Pile by the Bed reviews Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein – set in 1940s Trinidad and dealing with social inequality and the legacy of colonialism through a range of characters.
Pile by the Bed reviews Ada’s Realm by Sharon Dodua Otoo, a historical fantasy exploring the lives of four women connected through history.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Curator by Owen King a historical urban fantasy exploring the aftermath of a popular revolt set in an alternate Europe
Pile by the Bed reviews City of Dreams by Don Winslow, historical organised crime follow up to City on Fire, moving the bulk of the action to Los Angeles.
Pile by the Bed reviews Jennifer Saint’s third retelling of Greek Mythology – Atalanta, adopted daughter of Artemis and member of the crew of the Argo.
Pile by the Bed finds Dennis Lehane back in the familiar territory of South Boston in the 1970s in his excoriating new book Small Mercies. Recommended
Pile by the Bed reviews Rachel Heng’s second novel The Great Reclamation, an exploration of the modernisation of Singapore between World War 2 and the 1960s.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Death of John Lacey by Ben Hobson a mythbusting reimagining of the Australian gold rush which focusses on the violence and dispossession that accompanied it.
Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith set in a dying Italian town, peopled with fascinating characters and lifted by luminous prose.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty a Middle Eastern inspired, magic infused pirate tale in the tradition of Sinbad
Pile by the Bed reviews and recommends Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry which focusses on a retired policeman and uses crime fiction tropes to explore and expose the issue of child sexual abuse in Ireland.
Pile by the Bed reviews Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia a noir thriller featuring a plucky heroine set in the bright sunshine of Baja California in the late 1970s
Pile by the Bed reviews The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane, a multi-character look at colonial South Australia set around the search for a missing boy in the Flinders Ranges.
Pile by the Bed reviews Weyward by Emilia Hart, a debut that deals with a famliy of witches which has plenty to say about reclaiming power in the face of abuse.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell, another of her effective gothic horror stories, this one set in the nineteenth century London theatre scene.
Pile by the Bed reviews Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran the story of a Hindu family living through the modern history of Sri Lanka.
Pile by the Bed reviews This Wild, Wild Country by Inga Vesper, a historical crime novel that explores a range of cultural issues from the 1970s that are still prevalent today.
Pile by the Bed reviews Stella Maris, the coda to Cormac McCarthy’s forst book in sixteen years – The Passenger
Pile by the Bed reviews Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson a crime novel set in and around the illegal clubs of London in the late 1920s.
Pile By the Bed’s Top 5 reads for 2022 include The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers, Hovering by Rhett David, Devil House by John Darnielle, The Colony by Audry Magee and Maror by Lavie Tidhar
