Heller, Jenkins Reid and Lapena among Richard & Judy Book Club summer picks

Novels by Miranda Cowley Heller, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Shari Lapena are among the six-strong line up for the Richard & Judy Book Club this summer. 

Heller kicks off the list with her novel The Paper Palace (Viking) which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize. It begins on a beautiful summer morning in Cape Cod and follows Elle Bishop who is waking up in the knowledge that she crept outside of her family cabin for a tryst with her childhood sweetheart Jonas while their spouses were happily chatting away inside.

Next up is TikTok sensation Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising (Penguin) which is set in the surfing community of 1980s Malibu, where everyone wants to attend the Riva family’s annual end-of-summer party. Finnegan said: “Perhaps the would-be-party-goers should be careful what they wish for. A night to remember? Or one to forget? You’ll enjoy deciding which.” 

Lapena returns to this season’s Book Club with suspenseful psychological thriller Not A Happy Family (Transworld). The synopsis says: “Fred and Sheila Merton, a wealthy couple who live in the quiet, wealthy enclave of Brecken Hill are brutally murdered mere hours after an Easter family dinner with their three adult children. As you would expect, the Merton family are all devastated – or are they? Madeley said: “It’s all highly entertaining as well as ingenious. The characters are deeply unlikeable but well drawn, and the various motives for murder and alibis are very cleverly sketched … dark but intriguing, and a heck of a lot of fun.”

Harriet Evans has also appeared in the Book Club before, and is back with The Beloved Girls (Headline Review). Catherine Lestrange, a successful barrister, has just finished a case and is waiting at the train to celebrate her anniversary with her husband when she goes missing without a trace. Usually calm and collected, Catherine has been unusually spooked of late after being visited by a mysterious woman at her office. “This is one of those books that snakes into your head and won’t go away,” said Finnegan. “A grippingly hot, sultry story that feels almost trance-like.” 

The penultimate title joining this season’s Book Club is Out of her Depth (Pan) from Lizzie Barber. Barber’s protagonist Rachel, feeling a little unsatisfied with her life in London, was excited to start a new job in the beautiful Tuscan Hills. There she is quickly introduced to a group of glamorous teenagers, used to a privileged life full of lavish parties, beautiful people, and flowing champagne. As the nights turn into heady sun-soaked days, she quickly begins to feel out of her depth. “This book will have you turning the pages well into the night,” said Finnegan. 

Concluding Richard & Judy’s Summer Book Club collection is Tell Me Your Lies (Simon & Schuster) by Kate Ruby. Madeley described it as a “fast-twisty novel to be read in one sitting – perfect for a weekend break, or a lazy holiday.” Lily and Nick Appleby have the perfect family – at least on the outside. Lily will do anything to protect the people she loves and even more her perfect reputation, but when their daughter Rachel begins to turn against them Lily begins to grow suspicious. Her search for the truth will unearth her family’s flaws and turn their picture-perfect world upside down. 

The summer Richard & Judy Book Club launches with another series of podcasts on 12th May. WHSmith customers can purchase exclusive special editions of the book club titles with bonus content.