I have an incredible personal connection to Harrison’s previous book Play Nice. Sometimes you just read a book at the right time and it leaves an indelible mark on your heart. That was one of those books for me, particularly within the voice, characterisation and overarching exploration of grief. Needing to consume more of her work, I was drawn to Kiss, Slay, Replay. This is Harrison’s take on the time-loop and this narrative device takes us to some unexpected and brilliantly bizarre territory. We get to cram in a bucketload of horror tropes but also play with them in sometimes unexpected and subversive ways. As with her previous work, she deftly weaves together these stomach-churning moments and these deeper themes that underscore the story. There is plenty of dark humour and gory beats here with some deaths that I do not think I can scrub from my mind.

At the centre of it all, we have Willa. She is heart-broken and forced to confront her ex at the wedding of her longtime friends. This is enough of a nightmare and then the killing begins. Because of the time-loop of it all, the story becomes a character study of Willa and the journey Harrison takes her is extraordinary. You connect with her immediately from those small flashes of humanity, the loneliness and hurt behind the facade of humour and coping mechanisms. When she is taken into this new space, you are rooting for her to succeed and I liked how realistic her character arc felt in this extreme scenario. She is not a final girl and makes plenty of meta references to horror, which adds this extra dimension to the work. In part this story works so well because her voice is arresting and pulls you completely into the story. You become immersed with these scenes playing out like short films before your eyes. The smell of fear is palpable as we go through the familiar moments again, but you cannot rest easy. Around every corner, Harrison has a surprise and it is usually not the sweet and cute sort. The twists are played brilliantly, placed at just the right moment and land with greater emotional impact because of the stellar character work that has been going on.

Ultimately this is a story about mental health and the fierce grip illness can have on you. For me, the way Harrison chooses to tell this story was profoundly moving and inspired. This embodies what horror can be. At times it is campy and gore-filled, but at others, it stares into the pit found within us and asks us to confront that darkness. That endless void of existence can be a heavy weight to carry but Harrison leaves us with room to sit with this, if only for a second within the carnage. What is being delivered here uses the horror framework to explore something deeply human, impactful and introspective. I enjoyed how existential it got at times and the philosophical elements interwoven with the blood and violence. Everything builds to an unforgettable conclusion. Without giving anything away, it is somewhat ambiguous, bittersweet and leaves plenty of room for discussion but also tinged with hope.

Kiss, Slay, Replay was extraordinary. It takes a staggering concept and weaves it into a story that I cannot get out of my head. This was clever, moving and everything I love with horror.

Kiss, Slay, Replay is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore!

Will you be picking up Kiss, Slay, Replay? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

Will this nightmare ever end?

It’s the picture-perfect wedding weekend—the venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air, and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She’s excited to celebrate her best friends finally having the big wedding they always wanted, but this is the first time she’s seeing her ex-fiancé in months, and he brought a date. Everything feels off, like she stumbled into an alternate universe. But things start to look up when Willa meets Danny, the groom’s charming and single childhood best friend. When they sneak off together, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl, Willa is not.

Or is she? She wakes up and it’s the morning of the wedding. She just had the most intense nightmare of her life. Only as the day unfolds, there are some uncanny coincidences that make her question if it was really a dream, déjà vu, or something more sinister. After a horrifying turn of events, Willa comes to understand that she’s stuck in a loop of carnage and terror that she must learn how to escape or suffer a fate worse than death—being an eternal wedding guest.

The post Review: Kiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel Harrison appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Kathryn Foxfield consistently delivers excellent concepts, layered characterisation and interesting twists. I have enjoyed her work for a long time and am so delighted to see her getting the love she deserves. Her work builds on those brilliant ideas and turn them into chilling stories that leave a trace on your skin. This latest book continues that trend with possibly my favourite story from her yet.

This is a thrilling read with a well-constructured plot and whodunnit at its core. Foxfield carefully paces it with an atmosphere that keeps bearing down on you. It feels relentless and you cannot tear yourself away, mirroring Cicely’s increasing desperation to beat the clock and unveil the truth. This also felt like such a rich world with plenty more stories you could wander off and uncover. For example, I really loved the magic system in this book. It feels ancient and sprawling with this intensely privileged family exploiting this for their own ends. There is this history that we tap into a little but feels like there’s further depth to explore. With the magic, the way each gift manifests and informs that person’s way of navigating the world is fascinating. The characterisation is intertwined with their gift and that speaks to the way the power we hold shapes us.

Cicely’s gift is the perfect choice to place her as the protagonist with the ability to uncover secrets. While this may make her the perfect detective, it has far-reaching consequences for the way her family view her and her relationship with each of them. The journey she goes on through this book is delectable and something that I hope will land with the readers who need it. I also enjoyed the various relationships she has within the story and how they shift. Around her is this complicated, fractured family of the incredibly wealthy whose hands are drenched in blood. They are all fully aware of the cost of their luxurious lives and the power they wield. Foxfield has a fascinating thread of the idea of complicity and the way guilt affects us all in different ways. Cicely’s investigation unearths a lot of buried secrets and forces confrontations with actions that they would have rather ignore. It takes a familiar trope and takes it to totally new territory. There is also a romantic thread that I enjoyed and it adds even more emotional intesnity to the story. It feels believable and grows into something that makes your heart flutter but also exposes it to new danger.

Of course, the Winter family then starts meeting their demise in rather gruesome ways. There is this sense of dark humour that I thoroughly enjoyed and Foxfield balances it well in terms of tone. The horror is palpable but it is also evident in the sheer monstrosity of humanity you are grappling with, before you even start weaving in the speculative elements. That deal may end up being more of a curse and requires reckoning with your own place in the world, specifically what was sacrified for you to stand there. Everything builds to a brilliant conclusion that shatters your heart but may also give you a little hope.

Our Wicked Gifts is a brilliant mix of genres and delivers this wonderful Gothic romantasy thriller that puls you into its dark heart.

Will you be picking up Our Wicked Gifts? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

The post Review: Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

This latest instalment sees Poe and Bradshaw in new territory after the explosive events of the last book. They are operating in a new manner, which loosens the guidelines around them and makes their moral territory even murkier. When a teenage girl knocks on their door, they are drawn into a web of secrets, lies and international implications that may just be their toughest case yet. The development of these two characters, as well as their three-dimensional, lovable supporting cast of rogues, is the shining light of this series. They are two vastly different people with some excellent humour emanating from their clashes but they also would go to the ends of the earth for one another. Poe is a fractured man who is carrying the weight of the past books but his intellect is still sharp, his instincts keen and his belly craving some pie and pints. Tilly Bradshaw is a deeply caring character whose intelligence is frankly frightening. She could make or destroy the world if she so chose. Luckily, her powers are channelled for good and seeing the way she’s grown from her first introduction is heart-warming. This is a series that champions found family and forging bonds in blood, trauma and being able to fight your way out of the hole you are stuck in. These people have stolen slivers of my heart.

Craven’s writing is always incredibly cutting and this is no exception with horrifying scenes and delving into topics that will make your skin crawl. There is a relentlessness to the pacing that makes it impossible to tear yourself away from the pages. It is brutal and Craven makes you sit in the continuous horror that unfolds as the story reaches its explosive crescendo. There are layers to the evil in this book and it is deftly handled by a master of the genre.

It is a complicated book that sits within the morally grey, especially as events escalate towards the latter half of the story. Poe and Bradshaw have always sat in an ambiguous place in terms of the law, with the series often occupied with questions of justice, vengeance and how power affects the dynamics of a case. This takes it step further with a conspiracy that will unnerve you and has far-reaching effects for the world of these stories. I think the book is brilliantly encapsulated by a conversation Poe has with a certain character towards the end of the book. It is a scene composed of dialogue but the tension chokes you from the page. There is this palpable sense of menace and death, it is a blood-stained scene that is all the more horrifying because of the seemingly quiet nature of it. Those climactic confrontations with evil have always been brilliantly delivered within the series, especially as they often reveal the nuance of situations and the messiness of humanity that has culminated in violence. This ending though is one that will leave you with a queasy feeling in your stomach and plenty of questions about the consequences this will have. Fans of the series are in for one last surprise as Craven leaves you on a dastardly cliffhanger too.

The Killer’s Mark is a macabrely magnificent book that feels eerily prescient. Come for the guts, stay for the whip-smart humour and characterisation. Either way, you’ll be entirely lost in its grip.

The Killer’s Mark is available Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Killer’s Mark? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

When Vice Admiral Boyer, RN (retd) died without leaving a will, his estranged daughter inherited his – not inconsiderable – estate. Called home to sort through his belongings, she found an AegisBox – a tamper proof safe within a safe designed to self-destruct if anyone without the code attempts to open it. Unable to walk away without the truth, she uncovered something so horrifying it launched the biggest investigation in the National Crime Agency’s history. Five years later, Washington Poe is unwittingly, and unwillingly, sucked into its gravity…

Finally able to escape the authority they railed against, Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are enjoying their new jobs as private detectives or – as the sign on their door says – ‘Gumshoes for Hire’. When a teenage girl walks into their office, looking for the mother she long believed to be dead, they agree to take the case. As Poe and Tilly investigate the girl’s claims, they find themselves drawn into a murky world of trafficking, pornography and prostitution. Will they be able to help the girl find her mother, or will the dark forces at work, who will stop at nothing to protect themselves, get there first…

The post Review: The Killer’s Mark by M.W. Craven appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Bea Fitzgerald is a real force to be reckoned with. Her YA Greek mythology retellings are empowering and interesting reads that delve into intense topics with a deft hand, deliver brilliant characterisation and dynamics that make your heart sing. Her adult work maintains that level of characterisation and compelling storytelling but really digs into the darkness buried within people. So far, they have fixated on the idea of fame and the careful construction of public personas which may crumble easily when placed under immense pressure.

This story centres on Harper and Nadine who are two deeply flawed, complex and toxic people. They are messed up and I enjoy the texture Fitzgerald gives them as we see them meet, their stars rise and their infamous feud play out. You can clearly imagine these people and they feel three-dimensional. While they may be deeply unlikeable, you do understand their motivations and feel the reverberations of their decisions throughout the book. This is a book deeply concerned with consequences, actions and reactions. It feels like a claustrophobic, intense game of cat and mouse in this starry setting that actually forces people to carry so much weight and have grit beneath their nails. The industry becomes this gilded cage and Fitzgerald explores the rot behind the gorgeous wallpaper.

Acting rewards duplicity and losing yourself into a character. The industry around it is still one that feels tight-knit and focused on who you know, rather than your talents. Harper and Nadine embody different aspects of this and are very much playing the game. They deal the cards they were dealt with relish but also steal a whole new hand and ultimately rig the game. Everything is a move in this deeply charged game. The way their dynamic fluctuates is nothing short of delicious. It is messy, vicious and deeply toxic but also delivers moments that will not leave your brain. There are several scenes that just ooze sexuality and epitomise the lengths to which these two people will go to in order to keep their stardom.

I really enjoyed the narrative structure of this book and how it weaves in these opinions through the true-crime documentary interviews. It is a clever way of underscoring how publicly these women live their lives with a constant level of scrutiny and backstabbing. Gossip is a deadly currency and one that is held in high esteem by the industry. Everything lives and dies by your image. This means every move is being watched by the eyes of the world and you do not want them to look way, lest you fade into nothingness. To be watched is to be relevant. That constant sense of being perceived links in with the way image is constructed and revealed, allowing for plenty of reveals along the way as you peel away the facades. This structure also adds more detail to the wider picture and reminds you that you cannot trust everything that is being presented to you. It is a book that thrives in unreliable narration, which is a device I absolutely love. On a meta level, it continues that theme of trust and manipulation that the story is so concerned with.

Better Than Revenge was the type of book you will need to talk to everyone you know about. It is a scathing indictment of the film industry, a complicated portrait of a deeply toxic relationship and a damn good time to boot.

Better Than Revenge is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Better Than Revenge? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

The post Review: Better Than Revenge by Bea Fitzgerald appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi Cynthia, thank you for joining us today. Please could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your book Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls?

Hello! I’m a Young Adult author from Manchester, England, where I live with my lovely husband and our rescue dog, Loli. Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls is a bit of a love letter to art and to people who are so invested in true crime, and it centres around Fliss Keller, who finds a fabled lost portrait that may or may not be cursed…and then the murders begin.

Where did the idea for this book originate from?

I was researching Victorians (which I often do because some of their traditions were so wonderfully morbid) and I came across a particularly gruesome pastime where they liked to use bits of Egyptian mummies for various detestable reasons! But one terrible hobby included grinding them down to use in a paint named ‘Mummy Brown’, which became popular. My first thought was, well, all those paintings will be haunted, won’t they? Then I wondered what would happen if someone did use human remains in a painting, why they would do that and what it might look like. And Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls was born!

As usual, this was such a tightly plotted YA thriller with great twists and turns. What was your process in creating this like and how did you keep track of the different plot strands?

Thank you! I try to plot my big twists and have an idea of where to plant the red herrings, but the truth is those usually come along in the second draft. This book was unusual as I had a completely different idea at first and had to rewrite the start to adapt to the way it ends now, but it’s been one of my favourites to write.

I love how your books tread that line between the supernatural and our world so carefully. How do you find this balance and what influences these aspects?

I just adore anything supernatural and love to have a hint of it in the stories I write. It’s always nice to leave suggestions of something spooky in the text and let the reader pick up on them if that’s their thing, but also be able to dismiss them if not. I’ve actually started a ‘Weird Art History’ series on my social media, as I found so many brilliant stories when I was doing the research for this book that I wanted to share them! I think that hint at the supernatural works especially well here, as the paintings are so creepy and ominous – if I saw them in a gallery, my imagination would definitely get carried away!

How do you think your background in Art History and Archaeology informs your writing, particularly for this art-focused book?

It always manages to sneak in, even if I don’t plan it. There are so many nods to real artefacts in my books, either that I’ve studied or seen in real-life, from John Dee’s scrying mirror in Win Lose Kill Die and Keep Your Friends Close to the Victorian mourning jewellery in Last One To Die. This book was so fun to write, though, because I got to take lots of inspiration from surrealist and often macabre portraits (particularly a series by Francis Bacon) and then invent my own versions with their own histories. I hope that I managed to do it convincingly!

What is one message or lingering thought that you’d like readers to take away from this book?

The ongoing debate on whether we should enjoy good art by bad people. I’m not sure I know the answer, but it’s always something I’m open to discuss!

If you could wipe your memory of the big twist and read a book for the first time again, which book would you pick?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. What a masterpiece.

What songs or music would serve as your ideal soundtrack for Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls?

I actually had a playlist to put on when I needed to get in the mood to write, and my favourites were Taste by Sabrina Carpenter, That’s So True by Gracie Abrams, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me by Talor Swift, Bad Idea Right? By Olivia Rodrigo, My Kink is Karma by Chappell Roan and Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish. Every one of those songs has a slightly twisted relationship with the book!

What books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

I have really loved Drop Dead Famous by JC Pearson, Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield and Foes & Cons by Georgia Bowers. I’m also very excited for the final Naturals book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson and Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo.

If possible, please can you share a little about what you are currently working on or any upcoming projects you have?

I can’t! I do have something coming and it’s a little different, but might be my favourite book so far, so watch this space!

Finally if you could only use five words to describe Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls, what would they be?

Dark, macabre, investigative, thrilling and eerie.

The post Q&A: Cynthia Murphy, Author of ‘Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

This is one of the most profoundly moving books I have read recently. I wept reading this, something which very rarely happens and completely caught me off guard. There is just something so special about this book. For me, it captures those aching emotions and the spectacle of a relationship, as well as all of the other quieter moments that burn just as brightly. It is a love letter to love. The emotional intensity created in these short snatches is exquisite and maybe it just found me at the right time to land quite so impactfully. I truly hope it finds readers that loved it as much as I did.

The rapid narrative shifts of this book were inspired and unique to me. I can see how they might be polarising for some readers but I thought they were such a brilliant choice. You really see how this relationship plays out from everyone around them and all of the tiny human connections and interactions we all have everyday. The conversation you hear a snippet of, the stranger you pass on the street, the person sat opposite you on the bus. For that brief moment, you are part of one another’s lives and then the moment passes. It is such a clever way to depict a romance and how that connection reverberates out. Love stories are ways of telling stories about humanity in one way or another as they tap so deeply into human nature. Palmer is taking this to a further point and creating something brilliant along the way.

I also have to commend how exceptional the characterisation was. You get to know the speaker quickly and have a sense of their outlook in just a few lines. They are passing through these brief moments of their lives, just going about their day and yet they are playing a minor role in this grand overarching story. It is such a beautiful concept and epitomises capturing those fleeting moments, reminding you to seize them where you can and live life to the fullest. Each voice was distinctive and I loved how the chapter headings have this wry sense of humour at times. Palmer is aware of how stretched the concept becomes at times but it does also remind you of all the minuscule interactions we have every day. It is a kaleidoscope of joy, love, hope and sadness all at once. Within just a few lines, you get a glimpse of the people who have their own stories to star in but as they cameo in this one, there is something that propels us forward.

Between all of these different perspectives, you also get to gather the jigsaw pieces of Clara and Seb who are just tantalisingly out of reach of the narrative. It mirrors the way you slowly to get to know someone in a relationship and piece together who they are as you fall. Their relationship is complicated and messy at times, with realistically complicated people that fall in love and make mistakes and argue fiercely. To be frank, their love story is refreshingly ordinary in many aspects and this framing makes it extraordinary. I did enjoy the meta aspect of the film industry and how much it influences this novel which lives so brightly on its unique framing. This is an industry built around perception and storytelling and the story encapsulates that. Despite all of this, you get so invested in these characters and their story. To me, that is the mark of an extraordinary writer.

Main Characters snuck into my heart and stole a sliver of it. This gorgeous book makes the most of its incredible concept, with a well-realised and emotionally devastating story.

Main Characters is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Main Characters? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

Clara and Seb are about to fall in love. They don’t know it yet. But everybody else does.

When Clara and Seb meet in a quiet corner of London, it’s the start of something. She wants to be a director. He’s an actor, unsure what he wants from life.

Their connection is magnetic. Everyone can see that falling in love looks something like this. But when Clara casts Seb in the film that will make her name, what should be the happiest time of their lives ends with a gut-wrenching betrayal.

Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told through the eyes of friends, flatmates, exes and strangers who see all the sides of Seb and Clara, from their first date to the moment they fell apart.

Everyone has their version of events. But only Clara and Seb can decide how their story ends…

Main Characters is the highly anticipated novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families and life-changing connections.

The post Review: Main Characters by Bobby Palmer appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi Jo, thank you for joining us today. Please could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your book Dissection of a Murder?

Thanks so much for having me! I’m grew up on a rough estate in Teesside and, despite everyone’s insistence I’d never do it, I became a criminal barrister. Dissection of a Murder is a legal courtroom thriller about a young female barrister who defends a prolific criminal charged with murdering a local judge. Her opponent in the case is the most feared prosecutor on circuit, and the man who taught her everything she knows. He is also her husband.

Where did the idea for this book originate from?

I have always been fascinated with the criminal jury and how we, as advocates, present evidence to them in a trial. I wanted to examine whether it was possible for a barrister to manipulate a jury by twisting information to serve their own agenda.

This is such a brilliant, twisty and well-constructed book. What was your process in creating this like and how did you keep track of the different plot strands?

I planned the book like it was a trial. No stone was left unturned and I approached each plot strand from different angles to ensure I had had covered everything. My legal training helped with the plotting here!

I loved how this story is so rooted in the North East of England. Why did you choose this setting and how did it inform the story?

I knew from the outset that it would be set in the North East. As a North East girl myself, it was important that the main character, Leila, originated from the region. She has a grit and determination that is vitally important in ensuring her survival at the Bar throughout the story. Durham was a perfect setting for the book as it perfectly mirrors the archaic and respected traditions of the Bar, but there is an unsettling undertone after nightfall which I love.

What is one message or lingering thought that you’d like readers to take away from this book?

I hope this book sparks a debate about what exactly brings criminals to the courtroom, and I hope it gets people talking about what justice really means. This book should force people to assess their moral compass, and they should feel uncomfortable after reading that last chapter.

What was it like seeing your book adapted and how involved were you with the process? How do you think your background in law informs your writing?

It still doesn’t feel real! To have David E Kelley adapt my work for screen is the biggest honour as he is a writer I’ve admired since I was a teenager. I adored Ally McBeal! He trained as a lawyer himself, and I think that is why he is known to be one of the best writers of legal dramas we have. Having a background in law adds a layer of authenticity to your project, it’s in the small details.

If you could wipe your memory of the big twist and read a book for the first time again, which book would you pick?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I was not prepared for that.

What songs or music would serve as your ideal soundtrack for Dissection of a Murder?

Music plays such a huge part in my creative process, and I have a playlist for this book. Some songs feature in the novel and they are Delilah by Tom Jones and You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and The Pacemakers, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why they’re relevant!

What books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

I really loved The Death of Us by Abigail Dean and My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney. I have also just received One Dark Summer by Sarah Hornsley and I can’t wait to dive into that one.

If possible, please can you share a little about what you are currently working on or any upcoming projects you have?

It’s another legal thriller that is quite dark in tone. It requires meticulous planning, but I love that feeling when it all clicks together.

Finally if you could only use five words to describe Dissection of a Murder, what would they be?

Shocking. Gripping. Tense. Authentic. Tragic.

Will you be picking up Dissection of a Murder? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Jo Murray, Author of ‘Dissection of a Murder’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you’ve yet to pick up a book by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, you are missing out. So far all of her work has featured well-constructed plots, superb characterisation and twists that will leave you reeling. She is a phenomenal author and I will continue to read the stories she decides to tell. The Heirs is an excellent addition to that list. It takes the twisted genius of

The Umbrella Academy and adds the tightly plotted murder mystery of And Then There Were None. The concept is intriguing and incredible, and what Faridah turns it into is astonishing.

The Heirs is twisty, compelling and explores this world in fascinating ways. I read this book in public and had to stop myself from audibly gasping at some of the twists. Time seemed to just slip away as I was utterly lost in the story of The Buttons and this fiendish mystery that plagued them all. For me, that is the mark of a truly great book, where you can escape reality for a while and completely lose yourself in a story. It’s a layered story that you won’t be able to put down.

Each of the siblings feels three-dimensional and I enjoyed following their narration as we got to learn more about them. All of them are hiding secrets, even from the reader at times. I liked how easily things shifted and dynamics were suddenly altered as you revisited events from a new perspective. They all have their defining gift and react to their upbringing in vastly different ways. This event forces them all back together again, which reignites old tensions and passions in equal measure. Every voice felt distinctive and I was impressed at the way Àbíké-Íyímídé was balancing all of their stories and competing timelines. The narrative structure of this book is astoundingly complex and truly a puzzle box. Once you find your way through the maze of the plot, the treasure is well worth the journey. The mystery is well-plotted with plenty of rabbit holes to lose yourself in and the twists are excellent as always. Ensure you keep your eyes peeled throughout though as Àbíké-Íyímídé keeps you guessing until the very end. This is a story that pays attention to detail and rewards any reader that does the same.

There is a lot to explore here around the concept of genius and the conditions which allow it to thrive. This social experiment has defined the lives of these children for better or worse and I enjoyed the way in which we see the ramifications of this play out. The use of multiple narrators allows us to see everyone’s perspective and gradually get a sense of the wider picture at play. There are plenty of secrets and lies to unpack and some messy dynamics to untangle. We move between the present investigation and the fateful time before to truly see the details and the domino effect of these events that ends in death. It keeps you on tenterhooks, racing through the pages to uncover just whodunnit and why. This is sharp and clever writing that keeps you engaged. It strikes a perfect balance between pacing and characterisation, giving you enough of each person to dig into who they are beyond their public facade. Each of them has shouldered the immense weight of these expectations and the perfection they are supposed to deliver. Their lives have been used as a game and now they are pawns in a new and deadly one.

The Heirs is a stellar work from a powerhouse YA author. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to the twisted mystery within these pages.

The Heirs is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Heirs? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

From the award-winning New York Times and Indie bestselling author of Ace of Spades comes a mystery about five teen geniuses, their billionaire father, and the aftermath of his murder—perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games, Umbrella Academy, and Knives Out!

Five prodigies, one dead father, a mansion full of suspects…

Octavius the Maestro.
Fola the Brain.
Bilal the Olympian.
Perdita the Artist.
Romeo the Failure.

These are the five heirs of the illustrious billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and viciously trained with their father’s infamous “Button Method” to prove his hypothesis for creating prodigies—child geniuses—the Button siblings have had no choice but to be brilliant according to their father’s impossibly high standards.

Until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball.

Now, all who attended the ball are required to stay in the Button Manor while the police investigate. But the officers have their work cut out for them—each of the Button siblings has something to hide, but The Heirs aren’t the only ones with secrets. After all, Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies…

The post Review: The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Kate Weston is a supernova. She has this incredible way of delivering dark humour and horror that sticks in your mind long after the final page. These brilliant concepts are delivered in sharp and witty ways that elevate the idea to a fully fledged story that feels layered, insightful and interesting. Her work across the adult and YA spaces always lands well and I would highly recommend catching up on her backlist if you have not done so already. Coterie of Liars might just be my favourite work from her yet.

This is Saltburn with a wonderful twist – delectably dark and the perfect book to get lost in with the baking heat of summer. It is snide and sensational in equal measure, turning the luxurious glamour of this trip into a deadly nightmare. Weston takes aim at the hierarchical nature of society and the lengths to which people may go in order to preserve their standing. It is a book rooted in issues around class and privilege, which especially lands in the context of British society where this is still keenly felt. It is an unspoken barrier between people and Weston explores that wonderfully.

I love how expansive the mythos of this story feels and the myriad of unexplored stories that could be in this world, but they are within your imagination and you can go down numerous rabbit holes if you so wish. It is clever, subtle world-building that has this deft balancing act between fantasy and reality. All the way through, you’re questioning the role of the supernatural within it and Weston uses this as a way to represent the cyclical nature of violence. This is a family with their hands steeped in blood and that might just be coming back to haunt them. Of course, this toxic friendship group is not exactly squeaky clean in that regard either…

Rich people behaving badly is one of my favourite tropes in literature – there is just something delicious about the ways authors can use it to make these larger societal and political points and expose the underbelly. It’s all quite like lifting the curtain in The Wizard of

Oz, exposing the artifice and corruption at the core. Here, the vast majority of these characters are pretty unlikeable. They are vapid, self-obsessed and tangled up in a complex web of secrets. Their privilege has shielded them from the outside world and encountering genuine difficulties, of course, until now. You are kind of rooting for them to get their comeuppance but the ways in which this is delivered are a twisted kind of genius. They’re dark, bloody and pretty gory and remind me of the best dark comedy slashers.

This book has a great twist on where you may expect the story to be going and you move between timelines to uncover every secret and lie. This is quite a twisted little gem of a book with some nefarious plot developments and excellent surprises along the way. Everything builds to a conclusion that still brings a wry smirk every time I think of it. It is so perfect for this story and has that perfect blend of tragedy and comedy that encapsulates this book’s tone. Weston has previous form for sticking the landing and twisting the knife just that bit further and once again, she delivers here.

Coterie of Liars is a marvellous darkly comedic thriller with tinges of horror and dark academia adding extra texture to the mix. Weston is a shining talent and I cannot wait to read her next book.

Coterie of Liars is available from Amazon, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Coterie of Liars? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

One of Us Is Lying meets The Inheritance Games with the vibes of Saltburn – a seductively commercial thriller tapping into the trends of dark academia and decadence from stand-up comedian Kate Weston.

It’s the party you’d KILL to be invited to…

As Evie and her friends – dubbed the ‘Coterie’ in homage to her grandmother’s legendary group of artists – graduate from their elite private school, they prepare to host one last epic summer party at Evie’s family mansion, D’olobelle. The D’olobelle parties are notorious, with everyone desperate for an invite and a taste of the debauchery.

And the Coterie are determined this year’s party will be the most scandalous yet.

Hugo: The suave and charming golden boy, and Evie’s devoted boyfriend, whose charisma hides deeper complexities.

Jess: The passionate vegan influencer who struggles with her principles –especially when she stress-eats chorizo.

Tim: The hot mess with a drink perpetually in hand and a knack for self-sabotage.

CeCe: The fashion-loving intellect who’s too clever for their own good, always ready to dissect the drama.

And Evie herself, queen bee of their elite private school and aspiring actress. She wants this last summer to be perfect.

But as the festivities unfold, a series of chilling ‘accidents’ begin to plague the group. And it seems that each of them has something to hide. Who is targeting them, and what dark secrets are lurking just beneath the surface?

And as eerie photos of the previous Coterie emerge, it becomes clear that D’olobelle is not just a backdrop for their celebration – it holds secrets of its own.

Can the Coterie unravel what is going on – or will the last summer at D’olobelle be their last summer of all?

The post Review: Coterie of Liars by Kate Weston appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, David! Please introduce yourself and explain what Capital Crime is.

I’m David Headley, co-founder of Goldsboro Books, founder of DHH Literary

Agency, co-founder of Capital Crime, and host of podcast Confessions of a Book Collector. My life has been built around connecting readers with stories, whether that’s through bookselling, representing authors, interviewing writers, or creating festivals and communities around books.

Capital Crime grew out of a very simple idea: readers deserve a festival that feels built for them.

Of course, publishers, agents, and authors attend, and that’s wonderful, but my ambition was never to create an industry gathering. I wanted to create a true readers festival. A place where people could meet their literary heroes, discover new voices, and feel part of a passionate community, which is what still excites me most.

How did the idea for Capital Crime come about?

It started in the back of a cab in New York after attending ThrillerFest. I remember thinking: why doesn’t London have a major crime festival that truly reflects the scale and passion of crime readership?

Crime readers are incredibly loyal and community-driven. They’re adventurous; they don’t mind trying new things or discovering debut authors.

We wanted to build something warm, exciting, accessible, and entertaining. A festival where readers felt welcomed rather than intimidated.  Capital Crime was built by readers, for readers.

What excites you most about Capital Crime this year?

Our brilliant programme. It never stops amazing me seeing thousands of readers gathering because they love stories, meeting their favourite writers, and finally seeing the online friends they only ever meet at Capital Crime.

One of my favourite things is watching someone arrive, desperate to see a huge bestselling author, and then leave clutching three debut novels they’d never heard of two hours earlier. That feeling of discovery is magical.

Personally, interviewing authors has become one of the unexpected joys of the festival for me. Interviewing Kate Atkinson was a huge moment because it was the first time I’d really put myself on stage in that role. I was nervous because I admire her enormously and wanted to do her justice. Readers loved it. The same happened with Adele Parks. People kept commenting on the chemistry and how entertaining and natural the discussions felt.

I learnt that readers want real conversations: spontaneity, humour, and honesty.

Something genuine rather than hearing polished answers they could find online.  That gave me enormous confidence, and this year I’ll be interviewing Jeffrey Archer and Clare Mackintosh. No pressure!

The Capital Crime Social Outreach Initiative is commendable. What does it mean to you and how would you like to see it expand?

Reading should never feel exclusive.

Books changed my life, and stories have this extraordinary ability to build empathy and understanding. They allow us to step into other lives and experiences. That feels incredibly important to me.

The outreach initiative matters because it helps remove barriers. It shines a light on publishing and demystifies the industry for younger people who love books and reading but perhaps don’t believe there’s a place for them within it. There absolutely is.

There are so many different careers within publishing, bookselling, festivals, marketing, editorial, publicity, and rights, and we’re passionate about getting that message out to younger people from diverse and lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

I’d love to see the initiative continue expanding into schools, libraries, and community groups because if we want reading culture to thrive, we must actively nurture future readers. Publishing sometimes talks a great deal about readers without always truly listening to them. I  think readers are hungry for connection, authenticity, and spaces where they feel they belong.

How do you find the perfect balance with pairing authors?

The key is chemistry and conversation. Sometimes authors are paired because they write similar books, but often the best discussions happen when two very different personalities unexpectedly spark off each other.

I prepare obsessively. I do my homework because readers are giving us their time, and time matters enormously. This means creating enough trust and confidence that the conversation can become natural and surprising. A bad festival panel feels performative and predictable. A  great one feels alive.

What do you want attendees to walk away from Capital Crime with?

Happiness, honestly.

In a world constantly fighting for our attention, spending hours with stories is an act of trust, of giving our time.

I want readers to leave feeling inspired, rewarded, energised, and excited about reading. If someone walks away from Capital Crime carrying books they can’t wait to start, having laughed, discovered new authors, met people who share their passion, and feeling happier than when they arrived, then we’ve succeeded.

What qualities do you look for in an author or book you’re featuring? What does the selection process entail? 

First and foremost, it must be a great story.

But beyond that, I’m looking for books that give me that physical fizz of excitement when I  read them. That instinctive feeling that this is special and that readers are going to fall in love with it too.

Publishing can become very trend-driven, with everyone chasing whatever worked yesterday.  Our job is to look through the noise and try to discover what readers will love next.

How does this differ from the same process with Goldsboro Books and its subscriptions?

There are similarities because both are rooted in discovery and trust.  At Goldsboro, we’re often reading manuscripts six to eight months ahead of publication and backing books very early. Readers trust our instincts, and that relationship means everything. I do think people underestimate how visionary Goldsboro was at the beginning. Daniel and I were trying to add value back into physical books at a point where much of publishing was looking towards digital and cutting back on hardbacks.

We believed readers still wanted beautiful books. Not just stories, but sentimental objects they could treasure.

At first, not everyone understood what we were doing. One publisher even referred to us as  “an anomaly,” which I thought was rather rude at the time.  But eventually they understood. Publishers started sending us manuscripts absurdly early and actively asking for our support. That’s when I realised Goldsboro had become influential. The moments that still move me most are seeing authors walk into the shop and seeing stacks of their books everywhere. You see these huge smiles and wide eyes because, for many authors, it’s the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.

How do you balance all your successful businesses while making time for yourself?

I’m not sure I ever fully switch off – books aren’t just my job, they’re genuinely my passion. The pandemic was probably the most frightening period of my professional life because there were moments where it felt like everything we’d built might disappear. I realised just how extraordinary my colleagues are. They went above and beyond for the business, for readers, and each other. I’ll never forget that loyalty, resilience, and sense of belief in what we were building together.

The experience left me feeling incredibly grateful – for the people around me, grateful for readers, and grateful that we survived it together.

If I ever really need to take time off, I know my team will look after everything for me.

Who has been your favourite podcast guest so far, and who would you love to have on?

That’s impossible to answer because every great conversation is memorable for different reasons. What I love most are moments where something unexpected happens and you suddenly see a different side of someone. Those moments are great because they feel human and unscripted; I think that’s why I’ve increasingly loved interviewing authors live too. Readers respond to honesty and warmth far more than polish.

As for dream guests, the list only seems to grow longer every year.

Your journey into this world is fascinating. Could you share your story and how you came to found Goldsboro Books?

Daniel and I started as booksellers simply because we loved books, and we knew there were millions of people around the world like us who wanted signed first editions and beautiful collectable books.

We had both left seminary and were looking for new careers, but we still carried that sense of community, storytelling, and bringing people together.

We were ambitious, passionate, probably slightly stubborn, and absolutely convinced readers would respond emotionally to beautiful editions.

Thankfully, they did.

What we discovered very quickly is that bookselling isn’t about selling products.

It’s about emotion, connection, excitement, and trust.

I think physical books matter because they become embodiments of feelings and memories. A bookshelf isn’t just decoration. It’s a biography of someone’s life in physical form. That’s why beautiful editions matter so much in a digital world. They allow readers to hold onto the feeling a story gave them.

What would you like your legacy to be?

That I helped people discover books they loved. Everything else, the festivals, the podcast, the shop, the agency, all come back to that simple idea.

Stories matter because they build empathy and connection. If I’ve helped create spaces where readers feel happy, inspired, and connected to books and to each other, then I’d feel very proud of that.

What advice would you give anyone looking to break into the industry?

Be curious. Read widely. Listen carefully. Publishing is a relationship business built on enthusiasm and trust. I’d also say: don’t become cynical. The people who make the biggest difference are usually the people who still genuinely love stories and still get excited by discovery. That excitement matters.

What would your ideal Capital Crime look like in the future?

I’d love to see Capital Crime expand internationally into other cultural and capital cities.  That’s been a long ambition of mine, and I think seeing that happen would probably be my proudest moment for the festival. At the same time, I never want it to lose the warmth and sense of intimacy that readers love about it now.

Building a festival that feels fresh every year is an enormous amount of work because readers expect us to keep evolving and surprising them. But they deserve that effort. The fact we have around a 98% return rate still amazes me. That kind of loyalty means everything.

In ten words or less, please summarise Capital Crime.

Where readers and writers come together through unforgettable stories.

Capital Crime, London’s biggest celebration of crime writing, takes  place 18-20 June 2026. Learn more here!

Will you be heading to Capital Crime? Tell us in the comments below!

The post David Headley on ‘Capital Crime’, London’s Crime & Thriller Fiction Festival appeared first on The Nerd Daily.