40 Fall 2023 Books That Are Must Reads

Get the thick sweaters and chai tea lattes ready…it’s time for fall reading!

If you are an active reader of this blog, you know that the fall season is my favourite time of the year. There’s nothing better than walking on fallen leaves, breathing in the crisp fall air or reading favorite fall read on a blanket or your favorite bench! Whatever your favorite fall activity, you will have an exciting book to keep you company. So many great fall releases are hitting our shelves in the next couple of months, so I had to raise the amount to forty books…so many books, so little time. I managed to narrow it down to just the top 40, but I highlighted the ones that must be on your radar.

From the power of books to holiday mysteries, 2023 fall releases have something for every reader!

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Expected Publication Date: September 5

What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it.

A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose.

In Komachi’s unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. This inspirational tale shows how, by listening to our hearts, seizing opportunity and reaching out, we too can fulfill our lifelong dreams. Which book will you recommend? (Credit: Hanover Square Press)

Mother Daughter Muder Night by Nina Simon

Expected Publication Date: September 5

High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of: her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage–and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does.

Then Jack–tiny in stature but fiercely independent–happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power.

With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other. (Credit: William Morrow & Company)

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson

Expected Publication Date: September 5

This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures… everyone’s favorite hero, right?

Well, it’s not.

This is the story of everyone else:

Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere)
Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends)
Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage)
Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (He never asked for the job)
His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims

It’s time to hear their stories.

Told with humour and heart, Herc gives voice to the silenced characters, in this feminist, queer (and sometimes shocking) retelling of classic Hercules myth. (Credit Harvard Square Press)

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah

Expected Publication Date: September 12

Salma Khatun is hopeful about Blenheim, the suburban development into which she, her husband, and their son have just moved. The Bangladeshi family needs a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like just the place.
Soon after they move in, Salma spots her white neighbor, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in the front garden. Avoiding confrontation, Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window. But the next morning, she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint.
When she does speak to Tom, battle lines are drawn between the two families. As racial and social tensions escalate and the stakes rise, it’s clear that a reckoning is coming . . .
And someone is going to get hurt. (Credit: G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite

Expected Publication Date: September 12

Kalothia has grown up in the shadows of her kingdom, hidden away in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll by a few kindly adult caretakers, Kalothia can hunt and fish and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. When assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she must flee to the king’s court in the West–a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy. Guided by the Goddess herself, can Kalothia navigate this most worldly of places to find her own role? What if she must choose between her country and her heart? Excitement, romance, and a charismatic heroine shine in this first book set in the unforgettable kingdom of Galla. (Credit: Walker Books US)

Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven

Expected Publication Date: September 14

Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School.

When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers.

But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . .

A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.

A Taste of Darkness: 13 Chilling Stories To Savour

Expected Publication Date: September 14

A chilling, thrilling collection of 13 haunting tales. Perfect for every YA reader! From supernatural thrillers to contemporary horror, creepy ancient legends to murders gone wrong – this insatiable anthology is impossible to put down, and even more difficult to forget. From some of the most celebrated authors writing in this space, this must-have collection will keep you awake at night and inhabit your darkest dreams. Stories from bestselling authors Melinda Salisbury, Cynthia Murphy, Kathryn Foxfield and Louie Stowell (and many more). Co-curated by Amy McCaw and Mia Kuzniar, this anthology has a story for every reader out there. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Wednesday, and all things scary! Featuring stories from: Amy McCaw, Maria Kuzniar, Kat Dunn, Kat Ellis, Rachel Faturoti, Kathryn Foxfield, Dawn Kurtagich, Amy McCulloch, Cynthia Murphy, Melinda Salisbury, Louie Stowell, Rosie Talbot, Mary Watson. (Credit: Scholastic UK)

Gods and Monsters – Mythological Poems by Ana Sampson and illustrated by Chris Riddell

Expected Publication Date: September 14

People all over the world have always told each other stories. And from the very earliest times, many of these stories were told in verse. This collection of poems includes retellings and reimaginings of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Aztec, Japanese and Inuit mythology.

You will meet gods, monsters, tricksters, heroes, magical creatures and objects, magicians and spirits including Medusa, Icarus, Loki, Osiris, the Minotaur, Pegasus, Bunyip, Kukulcan, Cerberus, Beowolf and Mjolnir and there are footnotes to shine a light on stories themselves.

Includes poems from Neil Gaiman, W B Yeats, Kae Tempest, Sylvia Plath, Shakespeare, Benjamin Zephaniah, Joseph Coelho and many more. (Credit: Pan Macmillan)

Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter

Expected Publication Date: September 19

EIGHT EPISODES. ONE KILLER.

It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.

Luke Ryder’s murder has never been solved. Guy Howard’s mother and two half-sisters were in the house at the time of the murder–but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.

But some murder cases are simply too big to forget…Now comes the sensational new streaming series Infamous, dedicated to investigating–and perhaps cracking–this famous cold case. The production team will re-examine testimony, re-interview witnesses, and once again scour the evidence. The family will speak. The key players will be reunited–on camera. The truth will come out.

Are you ready to see it? (Credit: William Morrow & Company)

The Society For Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

Expected Publication Date: September 19

Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous unsolved North Tower murders at the elite Carvell Academy of the Arts, forcing the school to close its doors.

Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless freshman Lottie Fitzwilliam is determined to find out what really happened. But when her beautiful but standoffish roommate, Alice Wolfe, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual in a book hidden in Carvell’s library, the North Tower claims another victim. Is there a killer among them . . . or worse, within them?Exploring possession and ambition, lust and bloodlust, femininity and violence, The Society for Soulless Girls is perfect for fans of The Secret History, A Lesson in Vengeance, and The Grimrose Girls. (Credit: Delacorte Press)

Two Graves by Genevieve Valentine and illustrated by Ming Doyle and Annie Wu

Expected Publication Date: September 19

Death stole Emilia – the first time in his very long life that he hasn’t carried over the soul he was assigned to carry over. It would be romantic, except that they’re being hunted. And as Emilia and the man with the veil of smoke set out for the ocean in a stolen truck, there is a bloody handprint on his neck and she’s beginning to worry it’s hers.

Illustrated in competing points of view, narration comes from both Death and Amelia, giving the story conflicting, yet unique perspectives.

Two Graves is the first volume of a new series from writer Genevieve Valentine and illustrated by Annie Wu and Ming Doyle. (Credit: Image Comics)

Penance by Eliza Clark

Expected US Publication Date: September 26

On a beach in a run-down seaside town on the Yorkshire coastline, sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson is set on fire by three other schoolgirls.Nearly a decade after the horrifying murder, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has written the definitive account of the crime, drawn from hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves. The result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.

But how much of the story is true? (Credit: Harper)

The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde

Expected Publication Date: September 26

Face front. Watch your back. BE BRAVE.

If it was left to her, Ife Adebola wouldn’t be starting at Nithercott School. Because despite her being in the Urban Achievers scholarship program, her parents can barely afford the tuition. No matter who is trying to be friends with her, like her classmate Bijal, or how much the prestigious boarding school tries to pull her in, Ife is determined not to get caught up in any of it.

But when another student, Malika, begins acting strange, Ife can’t help but wonder if there’s more going on at Nithercott than she realizes. Could there be any truth to the school’s decades-old legend of the Changing Man?

Is there any connection to the missing older brother of her classmate, Ben?As more questions arise, Ife has no choice but to team up with Ben and Bijal to investigate. But can the trio act quickly enough to uncover who is behind everything, before one–or all–of them is the Changing Man’s next victim? (Credit: Feiwel & Friends)

The List by Yomi Adegoke

Expected Publication Date: October 3

Ola Olajide, a celebrated journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is set to marry the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, and successful–she and her fiancé Michael are considered the “couple goals” of their social network and seem to have it all. That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message: “Oh my god, have you seen The List?”

It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list–she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it. (Credit: William Morrow & Company)

Murder On The Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

Expected Publication Date: October 3

All aboard, but beware! Passengers who sleep on this train may never wake up.

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train from London to the Highlands derails, along with the festive plans of its travelers. With the train buried in snow in the middle of nowhere, the passengers have only each other, and not all of them will reach their holiday celebrations.As a killer tries to pick passengers off one by one, former Met Detective Roz Parker can’t resist one last investigation, but murder in a locked room is a formidable puzzle for even the most seasoned investigator. As accusations begin to fly, the group of travelers fractures and unexpected alliances form. Can Roz find the culprit before anyone else is lost? (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)

Love In Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

Expected US Publication Date: October 3

Charming, handsome Trey Anderson balances the pressures of school popularity with a job at his family’s beloved local bookshop, Wonderland.

Quirky, creative Ariel Spencer needs tuition for the prestigious art program of her dreams, and an opening at Wonderland is the answer. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of being shut down by a neighborhood gentrifier, they team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline–and embark on a hate-to-love journey that will change them forever.

Heartwarming and romantic, this read is the gift that keeps on giving, no matter the season. (Credit: Soho Teen)

And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow

Expected Publication Date: October 3

Harlow Ford has spent her entire life running, caught in her mother’s wake as they flit from town to town, hiding from a presence that Harlow isn’t even sure is real. In each new place, Harlow takes on a new name and personality, and each time they run, she leaves another piece of herself behind.

When Harlow and her mom set off on yet another 3 a.m. escape, they are involved in a car accident that leaves Harlow’s mother fatally wounded. Before she dies, she tells Harlow two things: where to find the key to a safety deposit box and to never stop running. In the box, Harlow finds thirty grand in cash, life insurance documents, and several fake IDs for both herself and her mom–an on-the-run essentials kit. But Harlow also finds a photograph of her mom as a teenager with two other girls, the deed to a house in a town she’s never heard of, and a handful of newspaper clippings discussing the disappearance of a woman named Eve Kennedy, Harlow’s grandmother…relics of a part of Harlow’s life she never knew existed.

With these tantalizing clues about her mother’s secrets and the power to choose her own future for the first time, Harlow realizes she has two choices: keep fleeing her mom’s ghosts or face down the nebulous threat that’s been hanging over her for her entire life. (Credit:Margaret K. McElderry Books)

Disobedient Bodies: Reclaim Your Unruly Beauty by Emma Dabiri

Expected Publication Date: October 5

An unmissable, radical essay from Emma Dabiri, bestselling author of Don’t Touch My Hair and What White People Can Do Next What part of your beautiful self were you taught to hate? We spend a lot of time trying to improve our ‘defects’, according to society’s ideals of beauty. But these ideals that are often reductive, tyrannical and commercially entangled, imposed upon us by oppressive systems and further strengthened by our conditioned self-loathing. This book encourages unruliness, exploring the ways in which we can rebel against and subvert the current system. Offering alternative ways of seeing beauty, drawing on other cultures, worldviews, times, and places, as well as looking beyond the capitalist model – to reconnect with our birth right and find the inherent joy in our disobedient bodies. It accompanies The Cult of Beauty, a major exhibition at Wellcome Collection in autumn 2023. (Credit: Profile Books)

Geneva by Richard Armitage

Expected Publication Date: October 10

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has taken a step back from work to spend more time with her family. Movie nights with her husband Daniel and their daughter Maddie are a welcome respite from the scrutiny of the world’s press. As much as it hurts, it’s good to be able to see her father more too. He’s suffering from Alzheimer’s and needs special care.Sarah has started to show tell-tale signs of the disease too. She’s been experiencing blackouts and memory loss. It’s early days but she must face the possibility that she won’t be there to see her daughter grow up. Daniel, a neuroscientist himself, is doing his best to be supportive but she already knows that she will have to be the strong one. For all of them.

So when Sarah is invited to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference in Geneva she declines, wanting to stay out of the public eye–that is until Daniel shows her the kind of work that the enigmatic Mauritz Schiller has been developing.

Flown first class to the spectacular alpine city and housed in a luxury hotel, Sarah and Daniel are thrust back into the spotlight. As they try to shut out the noise of the public media storm, in private Sarah is struggling with her escalating symptoms. And the true extent of what Schiller has achieved is a revelation. This is technology that could change medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah’s life.

But technology so valuable attracts all kinds of interest. Wealthy investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and someone close to Schiller seems bent on taking advantage of the situation for themselves. Sarah feels threatened and does not know who to trust–including herself. Far from being her lifeline Schiller’s technology may be her undoing.

As events spiral out of control, Sarah and Daniel are faced with the ultimate question: how far would you go for someone you love? (Credit: Pegasus Crime)

Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler

Expected Publication Date: October 10

She will be Queen. Whatever it takes . . .

Daughter of an ousted king, descendant of ancient druids, Gruoch (GREW-ock), has grown up believing that she will be crowned queen of Alba and reclaim the lands of her Pictish kin, a prophecy seemingly fulfilled by her betrothal to Duncan, the heir-elect.

Determined never to be powerless again, she leaves behind her home, her family, and her close friend MacBethad, and travels to the royal seat at Scone to embrace her new position. But Duncan’s court is rife with sly words and unfriendly faces, women desperate to usurp her position, and others whose motives are shrouded in mystery.

As her coronation approaches, a deadly turn of events forces Gruoch to flee Duncan and the capital. Alone and at the mercy of an old enemy, her hope of becoming Queen all but lost, Gruoch must make a fateful choice: live a long, quiet life in the shadows, or seize vengeance and a path back to the throne.(Credit: Harper Perennial)

Wearing My Mother’s Heart by Sophia Thakur

Expected Publication Date: October 10

In her heartfelt second poetry collection, Sophia Thakur takes us on an emotionally charged journey through the lives of women in the past and considers what it means to be a woman today. Exploring topics such as identity, race, politics, mental health, and self-love, she weaves together the voices of a grandmother, mother, and daughter and examines how previous generations have given us the freedom to speak out. Encompassing love from first crush to breakup, as well as the history that comes before us and the brave moments that make us, this collection will resonate with all young women as they approach the joys and pain of adulthood. (Credit: Candlewick Press)

Animal Tales From India: Ten Stories from Panchtantra by Nikita Gill and illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

Expected Publication Date: October 12

The stories of the Panchatantra have been read aloud and shared for thousands of years, kept alive by generation after generation of storytellers. In this captivating collection of ten animal tales, reimagined with warmth and wit by Nikita Gill, you’ll meet mighty elephants and courageous mice, cunning crocodiles and clever monkeys, talkative tortoises and little lapwing birds. Discover a world of wonder, wisdom and friendship, of helping others, speaking out and finding courage.

With vibrant, irresistible colour artwork by Chaaya Prabhat on every page, and sumptuous high-end finishes, including a jacket, foiled cloth binding and a ribbon marker, this is a timeless gift book for every child to enjoy and treasure. (Credit: Nosy Crow)

Only On The Holidays by Abiola Bello

Expected Publication Date: October 12

City girl Tia Solanke is dreading the festive period. She’s on a break with her boyfriend and the last thing she wants to do is spend Christmas away from London. Arriving at Saiyan Hedge Farm, Tia takes an instant disliking to it. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How is she meant to stalk her ex now and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back?

Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in the town’s calendar – the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, when in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth.

At first, Tia and Quincy don’t see eye to eye, until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up the pretence and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way? (Credit: Simon & Schuster UK)

Kicked Out by A.M Dassu

Expected Publication Date: October 19

This sequel to Dassu’s award-winning debut, Boy, Everywhere, finds Ali and Sami living their dream, playing football for the school team and hanging out in their friend Mark’s new luxury pool. But money goes missing and racism rears its ugly head when their friend Aadam is accused of the theft.Can the boys prove Aadam’s innocence, keep their friendship – and help fight Aadam’s threatened deportation? Can Ali navigate his emotions and stay focused now his dad is back on the scene and his half-brother has joined his school?

A powerful story about friendship, being an ally and finding your place in the world. (Credit: Old Barn Books)

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

Expected Publication Date: October 24

The Christmas season has arrived in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive holiday production of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking among the amateur theater enthusiasts with petty rivalries, a possibly asbestos-filled beanstalk, and some perennially absent players behind the scenes.

Of course, there’s also the matter of the dead body onstage. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they investigate Christmas letters, examine emails, and pore over police transcripts to identify both the victim and killer before the curtain closes on their holiday production–for good. (Credit: Atria Books)

Outcasts by Claire McFall

Expected Publication Date: October 31

Dylan and Tristan have finally found their place in the world of the living, guarding it from any wraiths that manage to break through from the wasteland. But it seems that in escaping death, they have upset a careful balance–more and more wraiths are appearing in their world, causing destruction. The wasteland itself is changing as well, with safe houses becoming less safe and wraiths acting more human than ever. When two innocent souls are taken by the wasteland in place of Dylan and Tristan, they must choose: let others be unjustly sentenced to death, or sacrifice themselves and be separated forever. Will Dylan and Tristan risk everything for their love? Or is there another way for them to set the world right? This final book in their unforgettable story, which began with Ferryman and Trespassers, invites readers to share in the power of first love as two soulmates fight to stay together for eternity. (Credit: Walker Books US)

The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan

Expected Publication Date: November 7

Meet Celine and Luke. For all intents and purposes, the happy couple.

Luke (a serial cheater) and Celine (more interested in piano than domestic life) plan to marry in a year.

Archie (the best man) should be moving on from his love for Luke and up the corporate ladder, but he finds himself utterly stuck.

Phoebe (the bridesmaid and Celine’s sister) just wants to get to the bottom of Luke’s frequent unexplained disappearances.

And Vivian (a wedding guest) is the only one with any emotional distance and observes her friends like ants in a colony.

As the wedding approaches and their five lives intersect, these characters will each look for a path to the happily ever after—but does it lie at the end of an aisle? (Credit: Ecco)

The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre

Expected Publication Date: November 7

Jennifer is forty-two and getting married for the second time, but that doesn’t mean she can’t go all out for her bachelorette weekend. She’s taking her closest friends to the kind of place that has a years-long waiting list for a booking: three days of super-exclusive luxury accommodation on a remote Scottish island. So excited by the complicated means of transport required to get to the island, no one gives much thought to the implications for getting off again, especially if the weather should turn. But why would they? They’re in for a time they will never forget. Just not for the reasons they imagine.

When one of the party mysteriously goes missing on the first night, Jennifer realizes she has made a terrible mistake: she has assembled this disparate bunch of women and the only thing they have in common is her…

Get ready for a closed circle mystery like no other. One that asks: how well do you really know anybody, even your oldest acquaintance? And what if your best friend is really your worst enemy? (Credit: Scarlet)

Where He Can’t Find You by Darcy Coates

Expected Publication Date: November 7

DON’T WALK ALONE, OR THE STITCHER WILL FIND YOU.

Abby Ward lives in a town haunted by disappearances. People vanish, and when they’re found, their bodies have been dismembered and sewn back together in unnatural ways. But is it the work of a human killer…or something far darker?

DON’T STAY OUT LATE, OR THE STITCHER WILL TAKE YOU.

She and her younger sister live by a strict set of rules designed to keep them safe–which is why it’s such a shock when Hope is taken. Desperate to get her back, Abby tells the police everything she knows, but they claim their hands are tied.

DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, OR THE STITCHER WILL REMAKE YOU.

With every hour precious, Abby and her friends are caught in a desperate game of cat and mouse. They have to get Hope back. Quickly. Before too much of her is cut away. And before everything they care about is swallowed up by the darkness waiting in the tunnels beneath the home they thought they knew. (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)

Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates

Expected Publication Date: November 9

What if the Knights of the Round Table had been women? An epic fantasy from the UK’s leading and bestselling feminist writer Laura Bates – perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas.

This afternoon Cass’s older sister will be married. Soon she will be too. Gone will be days of running through fields and feeling the earth between her toes. So when a beautiful leather-clad woman rides up and offers to take her away, Cass doesn’t hesitate to join her.

Cass is introduced to the Sisterhood of Silk Knights – a group of women training to fight and working to right the wrongs of men. Cass is drawn into a world of ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue, where soon discovers she holds a power that could change the destiny of her sisterhood.’

An interesting thing happens, when a man is defeated in combat by a woman.’
‘He tells nobody.’ (Credit: Simon and Schuster)

Gas Light by Femi Kayode

Expected Publication Date: November 9

‘We know you know. Talk and you’re next.’

Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu, pastor of a Nigerian megachurch, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Folasade, the ‘First Lady’ of the church. The arrest was public, humiliating and sensational – sending shockwaves through Lagos – but throughout it all, Bishop Dawodu maintains his innocence.

Philip Taiwo, an acclaimed investigative psychologist, is asked by his sister, a member of the church’s congregation, to clear the pastor’s name. With no actual body, it looks to be a simple case and despite Philip’s dislike of organised religion, he agrees to take it on as a favour to his sister. Then the First Lady’s body is found in a nearby lake just as Philip’s beloved family come under attack from someone warning him off the case, and he realises that nothing to do with this investigation will be straightforward. Was it murder or suicide? Is someone framing the Bishop or the First Lady? (Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing)

The Christmas Jigsaw Murder by Alexandra Benedict

Expected Publication Date: November 9

THIS CHRISTMAS, A KILLER TAKES FAMILY GAMES TO A MURDEROUS NEW LEVEL.

On 1st of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Edie O’Sullivan finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene – blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. Included in the parcel is a message: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.’ It’s signed, Rest In Pieces.

Edie contacts her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O’Sullivan, and together they work to solve the clues. But when a man is found near death with a jigsaw piece in his hand, Sean fears that Edie might be in danger and shuts her out of the investigation. As the body count rises, however, Edie knows that only she has the knowledge to put together the killer’s murderous puzzle.

Only by fitting all the pieces together will Edie be able to stop a killer – and finally lay her past to rest. (Credit: Simon & Schuster UK)

Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan

Expected Publication Date: November 7

In Blackwater Falls, Colorado, veteran police officer Harry Cooper is hot on the heels of some local vandals when the situation turns deadly: believing one of them has a gun, Harry opens fire and Duante Reed, a young Black man, is killed. The “gun” in his hands was a bottle of spray paint. Meanwhile, in nearby Denver, a drug raid goes south and a Latino teen, Mateo Ruiz, is also killed.

Detective Inaya Rahman is all too familiar with the name of the young cop who has seemingly killed Mateo: Kelly Broda. Kelly is the son of the police officer John Broda, who led a violent attack on her when they were both in Denver. No one is more surprised than Inaya when John turns up on her doorstep, pleading for her help in proving the innocence of his son.

With the Denver Police force spread thin between the two cases, protests on both sides of the cases begin. Inaya and her boss Lieutenant Wagas Seif have their work cut out for them to consider the guilt of the perpetrators and their victims. Harry was by all accounts an officer dedicated to the communities he served: was this shooting truly a terrible mistake? Is Kelly cut from the same bad cloth as his father Duante is, to some, a street artist with no prior record, but to others, a vandal, while Mateo was either in the wrong place at the wrong time, or a dangerous drug dealer. Regardless, was lethal force necessary?

Forced to reckon with her own prejudices and work through those of her colleagues around her, Inaya must discover the truth of what really happened on one fateful night in Blackwater Falls. (Credit:
Minotaur Books)

So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan

Expected Publication Date: November 14

Celebrated for her powerful short fiction, considered “among the form’s most masterful practitioners” (New York Times), Claire Keegan now gifts us three exquisite stories, newly revised and expanded, together forming a brilliant examination of gender dynamics and an arc from Keegan’s earliest to her most recent work.

In So Late in the Day, Cathal faces a long weekend as his mind agitates over a woman with whom he could have spent his life, had he behaved differently; in The Long and Painful Death, a writer’s arrival at the seaside home of Heinrich Böll for a residency is disrupted by an academic who imposes his presence and opinions; and in Antarctica, a married woman travels out of town to see what it’s like to sleep with another man and ends up in the grip of a possessive stranger.

Each story probes the dynamics that corrupt what could be between women and men: a lack of generosity, the weight of expectation, the looming threat of violence. Potent, charged, and breathtakingly insightful, these three essential tales will linger with readers long after the book is closed. (Credit: Grove Press)

The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper

Expected Publication Date: November 14

The final installment in Elodie Harper’s Sunday Times bestselling Wolf Den Trilogy.
Amara’s journey has taken her far; from enslavement in Pompeii’s wolf den brothel to her new life as a high-powered courtesan in Rome, but her story is not over yet. While Amara plays for power in Rome’s imperial palace, those dearest to her remain in Pompeii. But it is 79 CE, and mighty Mount Vesuvius is about to make itself known . . .(Credit: Union Square & Co.)

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy

Expected Publication Date: November 28

Failure is fatal…

At the historic Morton Academy, a school for high-achievers, everyone wants to be Head Girl and gain all the prestige and success that comes with the title. But when bodies start piling up, the students begin to worry that someone is too determined to take that crown.

Liz, Taylor, Kat, Marcus and Cole all set out to discover what exactly is going on. Is it the secret society that they have sworn allegiance too? The history of a cult that plagues Morton Academy? Or even a greedy teacher? They need to find the truth…and quickly. (Credit: Delacorte Press)

The Other Mothers by Katherin Faulkner

Expected Publication Date: December 5

When a young nanny is found dead in mysterious circumstances, new mom, Tash, is intrigued. She has been searching for a story to launch her career as a freelance journalist. But she has also been searching for something else–new friends to help her navigate motherhood.

She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. A group of sleek, sophisticated women who live in a neighborhood of tree-lined avenues and stunning houses. The sort of mothers Tash herself would like to be. When the mothers welcome her into their circle, Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of–their elegant London townhouses a far cry from her cramped basement flat and endless bills. She is quickly swept up into their wealthy world via coffees, cocktails, and playdates.

But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye. The more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the other mothers. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who? (Credit: Gallery Books)

Tag, You’re Dead by Kathryn Foxfield

Expected Publication Date: December 5

When teen social media influencer Anton Frazer stages a live-streamed, citywide game of Tag where the prize is to become one of his live-in personal assistants, his fans go wild.Outfitted with body cams, GPS trackers, and pressure sensors to keep tally of who’s disqualified, contestants are split into Chasers and Runners then let lose into the night-covered urban jungle to hunt each other down. While the whole world watches.Four contestants, however, have alternative motives for joining the game, secret reasons to want to win despite the risk: money, obsession, fame…and revenge. One of them will stop at nothing to be the victor at the end of this adrenaline- and fear-fueled night. (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)

The Great British Bump Off by John Allison and illustrated by Max Sarin

Expected Publication Date: December 5

When she enters her country’s most beloved baking competition, Shauna Wickle’s goal is to delight the judges, charm the nation, and make a few friends along the way. But when a fellow contestant is poisoned, it falls to her to apprehend the culprit while avoiding premature elimination from the UK Bakery Tent…and being the poisoner’s next victim! (Credit: Dark Horse Books)

Heartstopper Vol. 5 by Alice Oseman

Expected Publication Date: December 19

Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house… but with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us. (Credit: Graphix)