Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Lying Beside you by Michael Robotham the third book in his outstanding Cyrus Haven / Evie Cormack crime series

Pile by the Bed reviews City on Fire by Don Wilnslow, first of a new trilogy of historical organised crime novels loosely based on Greek mythology. Recommended.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah – debut and first of The Sandsea Trilogy set in a fantasy world based on Middle Eastern mythology. Recommended

Pile by the Bed reviews Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings, a science fiction debut that uses time travel and space opera tropes to great effect. Recommended

Pile by the Bed reviews Black River by Matthew Spencer, a tense, stripped back Australian crime fiction debut set around an exclusive Sydney boys school.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Book of Night by Holly Black, the first foray by the successful YA author into fantasy for more mature readers.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends The Colony by Audrey Magee a lyrical novel exploring the history of Northern Ireland that transcends its allegorical nature.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends One Foot in the Fade, the third book in Luke Arnold’s fantasy meets hard boiled gumshoe Fetch Philips series.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends The Flight of the Aphrodite by SJ Morden a gritty space survival tale in which a slowly disintegrating sceintific expedition make huge discoveries around Jupiter,

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Devil House by John Darnielle – a thematically rich and resonant series of tales of crime and murder that deconstruct the true crime genre to explore why we tell stories.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, a fun riff on monster movies from Godzilla to Pacific Rim and beyond.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Hovering by Rhett Davis – a worthy winner of the Victorian Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript Award

Pile by the Bed reviews Jade Legacy the final epic book in Fonda Lee’s Godfather meets martial arts fantasy Geenbone Saga. Recommended.

Pile byt the Bed reviews The Hood, the second book in Lavie Tidhar’s Anti-matter of Britain Quartet this one deconstructing the legend of Robin Hood and his gang.

Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends The Darkest Sin, the second book in DV Bishop’s historical crime series set in renaissance Italy featuring Cesare Aldo.

Pile by the Bed reviews Joan is Okay by Weike Wang, an insightful novel exploring the experience of Chinese Americans from the author of Chemistry.

Pile byt the Bed reviews The Sentence by American indigenous author Louise Erdrich set in a small Minneapolic bookstore impacted by the tumultuous events of 2020.

Pile by the Bed reviews Dust off the Bones by Paul Howarth, sequel to Only Killers and Thieves, an Australian western tale exploring the aftermath of the massacre of an Aboriginal community.

Pile by the Bed reviews Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey – the ninth and final book in The Expanse series. Recommended.

Pile by the Bed reviews Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, a great American novel rich with character, theme and resonance and shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.