We’re proud of all our authors and thrilled to see the praise and prizes announced in 2025. Here’s a glimpse of the news in the media – and congratulations to all our writers on their many and varied achievements!
A WOMAN LIKE ME by Diane Abbott
Shortlisted for the 2025 RSL Christopher Bland Prize
A Guardian ‘Best Paperback’, March 2025
One of The i’s ‘Best New Paperbacks’, March 2025
WHO WILL REMAIN by Kasim Ali
A Spotify ‘Best Fiction Audiobook of 2025’
One of New Arab’s ‘25 standout books of 2025’
One of The i’s ‘Best New Books, July 2025’
A Spotify Editor’s Pick – August 2025
‘Kasim Ali’s second novel WHO WILL REMAIN also left a lasting impression. I was captivated by Amir’s journey navigating, societal and familial pressure within Alum Rock’s Pakistani community. The father-son relationship was depicted incredibly well and left me pondering. We really need more books written by men of colour that tackle themes this poignant – pick this up.’ – Linda Malek, The Candid Book Club
RECIPES TO DIE LIVE FOR by Sally Andrew
Winner of a 2025 Gourmand World Cookbook award in the Acknowledgements category
AGIMAT by Romalyn Ante
Longlisted for the Jhalak Prize for Poetry
THE MEMORY OF US by Dani Atkins
Shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 2025 Romantic Thriller Award
SWEET HEAT by Bolu Babalola
One of Time’s ‘100 Must-Read Books of 2025’
One of Oprah Daily’s ‘Books That Got Us Through 2025’
Amazon Editors; Picks: Best Romance books of September
A Kobo Best of Romance, September 2025
One of The i’s ‘Best New Books’, July 2025
A New York Times ‘Best Novel Coming in Fall 2025’
‘Previously a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for her 2022 novel HONEY & SPICE, Babalola continues to show why with this gorgeous, lush new book… It’s witty, obviously, but there’s a warmth and real depth to the characterisation and the issues affecting the young Londoners it portrays. Will you see what’s coming a mile off? Definitely. Will you enjoy the journey? Every bit of it.’ – Jenny Colgan, The Guardian, ‘The Five Best Romance Books of 2025’
‘Stunning… It’s a joy to witness the former flames rediscover their passion in this emotional second-chance romance. Brilliantly narrated by Weruche Opia, SWEET HEAT is a transcendent listen that delivers pure magic.’ – Audible UK’s Best of the Year 2025 – Top 20 Pick
‘SWEET HEAT lives up to the high expectations set with its predecessor… Deliciously smart, humorous, and sexy… This is a sweet second-chance love story with a kick.’ – Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, ‘The Best Books of Fall 2025’
‘Babalola writes romance stories that tug at your heartstrings. The banter feels natural, and she isn’t afraid to turn up the heat. Fans of her other books will enjoy this new entry.’ – Adaora Obeleagu, Zikoko ‘The Best Nigerian Books of 2025’
‘There’s this beautifully layered tension, this wave of emotion, romance and personal reflection that runs through the whole story. SWEET HEAT is the book that comes after the coming-of-age story, it speaks to that weird messy in between time that sometimes comes after college, when you're figuring out who you are, what you want, and how to move forward. Babalola’s writing is stunning. She does a wonderful job of weaving words together in a way that makes you connect with the characters and whatever they're going through. SWEET HEAT is a must-read for anyone navigating the chaos of adulthood, love, and identity, especially when everything feels uncertain.’ – Chicago Public Library, Books of the Year
‘Underneath the fun and banter-filled second-chance romance lies a profound (okay, profound-ish) meditation on love and forgiveness.’ – Melissa Locker, Portland Mercury, ‘10 Favorite Romance (and Romantasy) Books of 2025’
COSTANZA by Rachel Blackmore
Longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award
BENBECULA by Graeme Macrae Burnet
One of ‘The Globe 100: The 100 Best Books of 2025’, Globe and Mail
A CASE OF MATRICIDE by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Winner of the Ned Kelly Award for International Crime Fiction
THIS BRIGHT LIFE by Karen Campbell
Shortlisted for the Best Fiction prize at Scotland’s National Book Awards
SUMMER ROLLS by Tuyền Đỗ
‘Perfectly encapsulates the immigrant experience and how different generations might look at the same situation through entirely different lenses… This story transported me through time in such a way that I couldn’t believe I had come to the end when I did. More than anything, though, this story made me HUNGRY. For more than just food; for travel and to experience more of the beauty in other corners of this vast world we live in.’ – Payal Shah, @pie_loves_books, ‘Books of the Year’
GROW WHERE THEY FALL by Michael Donkor
One of The i’’s ‘Best New Paperbacks, March 2025’
EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE by Kathryn Faulke
Winner of the 2025 RSL Christopher Bland Prize
FELICITY’S WAR by Jean Fullerton
Shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 2025 Romantic Saga Award
HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige
‘HEARTWOOD absorbs the reader in the subculture and shorthand of the trail, exploring the thorny tangles of motherhood (and daughterhood) and building satisfying suspense about whether, and how, all three women will emerge from their metaphorical woods.’ – The New York Times, ‘The Best Books of the Year (So Far)’
THE DOGWALKER’S DETECTIVE AGENCY by Michael Hogan
‘Cosy crime takes a delightfully fresh turn with this striking debut about a graphic designer who returns to his childhood home at the seaside and finds a body while walking three dogs. One body breeds another, and the plot gently thickens. If you like Richard Osman’s books, you will love this.’ – Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail, ‘Best Books of 2025 – Crime’
ONE OF US IS DEAD by Peter James
THE HAWK IS DEAD by Peter James
‘The pages turn themselves in James’ series’ – Anna Bonet, the i newspaper, ‘The best new crime and thriller books to read in October 2025’
‘A majestic treat’ – James Owen, The Times, ‘The Best Thrillers of 2025 so far’
GRACE (TV show based on Roy Grace novels by Peter James)
‘Screenwriter Russell Lewis (ENDEAVOUR) adapts the novels of popular British crime mystery author Peter James in this series of feature-length episodes that feel like the epitome of prestige television. Grace follows John Simm (DOCTOR WHO) as a troubled detective whose failure to find his missing wife drives him to the point of obsession to solve each case… Simm’s performance is one of the best in his career, and it's a big draw of the show, though the cinematography and visual storytelling are a close second, as each episode feels like it has cinema-quality production to match the movie-style runtime.’ – Tauri Miller, Collider, ‘The 8 Best British Mystery Shows on Britxbox Right Now’
SHE PLAYS WITH THE DARKNESS by Zakes Mda
Selected for the Searchlight Book List August 2025
THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK by Zakes Mda
Selected for the Searchlight Book List August 2025
LEO by Deon Meyer
Christmas No.1 in South Africa
‘This South African series has everything – an exotic setting, a great plot and the talents of detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido as they put their careers on the line to find the link between three seemingly unrelated homicides.’ – Globe and Mail, ‘The Globe 100: The 100 best books of 2025’
‘The master South African storyteller shows his aptitude for weaving multiple plotlines together and making them all equally engaging in this smart, exciting geopolitical thriller. LEO is a book to get lost in and to learn from.’ – Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail, ‘AIR MAIL’s 10 Best Mystery Books of 2025’
One of Amazon's Best Books of the Year So Far 2025 – Top 20 in the Mystery/Thriller (new and continuing series) category
ASHEN CROWN: BOUND BY FIRE by Elli J. Morrigan
‘BOUND BY FIRE held me captive with its rich world-building and titillating romance. Imogen Wilde was her own spark in this audiobook, delivering a layered performance of a story that was quite literally made for audio. I’m eager to see what debut author Elli J. Morrigan does next.’ —Audible Blog, ‘The 10 best romantasy listens of 2025’
THE GHOSTS OF ROME by Joseph O’Connor
Winner of the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year Award 2025
Winner of the Listeners’ Choice Award at the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards
Shortlisted for the Eason Novel of the Year Award 2025
Shortlisted for the 2025 Kerry Group Novel of The Year Award
The seventh-highest selling book in Ireland in 2025
No.1 Irish hardback bestseller
One of The Times’ ‘Best Books of 2025 so far’
‘The second book in Joseph O’Connor’s Rome Escape Line trilogy is another superb testament to humankind’s bravery and resilience. Continuing the story of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Italy, THE GHOSTS OF ROME is just as moving and immersive as its predecessor, MY FATHER’S HOUSE’ – Laura Wilson, The Guardian, ‘The Best Crime and Thrillers of 2025’
‘Round two of the Rome Escape Line trilogy – that there won’t be one in 2026 means the whole year is already a dead loss – shows O’Connor’s mastery of the literary thriller. There’s poetry inspired by Urbs Aeterna and plenty of action to go with it, kicking off with an airman falling towards the Nazi-occupied city before the chase, while “bullets spit at his back”, begins. O’Connor’s reimagined adventures of our man in the Vatican, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, will hit a screen at some point but don’t wait.’ – Pat Carty, Hot Press, ‘The Best Books of 2025’
MY FATHER’S HOUSE by Joseph O’Connor
THE HONEYMOON AFFAIR by Sheila O’Flanagan
Irish Top 10 bestseller and UK Top 20 bestseller
GUNNER by Alan Parks
Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year
‘Taking inspiration from the real-life secret mission of Rudolph Hess, Parks's blazing wartime crime thriller finds a wounded former detective reluctantly drawn into the case of a mutilated German found in Glasgow's bomb wreckage.’ – Waterstones, ‘The Best Crime & Thrillers of 2025’
‘Lost love, bitter gangland enemies, and the identity of the dead man is at the heart of a powerful conspiracy story. It all makes for an intelligent and pacy crime thriller… Parks knows Glasgow and this is like experiencing the wartime streets of a city under siege from bombers and suffering the deprivations of war.’ – Paul Burke, Crime Fiction Lover, ‘Top Five Books of 2025’
TO DIE IN JUNE by Alan Parks
Longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award
PASSIONTIDE by Monique Roffey
Longlisted for CARICON Prize for Fiction
A MOTHER’S PROMISE by Renee Salt and Kate Thompson
THE STRANGER IN THE ROOM by Luca Veste
One of The Times’ ‘Best Thrillers of 2025 — so far’
THE NEAR NORTH by Ivan Vladislavic
Longlisted for South Africa’s Sunday Times Non-fiction Literary Award
THE INNOCENTS by Bridget Walsh
Longlisted for the 2025 Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Gold Dagger award
WHITE ROAD by Harry Whitehead
‘WHITE ROAD by Harry Whitehead is a harrowing tale of endurance about an ex-navy rescue swimmer who is stranded in the Arctic. A compelling eco-thriller with big themes and an unforgiving icescape that’s a character in itself.’ – Eve Smith, ‘We're the queens of psychological crime thrillers – these were our fave reads of 2025’, Express
‘Probably the closest I will ever get to the Arctic is reading this frozen-white-knuckle ride of a thriller by Harry Whitehead. WHITE ROAD is both a page-turning disaster drama and a moral re-examination of the climate crisis and our species’ relentless need for more hydrocarbons. The author attends to the hour-by-hour twists in his plot, yet spliced to a forensic exploration of the human heart. He gives us a love letter to the extraordinary ice world of the Arctic: both its fragile beauty and its remorseless terrors. Before everything, the book strikes me as a singular, beautifully integrated achievement.’ – Mark Cocker, ‘Christmas Books 2025’
THE GRAMMAR OF ANGELS by Edward Wilson-Lee
‘In this smart and rangy book, Wilson-Lee, a Cambridge don, paints a glorious portrait of the great 15th-century prince of learning, and teaches you more about magic than you thought you would ever know.’ – The Telegraph, ‘The Greatest Books of 2025’,
Blake Friedmann picks for 2026
SMITTEN by Tom Bellamy
One of the Next Big Idea Club’s Must-Read Books for February 2026
ADRIFT by Will Dean
‘Dean leans into claustrophobic tension, testing how trust collapses when survival becomes uncertain.’ – Girish Shukla, Times Now, ‘2026 Book Releases Worth Pre-Ordering Now’
BANSHEE, ed. by Ailbhe Malone
An Irish Times ‘One to Watch in 2026’
An Irish Examiner ‘Fiction to watch out for this year’
One of Stellar.ie’s 20 Books We’re Dying To Read In 2026
SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS by Sheila O’Flanagan
One The Irish Times ‘Best Fiction of 2026 to Look Forward to’ picks