New British Books This Week + a Surprising British Folk Horror Hit

August 30, 2025

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Some novels are released into the world with great fanfare, with big publishers, big advances, and big marketing campaigns - but other stories worm their way into the world via a mix of chance and sheer talent.

Andrew Michael Hurley’s The Loney is one of those rare books. First published in 2014 with a run of just 300 copies, it grew by word of mouth into a literary phenomenon, ultimately winning the Costa First Novel Award and British Book Industry Award for Book of the Year. Even Stephen King declared, “It’s great. It’s an amazing piece of fiction.”

So what’s it about? Set on England’s bleak northwest coast, The Loney follows two brothers on a chilling religious pilgrimage that turns into something far darker. Faith, folklore, and family secrets intertwine in an atmosphere so unsettling that many readers still talk about it years later.

If you’re looking for something spooky to enjoy as August gives way to September, it’s well worth a look.

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New British Books This Week

The Sunken Truth by Hannah Ellis

When a diver’s air hose is sabotaged during the exploration of a shipwreck off St Mary’s, ice cream shop owner Lily investigates, uncovering dangerous secrets tied to the wreck’s hidden past.

Get it: Amazon 

Murder on a Bus Tour by Dawn Brookes

On a sightseeing tour of Cornwall, Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe and her companions investigate the suspicious death of a history expert at Tintagel Castle, uncovering rivalries and vendettas among their fellow travelers.

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

The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner

After killing a home intruder in self-defense, London mother Alice begins investigating his identity, uncovering unsettling secrets and realizing the real danger may be far closer to home.

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

The Secret Sauce by MJ Porter

In 1944 Birmingham, Chief Inspector Sam Mason and Sergeant O’Rourke investigate the bizarre murder of a man found in a vat of BB Sauce, uncovering links to wartime secrets and the nearby RAF Fauld disaster.

Get it: Amazon 

The Bone House by Tania Carver

In Birmingham, Detective Phil Brennan and profiler Marina Esposito investigate a woman’s gruesome, doll-like murder, only to uncover a killer’s obsessive fantasy that is far from over.

Get it: Amazon

In Another Life by Imogen Clark

At her mother’s funeral in England, Bronte Ashton learns Loretta may have had a hidden family in Sicily, leading her to uncover long-buried secrets that could either shatter or remake the family she thought she knew.

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

Crime in the Garden by Catherine Moloney

When tycoon Tony Pardoe is found dead in Hollingrove Palm House—on the same stones where a child died decades earlier—Detective Markham must unravel the dark secrets surrounding the glasshouse before the killer strikes again.

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

Network of Evil by Bill Kitson

On the Yorkshire moors, Detective Mike Nash investigates a killer who announces their crimes in advance, linking multiple murders to a missing teenager and a decades-old vendetta.

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

Death in Soho by Shiv Saywack

In 1950 London, private investigator Alexandra Raven probes the supposed suicide of a decorated war hero, uncovering a web of debts, secrets, and brutal murders that point to a dangerous conspiracy.

Get it: Amazon

Wish You Were Here by Jon Rance

When Londoner Ben accidentally emails Sydney singer Saskia, their unlikely online connection blossoms into something deeper—but with 10,000 miles between them, they must decide if love can bridge the distance.

Get it: Amazon

A Murderous Mind by Jane Adams

When a university student is found brutally murdered, DI Tess Fuller joins forces with ex-cop Naomi Blake and retired DCI Alec Friedman to investigate a killing that echoes an unsolved case from decades earlier.

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

“He wore a strong aftershave that came into a room before him, announced itself loudly, then refused to leave.”

Tim Sullivan, The Monk

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