killed me. All I know is that they might try again.

Werewolves are disappearing right, left and centre.

A mysterious vampire seems intent on following me everywhere I go.

And I have to solve my own vicious killing. Preferably before death comes for me again.

The Harpy by Megan Hunter, published by Picador.

Lucy and Jake live in a house by a field where the sun burns like a ball of fire. Lucy works from home but devotes her life to the children, to their finely tuned routine, and to the house itself, which comforts her like an old, sly friend. But then a man calls one afternoon with a shattering message: his wife has been having an affair with Lucy’s husband, he wants her to know.

The revelation marks a turning point: Lucy and Jake decide to stay together, but in a special arrangement designed to even the score and save their marriage, she will hurt him three times. Jake will not know when the hurt is coming, nor what form it will take.

As the couple submit to a delicate game of crime and punishment, Lucy herself begins to change, surrendering to a transformation of both mind and body from which there is no return.

Fiend of the Seven Sewers (Volume Four) (Nothing to See Here Hotel) by Steven Butler and Steven Lenton, published by Simon & Schuster.

Life is never dull for Frankie Banister and the weird and wonderful guests of The Nothing to See Here Hotel – the no.1 holiday destination for magicals! But when Frankie is kidnapped and dragged off to a secret cistern-city deep in the dookiest depths of the sewers, things get a whole lot weirder!

What has Frankie done to offend the mysterious ‘Boss’? Is he doomed to spend the rest of his life griping in the piping? Will he ever escape the dark and disgusterous dungeons? And what exactly is the gut-gurglingly named Poodly-Pipe?

One thing’s for sure, Frankie is going to have to outwit old enemies and rely on new friends if he ever wants to see his HONKHUMPTIOUS home again…

The Innocent Girls by B.R Spangler, published by Bookouture.

When Detective Casey White is called early one morning to a beachside vacation campsite in the Outer Banks, she finds the bodies of Carl and Peggy Pearson side-by-side, their throats cut, and their thirteen-year-old daughter Lisa nowhere to be found. Haunted by memories of her own missing girl, Casey fears this could soon become a triple murder: because without the medication found in the bathroom cabinet, Lisa has just days to live.

As her team struggle to untangle the meaning of the cryptic symbol carved into the victims’ skin, Casey searches the area for signs of Lisa: and is rewarded when she finds her blistered and barefoot, staggering along the highway. The girl barely has breath left to whisper ‘he invited me’ before blacking out.

Days later, another couple is found murdered on a vacation yacht. A different symbol is etched on their bodies, and their teenage daughter is also missing. Casey’s only clue is an unsettling ‘invitation’ found on the girl’s phone, to a secluded building out in the cornfields.

Desperate to uncover who is luring these innocent families to their deaths, and certain forensics have missed something vital, Casey matches up the crime scene photos herself. The symbols combine to form an upcoming date. The killer is taunting them with the timing of the next murder.

Racing to follow the invitation in time, when Casey arrives she is shocked to glimpse not the missing girls from this case, but her own missing daughter…

Serpent & Dove: 1 by Shelby Mahurin, published by HarperTeen.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation–marriage.

Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.

The Kindness Club on Mapleberry Lane – Part One: A Summer Surprise by Helen Rolfe, published by Orion.

A little kindness can go a long way . . .

Veronica’s cottage is the neatest house on Mapleberry Lane. A place for everything, and everything in its place – that’s her motto. But within her wisteria-covered walls, Veronica has a secret: she hasn’t left her perfect home in years.

Then her granddaughter arrives on the doorstep, and Veronica’s orderly life is turned upside down. Ever since her parents’ divorce, Audrey has struggled to find her place in the world. ButWith a little help from the residents of Mapleberry Lane, Audrey forms a plan to give her gran the courage to reconnect with the community: a kindness club, with one generous action a day to make their world a better place – and perhaps help each other at the same time.

As their small acts of kindness begins to ripple through the village, both Veronica and Audrey find that with each passing day, they feel a little braver. There’s just one task left before the end of the year: to make Veronica’s own secret wish come true…

I, Ada: Ada Lovelace: Rebel. Genius. Visionary by Julia Gray, published by Anderson Press.

Ada Byron is rich and clever, but she longs to be free. Free to explore all the amazing ideas that come to her imagination, like flying mechanical horses and stories inspired by her travels. Free to find love and passion beyond the watchful gaze of her mother and governesses. And free to learn the full truth about her father, the notorious Lord Byron. Then Ada meets a man whose invention might just change the world – and he needs her visionary brilliance to bring it to life . . .

A wonderfully witty and poignant portrayal of the young life of Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century mathematician who is hailed as the world’s first computer programmer.

Red Pill by Hari Kunzru, published by Scribner.

‘From now on when you see something, you’re seeing it because I want you to see it.
When you think of something, it’ll be because I want you to think about it…’

And with those words, the obsession begins.
 
A writer has left his family in Brooklyn for a three month residency at the Deuter Centre in Berlin, hoping for undisturbed days devoted to artistic absorption.
 
When nothing goes according to plan, he finds himself holed up in his room watching Blue Lives, a violent cop show with a bleak and merciless worldview. One night at a party he meets Anton, the charismatic creator of the show, and strikes up a conversation.
 
It is a conversation that leads him on a journey into the heart of moral darkness. A conversation thatthreatens to destroy everything he holds most dear, including his own mind.
 
Red Pill is a novel about the alt-right, online culture, creativity, sanity and history. It tells the story of the 21st century through the prism of the centuries that preceded it, showing how the darkest chapters of our past haunt our present. More than anything, though, this is a novel about love and how it can endure in a world where everything else seems to have lost all meaning.

Victoria Stitch: Bad and Glittering by Harriet Muncaster, published by OUP Oxford. 

Twins, Victoria Stitch and Celestine, are denied their royal birth-right. Celestine accepts the decision with good grace, but Victoria Stitch is consumed with her obsession for power.

The twins are like moonlight and sunshine – could it be possible to break free of the role you have been given, rewrite your story, and change your own destiny?

Kind PB by Alison Green, published by Alison Green Books.

Imagine a world where everyone is kind – how can we make that come true?

With gorgeous pictures by a host of the world’s top illustrators, Kind is a timely, inspiring picture book about the many ways children can be kind, from sharing their toys and games to helping those from other countries feel welcome.

The book is endorsed by The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler, and fifty pence from the sale of each printed copy will go to the Three Peas charity, which gives vital help to refugees from war-torn countries.

Max Einstein Saves the Future by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, published by Arrow.

Max Einstein is never going to be your average 12-year-old kid. She . . .
is on the run from a group of villains
talks to Albert Einstein
spends timesearching for information on her parents
saves the world with the help of her genius friends

Totally not ordinary stuff – unless you’re Max Einstein!

Now Max and her friends are back and ready to take on their biggest problem yet: world hunger. While the Change Makers tackle this huge issue, Max must also avoid the evil Corp and her nemesis, Dr. Zimm. But they’re not the only ones looking for Max, and as she finds herself on the run, she discovers that Einstein created a time machine. And it might give her clues to her past – her distant past . . .

Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds, published by Gollancz.

Return to the Revenger universe, for another thrilling tale set among the stars . . .
Quoins are accepted currency throughout the thousands of worlds of the Congregation. Ancient, and of unknown origin and purpose, people have traded with them, fought for them, and stolen quoin hordes from booby-trapped caches at risk to life and limb throughout the Thirteen Occupations. Only now it’s becoming clear they have another purpose . . . as do the bankers who’ve been collecting them.
The Occupations themselves are another puzzle. The rise and fall of civilisation may have been unevenly spaced across history, but there is also a pattern. Could something be sparking the Occupations – or ending them? And if so, what could it be, lurking far beyond the outermost worlds of the Congregation?
The Ness sisters are being hunted for crimes they didn’t commit by a fleet whose crimes are worse than their own. If they’re to survive, and stay one step ahead of their pursuers – if they’re to answer the questions which have plagued them – it’s going to require every dirty, piratical trick in the book . . .

The Diver and the Lover by Jeremy Vine, published by Coronet.

It is 1951 and sisters Ginny and Meredith have travelled from England to Spain in search of distraction and respite. The two wars have wreaked loss and deprivation upon the family and the spectre of Meredith’s troubled childhood continues to haunt them. Their journey to the rugged peninsula of Catalonia promises hope and renewal.

While there they discover the artist Salvador Dali is staying in nearby Port Lligat. Meredith is fascinated by modern art and longs to meet the famous surrealist.

Dali is embarking on an ambitious new work, but his headstrong male model has refused to pose. A replacement is found, a young American waiter with whom Ginny has struck up a tentative acquaintance.

The lives of the characters become entangled as family secrets, ego and the dangerous politics of Franco’s Spain threaten to undo the fragile bonds that have been forged.

A powerful story of love, sacrifice and the lengths we will go to for who – or what – we love.

Klopp Actually: (Imaginary) Life With Football’s Most Sensible Heart-throb by Laura Lexx, published by Two Roads.

In these uncertain times we all need a coping mechanism. And Laura Lexx has found the obvious one – imagining life married to the sensible, no-nonsense man of our dreams, Jürgen Klopp. She thinks maybe he has something to do with football? More importantly, he definitely knows how to efficiently stack a dishwasher and would tell you honestly if you were being unreasonable about a colleague.

From job interviews to furniture shopping in IKEA to making a birthday cake for their daughter, Klipp, Klopp Actually is a hilarious, warm and deeply silly diary of life with everyone’s favourite baseball-cap-wearing, bespectacled German football manager.

The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes and Sarah Massini, published by Bloomsbury.

The wishing stars burn bright tonight, the air is thick with dreams,
And a deeply sleeping dinosaur is waking up, it seems . . .

In a town by the seaside, Marianne is often seen foraging on the beach. But she isn’t playing with children her own age. Instead Marianne is alone, and digging for dinosaur bones to build a special sort of companion. Then, one night, she goes to sleep wishing with all her heart that her dinosaur might come to life . . .

A very rare and special book where the words and pictures take you on a magical journey far beyond the page.

Death with a Double Edge by Anne Perry, published by Headline.

It is May 1911 when Daniel Pitt is summoned to a murder scene in the slums of London’s East End. He fears the victim is his friend Toby Kitteridge, but relief is quickly followed by dismay when Daniel identifies the dead man as Jonah Drake, a distinguished senior barrister who has been killed with a double-edged sword. But what was Drake doing in Mile End? And does their head of chambers, Marcus fford Croft, know more than he is willing to admit . . . ?

With the police holding out little hope of finding Drake’s killer, Daniel and Kitteridge rise to the challenge. Within days, they have leads that take them from the underbelly of the East End to the very highest echelons of society. Then Daniel’s father, Thomas Pitt, receives a warning from Special Branch to cease the investigation. But Daniel and his father will not be deterred – despite the risks involved in the pursuit of justice . . .

Cow Girl by Kirsty Eyre, published by Harper Collins.

When her father falls ill, Billie returns home to the Yorkshire farm which she left behind for life in London. The transition back to country lass from city girl isn’t easy, not least because leaving London means leaving her relationship with Joely Chevalier, just as it was heating up.

And when she gets to Yorkshire, Billie’s shocked to discover the family dairy farm is in dire straits – the last thing Billie expected was a return to the life of a farmer but it isn’t long before she’s up at 5am with manure up to her wellies.

Battling misogyny, homophobia and some very unpredictable dairy cows, Billie must find a way to keep the cows happy, save the farm and save herself…

The Watcher by Kate Medina, published by Harper Collins.

Some secrets can’t be hidden.

The Fullers are the picture-perfect family, a wealthy couple with a grand home in the middle of remote woodland. But even they have something to hide – and it will prove fatal.

Some crimes can’t be forgotten.

Psychologist Dr Jessie Flynn and DI Marilyn Simmons arrive at the Fuller’s home to find a suburban nightmare. A crime scene more disturbing than anything they have ever encountered.

Some killers can’t be stopped.

Jessie knows that this is no random act of violence. And if she can’t unlock the motivation behind the crime and shine a light into this killer’s mind, the Fullers won’t be the only family to die…

So there we are, a few books to be getting on with until Super Thursday arrives in October.