Incredible British Storytelling + New British Books This Week

June 20, 2025

Recently, I’ve become aware of the work of Rob Lloyd Parry, an author and performer who runs Nunkie Productions. Through his business and social media presence, he celebrates the work of some of the British Isles’ creepiest authors - people like MR James, EF Benson, and Elizabeth Bowen.

Of particular note is his YouTube channel, where he does wonderfully atmospheric readings. In a world where most of us are overstimulated almost constantly, it’s nice to turn down the lights and just enjoy a good ghost story.

If you find yourself near Cambridge, he also offers a number of guided tours likely to be of interest to those who enjoy literature, history, and all things unusual.

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New British Books This Week

Murder Under the Cliff by Lesley Cookman

When a land deal leads to a body on the cliffs, Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran dig into a tangled web of secrets, determined to uncover the truth before someone else gets silenced.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

A Novel Murder by EC Nevin

At a cozy English crime fiction festival, struggling author Jane Hepburn stumbles on a real murder—and teams up with an unlikely trio to solve a case where every guest has a motive and the truth is stranger than fiction.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert

Aboard a billionaire’s glamorous yacht, a crew of beautiful stewardesses hides secrets and rivalries—but when a body turns up at sea, it’s clear one of them is a killer in this twisty locked-room mystery on the Atlantic.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

A Far Better Thing by HG Parry

Stolen by the fae as a child and replaced by a changeling, Sydney Carton returns to 18th-century British and French society to seek revenge—using magic, cunning, and cold iron to challenge both faeries and fate in this darkly reimagined tale set amid the upheaval of the British Isles and Revolutionary France.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

A Royal Mile by Samantha Young

An American student’s final year is thrown into chaos when sparks fly with her posh British classmate—who just happens to be royal—in this steamy enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance where temptation battles secrets, and the friend zone is only the beginning.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

Farnborough by Christopher C Tubbs

In 1915, as German U-boats terrorize the Atlantic, British Commander Gordon Campbell leads the disguised HMS Farnborough into deadly waters—risking everything in a high-stakes game of deception to protect the Royal Navy’s best-kept secret.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

Blue Blood by Damien Boyd

On his wedding day, Acting Detective Superintendent Nick Dixon is pulled into a chilling case when a police officer is found executed with a 3D-printed gun—forcing him to untangle a web of lies and corruption across southwest England before the killer strikes again.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge by Alison Sherlock

When interior designer Lily clashes with architect Ben over the future of his family’s struggling Cotswolds hotel, sparks fly—but as autumn settles over Maple Tree Lodge, they may find that love and home are closer than they think.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray

When a bride’s mother hires private detective Melody Harper to go undercover at a Lake District hen party, a vanished ex-fiancée and a bridesmaid’s murder turn "happily ever after" into a race to catch a killer—before Melody becomes the next victim.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

A Cornish Love Story by Cressida McLaughlin

When journalist Georgie Monroe is sent to cover an event at a stunning Cornish house, she’s shocked to find her first love, Ethan Sparks, inside—and as the high-tech home traps them together, old secrets resurface and a second chance at love hangs in the balance.

Get it: Amazon

The Devil’s Share by TG Reid

When a distillery guide is poisoned during a whisky tasting in the Scottish Highlands, DCI Bone must navigate family feuds, corporate betrayal, and Glasgow’s criminal underworld to catch a killer hiding in plain sight.

Get it: Amazon

The Village Midwife by Tilly Tennant

When midwife Zoe Padbury starts a new life in the Lake District village of Thimblebury, a handsome neighbour, a troubled past, and the return of her ex threaten to derail the fresh start she desperately needs—but love and healing may be closer than she thinks.

Get it: Amazon

The Forever Cottage by Jill Steeples

After her perfect life in a Cotswold village falls apart, Tess Alexander finds comfort in old friends, a rescue project, and a charming stranger—learning that it’s never too late for second chances or new beginnings.

Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)

“Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying.”

Sir Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic

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