The Asset Class by Hettie O’Brien Review – the Hidden Hand of Private Equity
Hettie O’Brien’s book *The Asset Class* exposes how private‑equity firms have seized essential public‑service assets—from water utilities to care homes—by buying undervalued assets with leveraged capital. The author traces the sector’s growth to deregulation under Reagan and Thatcher and highlights the profit‑driven cost cuts that degrade service quality. Real‑world cases in London, Copenhagen, Barcelona and beyond illustrate sewage spills, understaffed hospitals, and care homes turned into profit machines. O’Brien argues that secrecy and government tax incentives have rewired the state to serve a wealthy elite.
Susan Choi and Lily King Shortlisted for Women’s Prize for Fiction
Acclaimed American novelists Susan Choi and Lily King have been shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, which carries a £30,000 (≈ $38,400) award. Choi is recognized for her sixth novel Flashlight, a Booker‑shortlisted family saga, while King is in the running for...
The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis Review – One of the Boldest Writers at Work in English Today
Chloe Aridjis’s new novella, The Shadow of the Object, follows Flora, a middle‑aged visitor to Mexico City who is injured by a guard dog and confined to a private hospital. There she befriends Wilhelmina Blau, an elderly German who shares...
Hotel Exile by Jane Rogoyska Review – the Remarkable Story of a Wartime Institution
Jane Rogoyska’s new book, Hotel Exile, chronicles the Hôtel Lutetia’s transformation from a Parisian cultural hotspot into a wartime sanctuary for German anti‑Nazis and later a Nazi intelligence headquarters. The narrative follows key figures such as Heinrich Mann, Walter Benjamin, Irène Némirovsky and photographer...
‘Deliciously Dark’: How Freida McFadden’s Twisty Thrillers Gripped Millions of Readers
Freida McFadden, the pen name of Boston‑based doctor Sara Cohen, dominated the UK thriller market in 2025, moving 2.6 million print copies and securing six titles in the Top 10 paperback chart. Global sales across print, ebook and audio now exceed 36 million, bolstered...
The Illuminated Man by Christopher Priest and Nina Allan Review – an Unconventional Portrait of JG Ballard
Christopher Priest’s posthumously completed biography, The Illuminated Man, offers an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard, intertwining the writer’s tumultuous life with his groundbreaking "inner‑space" fiction. Priest, diagnosed with terminal cancer, managed only 65,000 words before his death, and his partner Nina...
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel Review – Life of Pi Author Discovers a Long-Lost Poem From Troy
Yann Martel’s fifth novel, Son of Nobody, follows Canadian classicist Harlow Donne on an Oxford fellowship as he translates a cache of Oxyrhynchus papyri and uncovers a purportedly lost Trojan‑war poem, the Psoad. The book intertwines the ancient epic—presented in...
My Phantoms Author Gwendoline Riley on Winning $175,000: ‘It Was Unimaginable. I Felt Overwhelmed.’
British novelist Gwendoline Riley received the 2026 Windham‑Campbell prize, a $175,000 award (≈ £135,000) that aims to give writers financial security. The prize, granted to eight authors across genres, is notable for its low‑key selection process and lack of media fanfare....
The Best Recent Crime and Thrillers – Review Roundup
A new review roundup spotlights five recent crime and thriller titles released in the UK market. Tana French closes her Cal Hooper trilogy with “The Keeper” (≈$21), while debut novelist Emma Garman offers a post‑war London mystery in “The Kindness...
The Dog’s Gaze by Thomas Laqueur Review – the Art of the Canine, From Velázquez to Picasso
Thomas Laqueur’s new book, *The Dog’s Gaze*, argues that the canine’s look marks the boundary between nature and culture, giving dogs a unique symbolic role in Western art. He surveys paintings from Velázquez’s *Las Meninas* to Veronese’s *Wedding Feast at Cana*, showing how dogs anchor...
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Review – the Downfall of an All‑American Tradwife
Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel *Yesteryear* imagines an Instagram‑obsessed tradwife who wakes up in a 1805 pioneer setting, only to discover that the romanticized past is far harsher than her curated feed suggests. The book generated massive buzz, prompting a high‑priced...
Communion by Jon Doyle Review – a Charged Debut About Sin and Solace
Jon Doyle’s debut novel Communion follows Mack O’Brien, a former seminary student who returns to his steel‑town home in Port Talbot, Wales, after being dismissed for lack of vocation. He becomes involved in a community‑driven Passion play while reconnecting with...
The Fallen by Louise Brangan Review – an Enraging Account of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries
Louise Brangan’s "The Fallen" offers a meticulously researched chronicle of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, institutions run by Catholic nuns that confined thousands of women and girls from the 1920s until 1996. The book highlights stark statistics—70 per 100,000 women were in...
All Them Dogs by Djamel White Review – Murderous Desires in the Badlands of Dublin
All Them Dogs, the debut novel by Djamel White, is a neo‑noir crime thriller set in west Dublin that intertwines violent underworld action with a fraught homoerotic bond between two enforcers. The narrative moves at breakneck speed, using street slang...
On Memoir by Blake Morrison Review – Lessons in Life Writing From a Master
Blake Morrison’s new book *On Memoir* is an alphabetically organized handbook that demystifies the art of life writing. Drawing on his decades of teaching at Goldsmiths and his own memoir about his father, Morrison blends practical tips—like avoiding name repetition...