The Richard and Judy Book Club, exclusive to WHSmith

Film director, screenwriter, and novelist Tim Sullivan joins Richard and Judy to reminisce about the time they all spent together at Granada Television in the 1980s, as well as to talk through how his career as an author began by self-publishing his own books. His latest book The Patient, is the third DS Cross novel.

The Push is this week’s Book Club novel. It centres around mother Blythe who, knowing bad mothers run in her family, worries her daughter is showing psychopathic tendencies because of the way she’s been parenting. Author Ashley Audrain ponders the age old question of nature versus nurture, and explains why the unusual, gripping structure of her chapters was a bit of a happy accident.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

The Killing Kind, this week’s Book Club novel, is an intense, high-class legal thriller. At the centre is Ingrid, a criminal barrister, and a man who becomes obsessed with her. He harasses her, burns down her house, ruins her relationship, and ultimately resorts to murder too.

Author Jane Casey joins Richard and Judy to talk about how helpful her criminal barrister husband was when she was writing the book. They all wonder whether they feel they’d have it in them to be a defence barrister given the moral dilemmas they must face, and ask whether psychopaths are born or made. Plus, Jane explains why she wanted other people to write the script for the TV adaptation of her book.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

Is it possible we’re living in a simulation? And could humans ever re-grow limbs? These are questions Rick Edwards explores with Richard and Judy. Rick is co-host of the BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast Show and has a new science podcast coming soon called Eureka!

This week’s Book Club author is Kristin Hannah; she joins the conversation to talk about her book The Four Winds, which follows a young woman in 1930s Texas as she has to make the life changing decision to stay or leave the farm she loves as drought hits.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

I Have Something To Tell you is the first novel in the Spring 2022 Book Club. High flying criminal defence lawyer Jessica Wells appears to have it all, but her career and family life are put at risk by a new client. Edward Blake has been accused of murdering his wife, and Jessica is the only one who believes he’s innocent.

Author Susan Lewis joins Richard and Judy to discuss having a lawyer friend on speed dial while writing, and why she feels the editing process is so crucial in creating a gripping novel.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING10 for a 10% discount.

Returning Book Club author Tana French has written The Searcher. Protagonist Cal is an ex-Chicago cop who’s moved to the west of Ireland to find some peace and quiet. However, he soon finds that even the most seemingly idyllic small towns have their secrets, and potential crimes that are worth looking in to...

Richard, Judy, and Tana all share a love of Westerns, so they discuss the specific brand of morality that exists in them, something that Tana took inspiration from when writing the central character in The Searcher. Tana also explains how she transitioned from being an actor to a writer by thinking of her first book as scenes in a show.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER10 for a 10% discount.

A husband goes missing and the FBI are after him. All he leaves behind is a note to his wife Hannah: ‘protect her’. She knows he’s referring to his daughter – her step-daughter – Bailey. Together, the two women must uncover the truth about the man they thought they knew. This is the plot of Laura Dave’s new novel, The Last Thing He Told Me.

Laura explains to Richard and Judy that she doesn’t necessarily know what’s going to happen in her plots when she sits down to write, and they all swap notes on finding both California and London particularly magical places.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER10 for a 10% discount.

This week’s Book Club author transports us to Paris in 1939, and later to Montana in 1983. Janet Skeslien Charles has written The Paris Library, a novel about the thriving community of book lovers at the American Library in Paris as the Nazis invade.   Janet joins Richard and Judy to discuss her own experiences of living in both Paris and Montana, and of working at the American Library in Paris. Plus, they explore how important libraries are now in the digital world.   Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER10 for a 10% discount.

Known for her TV work, Vicky Pattison is also an author. She’s written The Secret to Happy, a book to help young women in particular quash their self-doubt. As well as exploring why they think laughter is one of the keys to happiness, Vicky and Richard compare notes on their I’m A Celebrity experiences.

Richard, Judy, and Vicky are also joined by this week’s Book Club author, Marianne Cronin. Her debut novel, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, tells the story of terminally ill 17 year old Lenni’s friendship with 83 year old Margot. Living on a hospital ward, the pair bond by painting their life stories. Marianne agrees with Vicky that humour is particularly important in difficult situations, and also shares her beliefs about the afterlife.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER10 for a 10% discount.

 

A lawyer finds herself forced to defend a man accused of rape in this week’s Book Club read, False Witness. In doing so, a huge secret about her traumatic past threatens to resurface. Author Karin Slaughter joins Richard and Judy to discuss why she enjoys writing about mistakes made years ago coming back to haunt her protagonists.

Karin is one of very few authors who have decided to write about the pandemic while we’re still in it. She explains why she feels it’s brought so many social inequalities to the surface, and why she feels so strongly about shedding light on them through her writing.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER10 for a 10% discount.

Money influencer Gemma Bird is on a mission to make it clear that saving is cool. Having built a successful Instagram page, she’s now written a book called Money Mum Official: Save Yourself Happy, and joins Richard and Judy to share some of her best money saving tips, including using apps to find deals and having a ‘no spend’ day every week.

This week’s read is by returning Book Club author Lisa Jewell. She’s written The Night She Disappeared, which traces the disappearance of a young mum and her boyfriend, leaving the girl’s distraught mother to bring up their baby son. Lisa explains how hearing someone say the words ‘boarding school’ was the inspiration for the novel, and why she doesn’t plan her plots ahead of time.

Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER10 for a 10% discount.