Long hot summers have a strange ability to make life both stand still and take on a vibrant, mystical quality. This week’s Book Club read takes place over one such summer. Catherine, a successful London barrister goes missing the day before her wedding anniversary; the clue to her disappearance lies buried thirty years in the past at a rambling old English house where  rituals take place. Joining Richard and Judy is author Harriet Evans. She talks about choosing to write an unreliable narrator, taking inspiration from Game of Thrones, and how the idea to include folklore in her novel began in a traffic jam on Chelsea’s King’s Road. Plus, how Richard and Judy themselves inspired parts of the book... Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Early Summer Book Club collection, and use the code APRIL10 for a 10% discount.  

Harriet Evans

The UK’s biggest book club is back with an all new podcast hosted by television royalty; Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. Each week, Richard and Judy will be discussing a brand-new book with its author, delving into the novel’s origins, themes, inspirations and much, much more. This is the perfect podcast for any book lover, and with each title available in your nearest WHSmith store as part of their exclusive Richard and Judy Book Club collection, it’s never been easier to join Britain’s biggest book club!

Simply pop in to your local WHSmith or head to www.whsmith.co.uk to browse the entire seasonal collection.  Get reading and tune in each week as Richard and Judy take a deep-dive into a different, riveting title.

So, grab a cuppa and join Richard and Judy on the sofa for this brand-new podcast, and welcome to the Richard and Judy Book Club, exclusive to WHSmith!

Oh – and join the conversation and let us know what Book Club novels you’ve been reading recently by emailing richardandjudypodcast@whsmith.co.uk

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Fiction

 Edi and Ash have been best friends for over 40 years, so when Edi is diagnosed with cancer, Ash has to reshape her world around the rhythm of Edi’s hospice care. This week’s Book Club novel is We All Want Impossible Things, an extraordinary story of devotion and sadness.  Author Catherine Newman joins Richard and Judy to talk about why she writes so sensuously about food and the desire for good food in the hospice. They also wonder why humour is such a powerful survival method for people in difficult situations. Plus, we know not to judge a book by its cover, but what about its title? Catherine explains how her team came up with ‘We All Want Impossible Things’.  Simply head online to  whsmith.co.uk to browse the Autumn Book Club collection, and use the code autumn10 for a 10% discount.

Catherine Newman

  When a body is found in a padlocked suitcase, Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it’s murder, and that it’s personal. In The Traitor, Emma’s investigation sees her shadowing two oligarchs procuring illegal weapons in the UK, and it’s looking increasingly likely that someone deep inside the British government is helping them.   Author Ava Glass joins Richard and Judy to talk about her own experience of working with – and being followed by – spies when she worked for the British government. Often in fiction women seem to tumble into becoming spies by accident, but Ava’s first-hand experience is that women actually make a very deliberate career choice. Ava, who used to be a crime reporter in the USA, also explains how different the job is there compared to in the UK.   Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Autumn Book Club collection, and use the code autumn10 for a 10% discount.

Ava Glass

  Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels – a cult who brainwashed a teenager and convinced her that her baby was the anti-Christ. But 18 years later, two competing true crime authors are quickly discovering all is not what it seemed.   Author Janice Hallett joins Richard and Judy to explain why she felt so comfortable writing The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels as a series of email and WhatsApp exchanges, and why these interactions are such a great way to get to the heart of a character. They also discuss what makes a compelling cult leader, and how the themes Janice explores in the novel are evident in our everyday lives too.   Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Autumn Book Club collection, and use the code autumn10 for a 10% discount.

Janice Hallett

 You might already be familiar with the protagonist of this week’s Book Club novel, The Last Orphan. It’s Evan Smoak, aka government assassin Orphan X. There have been numerous books in the Orphan X series, but The Last Orphan also stands alone as a brilliant thriller.  Author Gregg Hurwitz joins Richard and Judy to talk about the moral code that defines Evan’s actions – who he’s willing to kill and why or why not. They also discuss capital punishment, and the idea of trial by social media. Plus, who does Gregg think would win in a fight between Evan Smoak and Jack Reacher...?  Simply head online to   whsmith.co.uk to browse the Autumn Book Club collection, and use the code autumn10 for a 10% discount.

Gregg Hurwitz

 If I Let You Go is this week’s Book Club novel. It tells the story of Janet Brown, a quiet woman who’s still carrying the guilt of a devastating loss 11 years ago when she’s catapulted into the national conscious for saving a child’s life. However, all is not as it seems...   Author Charlotte Levin joins Richard and Judy to talk about coming to writing later in life and why it was important to her to represent normal working class people in her book. Plus, given they’ve all lived in Manchester, they discuss the nuances of the Mancunian accent and delivery – something that comes across strongly in Charlotte’s characters.   Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Autumn Book Club collection, and use the code autumn10 for a 10% discount.

Harriet Evans

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