In My Good Books

This week I'm joined by bestselling author Nicci Cloke to discuss one of the most inventive psychological crime novels I've read this year. Recently shortlisted for the CWA Twisted Dagger Award,  Her Many Faces  follows Katie, a young woman on trial for poisoning four powerful men. But instead of hearing from Katie herself, the story unfolds through the five men who believe they know her b...

This week I'm joined by internationally bestselling Australian author Sally Hepworth to chat about her brilliant new novel,  Mad Mabel . At the heart of the novel is 81-year-old Elsie, better known to the world as the infamous "Mad Mabel" a woman convicted of murder as a teenager who finds herself under suspicion once again decades later. Books recommended: Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty The...

Welcome to a new series of Reading Is Political. My first guest is debut novelist Amy Abdelnoor, whose extraordinary novel Ever Land draws on her experiences living and working in the West Bank and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Through the intertwined stories of two young women, Amy explores identity, belonging, memory and the lasting impact of political conflict. We discuss why she chose...

This week I'm joined by bestselling author  Nikki Smith , whose latest novel  The Last Place You Look  is a psychological thriller that takes readers from an exclusive gated community in Surrey to a luxury safari lodge in South Africa. Known for her addictive destination thrillers, Nikki shares how she chooses the stunning locations for her novels, why she believes every great hook has to deli...

This week I'm joined by one of the biggest names in crime fiction, Jane Casey. Best known for her bestselling Maeve Kerrigan series, Jane joins me to discuss her new standalone thriller,  Everything She Didn't Say . Set in the West of Ireland, it's a tense psychological mystery about friendship and identity. We chat about why she wanted to write a novel set in Ireland for the first tim...

In this episode of In My Good Books, Susie Green is joined by author GD Wright to discuss his latest crime novel, Against the Tide. Gaz shares the inspiration behind Against the Tide, the third novel set in his fictional coastal town of Beechbrook. They discuss family liaison officers, the personal experiences that shaped the story, and why this is the most emotional and darkest book he has writte...

In this special episode of In My Good Books, Susie is joined by two thriller authors with brand-new releases to celebrate. JM Simpson discusses  Mine to Keep , a domestic thriller exploring obsession, secrets, false accusations and the devastating impact of domestic abuse. Gemma Denham talks about  The Inheritance , a chilling suspense novel in which a family's fresh start in an inherited Vict...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by Jennifer Ross to discuss her genre-blending new novel Every Lifetime After. Previously known for her historical fiction as Jenny Ashcroft, Jennifer talks about why she wanted to move into more speculative storytelling and how  Every Lifetime After  combines World War Two historical fiction, romance, mystery and time-slip elements into one unforg...

In this episode of In My Good Books, bestselling author Louise Beech joins me to discuss her extraordinary new novel, Wonderful. A lifelong Marilyn Monroe fan, Louise has spent years fascinated by the woman behind the icon. In Wonderful, she imagines an alternative history where Marilyn survives that fateful night in 1962 and is given the chance to walk away from fame and reinvent her life. Alongs...

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by bestselling author Lindsey Kelk, who many readers will know from the hugely successful I Heart series. This time, however, she’s joining me under a slightly different name. Writing as Elle Kelk, Lindsey has launched a brand-new series with Hit or Miss, the first book in her Junior Year Abroad series and her first venture into the world of spicy sp...

Eve Chase joins me on this episode of In My Good Books to discuss her stunning new historical fiction novel, The Secret Thread. In  The Secret Thread , we meet Mimi Mott, a celebrated interiors entrepreneur who returns to England to auction the contents of her estate. As each object is sold, she reveals another piece of her extraordinary life story. But her estranged sister Pamela remembers the pa...

This week on  In My Good Books , I'm joined once again by author Dave Goodman, and this time we're recording in person on publication day for his brilliant new novel,  Solitary Agents . Dave first appeared on the podcast as part of my Bloody Scotland Debut Prize series before going on to win both the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and the McIlvanney Prize. Since then, it's been a whirlwin...

In this special bonus episode of In My Good Books, Susie heads to the launch of the Bloody Scotland 2026 programme to bring listeners an exclusive preview of Scotland's biggest international crime writing festival. Taking place in Stirling from 18–20 September 2026, Bloody Scotland returns with an outstanding line-up of bestselling authors, international guests, world-premiere events and one o...

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by Jasmine from The Book Nook Stirling and Scott from Stirling Pride to discuss Out BookFest, Scotland’s newest book festival and the country’s first festival dedicated entirely to celebrating queer authors and LGBTQ+ voices. Taking place at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum on 17th October, Out BookFest brings together an incredible line-u...

This week on  In My Good Books , Susie is joined by bestselling author, journalist and LGBTQ+ advocate Matt Cain to kick off Pride Month with a warm, funny and thought-provoking conversation about storytelling, identity, publishing and queer history. Matt chats about his uplifting new novel  The Castle of Stories , a beautiful story set in a real-life Italian castle inherited by his husband’s fami...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined once again by bestselling psychological thriller author Kathryn Sharman to chat about her brilliant new novel, The Second Home. Following the success of  The Family at Number 23 , Kathryn returns with another domestic suspense novel — this time set in a coastal community where simmering tensions around tourism, second homes and privilege threaten t...

This week on  In My Good Books , I’m joined by award-winning crime writer Simon Mason to discuss his latest novel, The Dangerous Stranger — the fifth instalment in his DI Ryan Wilkins series. Set in Oxford, the series follows mismatched detective duo Ryan Wilkins and Ray Wilkins — two men who share a surname but could not be more different. In this episode, Simon talks about creating one of modern...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by Ilona Bannister to discuss her gripping new thriller, Five — one of the most original and thought-provoking books I’ve read this year. Five strangers stand on a train platform waiting for the next service to London Victoria. In five minutes, one of them will die. The reader knows what’s coming, but the characters do not. As the clock ticks down,...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by psychological thriller author  Victoria West  to talk about her debut novel  Never Alone , her unconventional journey into publishing, and why authentic representation in fiction matters more than ever. Victoria shares the story behind  Never Alone , a tense and atmospheric psychological thriller that explores isolation, identity, and the secret...

This week on  In My Good Books , I’m joined by bestselling Scottish crime writer Chris Brookmyre to discuss his brilliant new novel Quite Ugly One Evening. A darkly funny, sharply observed locked-room mystery set aboard a transatlantic cruise ship. Thirty years after the publication of  Quite Ugly One Morning , Chris revisits iconic investigative journalist Jack Parlabane in a story packed with mu...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by bestselling author Jo Callaghan to talk about  Body of Lies , the final book in the Kat and Lock series. In our conversation, Jo reflects on bringing the series to a close, and why the relationship between Kat and Lock has been at the heart of its success. We talk about how readers connected so deeply with these characters, and why their dynamic...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by Sunday Times bestselling author  Andrea Mara  to talk about her latest psychological thriller,  Such a Nice Girl . Andrea’s novels are known for their page-turning plots, clever twists, and those unsettling “what would you do?” dilemmas - and this new book is no exception. We chat about the inspiration behind  Such a Nice Girl , which started wi...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by Elizabeth Arnott, author of  The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives, a bold, character-driven crime novel that flips the traditional serial killer narrative on its head. Some readers may already know Elizabeth as Lizzie Pook, acclaimed for her atmospheric historical fiction. In this conversation, she shares what inspired her shift into crime writi...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by debut author Charlotte Robinson to talk about her brilliantly ambitious sci-fi thriller  Mars One . Blending high-stakes space exploration with the dark side of reality TV,  Mars One  imagines a one-way mission to Mars funded by a televised spectacle - where the line between entertainment and ethics becomes dangerously blurred. Charlotte shares...

In this episode of  In My Good Books , I’m joined by debut author Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes to talk about her gothic historical novel  Thornby Manor . Stephanie takes us inside the haunting world of Thornby Manor, a mist-shrouded house filled with secrets, where nothing is quite as it seems. We discuss her love of gothic fiction and the classic influences behind the novel, from  Jane Eyre  to  Rebe...