Books Monthly
December 2025 Volume 26 Number 3 Home Page/Fiction Books
December 2025 Volume 26 Number 3 Home Page/Fiction Books
Time for a bit of a rant: I trawl the web each month for new books that I think you might like to read. Occasionally, there's a book I might want to read myself, and I will email the publisher and ask for a review copy. quite often, they send me a copy, and that's when I get to post a review. The last book I got to review was Gyles Brandreth's riveting biography of A A Milne. Sometimes, the publicist will email back and say that they don't have any review copies left. Other times, I hear absolutely nothing, and that really annoys me. It just takes a moment to email me and say that there are no review copies available. To do nothing is discourteous and bad manners. Rant over. I hope you like this month's selection... happy reading! You never know, there may be something you might like for Christmas!
BOOK OF THE MONTH:
Peter James: The Hawk Is Dead
21st October 2025
Roy Grace never dreamed a murder investigation would take him deep into Buckingham Palace . . . Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading to a charity event in Sussex when disaster strikes – the train is derailed. A tragic accident or a planned attack? When, minutes later, a trusted aide is shot dead by a sniper, the police have their answer. Despite all the evidence, Roy Grace is not convinced The Queen was the intended target. But he finds himself alone in his suspicions. Fighting against the scepticism of his colleagues and the Palace itself, Grace pursues his own investigation. But when there is a second murder, the stakes rise even higher, and Grace is at risk of being embroiled in a very public catastrophe – and in mortal danger. Failure at this level is not an option. But time is running out before a killer in the Palace will strike again . . .
Roy Grace is back with his most difficult case yet in the gripping new instalment from number one bestselling author Peter James.
STUART MACBRIDE: THIS HOUSE OF BURNING BONES
6th November 2025(Paperback edition)
The Granite City is ready to burn, and all it takes is a single spark . . .In the heat of a blistering summer, Aberdeen’s police are struggling: half the force is off sick, leave has been cancelled, someone’s firebombed a hotel full of migrants, and there’s a massive protest march happening this Saturday.
With officers dropping like flies, Detective Inspector Logan McRae is forced to juggle cases and run a major murder investigation with a skeleton staff of misfits, idiots and malingerers until the top brass can arrange back-up from other divisions.
It doesn’t help that the Aberdeen Examiner has just been bought by Natasha Agapova, a tabloid media tycoon hell-bent on blaming local police for everything. And she’s more than happy to fan the flames.
But, as bad as everything seems, it’s all about to get much, much worse . . .Now out in paperback - this magnificent book celebrates 20 years of the adventures of Detective Inspector Logan McRae in fine style, with all the dark menace of the underbody of Aberdeen and its murky districts, murders and other dastardly crimes expertly and brilliantly intermingled with the amazing humour as Logan, Steel, Rennie, Biohazard Bob, Doreen and the wee loon Tufty (PC Quirrel) tackle the criminals. Before Richard Osman, there was Stuart MacBride.... and the sheer brilliance of Logan McRae. I like all of Stuart's books, the Ash Henderson books, all of them; but for me Logan McRae is head and shoulders better than any other contemporary police procedural, and the guided tours of Aberdeen and its environs are an absolute delight, as are all of the characters, regular and otherwise. And talking of characters, we mustn't forget Colin Miller and Isobel; and THIS HOUSE OF BURNING BONES has one last brilliant cast member: Rebecca, the superb young girl who helped Logan to crack the "Livestock Market" case in ALL THAT'S DEAD. Logan doesn't recognise her at first, but when he does, they get to reminisce about the good and terrifying times they shared when Logan almost died for a second time. This book is hugely enjoyable - it's the best of all the Logan McRae books, and its terrifically good value, because it's as big as a Stephen King novel. Absolutely superb, and I can't wait for the next one in the series...
Adam Christopher: Master of Evil
11th November 2025
After Revenge of the Sith, a newly forged Darth Vader hunts for the secrets of life and death under the watchful eye of Emperor Palpatine.In the wake of Emperor Palpatine’s rise to power, the true nature of his most sinister enforcer remains a mystery. Darth Vader is a dominant yet illusive figure: the shadow cast by a malignant Imperial regime, unknowable to even its top officials. But even as his humanity gives way to myth, Vader remains haunted by the promises of the dark side, seeking the ultimate power that his master has hinted at but withheld―the power to conquer death itself.
On the volcanic world of Mustafar, Vader undertakes a dark ritual, bleeding a kyber crystal to forge his lightsaber. This act unleashes a power far greater than he anticipated, giving him a glimpse into the limitless potential of the Force.
Vader is determined to follow this vision, even if it means defying his master’s orders. Yet he finds the Emperor is suspiciously supportive of his mission, even sending Vader to the Diso system to investigate rumors of a Force-wielding shaman able to raise the dead. At his side are a cadre of the Emperor’s scarlet-robed Royal Guard, led by Colonel Halland Goth―a decorated soldier with a very personal interest in Vader’s mission.
Even as the Emperor’s true motivations reveals themselves, Vader falls deeper into obsession. His journey takes him far across the galaxy, chasing rumors and phantoms. But no matter how far he travels, he cannot escape the shadows within his own soul. Haunted by the echoes of his past, Vader circles the true resolution to his quest: only once all weakness is purged can he become a master of evil.
Damien Boyd: Blast From The Past
6th January 2026
A dark cloud casts a long shadow in this thriller from the bestselling DI Bob Willis series.It is 1986. Assigned to a new Cold Case Unit, retired Detective Inspector Mungo ‘Bob’ Willis has reopened the investigation into the 1962 disappearance of a nine-year-old boy. Paul Bromfield was snatched from one of the last steam trains from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and later found dead in an abandoned bunker.
A day at the seaside turned to tragedy. And a child’s name everyone remembers.
The killer has been watching―waiting for this moment. When another child vanishes and chilling messages begin to arrive, Bob finds himself caught in a dangerous game. With time running out, he must decipher clues that have been hidden in plain sight for decades; clues that point to the lasting fallout of a forgotten nightmare.
The truth is still out there. And it’s not finished with him yet.
Robert Thorogood: The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts
15th January 2026
A killer is on the loose. The bodies are piling up. And Judith is hiding a deadly secret …Someone from Judith’s past has turned up in Marlow and is stirring up trouble. With all the murders that the Marlow Murder Club have had to solve and her work setting crosswords, Judith’s been too busy to give her old life much thought. But now it’s knocking on her door and won’t go away.
On top of that, Marlow’s celebrities are getting murdered! When a footballer and a thriller writer are found dead, Judith, Suzie, and Becks must untangle a web of scandal to find the killer. But with Judith keeping secrets, the Marlow Murder Club find themselves drifting apart.
The pressure is on in more ways than one …
Can they find the killer and help Judith in time, or could this be the end of the Marlow Murder Club?
J R ELLIS: MURDER IN YORK
18th November 2025
In the ancient city of York, winter brings Christmas markets, cold weather…and murder.Snow dusts the cobbled streets of York as tourists flock to its famous Christmas markets. But for DCI Oldroyd, what starts as a peaceful evening on a ghost tour quickly turns deadly.
The tour guide’s grim discovery is no theatrical performance―he finds the body of Henry Marlow, a notorious local landlord, in the doorway of a derelict building. Oldroyd soon has no shortage of suspects: a resentful ex-wife, angry tenants, and even the guide who knows every secret passage of the old city.
As festive lights sparkle above the narrow passageways of York, darkness gathers below when a second body is found in the shadow of the ancient cathedral. Can Oldroyd untangle the web of secrets and lies before anyone else dies? As the holiday season approaches, it seems the killer is planning on making this a Christmas to remember―for all the wrong reasons…
Simon McCleave: The Bala Lake Killings
23rd October 2025
There's no place to hide...
A local MP is murdered by a far-right extremist gang in Snowdonia. DI Ruth Hunter and DS Nick Evans arrest one of the killers, Raymond Clarke, who agrees to give evidence if he and his family are taken into protective custody. Ruth is sure they'll be out of harm's way in the remote wilds near Bala Lake.
But the location of the safe house is leaked and Clarke's family is kidnapped.
Ruth and her team must pursue the gang across North Wales and work out where the leak came from before it's too late.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep you reading into the early hours. Perfect for fans of Neil Lancaster, Sarah Ward and LJ Ross.
Fenella J Miller: Trouble Comes to Harbour House
3rd February 2026
The BRAND NEW instalment in the brilliant wartime saga series from Fenella J Miller. Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke and Lizzie Lane ❤️🎖️
Will love or duty be her downfall?
Wivenhoe, 1940.
As war tightens its grip, the residents of Harbour House are doing their bit for King and country―keeping calm through air raids, blackouts and family issues.
When Elizabeth Roby’s glamorous young cousin Lucinda Somiton arrives from London, scandal at her heels and a broken heart in her past, she brings a spark of chaos to the quiet Essex town. Accustomed to champagne parties and bright lights, Lucinda struggles to adjust to ration books and village gossip.
But when she volunteers to aid the war effort, Lucinda begins to find a sense of purpose―and perhaps a chance to redeem her name. Yet just as she starts to build a new life, the past threatens to catch up with her once again. And in wartime, every choice comes at a cost…
Lynda La Plante: Appeal
4th December 2025
THE UNFORGETTABLE LEGAL THRILLER FROM THE QUEEN OF CRIME DRAMA, LYNDA LA PLANTEEight years ago, James McCready was convicted of killing his partner, Gary Meadows. But McCready has always claimed that the stabbing was a tragic accident and, when fresh evidence comes to light, he wins his appeal for a retrial.
Detective Inspector Pat North is assigned to the reinvestigation. But when North discovers that her partner, Detective Superintendent Mike Walker, led the original police inquiry, their fledgling relationship is put to the test - particularly when she starts to suspect that he is covering something up.
Could Walker have tampered with evidence to frame an innocent man? And if so, who is the real killer?
On this page:
Peter James
Stuart MacBride
Adam Chistopher
Damien Boyd
Robert Thorogood
J R Ellis
Simon McCleave
Fenella J Miller
Lynda LaPlante
BOOK OF THE MONTH:
For full details and review, see the Nostalgia page...
GGBP are delighted to announce a new edition of Kay Whalley’s Career Stories (written as Kay Clifford), retitled A Smart Suit and White Gloves. For thirty years after the war, the genre of girls’ career books flourished, guiding girls towards the right job while never overlooking the possibility that romance might blossom along the way.
About BOOKS MONTHLY: This publication started life as FANTAZONE in December 1998. Within a month publishers were starting to send me review copies, and I changed the name to Books Monthly as the new title reflected the new primary purpose of the magazine. Many people, including Bernard Cornwell and Gyles Brandreth have commented on how much they like the magazine, which this month has morphed into a newsletter, although its premise remains the same - to alert readers to a selected number of newly published books with my reviews when I've managed to persuade a publisher to send me a copy. To the best of my knowledge, Books Monthly is the longest-running book review magazine on the web. I hope you enjoy it in its new format!
contact me at paulenorman1@gmail.com
Peter James
Stuart MacBride
Adam Chistopher
Damien Boyd
Robert Thorogood
J R Ellis
Simon McCleave
Fenella J Miller
Lynda LaPlante
BOOK OF THE MONTH:
For full details and review, see the Nostalgia page...
GGBP are delighted to announce a new edition of Kay Whalley’s Career Stories (written as Kay Clifford), retitled A Smart Suit and White Gloves. For thirty years after the war, the genre of girls’ career books flourished, guiding girls towards the right job while never overlooking the possibility that romance might blossom along the way.
About BOOKS MONTHLY: This publication started life as FANTAZONE in December 1998. Within a month publishers were starting to send me review copies, and I changed the name to Books Monthly as the new title reflected the new primary purpose of the magazine. Many people, including Bernard Cornwell and Gyles Brandreth have commented on how much they like the magazine, which this month has morphed into a newsletter, although its premise remains the same - to alert readers to a selected number of newly published books with my reviews when I've managed to persuade a publisher to send me a copy. To the best of my knowledge, Books Monthly is the longest-running book review magazine on the web. I hope you enjoy it in its new format!
contact me at paulenorman1@gmail.com