Charlie Mackesy discusses both writing, illustrating and recording (in his barn) 'The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse'.

Joanna Toye catches us up with the goings on at Marlow's Department Store in 'Christmas for the Shop Girls'.

Emma Powell talks about narrating RNIB's Read-A-Long book 'Red and the Wolf'.

And we return to Charlie Mackesy for the Books of his Life.

In today's show, we focus on Contemporary Crime.

 

Mark Billingham on 'The Killing Habit'

 

Matthew Parris on 'Scorn'

 

Chris Brookmyre on 'Want You Gone'

 

Emma Swan on narrating 'That'll Be The Day'

 

And Red reviews 'Trunk Music' by Michael Connelly

Sally Gardner brings us a fairy tale for adults with The Snow Song.

Tineka Smith and Alex Court on 'Mixed Up: Confessions of an Interracial Couple'.

Robert Kirkwood talks to Charlotte Levin about her debut novel 'If I Can't Have You'.

And we return to Sally Gardner for the Books of her Life.

This week we’ll be using our little grey cells to investigate some new developments in classic crime...

 

Sophie Hannah tells us why Hercule Poirot is working with a new partner, and her publisher talks about how the collaboration came about.

 

Lynn Shepherd discusses adding crime scenes to stories inspired by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.  

 

And Red finds the book in The Library that made him want to be a crime writer.

Val Wood discusses her new historical romance ‘The Lonely Wife’ and her long-standing role supporting those with sight loss in her local area of Hull and Yorkshire’s East Riding.

 

Amanda Robson leads us into the dark psychological world of her new domestic thriller ‘My Darling’.

 

Loyal listener, Penny Melville-Brown takes us on a European tour of her favourite crime fiction.

 

And we have a tribute to the recently departed actor and narrator Geoffrey Palmer.  

Ahead of next week’s announcement of who has won The 2020 Booker Prize, Read On this week features interviews with all six of the short listed authors as they discuss the background to their novels and the material they explore.

 

Ranging from a re-examination of the role played by African women during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia to a dystopian near future in which a group of people live as hunter gatherers in the last wilderness on Earth, the six novels in contention for the World’s most prestigious literary prize reveal some surprising facts about their books and show a common concern with examining how people behave under pressure.

 

And we finish up hearing from one of last year’s joint winners, Bernardine Evaristo, who shares the Books of Her Life.

Booker shortlisted author Maaza Mengiste takes us back to 1935 and introduces us to the African women who fought Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia in 'The Shadow King'. 

 

MJ Ford introduces us to his dark new crime thriller 'Watch Over You'.

 

And Brandon Taylor reveals how his Booker shortlisted debut 'Real Life' had to be saved from the trash! 

Polly Crosby leads us into the haunting world of her debut novel ‘The Illustrated Child’. 

 

Douglas Stuart reveals how a childhood afflicted by poverty and addiction in 1980s' Glasgow informed his Booker shortlisted novel ‘Shuggie Bain’. 

 

Avni Doshi discusses the themes behind her debut ‘Burnt Sugar’, reveals how it has changed her view on audiobooks and her delight at also being shortlisted for this year’s Booker.

And we return to Polly Crosby for the Books of her Life. 

Caroline Corcoran introduces us to her disturbing new psychological thriller ‘The Baby Group’.

 

Tsitsi Dangarembga discusses her Booker short-listed novel ‘This Mournable Body’, and reflects on post-colonial life in Zimbabwe.

 

We hear from the joint-winner of last year's Booker Prize, Bernadine Evaristo.

 

And we return to share the Books of Caroline Corcoran’s Life.

Gill Paul re-imagines the love triangle between the world’s richest man, 

the President’s widow, and one of the greatest soprano of all time in her historical novel ‘The Second Marriage’.

 

Diane Cook walks us through her debut novel The New Wilderness, which has been shortlisted for this years Booker Prize.

 

And we return to Gill Paul to hear the books of her life.