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Reading lists

So good it’s criminal: Penguin authors pick their favourite crime novels

The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan 

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Extracts

The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan

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The Stranger by Kate Riordan

The Heatwave

A tense psychological drama that brilliantly evokes its South of France setting. Terrific summer escapism

Sultry, atmospheric and unsettling - a book to lose yourself in this summer

Exquisite writing and a compelling story that will keep you up late into the night!

Summer might be over, but this red-hot book will have you gripped!

Takes the summer thriller to the next level. Beguiling characters and a plot that will make your blood run cold play out against a sweltering Provencal summer

I cannot stop thinking about The Heatwave. The writing and the atmosphere, the darkness, the beautiful French setting, the characters...Outstanding. An absolute page-turner

A sultry, gorgeously written and hugely atmospheric thriller with a dark, compelling mystery at its heart

I like a book that surprises me, and what I loved about this one is that I had no idea where it was headed. There is uneasiness filtering throughout, like a gentle flicker of heat set to turn into a full-blown fire

Tense and deliciously atmospheric, it unravels a mother-daughter relationship with a growing sense of menace.

Vivid descriptions of the French setting and a gloriously unsettling feeling that keeps on intensifying.

Evocative, compelling, intoxicating and - despite the scorching Provencal sun - utterly chilling. I loved it

A fiercely compelling, gorgeously atmospheric story of fierce, impossible love. It gets you into its grip and will not let go. The beautiful writing and rich understanding of a mother's scarred relationship with a long lost child add a unique power to the tense mystery. Haunting

Page-turner of a thriller, set in Provence during a sticky heatwave

Riordan's knack for creating a sense of place is part of the mix that lodges this book firmly in the imagination . . . A toxic tale of mother-daughter relationships, the perils of beauty, and the heady magic of the French countryside

A clever, compelling story. I loved it so much. Such beautiful writing and an atmosphere that builds in tension until its explosive end. This will be everyone's summer read.

Kate is at the height of her storytelling powers in this dark tale of a mother's love for her child at any cost. The heat soaked through every page. Lyrical and edgy, it bridges the gap between the literary and the hottest of summer reads with ease

Intriguing characters, haunting descriptions, and pages humming with heat, secrets and suspense. I loved it

Beautifully written and atmospheric, this will transport you to the heat of Provence, and keep you guessing till the end

Haunting, evocative, emotionally astute, and seriously beautiful writing.

A scorcher of a novel. The evocative French summer setting crackles and simmers with foreboding. I adored it

Totally gripping. A classy and compelling novel

A taut and stunning novel about a toxic mother-daughter relationship. The writing is rich and multi-layered, but it's the subtlety of the characterisations that hook you and won't let you go. Powerful

Gill Paul, bestselling author of 'The Secret Wife'

A beautifully woven tale that explores the enduring relationship between mother and daughter. You'll not consider putting it down for a moment until you know the outcome . . .

Wow! Just finished reading The Heatwave by Kate Riordan. I actually resented mealtimes and bedtime for interrupting my reading of it! Beautifully written and skilfully plotted, this is a THRILLING masterpiece . . . A bestseller

Gripping, utterly convincing and deeply unsettling

Never has a book about a heatwave been so chilling. You won't want to miss this

It's just SO GOOD on every level and ticks every box. Atmospheric, lush writing that will appeal to fans of literary fiction, but a story that draws you in instantly and really doesn't loosen its grip, right up until the last little twist on the final page

Beautifully written with exquisite prose that pulses with heat, scented air and an underlying unease that builds with every page. A book to escape in

So tense and atmospheric; chilling, despite the heat. An exciting, satisfying read. Superb

Engrossing, heady, thrumming with heat and tension - I absolutely loved it

A seductive summer read, dripping with suspense and intrigue. Utterly unputdownable

Escape from lockdown to the scorching French sun [with] The Heatwave

Compelling . . . An addictive page-turner

The perfect poolside or garden read. Set under the warm Provence sun, The Heatwave is unnerving and engrossing psychological suspense

As beautifully written as it is engrossing

Gripping, clever and full of surprises, this is a deliciously tense thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat

A compelling, beautifully written psychological thriller

A beautiful and intriguing page-turner

Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She is an avid reader of Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie, both of whom have influenced her writing. She lives in the Cotswolds, where she writes full-time. Her previous novels include The Girl In The Photograph, The Shadow Hour, The Stranger and The Heatwave, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Summer Fever is her fifth novel.

Elodie was beautiful. Elodie was smart. Elodie was manipulative. Elodie is dead. 
 
When Sylvie receives a letter calling her back to her crumbling family home in Provence, she knows she has to go. In the middle of a sweltering summer marked by unusual fires across the countryside, she returns to La Reverie with her youngest daughter Emma in tow. 
 
In every corner of the house, Sylvie can't escape the spectre of Elodie, her first child. Elodie with the golden hair. Elodie, who knew exactly how to get what she wanted. Elodie, whose death the villagers still whisper about. 
 
As the fires creep even closer towards the villa, it's clear to Sylvie that something isn't right at La Reverie. Because there's something that Sylvie hasn't admitted about what happened to Elodie ten summers ago . . .

The Girl in the Photograph

For fans of Kate Mosse and Kate Morton comes a haunting novel about two women separated by decades but entwined by fate. 
 
When Alice Eveleigh arrives at Fiercombe Manor during the long, languid summer of 1933, she finds a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets. Sadness permeates its empty rooms and the isolated valley seems crowded with ghosts, none more alluring than Elizabeth Stanton whose only traces remain in a few tantalisingly blurred photographs. Why will no one speak of her? What happened a generation ago to make her vanish? 
 
As the sun beats down relentlessly, Alice becomes ever more determined to unearth the truth about the girl in the photograph - and stop her own life from becoming an eerie echo of Elizabeth's . . . 
 
Lifelong fans of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca will adore Kate Riordan's exquisite novel, The Girl in the Photograph. 
 
 
Praise for The Girl in the Photograph: 
 
'Full of slow-burning tension' Essentials 
 
'A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts' Good Housekeeping 
 
'A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere' Sunday Mirror 
 
'A prickly story full of tension' Sunday Express

Beautifully written, with intrigue and mystery. I was itching for answers as the two narratives unfolded

A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts

Intelligent, poignant and highly recommended

Well-executed and brooding, with a creepy atmosphere

The past is set to repeat its sorrows . . . 
 
When Alice Eveleigh arrives at Fiercombe Manor during the long, languid summer of 1933, she finds a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets. Sadness permeates its empty rooms and the isolated valley seems crowded with ghosts. None is more alluring than Elizabeth Stanton, whose only traces remain in a few tantalisingly blurred photographs. Why will no one speak of her? What happened a generation ago to make her vanish? 
 
As the sun beats down relentlessly, Alice becomes ever more determined to unearth the truth about the girl in the photograph - and stop her own life from becoming an eerie echo of Elizabeth's . . .

A gripping story of secrets and lies for fans of The Beekeeper's Promise

The Stranger

A top ten Red Magazine book . . . 
____________ 
 
Cornwall, 1940. 
 
 In the hushed hours of deepest night a young woman is found washed up on the rocks. 
 
 Was it a tragic accident? Or should the residents of Penhallow have been more careful about whom they invited in? 
 
 In the midst of war three women arrive seeking safety at Penhallow Hall. 
 
 Each is looking to escape her past. 
 
 But one of them is not there by choice. 
 
 As the threat of invasion mounts and the nightly blackouts feel longer and longer, tensions between the close-knit residents rise until dark secrets start to surface. 
 
 And no one can predict what their neighbour is capable of . . . 
 
 In a house full of strangers, who do you trust? 
____________ 
 
'A beautiful and intriguing page-turner. Cornwall springs to life in vivid colour' Dinah Jefferies, author of The Sapphire Widow 
 
'Wonderfully atmospheric and utterly engrossing. I hardly moved until I had read the very last word' AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird

Dark, atmospheric and crackling with period intrigue. The perfect summer read

Rachel Rhys, author of Richard & Judy Book Club pick Dangerous Crossing

As buried secrets and lies unravel, tension begins to mount in this atmospheric and compelling story

Heady with atmosphere, simmering with tension, this novel had me captivated. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about it, when I was reading, I couldn't think about anything else!

With excellent characters, the novel revels in the magical backdrop of Cornwall, with shades of du Maurier

Richly textured, with a clever and deeply satisfying conclusion, the influence of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca infuses the The Stranger . . .

Simmers with a forbidding unease that makes it impossible to put down. Creepy and evocative, the mystery builds to a shocking end. Impressive

Everyone loves unravelling a good mystery and armchair sleuths won't be disappointed with The Stranger

An evocative whodunnit . . . an absorbing, heart-wrenching romance. This stunning tale about a house of secrets where everyone is guilty of something is both immersive and deeply atmospheric

With its vivid Cornwall setting and a house full of shadows, The Stranger has echoes of Daphne Du Maurier but its riveting in its own right

A beautifully written tale of family secrets, loves and losses, set against the magical Cornish coastline. I loved it

A fabulous twisting tale, so beautifully written that the pages practically turned themselves. I couldn't put it down

A beautiful and intriguing page-turner, where the secrets of the past cast long shadows. Cornwall springs to life in vivid colour

Beautifully written and unputdownable. I loved it

An enthralling tale of secrets, the twists and turns will have you hooked to the very last breathtaking page

An atmospheric whodunit set in the Second World War

A beautifully woven, immersive story that completely transported me

With such vivid, mysterious characters and an atmospheric setting, the echoes of Du Maurier's Cornwall are on every page. Brilliant!

A wonderful, gripping, beautifully written book. From the first page, I didn't want to put it down - and by the second half I literally couldn't put it down

Beautiful and haunting, you'll struggle to put down this mysterious tale

Wonderfully atmospheric and utterly engrossing. I hardly moved until I had read to the very last word

Take an isolated house, family secrets, a divine Cornish setting, the tensions of war and you have all the ingredients for a tale where the pages take on a life of their own. The Stranger is wound tight as a clock, ticking down the days leading up to the disappearance of a young woman. It will stay with you long after the last breathtaking pages turn

So beguiling that I truly didn't want it to end. A captivating novel that pulls you into another time and place

The novel is cinematic, and the vividness of the Cornish landscape and its history of smugglers and pirates add to its charm. An engaging page-turner with a surprising twist at the end

Praise for The Girl in the Photograph

Rich and atmospheric, like Rebecca this novel casts an enduring spell

Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author

A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere

An emotional war-time drama set in a house of secrets where everyone is guilty of something 
 
1940 Cornwall, England. 
 
Penhallow Hall shelters a handful of Land Girls, sent to the coast to avoid the horrors of London's Blitz. But the beautiful, arrogant Diana Devlin, impatient with the sleepy village and its placid residents, can't resist the temptation to stir up long-buried secrets. 
 
When a young woman's body is found lying broken on the shore, the promised safety of the Hall is shattered. Was it simply a tragic accident, or did mischief end in murder?

1940, Cornwall, England. 
 
Penhallow Hall shelters a handful of Land Girls, sent to the coast to avoid the horrors of London's Blitz. But the beautiful, arrogant Diana Devlin, impatient with the sleepy village and its placid residents, can't resist the temptation to stir up long-buried secrets. 
 
When a young woman's body is found lying broken on the shore, the promised safety of the Hall is shattered. Was it simply a tragic accident, or did mischief end in murder?

The Shadow Hour

It was in the shadow hours of deepest night that this tapestry of lies fell to rags . . . 
 
Harriet Jenner is just twenty-one when she walks through the gates of Fenix House. Reeling from a personal tragedy, she doesn't expect her new life as a governess to be easy. But she certainly does not foresee the spell Fenix House will cast. 
 
Almost fifty years later, Harriet's granddaughter Grace follows in her footsteps. For Grace, raised on Harriet's spellbinding stories, Fenix House is a fairy tale; a magical place suspended in time. 
 
But the now-faded grandeur of the mansion soon begins to reveal the holes in Harriet's story and Grace finds herself in a place of secrets and shadows. For Fenix House hides truths about her family, and everything that she once knew is about to change. 
 
The Author 
Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She started out as an editorial assistant at the Guardian, followed by a stint as deputy editor for the lifestyle section of Time Out. Kate's first novel, The Girl in the Photographpublished in January 2015. Kate is now a freelance writer and lives in the Cotswolds where she is currently working on her third novel. 
 
Praise for The Shadow Hour 
 
'I was immediately drawn in by this beautifully written tale. I loved the sense of intrigue and the air of mystery at Fenix House, and was itching for answers as the two narratives unfolded' Dinah Jefferies author of The Tea Planter's Wife 
 
'A perfect gothic, big-house mystery that kept me turning the pages. Very well written - I really enjoyed it'Katherine Webb 
 
 
'I'm a sucker for unreliable narrators, crumbling country houses stuffed full of secrets and a story that veers between the present and the past, so it was a delight to curl up with The Shadow Hour over the course of a rainy weekend' Red Online 
 
'It's wonderful - the dark suspense and evocative descriptions are perfect' Liz Fenwick, author of Under a Cornish Sky 
 
'We loved last years The Girl in the Photograph and this latest atmospheric saga is just as thrilling' Essentials 
 
'The parallel stories of Fenix House governess Harriet Jenner and her granddaughter Grace had me absolutely gripped. Intelligent, poignant, unexpected: highly recommended' Louise Candlish, author of The Sudden Departure of the Frasers 
 
'Beautifully written and utterly compelling, I loved this' Katie Fforde 
 
'Gorgeously written - I was instantly drawn in to the mysteries of Fenix House and Kate's evocative storytelling held me rapt until the very end' Lucy Diamond 
 
'Full of dark intrigue, rich description and haunting secrets, this kept me reading and reading! Beautifully written and compelling until the end. I adored it' Ella Harper, author of The Years of Loving You 
 
'Headily atmospheric Victorian gothic detail brings to life the house which holds secrets and memories in its dim rooms, and conjures up a world of hot house flowers and stifled passions. Certain images stay with you - Riordan richly juxtaposes a measured, scientific world of steam trains, comets and clocks with the wild: flooded quarries, ice storms, and the irresistible desire for love and revenge which defies rationality. It's all in the detail - jewelled Indian daggers, sunlight on red gold hair, claustrophobic mazes and ice houses, and mysterious sounds in the night. From the utterly gripping prologue, The Shadow Hour transports you back in time, and shows how a few minutes here or there can catastrophically change a life' Kate Lord Brown, author of The Christmas We Met 
 
'What a beautiful and evocative writer she is! I adored the richness of her descriptions, the faint sense of menace just below the surface, and the huge skill with which she wove in clues, questions and little fragments of information. It was a thoroughly absorbing read' Iona Grey 
 
'The language is lyrical and yet accessible, the plot intricate but satisfying. There is romance, period detail, and dark secrets. This book has TV adaptation written all over it! A great book-club read with loads to discuss' The Cheltonian 
 
 
'I would recommend it to anyone who wants an intriguing mystery that will keep them reading all night!' YA Under My Skin 
 
'A wonderful novel. I loved the atmospheric setting and the way the mystery is built up, switching back and forth through time' The Owl on the Bookshelf 
 
'I loved The Girl in the Photograph but I adore The Shadow Hour more, it has the perfect balance of tragedy and intrigue and all the storylines are woven together expertly. You don't want to miss this' Belle About Town

I was immediately drawn in by this beautifully written tale. I loved the sense of intrigue and the air of mystery at Fenix House, and was itching for answers as the two narratives unfolded

Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tea Planter's Wife

A perfect gothic, big-house mystery that kept me turning the pages. Very well written - I really enjoyed it

It's wonderful - the dark suspense and evocative descriptions are perfect

The parallel stories of Fenix House governess Harriet Jenner and her granddaughter Grace had me absolutely gripped. Intelligent, poignant, unexpected: highly recommended

Beautifully written and utterly compelling, I loved this

Gorgeously written - I was instantly drawn in to the mysteries of Fenix House and Kate's evocative storytelling held me rapt until the very end.

Full of dark intrigue, rich description and haunting secrets, this kept me reading and reading! Beautifully written and compelling until the end. I adored it

Headily atmospheric Victorian gothic detail brings to life the house which holds secrets and memories in its dim rooms, and conjures up a world of hot house flowers and stifled passions. Certain images stay with you - Riordan richly juxtaposes a measured, scientific world of steam trains, comets and clocks with the wild: flooded quarries, ice storms, and the irresistible desire for love and revenge which defies rationality. It's all in the detail - jewelled Indian daggers, sunlight on red gold hair, claustrophobic mazes and ice houses, and mysterious sounds in the night. From the utterly gripping prologue, The Shadow Hour transports you back in time, and shows how a few minutes here or there can catastrophically change a life

Crumbling country houses stuffed full of secrets and a story that veers between the present and the past, so it was a delight to curl up with The Shadow Hour over the course of a rainy weekend

We loved last year's The Girl in the Photograph and this latest atmospheric sage is just as thrilling

The delight for the reader is many, not least spotting the cross-over between the two stories, and the changes in those characters that feature in both. The language is lyrical and yet accessible, the plot intricate but satisfying. There is romance, period detail, and dark secrets. This book has TV adaptation written all over it! A great book-club read with loads to discuss

I would recommend it to anyone who wants an intriguing mystery that will keep them reading all night!

A wonderful novel. I loved the atmospheric setting and the way the mystery is built up, switching back and forth through time

I loved The Girl in the Photograph but I adore The Shadow Hour more, it has the perfect balance of tragedy and intrigue and all the story lines are woven together expertly. You don't want to miss this

There is no doubt that Kate Riordan is a marvellous storyteller with a fantastically plotted book

Another beautifully told story form Kate Riordan *****

You are drawn in and held there, as the story unfolds, a beautiful literary touch within a novel that is quite the page turner

An absorbing and atmospheric read. I enjoyed his one so much that I have already started reading her previous novel

The author has such a wonderful way with words...beautifully written and very atmospheric

An atmospheric and tense tale of two families bound by the secrets held within Fenix House, a stately home where the past seems to collide with the present

The language is lyrical and yet accessible, the plot intricate but satisfying. There is romance, period detail, and dark secrets. This book has TV adaptation written all over it! A great book-club read with loads to discuss

What a beautiful and evocative writer she is! I adored the richness of her descriptions, the faint sense of menace just below the surface, and the huge skill with which she wove in clues, questions and little fragments of information. It was a thoroughly absorbing

Nineteen twenty-two. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own. 
 
Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?

The Red Letter

Secrets and lies in the 1930s in an atmospheric short story from the bestselling author of The Girl in the Photograph 
 
Marjorie knows that James has had affairs in the past but she believed him when he said it would never happen again. Then the old warning signs start to reappear. He stays late at work and seems distracted when he's at home. That doesn't stop her breath catching in her throat when she sees the letter inked into his diary. A red A - seemingly innocuous and yet devastating. Undeniable. 
 
She was a clever, independent and desirable woman once. Not someone's second best with a broken spirit. And as Marjorie looks at the red letter A - Amy? Angela? - she realises that it's time to rediscover herself and take back control of her life. 
 
This short story also includes an exclusive extract from Kate Riordan's new novel The Shadow Hour

Marjorie knows that James has had affairs in the past. She knows that when he works late, he can't attend a party, he seems to be deep in thought, his heart, mind or body might be with another woman. But that doesn't stop her breath catching in her throat when she sees the letter inked into his diary. A red A - unassuming and yet dominating, all powerful. Unquestionable. 
 
She was a clever, witty and independent woman once. Not someone's second best with a broken spirit. And as Marjorie looks at the red letter A - Amy? Angela? - she realises that it's is time to rediscover herself.

Kate Riordan

Laura's marriage is at a crossroads. 
When she discovers Villa Luna Rossa, a crumbling villa in the Italian countryside, she convinces her husband Nick to embark on a new life there. 
But as the intense summer heat rises, Laura quickly realises that her issues with Nick haven't been left behind. 
So it's a relief when their first guests arrive - a glamorous American couple. 
Laura can't help but be drawn to these strangers. 
As she gets closer to the couple, though, she realises that everyone at Villa Luna Rossa is hiding something. And as the summer draws to a close, no secret will be safe...

Kate Riordan

Summer Fever

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