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Penguin Random House January – June 2025 2 RISING STARS 6 GENERAL FICTION 12 CRIME & THRILLERS 18 LITERARY FICTION 20 AFRIKAANSE FIKSIE 24 MEMOIRS 28 NON-FICTION 38 NATURE & TRAVEL 40 COOKERY 42 FAITH & INSPIRATION CONTENTS‘I WAS AT A TIME IN MY LIFE WHERE I GOT TO THINKING MORE ABOUT PEOPLE’S CHOICES – HOW EVERYTHING WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF JUST THE SLIGHTEST DECISION CHANGED …’ CONFESSIONS Catherine Airey It is late September in 2001 and the walls of New York are papered over with photos of the missing. Cora Brady’s father is there, the poster she made taped to columns and bridges. Her mother died long ago and now, orphaned on the cusp of adulthood, Cora is adrift and alone. Soon, a letter will arrive with the offer of a new life: far out on the ragged edge of Ireland, in the town where her parents were young, an estranged aunt can provide a home and fulfil a long-forgotten promise. There the story of Cora’s family is hidden, and in her presence will begin to unspool … An essential, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, Confessions traces the arc of three generations of women as they experience in their own time the irresistible gravity of the past: its love and tragedy, its mystery and redemption, and, in all things intended and accidental, the beauty and terrible shade of the things we do. Trade paperback • R355 • 9780241728079 • March RISING STARSJANUARY – JUNE 2025 3 RISING STARS WATER MOON Samantha Sotto Yambao What if you could sell your deepest regrets? On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just the chosen ones – those who are lost – will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. A mysterious disappearance in the pawnshop takes its young owner and a charming physicist on a fantastical adventure and together, they must journey through a mystical world. This is a whimsical, heart-warming love story about choosing your own path. Trade paperback • R355 • 9780857505347 • February SWEET FURY Sash Bischoff Famous film star Lila Crayne is America’s Sweetheart. She and her fiancé, visionary filmmaker Kurt Royall, have settled into a stunning New York apartment, and are embarking on a new movie. To prepare for the leading role, Lila begins work with charming and accomplished therapist Jonah Gabriel to dig into the trauma of her past. Soon, Lila’s impeccably manicured life begins to unravel – and Jonah is just the man to pick up the pieces. Before long, careers, reputations and lives are in danger of being irrevocably destroyed … Trade paperback • R380 • 9780857505279 • April DAUGHTER OF CHAOS A.S. Webb In Ancient Greece, a prophecy speaks of one who will rise up to defeat the Gods and set mortals free. Will Danae, a fisherman’s daughter, be the unlikely heroine foretold? Chased from her home Danae will walk the winding roads of heroes. There, she encounters the mighty demi-god, Heracles and they will seek out monsters to battle. But Danae’s destiny is not to fight beasts. She will hunt the Gods. She will drag them screaming from Olympus … Trade paperback • R380 • 9780241676370 • March YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED Ande Pliego When six thriller writers are invited to a murder-mystery retreat, they don’t expect it to be so literal … Bestselling author J. R. Alastor, known only by his pen name, enlists event coordinator Mila del Angél to host the event on his private island. Mila plans revenge on one guest, but when another turns up dead, she faces a lethal game. Stranded by a storm with a rising body count, Mila must outwit a faceless killer who wrote the book on murder. A twisty, locked room mystery that will keep you up all night. Trade paperback • R380 • 9780857505842 • MarchJANUARY – JUNE 2025 4 RISING STARS THE FAVOURITES Layne Fargo Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating – and each other – to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship. Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end. As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorised documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the ‘real story’ and compels Kat to tell her own story. But the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines. Trade paperback • R355 • 9781784745493 • February An epic love story that reimagines the tempestuous romance of Wuthering Heights in the sparkling, savage world of elite figure skating NEPHTHYS Rachel Louise Driscoll Quiet and reserved Clemmie excels at reading hieroglyphs, making her invaluable at her father’s Egyptian relic parties. One night, an unusual amulet’s message strikes fear into her heart, changing her life forever. Five years later, Clemmie travels to Egypt to save her family. The childhood game about immortal sisters Isis and Nephthys becomes devastatingly real, guiding her to undo past mistakes. Trade paperback • R355 • 9781787304468 • March COUNT MY LIES Sophie Stava Sloane Caraway is a liar. They are harmless lies, she tells herself, to make life a bit more interesting. When she helps a distraught child at a playground, she tells the girl’s attractive father she’s a nurse, leading to a nanny job with the affluent Lockhart family. Envying their perfect life, Sloane is willing to lie about anything to fit in. However, she soon discovers that her employers’ picture-perfect facade conceals a much more dangerous truth. Trade paperback • R380 • 9781529943610 • April THIS IS NOT A GAME Kelly Mullen 77-year-old Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane’s event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island. Thankfully for her, she’s roped her granddaughter, Addie into accompanying her. While Addie mingles with celebrities and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air. Jane is dead. When a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects in a house full of secrets. Trade paperback • R380 • 9781529939071 • MayJANUARY – JUNE 2025 5 RISING STARS DEATH AT THE WHITE HART Chris Chibnall Fleetcombe is the last place you’d expect a grisly murder. But then the body of Jim Tiernan, landlord of the White Hart pub is discovered, tied to a chair in the middle of a nearby road. Detective Nicola Bridge is not short of suspects: in a small village, the pub landlord knows everyone’s business. And beneath the idyllic surface, the residents of Fleetcombe have plenty they want to keep hidden. Someone knows what happened to Jim. Someone who might just be dangerous enough to kill again. Trade paperback • R380 • 9780241665770 • May FAVOURITE DAUGHTER Morgan Dick After he left them for his new family, Mickey resolved never to think of her father again. She’s fine without him; yes, she drinks, but only sometimes and, really, she can’t not. But with only $181 to her name, she’s not above attending some mandated therapy to access her inheritance. She’ll soon be bingeing Bridgerton with a bottle of Russian Standard, five million dollars richer. Her therapist, Arlo, adored her father, but now he’s given his inheritance to a daughter no one knows. As patient meets therapist, two sisters are unknowingly thrown together for the first time. It’s crazy and unethical, just like their father. But could it be the perfect solution? Trade paperback • R355 • 9780241740774 • June THE MIDNIGHT CAROUSEL Fiza Saeed McLynn Paris, 1900 Carousel-maker Gilbert works tirelessly to finish his masterpiece in time for the city’s Exposition Universelle. But Gilbert is struggling in the wake of his wife and son’s tragic deaths, and as he finalises his creation, a dangerous idea forms in his mind … Chicago, 1920 Having come to America for a new life, when Maisie unearths a neglected carousel, she seizes the chance for a new destiny. But twenty years ago, the carousel was linked to a number of people inexplicably disappearing – and now history has begun to repeat itself … Trade paperback • R355 • 9780241715215 • May Morgan Dick is a writer from Calgary, Canada. Her short fiction has appeared in Grain, Geist, CAROUSEL, Cloud Lake Literary, The Prairie Journal, Vagabond City Lit, and The Humber Literary Review. Her debut novel draws from her time working in the mental health field. Morgan DickWE ALL LIVE HERE Jojo Moyes Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A recently broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Not to mention a once promising writing career that is now in freefall. So when her real dad – a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago – suddenly appears on her doorstep wanting to make amends, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, friendship, and what it actually means to be family. Trade paperback • R390 • 9780241415528 • February JOJO MOYES’ NEW NOVEL ABOUT FAMILY, LOVE AND STARTING AGAIN GENERAL FICTIONJANUARY – JUNE 2025 7 GENERAL FICTION GOOD DIRT Charmaine Wilkerson Ebby Freeman’s life has always been marked with tragedy. First, the death of her brother Baz when they were teenagers. Then her perfect fiancé Henry deserting her on their wedding day. Ebby believes she’s found an opportunity for healing and anonymity in a sleepy French village. Until Henry appears, with his beautiful new girlfriend in tow. It’s the worst situation that Ebby can imagine. But might it give her a chance to piece together the fragments of her past – and finally embrace her future? Trade paperback • R380 • 9780241529959 • March OLD SOUL Susan Barker When grieving strangers Jake and Mariko meet by chance in Osaka airport, they uncover a disturbing connection: Jake’s best friend and Mariko’s twin brother died 6,000 miles apart under brutal circumstances. Both encountered a dark-haired woman before their deaths – a woman who sought Mariko and vanished. Driven by guilt, Jake follows Mariko’s revelations, tracing a trail across continents and centuries. At the center is the same woman, whose purpose remains unchanged. Can Jake uncover her secret in time to stop her? Trade paperback • R380 • 9780241682395 • March GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE Emily Henry When reclusive heiress Margaret Ives invites Alice Scott to Little Crescent Island, Alice sees her big break and a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication. However, Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson has the same goal. Both are given a one-month trial to uncover the truth behind a scandalous 20th-century family, but Margaret only provides tantalizing pieces. Bound by an NDA and an undeniable attraction, Alice and Hayden must navigate their growing feelings and the enigmatic story that could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad. Trade paperback • R395 • 9780241740613 • May FROM LONDON WITH LOVE Katie Fforde It’s 1968 and it’s cold when Felicity arrives in London to stay with her mother, improve her English, do a secretarial course – and meet a suitable man. She plans to return to France to become a painter, but then she meets Oliver who is the most interesting man she has ever met. He lives on a barge and looks for hidden treasures along the shores of the river Thames. In a word, he’s a mudlarker – and before long Felicity is mudlarking too. She is also pursuing her dreams and painting scenery for Oliver’s actor friends. But is Oliver a Suitable Man of whom her mother will approve? Felicity knows she will not … Trade paperback • R395 • 9781529136203 • MarchNext >