“Hay’s tightly woven plot unfolds at an addictive pace, and the twists come in all the right places." —Publishers Weekly
From the bestselling author of The Housekeepers comes a glossy, dark, page-turning mystery to rival The White Lotus–unfolding over twenty-four fateful hours in London's most lavish hotel.
1926. Diana Gold, owner and impresario, throws open the doors to the most opulent new hotel in London. As the champagne flows and the chandeliers shimmer, millionaires and gamblers rub shoulders with film stars and royalty.
Though, things at the Hotel Artemis aren’t quite what they seem—including the two guests Diana expects at midnight. Powerful and dangerous, they’ve dragged her from the gutter and taught her all she knows. Now Diana must take perfect care of them—unless they take care of her first.
But when a body is found in the hotel’s finest suite, the lavish opening night begins to spiral out of control. And over twenty-four fateful hours, the staff and guests of the Artemis will find out why they are really there.
Link to purchase the book
MY THOUGHTS
The Midnight Guests, a captivating historical mystery, seamlessly transitions between 1926 London and the present day. The narrative revolves around Hotel Artemis, an exclusive establishment that becomes the center of sinister activities. As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that the hotel is shrouded in an aura of mystery and intrigue, drawing readers into a world of suspense and danger.
Diana Gold has big dreams for her exclusive hotel, a high-class establishment, with the highest echelon of guests expected. The fact that it is also a place of gambling, the best of the best will have opportunity to rub shoulders with one another. There is just one suite to host the finest, but when that guest is found dead, all Diana’s hopes for her new hotel come crashing down.
With a diverse cast of captivating characters, a rich historical backdrop, and an opulent ambiance, all seamlessly woven together by a skillfully crafted plot, make The Midnight Guests an exceptional and unforgettable read.
Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALEX HAY grew up in the United Kingdom in Cambridge and Cardiff, and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied history at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. His debut, The Housekeepers won the Caledonia Novel Award, and was named a Best Book of the Summer by Reader’s Digest, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, and others. His second novel, The Queen of Fives, publishes in January 2025. Alex lives with his husband in South East London.
I fight back tears as my best friend clutches her son’s hand, the room silent except for the low beep of his life support machine. I couldn’t bear it if this was my own son. My pulse races as she slowly turns to me. “How could you let this happen?”
When my teenage son Miles and his best friend Isaac ask to have a party at our house, I immediately agree—as a single mom, I’m used to making the decisions and they need to let off steam. But later that night when I’m woken by the blare of sirens and see blue lights streaking across the sky, I realize I am living every parent’s worst nightmare.
They said they would stay in the garage. So why aren’t they there? Sprinting over to the lake at the bottom of the garden, my heart pounding all I can think is, where is my son? Is he hurt? Then in horror, I watch as Isaac is pulled onto a stretcher.
Guilt crashes over me in waves as I struggle to breathe. I never meant for any of this to happen, but I know this is all my fault. I should never have left them. Beth trusted me to look after her son and I already know that she’ll never forgive me.
As Isaac’s life hangs in the balance, I feel a rising sense of panic. What if he never wakes up? And if he does, will he tell everyone what really happened that night and tear our families apart forever?
An unforgettable and emotional story about how one moment can change our lives forever, and how far we will go to protect the ones we love. Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Jodi Picoult and Melissa Wiesner.
Link to purchase the book
MY THOUGHTS
CiCi and Beth have never doubted that they were good parents. Their sons are now both teenagers and when they ask to have a party, both CiCi And Beth agreed. Haven fallen asleep, CiCi has no worries. However, blaring sirens and blue lights pull her straight from sleep quite naturally, she is worried about her son Miles, but she also thinks of Beth’s son, Isaac, and their friends. When she spots miles standing near a stretcher, her heart is full with relief. This is not the case for Beth. No, her son Isaac is now in a coma.
This book has a profound emotional impact on any parent, grandparent, older sibling, or brother, aunt, or uncle. While we always want our loved ones to be safe, we often hesitate to admit their guilt. Clearly, Beth blames Mike and his mother, CiCi, for Ben’s current condition. Their friendship is shattered. Naturally, something terrible, or even a series of events, occurred at that party, resulting in Mike’s coma. This is a situation that would understandably cause concern for any adult regarding their teenage child. This is a book that clearly demonstrates how one decision could impact multiple lives.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen Craven is the author of emotional and suspenseful women's fiction, stories where one decision changes everything. A former college instructor, she loves dark campus novels, which led to her contemporary debut, Best Years of Your Life, published in August 2022. Her writing style blends poignancy with drama to create what-would-you-do narratives of the human experience. Aside from fiction, Jen has personal essay bylines in national outlets, including The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, Scary Mommy and many more.
She writes from northwestern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and three children. When not working on her books, she can be found thrift shopping, taking long walks, and beating her kids in backgammon.
A nearly divorced housewife enrolls in culinary school to win back her husband, only to start questioning the strange antics of her classmates in this new novel from the USA Todaybestselling author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.
Retirement should mean long-awaited trips to the sapphire waters of Santorini or careening down a sand dune in Dubai. For sixty-three-year-old Mebel, retirement means her husband of more than forty years announcing that he's leaving her for their private chef. Mebel isn’t sure who's the bigger loss.
However, Mebel quickly realizes that her culinary school is not in illustrious Paris but rather in England—and some small village outside of Oxford no less. Despite the less-than-warm welcome from her much younger classmates, Mebel manages to befriend Gemma, the breakout star of the program, who offers to help Mebel on their first day. When Gemma stops showing up to class, Mebel knows she must figure out what—or who—caused her friend’s sudden disappearance. After all, Mebel may not know the first thing about how to cut a potato, but she certainly knows how to identify a fraud, and there’s definitely something fishy going on.
Ms. Mebel is forced to start her life over again. At sixty-three years old, she must now navigate a single woman after the end of her forty-year marriage. Her husband, Henk, has left her, so starting over in culinary school might be her way back to his heart. After all, he left her for his much-younger personal chef, so Mebel is certain she has found exactly what will win Henk back.
Continental travel does not lead Mebel to the glamorous Paris she expected. In fact, she finds herself in a small, obscure English town near Oxford. Her classmates are decades younger. Fortunately, she strikes a friendship with the talented Gemma, another student in her class. Mebel may have thought that it is cooking that becoming a professional chef would bring her what she needs in life, but who would’ve known that a friendship with a much younger woman would change her entire outlook.
Mebel’s life has truly been transformed. New friends and new talents really build her confidence, but will they also help her discover her own self-worth? While Mebel’s intent was to win back her husband, she lands on something far more. Sometimes, the life we are forced to begin is the one we never knew we needed.
Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jesse Q. Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and sees both cities as her homes. She has a Masters degree from Oxford University, though she has yet to figure out a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. She is currently living back in Jakarta on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties. When she's not tearing out her hair over her latest WIP, she spends her time baking and playing FPS games. Oh, and also being a mom to her two kids.
Ivy snaked over the remains of the ancient building; growing up everything it could possibly cling to. Everything except the freshly dug grave and the woman’s partially covered face, her gold locket glinting in the sun…
When hikers discover the remains of a young woman at an abandoned asylum in the heart of the Lake District, Detective Morgan Brookes is first to the scene. Hidden from view, amongst moss and dark green ivy, a woman has been partially buried. But it’s not the knife in her chest that shocks Morgan to her core; the girl’s tied legs bring back memories of someone from her own gruesome past – her brother Dan.
Dan is in prison for murder, and Morgan is quick to convince herself that the rope that reminds her of him is just a coincidence. And when her boss identifies the body of the victim as seventeen-year-old Samira Silva, Morgan throws everything at the case, desperate to find justice for a fellow foster child. With the team hunting through Samira’s old case files, and the kidnap of another girl causing chaos at the station, she has no time to spare.
Until she unearths a chilling connection between Dan and Samira. And she’s forced to face him, stepping foot through the doors of his prison for the first time in her life.
Morgan thought she put her own dark past behind her years ago, but has she instead put the lives of others in danger? And is it already too late to face Dan, and stop him for good?
A gripping crime thriller from million-copy bestseller Helen Phifer. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid and Robert Dugoni will devour the non-stop twists.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Phifer is the bestselling writer of the hugely popular Detective Morgan Brookes series.
Her debut novel The Ghost House featuring Annie Graham went on to be a global bestseller.
Her first fantasy novel The Vanishing Bookstore set in Salem is out now.
She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District. Her favourite hobbies include reading, chasing the Aurora Borealis when it puts in an appearance, visiting Salem, watching the sunset, the moon rise and drinking coffee.
Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years, and to Alice Hoffman’s beautiful stories for inspiring her love of all things witchy and to write fantasy novels alongside her crime thrillers.
Ireland, 1939: ‘Please,’ my tearful voice breaks as I press the leather-bound diary into Sister Louise’s hands. ‘Give this to the family who takes care of my baby. It’s all he’ll have to remember his Mammy…’
In the pale light of dawn, Sheila holds her precious baby close, tears welling in her eyes. For weeks she has been planning her escape to America, away from the cruel man she’s been forced to marry, who refuses to raise a child who’s not his own. But war is coming, making the crossing from Ireland far too dangerous for a child. Her chest aches with the most impossible decision: to keep her son truly safe, she must give him away…
As she says her last goodbyes in the shadow of the adoption house, Sheila takes the diary she’s poured her heart into and tucks it in amongst his blankets, whispering a promise: ‘One day, we’ll meet again, little one…’
Now, Sheila must escape her husband, facing the dangerous journey across the ocean, praying that one day she and her son can be reunited. But as she watches Ireland vanish over the horizon from the deck of the boat, her heart stops at a sickening thud, and the ship’s bells start to ring. Can she survive the perilous crossing to America? And will she ever make it back to her son?
An utterly heartbreaking and emotional novel about hope in dark places and the power of a mother’s love, perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe.
“I switched off then, mesmerised by the carriage clock’s tick, wishing I could rewind time so that I was still outside pulling the winter vegetables.”
Finding the love of her life does not bring Sheila Reilly lifelong happiness. Instead, decisions are forced upon her and she loses the love that she found. Now pregnant, Sheila desperately wants to give her unborn baby the best life possible. Sadly, that choice is taken from her, leaving her to face unimaginable heartbreak. Until now, Sheila has recorded her most precious thoughts in a diary. But even that is taken from her.
Sheila finds herself at the St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, where her time is anything but easy. Alongside the grueling work, she has had to endure the nuns’ forced name change to Marie. Set in Ireland in 1939, this emotionally charged and captivating story delves into Sheila’s resilience as she navigates the difficult and heart-wrenching decisions as she navigates the difficult and heartbreaking circumstances thrust upon her.
Michelle Vernal has written compelling stories in this Irish Adoption House series. Although all are wonderful stories that will grab readers’ hearts, each book works well as a standalone.
What a touching story of resilience and survival! This truly heartbreaking and emotional read is a testament to Vernal’s as a storyteller. She brings to life the pain, struggles and resilience of a woman who consistently had choices taken away from her. This reader will be most certainly be back for more.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.
Hidden away in their remote cottage in Florida, Emma and her stepdaughter Lily are finally safe to live a peaceful life. Each morning, they plan their new lives over fresh strawberries and perfectly cooked eggs. But despite the locks on every door, neither of them has slept since Lily’s father—Emma’s ex—went to prison. They don’t always get along, but without Emma, Lily would have no-one to look after her. And without Lily, Emma would have nowhere to live…
But then an envelope arrives at the door.
And Emma immediately recognizes the pristine envelope, and the flawless handwriting of Lily’s dead mother.
To his ex-wife,
You thought he killed me,
But the person you should fear the most is still inside your house…
An addictive, jaw-dropping psychological thriller from a multi-million-copy bestseller Willow Rose. For fans of Tess Gerritsen, Freida McFadden and Jeneva Rose.
Willow Rose readers may have read the first book in the Stone Family series, To His New Wife. If you want to get to know the Stone family, I highly recommend starting with that book. When we last met Emma, she was navigating a new life, and her involvement with a married man turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the drama surrounding this family.
In this installment, Emma’s new husband, Benjamin, is now in prison for killing his ex-wife. Although his guilt was not immediately established, perhaps justice is finally being served. Some time has passed as we begin this story, and Emma and her now-stepdaughter, Lily, are trying to navigate life together. However, it is clear that Lily blames Emma for the loss of her mother, and the tension between them is so thick you could cut it with a knife!
Shockingly, Emma receives a letter purportedly from Benjamin’s ex-wife, and its contents leave her terrified. Could this possibly be true? Is she still alive? Are her claims legitimate? And if so, how will Emma and Lily ever find a way to get along? These are just some of the questions to consider as you read this thrilling story, which is filled with a few surprises and a shocking ending. Expertly narrated, the tension was palpable.
Does Willow Rose have more drama in store for the Stone family? Let’s hope so! In the meantime, I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see what happens next.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy bestselling author of more than 90 novels. Several of her books have reached the top 10 of all books in the Amazon store in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than seven million books, which have been translated into many languages. Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting page-turners with twists you won’t see coming; that’s why her fans call her "The Queen of Plot Twists". Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
