Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall

Recorded live at Capital Crime Book Festival, Philippa talks to C.J. Merritt about his whiplash international spy thriller Octagon — but first, a public service announcement: three brilliant books you should absolutely not read on an actual flight.3 Books You Should NOT Take on Holiday (If You're Flying)Hostage – Clare MackintoshA flight attendant receives a note threatening her daughter's life mid-flight from London to Sydney. Gripping, claustrophobic, and definitely not in-flight reading.Drowning – T.J. NewmanA plane crashes into the Pacific, trapping passengers underwater on a sinking fuselage. Written by a former flight attendant who knows exactly how to make this terrifyingly real.Airframe – Michael CrichtonA catastrophic mid-air disaster sparks a tense investigation into what really went wrong. Brilliant, realistic, and best read firmly on the ground.Philippa talks to C.J. Merritt about OctagonA former MI6 officer and an ex-SAS soldier, both out in the cold, are pulled back in when a coded warning leads to a trail of danger across Europe. Described as a page-turning action thriller in the vein of I Am Pilgrim.Chris and Philippa discuss:His dream holiday: New Zealand, or a few days alone on a writing retreat (a luxury when you have a small child)Travelling solo through Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in his twenties — and the cardigan with zip pockets built for smuggling books through customsHis nightmare holiday: a 25-mile jungle trek through 35°C heat in Central Africa, hired porters who got drunk on the money he paid them, and arriving to find the gorillas they'd come to see had all died of Ebola a year earlierWhy he wanted to write a spy thriller with a huge geographic canvas after several more localised booksWriting 500–1,000 words a day in a café, fuelled by multiple coffees, and losing track of time during action sequencesThe two-book deal already underway, plus a slower, more psychological spy thriller drawing on his past life as a psychologistWhy the title Octagon came early and never changedIce cream order: Salted caramel, pistachio, and chocolate cookie dough — in a dish, with a cone on the side just in case.Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | Email: quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Philippa is joined by the legendary Lee Child — creator of Jack Reacher, published in over 120 countries with more than 40 million books sold — for this summer special. They cover holidays, the Reacher handover to brother Andrew Child, artificial intelligence, and why literacy in prisons matters more than you might think.☀️ Holiday ChatLee hasn't had a proper holiday in 10 years — when you've been on 70 planes in a single year, home starts to look like a very good option. He and Philippa discuss:Why 40% writing and 60% promotion means travel has lost its appealDream holiday: two weeks in Antigua with a book a day plus a 25% margin for ones he doesn't get on withThe accidental best holiday of his life — a British Airways voucher, a paper ticket, a pilot who said "you're here, let's go," and a tiny Cessna to an almost uninhabited Bahamian islandThe villa in Tobago that promised a cook and delivered disappointmentThe Soviet Union trip he always wanted but never took — and why a Russian jail would be his true holiday nightmareReading on the beach with the "commentary track" switched on — and the moment in Seven that made him think "they wouldn't dare" and then they did🎙️ Jack Reacher: Exit Strategy & Chain ReactionLee explains the creative handover to his brother Andrew Child, why it was never really a handover at all, and how the two of them have always been on the same wavelength — sometimes literally finishing each other's sentences about Russian oligarchs falling from windows.They discuss:How Andrew is now doing "all the hard work" while Lee does "the fun work" — which is just talkingWhy Lee stopped writing when he felt he was running out of gas, and why he'd rather stop than phone it inThe brilliant passive opening of Exit Strategy — a note slipped into Reacher's pocket in a coffee shopWhy Reacher works as a proxy for every reader who's ever wanted to help but couldn'tChain Reaction (out 20th October): a tech town, solar farms, data centres, and Reacher's feelings about the world's first trillionairesAndrew's two contributions to the reset: more Reacher dialogue, and dragging him slightly further into the modern world📚 Literacy, Prisons & Why Reading Saves LivesLee talks about his prison literacy work and his involvement with The Queen's Reading Room — and the research showing that just five minutes of reading reduces stress hormones by 20%. Plus why Quick Reads matter, why TV adaptations are a brilliant way in for reluctant readers, and why some women end up in prison simply because they couldn't read an official letter.🍦 Ice Cream OrderVanilla, in a bowl, with hot fudge sauce — slightly melty — and yes, a 99 Flake if one's going.💬 Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Recorded live at Capital Crime Book Festival, Philippa talks to Ellie Levenson about her brilliantly genre-defying novel Room 706 — described by her own agent as "thrilling but not a thriller."But first, the results are in! After asking listeners for their top three holiday book recommendations, here are the three that came out on top:Your Top 3 Holiday ReadsThe End of Summer – Charlotte PhilbyA woman's carefully constructed past unravels when journalists turn up on her daughter's doorstep. A story of reinvention, secrets, and a mother who might never have been who she claimed.Dead Heat – Sabine DurrantA struggling journalist joins old friends at their house in Greece for the summer — until a wealthy newcomer's lavish parties stir up envy, resentment, and an accident that may not have been an accident at all.Still Life – Sarah WinmanA wartime encounter in a ruined Tuscan wine cellar changes the course of two strangers' lives forever. (Philippa admits this is the one book club pick almost everyone loves except her — and she suspects a reread is overdue.)Ellie Levenson on Room 706Inspired by a very relatable fantasy — booking a hotel room alone, with no one needing anything from her — Ellie's novel asks: what if a tired mother checked into a hotel just to be alone, and then couldn't leave?Ellie and Philippa discuss:The "women who are clever but tired" genre Ellie has unofficially inventedWhy her agent suggested splitting the book into three timelines — Kate meeting her husband, meeting her lover, and the real-time hotel room scenesWhy complicated, morally grey characters make for the best book club argumentsThe brilliant audiobook adaptation that surprised even Ellie with how "acted" it feltThe original title, Hotel Sonder, and why it had to change after she kept seeing the word everywhereHer next book — another "middle-aged woman stepping outside her lane," and her fascination with hotels, parks, and other places where strangers' lives briefly intersectIce cream order: Chocolate, coffee, and nut — multiples of three, naturally, with a cone for garnish.Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Bestselling crime writer Karin Slaughter joins Philippa for a very special summer edition of Quick Book Reviews to talk about her new thriller, The Secrets We Hide.Karin talks about why she is not a natural holiday person, her dream trip to New Zealand, long-haul flights, travel delays, e-books, audiobooks, fish allergies, sorbet, swimming with sharks, climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge, and why she prefers working to sitting on a beach.Philippa and Karin also discuss The Secrets We Hide, the North Falls series, We Are All Guilty Here, Emmy Clifton, Jude Archer, writing violence against women, libraries, book bans, women’s voices, writing for different kinds of readers, and the huge success of the Will Trent TV series.The Secrets We Hide is the second book in Karin Slaughter’s North Falls series. Set in a small Georgia town full of secrets, it follows Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, as they investigate the murder of Allison Vickery and the brutal attack on her teenage daughter. Everyone thinks they know what happened — but the truth is far more shocking. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, crime fiction, psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, small-town crime, Will Trent, North Falls, summer reading, author interviews, and gripping thrillers with big twists.Books and authors mentioned:The Secrets We Hide by Karin SlaughterWe Are All Guilty Here by Karin SlaughterThe Will Trent series by Karin SlaughterPieces of Her by Karin SlaughterThe Good Daughter by Karin SlaughterMary Higgins ClarkMo HayderJames PattersonBernard CornwellJane AustenThis episode is packed with sharp insight, dark humour, book chat, travel disasters, thriller-writing secrets, and the very important question of whether cherry sorbet counts as healthy.

Recorded live at Capital Crime Book Festival, this episode kicks off Philippa's August Friday series — shorter interviews with brilliant authors you should know more about. First up: Brian McGilloway, talking holidays, control, and his standalone thriller The One You Least Suspect.But first, three books perfect for anyone who hasn't read in years and wants to fall back in love with reading on holiday:Three Books for the Reluctant ReaderLove, Mom – Iliana XanderA bestselling thriller author dies in a so-called accident — and the letters that follow reveal a family secret worth killing for. Gripping from the first page.Deception – Jack JordanA couple desperate to fund their son's life-saving surgery accepts an offer from a mysterious syndicate — but every task is a crime, and the stakes only rise. Widely considered Jack Jordan's best yet.Strange Houses – Uketsu, translated by Jim RionA creepy, atmospheric Japanese horror told partly through unsettling floor plans. Short, immersive, and impossible to put down — Philippa's favourite holiday read of last year.Brian McGilloway on The One You Least SuspectA barmaid in Derry wakes up after an ill-advised one-night stand to find herself pressured into becoming a police informant by two detectives who've been watching her for months. Caught between the law and the men she works for, Katie has to find her own way through — and her own voice.Brian and Philippa discuss:Why he avoids flying wherever possible — buses, trains, and ferries are all preferableHis dream holiday: a cruise that wakes you up somewhere new every morning, or family time at Lake GardaWhy he still prefers physical books to e-readers (the percentage counter just doesn't cut it)The real story behind Northern Ireland's history of police informants, and why he wanted an "unlikely" central character everyone underestimatesThe original, much darker title that didn't survive — and why The Informant almost stuckWhich of his 13 books he'd recommend to a first-time readerHis celiac-friendly answer to the usual biscuit question: ice cream, raspberry sauce, and a sprinkle of chocolateGet in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Bestselling psychological thriller author John Marrs joins Philippa for a Quick Book Reviews Summer Special to talk about his latest thriller, Dead in the Water.John and Philippa chat about holiday reading, Kindle versus physical books, family trips, travel sickness, nightmare cruises, dream road trips across Canada or New Zealand, ice cream memories, and why raspberry ripple may require mint Tic Tacs.They also discuss the writing of Dead in the Water, John’s plotting process, red herrings, psychological thrillers, speculative fiction, social media, TikTok, author promotion, publishing transparency, and why he wants readers to close his books feeling entertained.Dead in the Water follows Damon after a near-drowning, when his life flashes before his eyes and reveals one disturbing memory he cannot place: a dead boy, a face he does not know, and a moment he cannot remember living. The official synopsis describes it as a chilling thriller about buried memories and obsession. Perfect for fans of John Marrs, psychological thrillers, crime fiction, twisty thrillers, summer reads, author interviews, and no-spoiler book podcasts.Books and authors mentioned:Dead in the Water by John MarrsThe One by John MarrsThe Good Samaritan by John MarrsThe Passengers by John MarrsThe Marriage Act by John MarrsThe Family Experiment by John Marrs

Philippa sits down with Ellery Lloyd — the husband and wife writing duo of Colette and Paul — to talk about their brilliant new novel Time to Burn, their Radio 2 Book Club selection, and what it's really like to write a book with the person you live with. Plus listener questions from the Quick Book Reviews Facebook group, and a biscuit answer that connects beautifully with a very recent episode.🎙️ Ellery Lloyd on Time to BurnIn the very near future, time travel is possible — but only for the obscenely wealthy. Tech entrepreneur Inigo Frank has built Tempus Tours, and documentary maker Phoebe Hunt is there to film his story. Until the first day of filming, when a returning group of time travellers come back bloodied and dazed — and one of them is missing. Someone Phoebe knows.Colette, Paul, and Philippa discuss:The real-world inspiration: billionaire obsessions with space travel, and what happens when technology outpaces consequenceWhy the book is driven by character and mystery rather than quantum physics — it's a thriller that happens to involve time travel, not the other way aroundTheir dream writing locations: a railing-free balcony on Dartmoor (Colette) and a house with extraordinary sea views in Devon (Paul) — neither of which involves being in the same roomThe nightmare writing location: sitting next to Paul, who types loudly, laughs at his own sentences, and performs the act of writing like a 1930s movie reporterThe Radio 2 Book Club announcement — recorded with Sara Cox the morning of this episodeReader questions from the Facebook group: cover design, who first suggested writing together, how they develop ideas (WhatsApps, balconies, and a legendary late-night text from China), whether they argue about plot points (they don't — but one of them keeps a backup Word document, just in case)The Ellery Lloyd formula: a world you haven't been inside before, characters with real motivations, and everything tied up satisfyingly at the endWhere they'd travel if they could: Paul chooses dinosaurs and Romans; Colette wants a dress she saw when she was 18 and has never stopped thinking aboutWhat they're reading: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe (Colette) and The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (Paul)Biscuit answer: Colette powers her writing with Tim Tams — bite off both ends, suck tea through the middle, eat immediately before it collapses. Paul eats his daughter's digestives resentfully and wishes he'd bought Hobnobs.💬 Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Philippa opens with a brief history lesson — the word "blurb" was invented in 1907 by a writer mocking self-congratulatory publishers, and his fictional creation Miss Belinda Blurb gave us the word we still use today. Then it's three book reviews and a wide-ranging, genuinely fascinating conversation with David Baldacci — over 200 million books sold — about his latest novel Hope Rises.📚 Three Book ReviewsThe Compound – Aisling RuhlTen women wake up in a desert compound, cameras rolling, waiting for men to arrive. A dark, thought-provoking take on reality TV culture — more layered than it first appears.They Called Us the Enemy – George TakeiA graphic novel memoir by the Star Trek actor recounting his family's imprisonment in Japanese American internment camps during World War II. Essential, heartbreaking, and — given it has now been banned in some US libraries — more important than ever.Mad Mabel – Sally Hepworth81-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick has a curious history of people around her coming to a foul end. A beautifully narrated audiobook that defies easy genre labels — somewhere between a slow-burn thriller and the Thursday Murder Club, but entirely its own thing.🎙️ David Baldacci on Hope RisesWalter Nash did everything right — worked hard, earned well, built the American dream. Then an FBI agent turned up the night of his father's funeral and told him he had a choice: help bring down the criminal organisation he'd unknowingly worked for, or lose everything anyway.David and Philippa discuss:Why Walter Nash is a metaphor for everyone wondering where they fit in a world being reshaped by AIThe three-year class action lawsuit David and other authors brought against major AI companies — and the nine-hour deposition in which he was asked whether he'd copied Charles DickensWhy he writes in a Greek deli near his Virginia office, where he has an unofficial plaque above his usual tableBeing both an introvert and an extrovert — and why total isolation is actually his nightmare writing locationThe reading crisis: why he stopped letting "I just don't have time to read" go unchallenged at book signingsThe Wish You Well Foundation and why forcing children to read specific books is the fastest way to kill a love of readingGrowing up in segregated Richmond, Virginia, and why books were his "body armour against bigotry"What he's reading: essays by Jesmyn Ward, a Toni Morrison biography, James by Percival Everett, Kurt Vonnegut's Jailbird, and ARCs from Ann Cleeves and Michael KorytaThe expression he hopes to see on readers' faces at the end of Hope Rises: a contented sigh, and a little more empathyBiscuit answer: Cheez-Its — reduced fat, but consumed in quantities that would alarm a nutritionist. His son ate two boxes and then went out to buy a replacement, then ate that one too.💬 Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Philippa sits down with Robert Peston — ITV political editor, bestselling author, and reluctant biscuit convert — to talk about The Kill Switch, the third and final book in his Gil Peck thriller trilogy, and why he felt compelled to put artificial intelligence and the fragility of democracy at its heart.🎙️ Robert Peston on The Kill SwitchWhen the prime minister dies in mysterious circumstances, journalist Gil Peck finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy that may or may not involve artificial intelligence. In a world of misinformation, fractured democracy, and technology that is rewriting the rules of everything, who — or what — is really pulling the strings?Robert and Philippa discuss:Why AI had to be at the heart of this book — and why he believes we are living through the most dangerous moment for democracy since the 1930sThe acknowledgment that stopped Philippa in her tracks: "Don't take democracy for granted. Our way of life is more at risk than at any time since the 1930s. This is the fight of our lives."How the trilogy was always planned as three eras: New Labour 1997, the financial crisis of 2007-08, and the AI revolution nowWhy writing fiction is joyful and writing nonfiction feels like work — and why he may never go backHow COVID gave him the time and space to finally finish a novel he'd been putting off for decadesThe nightmare writing scenario: not a place but a moment — Trump inaugurations, government collapses, and the relentless news cycle taking over every inch of available brain spaceHis dream writing location: a central Lisbon Airbnb over Christmas and New Year — sunny, beautiful food, friendly strangers, and a scene in the novel as a thank-you to the cityWhy he doesn't have a current auto-buy author but is devoted to Dorothy L. Sayers, John Buchan, and Isaac Bashevis SingerThe endless agony of book titles — including the battle to keep WTF on the cover of a Waterstones-stocked bookWhat he hopes readers feel at the end: hope, and curiosity about what comes nextWhat he's reading: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe and Mariana Mazzucato's The Common Good EconomyBiscuit answer: A chocolate man first and foremost — his go-to is the Choco Leibniz. Introduced mid-conversation to the M&S chocolate-drenched custard cream, which he had already discovered and confirms is "totally addictive." Castle Chocolates in Carlisle and their chocolate-covered lemon sponge are now firmly on his radar for the next book.💬 Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.comQuick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.