Sunday Times bestseller Jane Corry selects the pick of this month’s reads. Perfect for the beach or a quiet spot in the library…

Sidmouth Herald: The Redeemed by Tim PearsThe Redeemed by Tim Pears (Image: Archant)

CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON by Sara Collins. Penguin Viking 12.99

There are some titles which crop up again and again in conversation. And this is one of them.

It took me a while to read it after it came out but now I can heartily recommend it.

It is 1826 and Frannie Langton - who works as a maid - is on trial for the murder of her employers. Is she guilty or not? As the reader tries to work it out, the author takes us back to Frannie's childhood in Jamaica. Her journey ends in a large London house where a woman is waiting to be freed. There are some truly brilliant lines such as 'But now I know how small the space can be, between being afraid of something and wanting it.'

Sidmouth Herald: You'll never See Me Again by Lesley PearseYou'll never See Me Again by Lesley Pearse (Image: Archant)

THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by Lisa Jewell. Century £12.99

How well do you know your neighbour?

This best-selling author's latest book is set in fashionable Chelsea where a baby is awake in her cot; healthy and well-fed.

Sidmouth Herald: The Long Call by Ann CleevesThe Long Call by Ann Cleeves (Image: Archant)

In the kitchen are three bodies who have been dead for days.

Who's been looking after the baby?

And where are they now?

An enthralling page-turner.

Sidmouth Herald: Adventure at Muffin Bay by Richard LappasAdventure at Muffin Bay by Richard Lappas (Image: Archant)

Read with the lights on!

THE LONG CALL by Ann Cleeves. Macmillan. £10.48

It can be very unsettling to return to a place you had to leave many years ago.

Sidmouth Herald: Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara CollinsConfessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins (Image: Archant)

But for Detective Matthew Venn, it's a double whammy.

He's back in North Devon for his father's funeral - and for his first major case in the Two Rivers region.

A body has been found on the beach near Matthew's new home.

He has the tattoo of an albatross on his neck. Matthew's investigation takes him straight back into the community he left behind - and the deadly secrets which lurk there.

Sidmouth Herald: The Family Upstairs by Lisa JewellThe Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Image: Archant)

We were delighted to welcome the author to our recent Sidmouth Literary Festival.

THE REDEEMED by Tim Pears. Bloomsbury £8.99

It's 1916. Lottie is training to be a vet - even though 'nice girls' were expected to settle down and marry.

Leo is hauling coal on board the HMS Queen Mary, where death could strike at any time.

Both are trying to live their lives as best they can in this strange new world which has turned Europe upside down.

Can they find happiness? Fingers crossed.

This spell-binding author was also a guest at the Sidmouth Literary Festival.

ADVENTURE AT MUFFIN BAY by Richard Lappas. SW Books UK. £7.99

Hooray! It's the start of the summer holidays.

Nine-year-old old Chunky can't wait to explore the Dorset clifftops on his beloved mountain bike.

There's just one problem. Well, several, actually.

A storm's about to break and a top secret military exercise is shortly being launched off the world-famous Jurassic Coast.

An exciting colourful story for children between eight and 12.

The author - another speaker at the festival - is local. He is also well-known as a royal photographer who took pictures of Diana, the Princess of Wales.

Order through richard@lappas.co.uk or ring 07976 157997.

YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN by Lesley Pearse. Penguin £13.99

You've got it! Another author from our festival. We only get the best!

This riveting story is set in Devon in the year 1917. All Betty wants is an ordinary life with her fisherman husband.

But the poor man returns broken and haunted from The Great War.

Caught between him and his mother, Betty dreams of escaping. But how?

Then a storm devastates the village. It's her chance to find a new life with a new name.

When a psychic steps in … STOP! I can't spoil the plot so I'll end there.

But I can say that Lesley has a gift for warm story-telling that makes you feverishly turn the pages.

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