Lucy Foley's Body-Dragging Inspiration + New British Books

June 27, 2025

While no one can match the queen, Dame Agatha Christie, contemporary English author Lucy Foley has been compared to her on more than one occasion (she’s even working on a new Miss Marple novel). Many of her murder mysteries have been set in remote or semi-enclosed locations, including The Hunting Party and The Midnight Feast.

When she wrote The Paris Apartment, it had a similar locked room style - but a very different sort of setting. In an interview, she said the idea for that one actually came from an AirBNB stay:

The idea actually came to me while I was finishing a draft of The Guest List. Because I like to do my own version of a writing retreat and book an Airbnb somewhere that I know relatively well, a city like Paris, and work on the book there but also have lovely things to go and look at in my breaks. And so I booked into an amazing apartment in this beautiful old apartment building.

The bones of it were so beautiful and it was so atmospheric, but it was also quite spooky. There are details that have literally gone wholesale into the book. And I would be sitting there working on The Guest List at all hours, and I could hear in the apartment above me, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, something really heavy being dragged across the floor. It sounded like furniture or something big. And obviously being a murder mystery writer, it had me thinking—someone's trying to hide a body! So if there's a spark that the whole book germinated from, that was the moment.

You can read the full interview HERE to learn more about her work and inspiration.

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New British Books This Week

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

When charming Nick Radcliffe enters recently widowed Nina’s life, her daughter grows suspicious—and as secrets unravel, three women are drawn into a chilling web of lies, betrayal, and a man who’s not at all what he seems.

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

A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber

When a deadly collapse at an Edinburgh art auction reveals foul play, Lady Kiera Darby and her husband must uncover who lured her there—and why—before the true target of a killer's twisted masterpiece is revealed.

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

A Beacon in the Night by David Lewis

In 1941 London, sharp-witted British spy Caitrin races to stop Nazi collaborators planting homing beacons across the country—only to face a ruthless enemy who, like her, knows how to hide in plain sight.

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

A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman

While vacationing in Paris, Frances and George Hazelton are drawn into a scandalous murder case involving a wealthy American, a legendary actress, and a trail of poisoned pen letters—where every clue points to secrets the Paris elite would kill to keep buried.

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

Once Upon a Thyme by Jane Lovering

When a famous band and a mysterious newcomer disrupt her quiet life on a rural herb farm, Natalie must confront long-buried secrets and take a leap of faith—discovering that sometimes, the biggest changes help us finally bloom.

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

Fatal Secret by ML Rose

When an Oxford student is found dead with a note naming DI Nikki Gill, the case becomes chillingly personal—leading Nikki into a deadly investigation that unearths long-buried secrets from her own past.

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

Tribute by Madalyn Morgan

London, 1970—when the sound system for a debut musical is stolen and threats emerge against the Young Albert Theatre, Ena Green races to uncover a deadly plot before opening night becomes a tragedy for hundreds.

Get it: Amazon

Death’s Long Shadow by RM Cullen

In 1792, playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan stumbles upon a poisoned body during a country retreat—soon uncovering a second murder and a tangled mystery that may cost an innocent man his life if he can’t find the deadly connection.

Get it: Amazon

Murder in the Lakes by Rachel Amphlett

When grumpy Viscount Guy Harrowby hosts a house party to find a wife before his thirtieth birthday, the last woman he expects to fall for is his mother’s unruly lady’s companion—bold, breeches-wearing Lottie Travers, who just might be his perfect match.

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

Obsession by Christi Caldwell

When the Earl of Denbigh finds his best friend’s scandalous sister running a London gaming hell, duty clashes with desire—and a forbidden past ignites into a second chance neither of them expected.

Get it: Amazon

The Compound by Aisling Rawle

IRISH Trapped in a high-stakes reality show on a remote desert compound, Lily must outlast 19 contestants for a shot at luxury and escape—if she can survive the blurred lines between game and reality.

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

A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales

Now a fledgling detective in London, Beatrice Steele finds herself chasing lost spectacles instead of murderers—until a string of high-society killings pulls her and Inspector Drake into a deadly scandal that could ruin their careers, their reputations, and the city itself.

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

The Fall Guy by Simon Michael

In 1969 London, barrister Charles Holborne takes on the defense of a rock band manager accused of murder—uncovering a web of corruption, drugs, and dirty cops that threatens his case, his marriage, and his life.

Get it: Amazon

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CJ Sansom, Dissolution

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