Our books editor Zoe West gives us her favourite picks for the month, plus Alison Weir shares her writing secrets
AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
Mrs Porter Calling by AJ Pearce (£16.99, HB, Picador)
Emmy Lake is back in the popular wartime series. In charge of a column at People’s Friend magazine, she’s proud of the part it plays in the war effort. But then entitled socialite Mrs Porter takes over the magazine and wants to fill it with features about her aristocratic friends. Emmy’s loath to watch all they worked so hard for being destroyed. Heartbreaking yet feel-good, we loved it. ✢ See p179 for our chat with AJ Pearce.
UNRAVELLING THE MYSTERY
The Fall by Gilly Macmillan (£16.99, HB, Cornerstone)
Winning the lottery was supposed to be a fresh start but it turned out to be the beginning of the end for childhood sweethearts Tom and Nicole. Before long Tom is found dead in the pool in their state-of-the-art home on the Lancaut Peninsula. In this remote area, Nicole, the couple in the manor house next door and their housekeeper all become suspects. Telling the story of Tom’s last day interwoven with the suspects’ perspectives, layers of detail are peeled back to present a brilliantly crafted portrait of their true selves.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
PAST MEETS PRESENT
Windmill Hill by Lucy Atkins (£16.99, HB, Quercus)
Astrid was once a leading actress with a film-star husband. Now in her 80s, she lives a frugal life with her dachshunds next to a historic but decrepit windmill. Mrs Barker, who came to clean 20 years ago, has never left. When a scandal from Astrid’s past threatens to return, she decides to confront her ex. This cleverly constructed tale slowly reveals more about the bond between Astrid and Mrs Baker – and the secrets they are both protecting.
WEDDING WIT
The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan (£16.99, HB, Orion)
Gen-Z couple Celine and Luke are getting married. That’s a good thing, right? Even if Celine is more in love with her career as a pianist than her partner, and even if he’s always cheating on her. Written in turn from the perspectives of a bridesmaid, best man, wedding guest and ‘the happy couple’, this sharp, hilarious – and cuttingly observant – second novel from the Irish author looks at what things like love, commitment and long-term relationships really mean in 2023.
MOVING NON-FICTION
The Green Hill by Sophie Pierce (£18.99, HB, Unbound)
Some books just deserve to be read – and this achingly beautiful memoir is one. After Pierce’s son Felix, 20, dies suddenly, she composes letters to him when walking or swimming close to his burial place by the River Dart. Weaving them into a narrative that recounts the weeks and months after the tragedy, she lays bare her grief with observations on life and relationships. Sad, w
