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GBBC is Back!
First off - The Great British Book Club newsletter is back. There have been a lot of changes in the world of online publishing in the last year, and those changes have made it significantly harder for small businesses to operate (and harder for writers to earn anything for their efforts).
As a result, we’ve been forced to step back briefly and make some changes - spending less on writers, publishing fewer articles and newsletters, and switching to new tools and platforms with lower costs. We hope to keep this newsletter alive, but as it’s much smaller than some of our others, it’s harder to sustain than, say, our BritishTV.com newsletter for American fans of British TV.
Our goal is to continue bringing you free newsletters featuring:
Interesting facts and anecdotes about British books and the real-life places that inspired them
Themed lists to help you discover more British books you might enjoy
Notifications about British books that are new, on sale, or especially noteworthy
If that’s something you enjoy, we hope you’ll consider sharing our newsletter with other people who might enjoy it. We’ve just moved to a new and more affordable email platform, and they have a handy share tool near the bottom of each email. The more people who read these newsletters, the more time and investment we can put into them.
Thank you, and on with the newsletter…
Years ago, a man visited Peterborough Cathedral and found himself forever changed. He would go on to visit others - Wells, Salisbury, and even Spain's Santiago de Compostela. With time and great effort, those visits would inspire one of the greatest works of modern British literature, The Pillars of the Earth.
That man, of course, was Ken Follett. In interviews, he’s talked about how it was Wells Cathedral that inspired the novel, but that the finished building in the book - Kingsbridge Cathedral - ended up looking like Salisbury Cathedral.
You can read more about Follett’s thoughts on cathedrals in this 2010 piece over at the Daily Mail - or you can check out the short book he wrote in the aftermath of the tragic fire at Notre Dame.
New British Books This Week
The Arts Trail Killer by Emylia Hall
During Porthpella’s annual Arts Trail on the Cornish coast, a celebrity artist dies suddenly—and as threatening messages and more murders follow, the Shell House Detectives race to unmask a killer hiding among the artists.
The War Between Us by Margaret James
In 1914, Rose escapes her privileged life to serve as a nurse on the Western Front, where she reunites with childhood friend Alex—only to find their growing love threatened by the secrets and duties of war.
Get it: Amazon
Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
In 1954, ex-nun Nora Breen arrives at a seaside hotel in Kent to find a missing friend—but as secrets swirl and guests begin to die, she realizes Gulls Nest hides more than just past regrets.
Nine Hidden Lives by Robert Gold
Thirty years after her mother’s unsolved murder, a woman returns to her small hometown to uncover the truth—only to receive a chilling threat that suggests the killer is still watching and ready to strike again.
The Shopgirl of Ironbridge by Mollie Walton
In 1892 Ironbridge, Maria Keay leaves her sweetheart behind for a job in a Shrewsbury department store—but city life brings harsh realities and a romance that could end in heartbreak.
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Back in England and editing a new Atticus Pünd novel, Susan Ryeland discovers chilling parallels between fiction and reality—clues that may reveal who poisoned a famous author in real life, and why she might be next.
This third novel in the Susan Ryeland series is out April 10th in the UK, but it won’t be available to our US readers until May 13th (unless you order a hard copy from the UK).
Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham
When adventurous American travel writer Katie joins a three-week Edwardian experience in rural Scotland, she clashes with reclusive islander Graeme—until a string of misadventures, meddling locals, and unexpected sparks challenge everything they thought they knew about home, love, and belonging.
The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton
When 89-year-old Margaret’s best friend is murdered on their quiet Garnon Crescent street, she teams up with her grandson to catch the killer—before her fading memory, or someone else, silences her for good.
These Days by Lucy Caldwell
In April 1941, as the Belfast Blitz shatters the city, sisters Emma and Audrey navigate love, secrets, and societal expectations while fighting to shape their futures in a world falling apart.
The Edinburgh Murders by Catriona McPherson
Edinburgh, 1948: When a well-dressed man is found dead and her own father is caught in a lie, Welfare Officer Helen Crowther is drawn into a dangerous murder investigation that exposes the city’s deep class divides and corruption.
“Stay with the question. The more it troubles you, the more it has to teach you. In time, Maisie, you will find that the larger questions in life share such behavior.”
Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs
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