I’m Georgina Clarke, the author of The Dazzle of the Light. I live in Worcester, and I work in Birmingham, teaching Theology. My novel was published in November, and I’ve had a wonderful time working with the team at VERVE. The Dazzle of the Light is set in 1920 and centres around two very different women whose paths cross, changing both of their lives.
I’m drawn to historical novels, but I’ll devour anything that piques my interest! Here are the books on my wish list for 2023:
Fear and Lovely by Anjana Appachana – 17th January, VERVE Books
One from VERVE that I can’t wait to read! I have a fondness for novels set in India – a country I’ve visited more than once. This tells the story of Mallika, struggling with secrets and depression, and is billed as being warm as well as moving and funny. With family truths to be uncovered, and a cast of characters to enjoy, this is one I think I’m going to savour.
Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow – 19th January, John Murray Press
This is set in Birmingham, 1933, so it ticks the historical box. But I know Birmingham well, being from the Midlands, and I could take you to Needless Alley – so I’ll admit the title already has me hooked. It’s billed as ‘Midlands Noir’, complete with dark canals, seedy pubs, and crumbling manor houses. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett – 19th January, Profile Books
I really got sucked into The Appeal, with its clever approach and lightness of touch that belied the complex plot. This looks to be a similarly engaging novel – a set of documents and research material that will help you, and the protagonists, uncover a ‘true crime’. Will I spot all of the clues? Unlikely. But that would spoil the fun, wouldn’t it?
Exiles by Jane Harper – 2nd February, Pan Macmillan
I am a HUGE Jane Harper fan. This one is already out overseas (Harper is Australian), but I’ll be reaching for it when it’s published in the UK. Harper writes in the most devastatingly spare style but draws you so tightly into her police procedural plots that you can’t put her books down. Her landscapes are wide and dry, her characters quiet and full of secrets. This one begins with a young mother who disappears, leaving her baby behind.
Scorched Grace: A Sister Holiday Mystery by Margot Douaihy – 6th April, Pushkin Press
I’ll confess, I’ve already had a pre-read of this one, as Margot and I share the same agent. But I’m telling anyone who will listen all about it! Sister Holiday is a tattooed, chain-smoking nun with a complicated history, who finds herself investigating a murder. In the tradition of hard-boiled detective fiction, it’s full of grime and sweat and smoke. Sister Holiday is utterly unique.
Article by Georgina Clarke
The Dazzle of the Light by Georgina Clarke is out now, get your copy here!