Latest news with #Unsolicited
TimesLIVE
06-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Paige Nick on a killing spree of books
Reams of gore and intrigue in small-town South Africa As I type this, I'm on a serious killing spree across the Western Cape. First, I committed multiple murders in a small village there, possibly Stanford. Then I gouged out someone's eyes before murdering them in Cape Town, and I'm currently murdering someone in Knysna and trying to make that one look like a suicide. OK, no need to make a call to Crimeline to report me yet. I've just finished reading three killer debut South African crime authors that you really need to know about. Making a Killing by Bonnie Espie (Kwela): The moreish, fun cosy one Making a Killing by Espie is the first in what is sure to be a fun, new cosy crime series. I joyfully whipped through this novel with one eye closed at some points because it got deliciously gory. It's set in that small South African village we all recognise. Winifred has escaped the big city to hide from a dodgy past, and she opens a bookshop-slash-restaurant with a strange new accomplice, I mean acquaintance, Sylvie. Soon it appears murder is on the menu. The author lives in a small South African village herself. If I were her neighbours I'd sleep with one eye open; it seems murder comes to her terrifyingly easily. Unsolicited by Andrea Shaw (Jacana Media): The interesting, brilliant one set in publishing More murder on the menu here, but this one entirely deeper and darker. In Unsolicited a reader is found dead, eyes melted out! Detective Fatima Matthews is on the case, but she's on something else too: menopause. If her hot flushes would just ease up for half a second, maybe she could concentrate on the crime at hand. And speaking of crimes, her son is visiting with his wife, baby, and family too, so things are about to escalate. This murder is set in the publishing industry and Fatima is going to have to delve into the publishing house's slush pile to find more clues. But first, she's got to deal with her in-laws. If the Dead Could Talk by Juliette Mnqeta (Kwela): The gripping one that digs up the past The cop in question in this new series is detective Florian Welter, and he doesn't just have what looks like a high-profile politician's questionable suicide to solve, he also has to deal with his dyslexia and the covah, or rather havoc, it caused in his last job, which was what got him relegated to Knysna in the first place. This well-written, moreish police procedural crime thriller also tracks the story of the victim's daughter seeking closure. It's full of entertaining twists and conspiracy theories that go all the way back to the nineties. All three of these are clever, well-written novels. If you're a crime fan, and even if you're not, all are very much worth the read. So cosy up, and get ready to start guessing whodunnit. * Paige Nick is the author of the smash hit new novel Book People and several other acclaimed novels. She runs The Good Book Appreciation Society, a book club on Facebook with over 23k members, and hosts Book Choice on Fine Music Radio every second Tuesday at 12pm. She spends far too much time reading and writing, and hates plastic forks.
TimesLIVE
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Exclusive Books' recommended May reads
For anyone looking for the perfect book club read, Emily Henry delivers that in Great Big Beautiful Life. Writers Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson are tasked with competing for the chance to write the memoir of once-famed, now-reclused socialite Margaret Ives. With six months to write a compelling draft each, Alice and Hayden's own story starts to tangle as they grow closer as they spend more time together. Push the limit in Unsolicited, a thrilling debut from Andrea Shaw, with twists and turns sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. We meet Fatima Matthews, a quick-witted and sharp-eyed detective juggling a murder case, a plagiarism scandal and the chaos of menopause. Detective Matthews must face her frailties as the threats escalate and the chance to redeem herself starts to slip away. Their non-fiction selection for May is a combination of topical reads for anyone wary of AI, inspiring stories for much-loved figures and reflective reads for rainy days. Find comfort with Sameer Rawjee in the growing integration of AI in our daily lives in Taking the Anxiety out of AI, a helpful guide outlining the co-existence of human talent and the power of technology. Oprah's Book Club pick The Tell by Amy Griffin is a heartfelt memoir exploring memory, trauma and the healing power of time. Prompted by Griffin's 10-year-old daughter wishing to close the distance between them, Griffin is propelled to confront what she spent her life running from. Feel inspired by the journey of the greatest Formula One driver of all time in the definitive biography of Lewis Hamilton, Sir Lewis by Michael E Sawyer. From karting on local tracks to becoming a seven-time world champion, this biography examines the legacy of an icon on and off the grid. Markus Zusak brings a poignant, funny and disarmingly honest memoir of family, love and companionship in Three Wild Dogs and the Truth. Zusak shares the story of his family's adoption of three wily rescue dogs and the madness, hilarity and inseparable relationships that ensued. Discover the history of the SA film industry in Hollywood on the Veld by Ted Botha. Secretive millionaire IW Schlesinger had ambitions to rival Hollywood from a film studio in Killarney. This is the never-before-told story of the rise and fall of the strangest, most unique empire ever.
