My Book Reviews for July 2026
My Book Reviews for July 2026
My Book Reviews for July 2026 comprise five thrillers, a police procedural, a book club title, a destination romance, a US cozy and a historical novel.
Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey
It’s rare I read a crime novel and don’t have an inkling of the likely outcome, but this one had me happily stumped – and hooked.
It featured a likable duo of detectives. Rather than being an out-of-the-box thinker, Liam Farrell focusses on what’s in front of him. He likes to get the work done and can turn on the charm when needed. He’s not keen on his new partner, Ben Butler. Ben is a details man with few social skills. His photographic memory comes in handy and he’s anxious to redeem himself after an out-of-character mistake the previous year.
These Dublin cops are sent to a remote clifftop house on the west coast of Ireland after a silent woman is discovered covered in blood and her flatmate is nowhere to be found. Through her interviews with Farrell and Butler we see flashbacks of how she and the missing woman came to be at the house. Ruth is an uncertain and vulnerable character who’s hiding something. But is she an unreliable narrator?
A well-written and terrifically suspenseful police thriller. I couldn’t put it down.
This is an independent review of an early copy. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity.
One Little Lie by Charlotte Leonard
Put-upon housewife and mother, Sarah, falls into telling a little lie that immediately improves her position in the family.
When I started this book, I couldn't see how it would be controversial - apart from my burning desire to yell at Sarah's rotten relatives. However, as the story progressed and her lies and appalling behaviour spiralled, I understood how some readers might find it a difficult book.
That said, I think the author handles the topic - a well-documented type of shocking and all-too-frequent real-life crime - respectfully. We might abhor what Sarah does, but we can understand it in the context of her situation. Her story unravels in a believable way, and we see the devastating impact of her actions on her family, friends and colleagues.
The writing makes good use of thisness of detail to pull the reader into the story behind the eyes of the protagonist.
Although the plots differ completely, Sarah reminded me of Rachel in S.E. Lynes's Can You See Her? Both protagonists mourn the loss of their youthful dreams and lament what their lives have become.
One Little Lie is despicable, polarising and uncomfortably compelling. A good one for book clubs to discuss.
This is an independent review of an early copy. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity.
All the Wicked Games by Lauren North
Five years ago, budding make-up artists Cleo and Rachel liked to play a game. It was silly and cruel and hurt some people. They stopped when the game turned dangerous to them and their friendship ended.
Now, Rachel has gone missing and her sister contacts Cleo for help. Has Rachel simply gone on holiday or is she playing the game again?
The author does a terrific job of building suspense as she tells the story from four perspectives: Cleo and Rachel in the present day, and Cleo and Rachel five years ago. Gradually, the details of the game are revealed. We see how the young women’s wants and interests diverged, how one wanted out of the game while the other chose to get in deeper. In the present-day timeline, we watch as Cleo investigates her former friend’s disappearance and stumbles towards the secrets and dangers of the past.
This was a super thriller and the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed it so much ordered another.
And this is the book I ordered:
From the blurb: Media superstar Melanie Lange has disappeared.
Her father, billionaire business tycoon Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic. Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped. They are deeply concerned for her safety.
The media will say whichever gets them the most views - no matter what the cost.
But whose side are you on? And where is Melanie?
This is about the rise, fall and disappearance of a one-time teenage model and fashion icon, later a businesswoman and celebrity mum social influencer. With shades of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears in the backstory, this is the tale of the ‘privileged’ daughter of a British billionaire. She enters the media spotlight at fifteen and never leaves it.
We see her story told through the transcript of a documentary, in interviews with her father, her husband, her best friend and a tabloid editor and through fickle social media commentary. I don’t normally like novels that are told entirely though a mixed media approach, but this was well-written and pacy with short chapters that kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed it and want to read more by this author.
The Floating Copenhagen Café by Annabel French 2 July
Annabel French is onto a winning formula with her ‘floating’ romances. First there was The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop, then The Floating Venice Bookshop and now we have more of the same loveliness in Copenhagen. (Please see my review of The Floating Venice Bookshop here.)
After a break-up, Milly goes to help her friend, Ada, with her struggling café in Copenhagen. But Ada’s business partner and chef, Theo, is far from welcoming. The handsome, talented baker resents Milly’s interference. But Milly’s business ideas have merit and, because this is a romance, Milly and Theo have chemistry. We see their will-they-won’t-they relationship thwarted by memories of previous heartache.
The author captures the sights, smells and tastes of Copenhagen. We see Milly embrace the hygge lifestyle and sample local food and culture.
A delight from start to finish.
This is an independent review of an early copy. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Bed, Breakfast, and Bones: A Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mystery (book 1) by Carolyn L. Dean
Adapted from the blurb: Amanda Graham inherited a rundown bed and breakfast, a starving cat and a dead guy buried in her garden. What should’ve been a simple new business in a small Oregon beach town winds up as so much more, with her uncle named as the number one murder suspect and a slew of obstructive townsfolk.
Should Amanda pack her bags and return to LA… or should she dig in and find a new set of friends and adventures in Ravenwood Cove?
How could a quiet coastal village have so many secrets?
Confession time: I only downloaded this book because it was free in German. But I really enjoyed it. Cosy without being silly, suspenseful and fluently written with good characters. I’ll look out now for book two.
The Colour of Home by Tammye Huf
Taken from the blurb: In a segregated Florida small town in 1941, three young black friends enlist to fight. Back home, Cora struggles to keep her family afloat whilst consumed with worry about her brother Benny, best friend Roscoe and childhood sweetheart Lee.
Engulfed by the war, the boys she knew return as men she barely recognises...
Grounded in real experience, The Colour of Home weaves together lesser-known stories of World War II, before the civil rights movement, when young black soldiers went to war for a country that would never have fought for them.
This meticulously researched novel casts light on the ugly reality of prejudice and segregation during and after the Second World War. All of it is shocking and uncomfortable, but I was particularly enraged by the structural racism that prevented the characters getting decent housing.
The narrative is told in a straightforward style with lots of dialogue.
The author’s Historical Note at the end of the book is both powerful and informative. Well worth a close read.
This is the second fact-based novel I’ve read by Tammye Huf, the first being the excellent A More Perfect Union. (See my review here.) She is becoming a go-to author for authentic and accurate historical fiction.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith
From the blurb: Leo Kennedy has it all: money, looks, the perfect marriage and luxury homes in the UK and South Africa. But when his wife Addison goes missing, his immaculate life detonates. Leo arrives at their safari lodge to retrace her steps. Only there's no sign of Addison. Instead, Leo meets a scene of blood and chaos, and on the wall a missing poster, with his face and name.
The first half of the novel takes place before Leo arrives in South Africa. This non-linear narrative shows scenes from the days, weeks and months in the build-up to Addison going missing. In the second half, events unfold in the South African lodge.
This fluently written, dark and twisty psychological thriller is ideal for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. The vibrant, wildlife-rich setting of South Africa makes it an evocative destination thriller.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard
Ellie moves into 1 Delaney Row with nothing to her name except the house, a suitcase and a mysterious past. She wants to keep herself to herself but is forced into joining the nosy neighbours’ WhatsApp group. And it’s not only the neighbours taking unwelcome interest in her and the house, there’s also a bunch of amateur investigators who call themselves the Murder House Club. They obsess over properties with dark and violent histories, and 1 Delaney Row is on their most wanted list.
Gradually connections emerge between the backstories of Ellie, the house and two other viewpoint characters: Hannah, a fun-loving woman with an ambitious boyfriend; and Erin, a teenager who marries the love of her life.
This is a slowburn thriller about gaslighting and past mistakes that builds to a satisfying conclusion. Another surefire hit for this experienced and fluent writer.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Please Help Me by Gytha Lodge
Bored teenager Sadie is on holiday with her parents and little brother in Cyprus when she receives a message on her phone from a girl who says she is at the resort with a couple who are not her parents although they pretend to be. Sadie’s parents notify the UK police.
Also staying at the resort is Amanda, a detective inspector on holiday with her nine-year-old son. When she sees Zak – an ex-colleague and one-time love interest – arrive at reception, she senses he’s undercover on a case.
The UK police have identified three girls at the resort who could be Lara Dean who was snatched as a four-year-old and has been missing for ten years. Zak asks Sadie to befriend the three girls and enlists Amanda’s help with getting to know the parents.
As Sadie, Zak and Amanda get close to their targets, they discover alarming and confusing information about each family. Rather than narrowing their options, they notice suspicious behaviour in all three sets of parents, plus in other guests and hotel staff. (Quite frankly, everyone at the resort had a cavalier attitude to childcare…) Is the girl’s message a hoax, or is the person at risk someone else entirely?
This is a well-written, exciting and tense page-turner with some nice turns along the way. I loved the chapters from Sadie’s perspective. This teenage character is sardonic and stroppy yet also kind-hearted and determined to find the missing girl.
I’ve read many thrillers from the viewpoint of the victim, perpetrator or parent, but this is the first time I’ve read one where we don’t know who the victim is. And not only has the author come up with a new angle on the captivity novel, but she also does something different with the destination thriller genre. I like a drunken, murderous hen party as much as the next reader, but it is good to see Cyprus depicted in a fresh storyline. And the author has cleverly left the way open for Amanda to work on more cases in the future. A great new series inbound, perhaps?
This is an independent review of an early copy. I thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.