’Tis the season to escape the cold weather and curl up with a good book or two (or three). And, thankfully, there’s plenty of amazing new titles hitting the shelves to kick off 2021 — which makes escaping the wintry weather a lot easier.

I do tend to read a lot of thrillers, especially towards the start of the year. So a lot of this list is going to be a lil’ on the dark and twisty side…but they’re also very, very  good. 

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

I’ve a very, very bad habit when it comes to starting new book series — if I pick up a later instalment before the first book, I’ll read that and then just start it all from the beginning. Which is kind of what I ended up doing here — but then again, it led me to kick-start a brand new series. So I’d definitely call that a win. 

Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion’s downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim’s puppet empire. The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. 

Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war. As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them . . .

Asking for a Friend by Andi Osho 

A feel-good read about friendship, love, and playing by your own rules — and one that will keep you laughing until the very last page. Basically, the perfect kind of book if you’re looking for something lighthearted to kick off your 2021 reading.

Forty-something Jemima’s life is on track – well, sort of. All she has to do is muster the courage to bat her niggly ex away for good. Twenty-something Meagan is in the midst of her five-phase plan and is nearly ready for phase three – a relationship. While thirty-something Simi has had more it’s not yous than any I dos.

Deciding it’s time to play the dating game by their own rules, they’re going to ditch the dating apps and ask people out in real life. The catch? They’re playing matchmaker and can only ask out potential dates for each other because the most important rule is that no woman gets left behind.

The Charmed Wife by Olga Grushin

We all know the typical fairytale stories, but The Charmed Wife flips one of the most well-known ones — Cinderella — on its head. Taking place more than a decade after Cinderella and her prince went off into the sunset together, it’s a look at what if their story turned out to be less than happily ever after. 

Cinderella married the man of her dreams – the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, two children and thirteen-and-a-half years later, things have gone badly wrong.

One night, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn’t ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming. Instead, she wants him dead.

Ask No Questions by Claire Allan 

If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing from the first page until the very last and is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat, then this is the perfect book for you to pick up this January.

Twenty-five years ago, on Halloween night, eight-year-old Kelly Doherty went missing while out trick or treating with friends.  Her body was found three days later, floating face down, on the banks of the Creggan Reservoir by two of her young classmates. 

It was a crime that rocked Derry to the core. Journalist Ingrid Devlin is investigating – but someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. As she digs further, Ingrid starts to realise that the Doherty family are not as they seem. But will she expose what really happened that night before it’s too late? 

Girl A by Abigail Dean 

A family drama/psychological book that will stay with you long after the final page — and one that a lot of people are definitely going to be talking about this year.

Lex Gracie doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped.

When her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared. 

Rescue Me by Sarra Manning 

A sweet, heartwarming love story with a rescue dog at its heart? Rescue Me was all-but-guaranteed to have me hooked, based on that alone. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint — basically, it’s the perfect cosy read for the cold wintry months. 

After their first meeting at the rescue centre, both Margot and Will want to adopt Blossom so reluctantly agree to share custody. But Will’s obsession for micro-managing and clear-cut boundaries and Margot’s need to smother Blossom with affection, means that soon they have a very confused and badly behaved dog on their hands.

Can they put their differences aside to become successful “co-pawrents” and maybe even friends? And meanwhile, does Blossom have plans of her own? 

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean 

This was probably one of the most unsettling — but incredible — books that I’ve read in a long, long time. It also got me hooked on his writing, so I ended up starting the Tuva Moodyson books soon after I hit the final page of The Last Thing To Burn. 

Her husband calls her Jane. That is not her name. She lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen.

Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn’t like what he sees, she is punished. For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting…

Trust by Chris Hammer 

I was first introduced to Chris Hammer’s Martin Scarsden books by chance during lockdown #1, when I was trying to find some new books that’d keep me hooked for the weeks ahead. I flew through Scrublands, and later Silver — and I’ve been eagerly awaiting this one, too. 

On a bright sunny day in Port Silver, ex-journalist Martin Scarsden misses a call from his girlfriend Mandy. Checking his voicemail later, all he hears is her terrified scream before the phone cuts off. Back at the house, he finds a policeman unconscious on the floor, and Mandy gone.

So starts a twisting tale of intrigue and danger, as Martin probes the past of the woman he loves, a woman who has buried her former life deep. And for the first time, Mandy finds denial impossible, now the body of a man has been discovered – a man to whom she was engaged to marry. It’s time to face her demons once and for all; it’s time she learned how to trust. 

Shiver by Allie Reynolds 

I am always here for a thriller/mystery set in a ski resort — because, to me, the characters being snowed in (which they usually are), with no chance of escape (which they don’t usually have) adds that extra layer of creepiness. And this one had me hooked from the moment I read the description. 

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.

The five friends haven’t seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don’t know who has really gathered them there  and how far they will go to find the truth. In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.