Charlotte Philby worked for the Independent for eight years, as a columnist, editor and reporter, and was shortlisted for the Cudlipp Prize at the 2013 Press Awards for her investigative journalism. Founder of the online platform Motherland.net, she regularly contributes to the Guardian and iNews, as well as the BBC World Service, Channel 4 and Woman's Hour. She has three children and lives in London. Charlotte is the granddaughter of Kim Philby, Britain’s most famous communist double-agent.
Death by Noir (2026) (Bottle Bank Mystery, book 1) Olly Smith "Death by Noir is cosy crime at its finest: vintage storytelling with a modern twist. I loved it. Olly Smith's rich cast of unforgettable characters, sumptuous setting and pacey plotting ensures this series has legs - and I'm here for the top-up!"
The Good Listener (2026) Holly Watt "I adore Holly Watt's storytelling. The Good Listener is an intelligent, involving novel with the pace of the most propulsive thriller, and a story that sweeps you into its emotional heart."
The Cliffhanger (2025) Emily Freud "Pacy and entertaining, The Cliffhanger is a dark, escapist page-turner with a twist to die for."
Notes on a Drowning (2025) Anna Sharpe "A timely and hugely entertaining political thriller written with humour and sensitivity, and an important story at its heart. Anna Sharpe has created something fresh and new, and I can't wait for the next one."
The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby (2024) Ellery Lloyd "An original, compulsive and brilliantly told mystery set within a world of secrets and privilege spanning decades and continents. Like a reversal of the painting at its centre, the layers of the story are carefully peeled back until the picture is revealed. From the first page to the last, I loved it."
The House of Mirrors (2024) Erin Kelly "When it comes to deeply involving, twisty thrillers, Erin Kelly is in a league of her own. The House of mirrors is a magnificent mystery that begs to be read in a single sitting but deserves to be pored over slowly, every word savoured. Possibly the finest thriller you'll read all year."
The Square of Sevens (2023) Laura Shepherd-Robinson "It's impossible to overstate the brilliance Laura Shepherd-Robinson demonstrates in her work. To find a writer with such a clear love and understanding of her subject and have it matched by a sparkling ability to spin a yarn is rare and exciting. The Square of Sevens is an exquisite feat in storytelling: intelligent, dark, surprising, moving, and always entertaining. Shepherd-Robinson's characters are so brilliantly drawn, the story so richly imagined, and the world she conjures so vivid that I imagined myself there, amidst it all, my heart in my mouth as the players race towards their fate."
The Scarlet Papers (2023) Matthew Richardson "Addictive, original and outrageously entertaining . . . Matthew Richardson proves himself a writer of huge talent and skill."
Truly, Darkly, Deeply (2022) Victoria Selman "Victoria Selman has created something original, completely absorbing, and utterly persuasive. I was right there in eighties north London, held breathlessly in situ, right up until the final, shocking twist. Magnificent."
Watching Women and Girls (2022) Danielle Pender "Watching Women and Girls is a searing meditation on the moments that make, and break, us. As canny as they are entertaining, these stories are packed with emotional intelligence, capturing the dark and the light of the female experience in a series of vignettes that every one of us will in some way relate to. I loved it."
Storm (2022) Stephanie Merritt "A clever, twisty, and deliciously dark thriller set in the entitled and dangerously alluring world of the one per cent. STORM is a whirlwind of a tale showing how easily and devastatingly one person's life can tear through another's, and the lengths some will go to in order to avoid the consequences of their actions. I read it in one sitting."
One of the Girls (2022) Lucy Clarke "From the first page I was transported to the intoxicating Greek island . . . This is everything the perfect escapist summer read should be: dark, delicious, and completely addictive."
Hush (2022) Kate Maxwell "Hush is a beautifully-written meditation on motherhood, identity and belonging - at once tender and resilient, incisive and heart-breaking. In this assured debut, Kate Maxwell captures how love grows and morphs and, ultimately, endures."
A Loyal Traitor (2021) (Richard Knox, book 2) Tim Glister "A Loyal Traitor is an accomplished and atmospheric spy novel with an original protagonist and a burning question at its heart. Considered and entertaining, I was drawn in from page one."
The Wedding Night (2021) Harriet Walker "An intricate and surprising story of friendship, revenge, and redemption where no one and nothing are quite as they seem. The Wedding Night places female friendships at the center of both the story and the lives of its characters, who are so real you feel you know them. Walker’s writing is beautiful and immersive, and bristles with wry observation."
Greenwich Park (2021) Katherine Faulkner "Meticulously crafted and deeply satisfying, Greenwich Park has all the hallmarks of a first-class psychological thriller. I read it in two sittings and was left smiling sardonically at the final line."
