Who Can you Trust (#4 in Cristy Ward Series) by Susan Lewis

                                       

Ebook:  384 pages 

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Mystery 

Publisher:  HarperCollins (9thApril 2026)

Source: My Kindle Library via NetGalley

First Sentence:  Most people walked a little faster when passing 42 Randall Lane, picking up the pace as if something about the house might somehow be rotten or contagious or was waiting to spring outing get them.

Review Quote:  'Plenty of twists to keep you guessing' Heat

My Opinion: 

Susan Lewis is a prolific author writing across a broad range of genre, crime thrillers, suspense and family drama. I have been reading and enjoying her books on and off for over twenty five years now.

'Who Can You Trust' is the fourth title in the series about "hindsight" a podcast with the protagonists Cristy and Connor. This time they are investigating a suspected miscarriage of justice concerning a young woman convicted of murdering her baby twins some twenty years ago. The investigation is not an easy one and it impacts on the characters working and personal lives. It was great to catch up with the many familiar characters as they worked on another fascinating case.

Although this novel will read well as a stand alone story, I would recommend reading the whole series in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding of the relationships between the characters. Definitely recommend to fans of the series, the author and mysteries in general.

With thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for the opportunity to read and review

Previous Reviews:  A Sicilian Affair.  Don't Believe A Word  Nothing to See Here 

Never Look Back

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Book 4 in the Cristy Ward series

A terrible crime. A shocking confession. Do you believe her?

Twenty years ago, Nicole’s twins disappeared without a trace.

No bodies. No witnesses.

Despite her pleas of innocence, Nicole was convicted.

Now she’s out. And she’s finally confessed.

But for true crime podcast host Cristy Ward, the story doesn’t add up.

Having worked on the case as a young reporter, Cristy can’t help but wonder whether Nicole is the villain everyone believes her to be.

Why did Nicole confess after so many years … and is the truth still out there, waiting…?

Author Profile:         

                                                                         

                                                                                 

                                               Courtesy of Official Author Website 

I was born in 1956, in Bristol.  My father was a Welsh miner, a poet, an engineer and a thinker.  My mother was one of 13 children who, at 20, persuaded my father to spend his bonus on an engagement ring instead of a motorbike.  We were a normal, happy, nuclear family, living in a spanking new council house on the outskirts of town – my mother’s pride and joy.  But we were going to do better, my mother had made up her mind about that.  My father, an unabashed communist, was writing a book, I was signed up for ballet, elocution, piano and eventually a private boarding school, and my brother, (the real great love of my mother’s life) was going to succeed at everything he set his mind to.

The rest of this fascinating biography can be read on the authors  Official Author Website

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

 Official Author Website  Twitter Profile   Instagram Profile   Facebook Profile 

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River of Stars by Georgina Moore

                                                  

Hardback:  340 pages                                                                                                

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

Publisher:  July 2025 HQ

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: The music pulsed out of the darkness, a siren call pulling her to Walnut Tree Island.

Review Quote: 'Full of rich characters and an enchanting setting, this is a gorgeous read' Fabulous

My Opinion:  

Georgina Moore's second novel 'River of Stars' published last year is inspired by her life living on a houseboat moored on an island in the River Thames near London.

A family saga that feels realistic as the reader is introduced to a group of residents that are part of a small island community. The main characters are members of the Star family, Mary an older lady now the matriarch, her daughter Ruby and granddaughter Jo. Their family history is interweaved with the Greenwood family owners of the island. When the grandson returns after many years away, to consider selling the island after his father's recent death, emotions run high. Everything about island life becomes complicated as the past tangles with the present.

A character driven atmospheric read that brings alive the bohemian life style of the island residents. The wonderful descriptions of the nature on the island also adds to the pleasurable reading experience.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

A stunning new novel exploring the lives and secrets of a group of residents of an island in the Thames

Walnut Tree Island is home to artists, dreamers, lovers and heartbreakers. Life is different slow, languorous and always communal, with every evening offering a new opportunity to gather at a neighbour's houseboat over a glass of wine.

But when a former resident reappears after nearly two decades away, the islanders are thrown into a frenzy as they wonder what plans their new landlord has in store for them.

And for Jo, an artist who long ago lost her muse, his return reopens the wounds of a love she thought was gone forever…



Previous Review:   The Garnett Girls

Author Profile

                                         
                                                     

                                           Courtesy of Goodreads                                       

Georgina Moore grew up in London and lives on a houseboat on the River Thames with her partner, two children and Bomber, the Border Terrier. The Garnett Girls was her first novel and is set on the Isle of Wight, where Georgina and her family have a holiday houseboat called Sturdy. Georgina's second novel River of Stars published in 2025 is inspired by her life on the river but also by the musical heritage and artistic community of an island upstream from her called Eel Pie Island.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile.    Amazon Profile.    Georgina Moore - Twitter

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Six Little Words by Sally Page

 

                                            

Ebook:   432 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Literary Fiction, Fiction,                                         

Publisher: Harper Collins 12 March 2026

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: To be or not to be... That is all that is written on the orange card. Six little words. Nothing more.

Review Quote: 'I LOVE Sally Page's story-telling and her characters, who, quite frankly, could simply sit about a room for an entire novel and I'd still be entranced' Freya North

My Opinion: 

Having been recommended to Sally Page's novels a couple of years ago, she is now a firm favourite of mine. 'Six Little Words' is the fourth I have read and it is just as captivating as her previous ones.

A group of very diverse men and women get together as a group to try and discover creativity within themselves. They all have inner struggles ranging from battling cancer to difficult childhoods. The group gives them the confidence to form new friendships and regain their self esteem. Using quotes from Shakespeare to introduce each chapter, cleverly leads the characters into the creative ideas they come up with.

Both funny and sad the story is to be recommended to readers that enjoy character driven fiction that deals with contemporary problems.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Can one small note give her the courage to find a new path?One Note. One Act of kindness. Her new beginning is closer than she thinks.

Kate gave up her dreams of being a painter years ago. But six little words pinned to the noticeboard of her local café could change her path forever.

‘To be, or not to be…’ – printed on orange card with no explanation – appears one morning.

Each day, a new line from a different Shakespeare play is added, sparking curiosity throughout the café. Among the regulars is Bardy, a retired English teacher grappling with writer’s block.

As Kate and Bardy follow this breadcrumb trail, they discover a local community group encouraging people to rediscover their own creative spark – and the long-lost courage to chase it.

For Kate, their new group might just offer a second chance at happiness, if only Bardy can find the strength to share his story too…

Previous Review:  The Keeper of Stories.  The Book of Beginnings  The Secrets of Flowers

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Author Website

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her younger daughter is the author, Libby Page. Both are keen wild swimmers.

Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.    Author's Official Website.   Instagram Profile  Twitter Profile

Facebook - SallyPageAuthor.   Goodreads Profile

The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah

                                                           

Hardback:  357 pages

Genre:  Contemporary Murder Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 2026

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: This is my story and no one else's. In it I am a killer.

Review Quote: An ingenious puzzle of a novel that crackles with energy and menace -- Nicci French-Author 

My Opinion: 

Although I prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers, I have read some, but by no means all of her Spilling CID series of which 'The Opposite of Murder' is. Detectives Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer are on the case again, this time investigating a murder that was confessed to before the event!  As with the previous novels in the series, this can be read as a stand alone story.

The story is set around the complicated family relationship that the female protagonist Jemma Stelling has had with her step-mother. This leads her to walk into a local Police Station and confess to a murder that she has planned but not yet committed. Most of the officers she spoke to did not take her seriously though. At the same time as Jemma is confessing a murder takes place that she would be the prime suspect for had she not already got the perfect alibi. Will Simon Waterhouse, Charlie Zailer and colleagues be able to solve this case, the twists and turns keep them and the reader guessing. The result was certainly not one I had expected.

Although I found this novel intriguing, I still prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers which I find more entertaining. If you are a crime fiction fan you will probably enjoy this one.

 

Previous Reviews:   Haven't They Grown  Little Face  Hurting Distance  Point of Rescue  

The Other Half Lives.  The Couple at the Table

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

What if the only way you could prevent a murder was by confessing to it?
5.05pm. A terrified Jemma Stelling walks into a police station and says she is about to commit a murder.
She knows that the person she hates most in the world, Marianne Cass, might soon be killed. She knows this because she is the one in danger of killing Marianne, and the urge to do so is growing stronger.
The only way to stop the struggle in her mind is to inform the authorities that Marianne is at risk - from Jemma herself. Desperate to be free of her frightening obsession, she seeks out police officer Simon Waterford and makes what she thinks of as a 'preventative confession'. 
5.05pm. Marianne Cass is murdered in her home.
But while Jemma is talking to the police, Marianne is brutally murdered. The time of death window means Jemma is unequivocally eliminated as a suspect.
The problem for Simon is that he's now positive that Jemma Stelling is a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, and possibly the most ingenious one he's ever encountered...

Author Profile:         

Sophie Hannah is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, Sophie published a new Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders, which was a bestseller in more than fifteen countries. She has since published two more Poirot novels, Closed Casket and The Mystery of Three Quarters, both of which were instant Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers.

In 2013, Sophie’s novel The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards.  She has also published two short story collections and five collections of poetry – the fifth of which, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A Level and degree level across the UK. Most recently, she has published a self-help book called How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment – The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life.

Sophie has recently helped to create a Master’s Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge, for which she is the main teacher and Course Director. She is also the founder of the DREAM AUTHOR coaching programme for writers. She lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Sophie Hannah - Official Website  Twitter - Sophie Hannah  Facebook Profile 

Goodreads - Author Profile   Amazon Author Page.   Instagram Profile

The Lister Sisters: Anne and Marian by Rebecca Batley

                                                 

Ebook:  240 pages      

Genre:   Non-Fiction, Biography,  Social History,                              

Publisher: 9th February 2026 - Pen and Sword

Source:  NetGalley

Setting:   Halifax, England

My Opinion: 

Although I am interested in Biographies I rarely actually ready any, though I do find them relaxing to listen to as audiobooks. Anyway I was attracted to 'The Lister Sisters' when I was given the opportunity to read and review, predominately due to my enjoyment of the portrayals of these interesting women in the recent television production 'Gentleman Jack'.

In fact for me this made the book, which is drawn mainly from Anne Lister's diaries easier to follow, as parts tend to feel rather like a list of events, times and places.

It is certainly a well written and researched biography. Recommended to those readers in general interested in social history and those with a particular interest in the sisters themselves.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers Pen and Sword for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

When Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack,’ and her infamous diaries hit the headlines a few years ago, their popularity spawned a plethora of Gentleman Jack blogs, research and books which have focused primarily on Anne Lister’s romantic relationships with (a huge) number of women, but whilst they are an integral part of the Lister story, there is another woman lurking in the pages of her diaries: The original Lister Sister, Marian.

Marian Lister was Anne’s younger sister and the two women had a complex and fascinating relationship. The evidence reveals Marian to be a complicated woman who both resented, loved and was fiercely protective of her older sister. Forced to live together for a large part of their lives Anne vehemently disapproved of Marian’s desire to escape in order to marry a “carpet maker” feeling him to be unworthy of the sister she herself derided. Marian, for her part, did not understand her elder sister's relationships with women, but she accepted them, defended her and worried about her excessively even whilst she ranted about Anne’s spending, scheming and selfishness.

When together, the two women bickered constantly with Marian, literally at times screaming in frustration at her headstrong sister. Anne, for her part, complained that Marian was “simple … good for nothing,” yet her approval meant a good deal to her.

Here, for the first time, we look at the complex relationship between the two women, how it developed, its moments of triumph and tragedy, as well as the profound influence it had on each of their lives.

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                                  

                                                      Courtesy of Amazon

Rebecca Batley is an archaeologist and historian with a particular interest in women's history. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including New Scientist, Aeon, Nautilus, Gay and Lesbian Review, American Naval History, Medieval History, Medieval Warfare, Ancient History, NILE, The Pilgrim, Mental Floss, Reverb, American History, and History Scotland. She regularly gives talks on her research and has worked for, amongst others, MOLA and Wessex Archaeology.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

NetGalley   Amazon Profile.   Goodreads Profile

Three Summers by Karen Swan

                                                            

Ebook:   454 pages      

Genre:    Historical Romantic Fiction, Thriller                                     

Publisher: Feb 2026 - Random House UK

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: The bolt of satin rolled out along the length of the cutting table, ripples catching the light like the sparkling sea that lay beyond the window.

Review Quote:  'The beloved master storyteller Karen Swan takes readers to sun soaked Puglia in Three Summers. Evocative, romantic and atmospheric' - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

Setting:   Puglia, Italy

My Opinion: 

Having last read a novel by Karen Swan back in 2020 during lockdown that was a beguiling love story I was expecting more of the same from ‘Three Summers’.

Set in Puglia, Italy over three summers in the late fifties and early sixties the story follows a love triangle between Rafaella Parisi, Fon Gianelli and Cosimo Franchetti who have been friends since childhood.

As an Italophile this was not really the romantic escapism I was looking for when I decided to read ‘Three Summers’.  The elements are there with wonderful descriptions  of a beautiful region and idyllic summers but the story takes a dramatic turn. Overpowered by the organised crime element and the terrible things that happen rather spoiling the novel for me.  It is well written, but don’t pick it up unless you are prepared for a somewhat disturbing and dark story.  

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy

1957: The summer of innocence

Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to Cosimo - son of the wealthy Franchetti family.

1958: The summer everything changed

After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures…

1961: The summer they met again…

And when Rafa and Cosi’s lives collide, Rafa must decide if she’s willing to risk the life she has built for the future she might have had…

Previous Review:
         The Rome Affair

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                                

                                                 Courtesy of Goodreads.

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times Top Three and international best-selling author. She has sold over five million books and is published in more than twenty five languages worldwide. She writes two books each year and her stories are known for their evocative locations, with Karen travelling widely for research. Her books feature complex love stories rooted to a central mystery and span both contemporary and historical timespans. 

Her latest book Three Summers is set in Italy's heel, Puglia, in the late '50s, early '60s, and follows the taut love triangle between three childhood friends. Sharing their summers in a tiny fishing port they are caught between class and expectation - until a freak tragedy shatters their lives and resets their futures. Told over the course of three summers, they become bound together in an increasingly-fraught struggle of passion, possession and power. 

She lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and three dogs.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile   Amazon Author Profile.   Facebook Profile

Instagram Profile

The Weekend by T.M. Logan

                                                 

Ebook:  410 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense.                                         

Publisher: 26 Feb 2026 - Bonnier Books UK  Zaffre Publishing Group

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: We're lost. Jason won't admit it but I can always tell by the way he walks: striding ahead full of confidence as if he absolutely knows where he's going.

Review Quote: A fiendishly gripping 'What would I do?' thriller, which explores what it takes to crack apart a group of lifelong friends. This is T.M. Logan at his finest, delivering a rocketing pace, whiplash twists, and a stylish denouement. ― Lucy Clarke - Author

Setting:   Yorkshire Dales, Northern England

My Opinion: 

I first discovered the writing of T. M. Logan a couple of years ago. He is now definitely on my list of favourite thriller writers and this is the third of his novels I have read and enjoyed.

What would you do if you came across a large amount of cash, previously hidden in what must have been thought to be a safe place! This is the moral dilemma facing six friends when they come across a rucksack full of money, whilst out hiking during a weekend break together in the Yorkshire Dales. The story line is full of secrets and lies as the situation escalates, to what for me were some unexpected twists.

A fast paced gripping read that will keep surprising you. A must read if you are a thriller fan.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Six friends. Five secrets. One holiday to die for . . .

Welcome to THE WEEKEND.

When a group of friends rent a converted farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales, they have little idea that this one weekend may change the course of their lives forever.

While out on a walk, a storm descends and the friends take shelter in the mouth of an old lead mine. Inside, they discover a backpack filled with more money than they've ever seen.

Of course, they agree, they will hand the money to the police at the first opportunity. But as the storm continues and time passes, some of the party begin to think again. Because there are secrets festering at the heart of this group. Debt. Obsession. A career on the brink. Problems that could be solved instantly with an unexpected windfall.

And perhaps they don't know each other as well as thought they did.

Before long, six good friends find themselves sliding headlong into a world of deceit, treachery, betrayal and murder . . .

Previous Reviews: The Dream Home.   The Daughter

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                      

Bestselling author TM Logan was a national newspaper journalist before turning to novel-writing full time. His thrillers have sold more than two million copies in the UK and are published in translation in 22 countries around the world including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, South Korea, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Greece, Romania and the Netherlands.

He was born in Berkshire on the 19th of December 1975 and grew up in Reading, the youngest of three boys and a fully-fledged bookworm from a very young age. He read history at Westfield College, part of the University of London, and went on to do a postgrad at Cardiff University.

Wanting to write journalism seemed an obvious choice, and after five years as a reporter and then education correspondent on the Nottingham Evening Post he moved to London to work on the Daily Mail. The next move took him back to the East Midlands, where he worked for the University of Nottingham as a press officer, writing fiction in any spare time he could find. In January 2017 his first thriller was published. a few weeks later his current position as a deputy director in charge of the university’s communications team – was scrapped as part of a restructure. That was when he decided to take the plunge into writing full-time.

He lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children, and writes in a cabin in the corner of his garden.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.    Amazon Author Page   Official Author Website

Twitter Profile.    Instagram Profile.   Facebook Profile

  

Island in the Sun by Katie Fforde

                                                        

Audible-Book:  8hrs 55m listening

Genre:  Romantic Contemporary Fiction

Publisher:  Penguin 2024

Source: Audible Account

First Sentences: Cass had been travelling all day. There had been an early morning flight from Bristol to Glasgow, two long bus journeys, a largish ferry and now this tiny ferry that took a dozen cars at best. She was nearly there.

Setting: Dominica

Review Quote: 'All the elements of a moving love story are blended to perfection.' The Lady

My Opinion:

I have been reading Katie Fforde's novels since she was first published back in 1995. Her characters are always believable and set in places we can imagine, stories that are easy to read but with enough drama to keep you interested.

In 'Island in the Sun' the novel opens with the female protagonist Cass, a young and somewhat naive young woman, visiting her father in his remote Scottish home for the first time. It is here she meets Ranulph and they find themselves travelling to Dominica together to assist in a project for a friend of Cass's father. Cass and Ranulph's relationship is something of a slow burn due to the circumstances they face over the coming months. Will love overcome the difficulties?

In conclusion this was easy, relaxing, listening. It made a pleasant change from reading and I recommend this story to all fans of romantic escapism and Katie Fforde.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

When Cass is asked by her father to take on an unusual photography project in the Caribbean Island of Dominica, she really can't see a reason to say no.

But the remote island has just been hit be a severe hurricane, leaving destruction in its wake. Cass is travelling with Ranulph who is searching for the rare stone carvings her father wants her to photograph.

Their hunt leads Cass down a path of bravery and self-discovery, and she soon falls for Ranulph, who has been by her side every step of the way.

But does he feel the same way about her?

Previous Reviews:  Summer of Love.  Recipe for Love  The Perfect Match.  

A Wedding in Provence.  One Enchanted Evening.   From London with Love

Author Profile:                                                                                       

                                                

                                       

                                     Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in England, UK and she lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire. She is the daughter of Shirley Barbara Laub and Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming. Her grandfather was Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Her sister is fellow writer Jane Gordon-Cumming. Katie married Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She has three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing until after the birth of her third child. She has previously worked both as a cleaning lady and in a health food cafe.

Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do."           

                                                      

Biographical Information and Photo courtesy of the following sites:

Katie Fforde - Official Website   Facebook Profile    Instagram Profile   Twitter Profile

Amazon Author Profile  Goodreads Author Profile