6 days ago
Of true crime and bestsellers
Not every book needs to change your life. Some (at least the good ones) can simply hold your attention and keep you turning the pages. These are the books that remind you why stories matter, or the ones that pull you out of a reading slump. This column is about the thrillers that don't cheat, the romances that actually charm, whodunits that surprise, and more.
Great Big Beautiful Life | Emily Henry
(Penguin India; ₹899)
The bestselling romance author and TikTok sensation (who's not on TikTok) has produced five hit novels, all of which have been optioned for the screen. Her latest is about two writers, Alice and Hayden, vying for the book coup of the century — by telling the story of an elusive socialite called Margaret Ives. This slow-burn romance brings to mind early Marian Keyes and Jojo Moyes, and like them, Henry explores big themes and ideas woven around love. And to write the character of Ives, Henry drew from several sources, including the real-life socialite Rebekah Harkness, who inspired Taylor Swift's 2020 song 'The Last Great American Dynasty'.
The Artful Murders | Feisal Alkazi
(Speaking Tiger; ₹499)
A missing M.F. Husain is already a compelling plot. Add a few murders, and you're hooked. This is a dramatic book, and its amateur sleuth — 'housewife-turned-Sherlock Holmes' Ragini Malhotra — is suitably dramatic too. Theatrical energy runs through the thriller, and Alkazi, who wrote it during the pandemic lockdown, draws on his stage background with good effect. The plot echoes yesteryear mysteries — Murder, She Wrote, Miss Marple, Agatha Raisin... Expect dry humour, intrigue, and plenty of red herrings but mind you, this is no psychological thriller. Nevertheless, the cosy mystery will keep you engaged.
Atmosphere | Taylor Jenkins Reid
(Hutchinson Heinemann; ₹899)
This might be Reid's most ambitious book yet: a sweeping story set amid NASA's shuttle programme in the 1980s. We meet astronomer Joan Goodwin, selected to train a new batch of astronauts, and with her, we embark on a heartwarming and eventually heartbreaking journey. Reid excels at building flawed, layered characters and finding emotional truth in extraordinary moments. We might soon see this sweeping, cinematic canvas on screen — Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the filmmakers behind Captain Marvel, are adapting Atmosphere for theatrical release.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil | V.E. Schwab
(Tor Books; ₹999)
For long-time fans of Schwab, here's a fun detail: her new book is set in the same universe — which Schwab calls 'the garden' — as her last book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Calling it a vampire novel feels limiting, although we've seen how the genre can get a new lease of life in the hands of a skiller writer — think Sinners, or Interview with the Vampire and its latest, beautiful, rage-filled adaptation. A sapphic, immersive story about three women told through the lashes of time, this is a story about more than just blood.
When the Wolf Comes Home | Nat Cassidy
(Titan Books; ₹1,351)
This is how horror transforms when it breaks free of ghosts and jump scares. And Cassidy has long been a master of the form. With Mary and Nestlings, he gave us genre-defining stories. But When the Wolf Comes Home may be his best yet, with Cassidy's attempts at creating a literary universe, not unlike the author he feels a deep kinship with — Stephen King. In the novel, a boy, running from monsters both real and imagined, is rescued by Jess, an out-of-work actor barely holding herself together. Every scene tightens the noose, and what's more, the novel has a landing that truly sticks.
The writer is an independent journalist, editor, and literary curator.
