Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall

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 Reads
The End of Summer – Charlotte Philby
A 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 Durrant
A 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 Winman
A 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 706
Inspired 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 invented
Why her agent suggested splitting the book into three timelines — Kate meeting her husband, meeting her lover, and the real-time hotel room scenes
Why complicated, morally grey characters make for the best book club arguments
The brilliant audiobook adaptation that surprised even Ellie with how "acted" it felt
The original title, Hotel Sonder, and why it had to change after she kept seeing the word everywhere
Her next book — another "middle-aged woman stepping outside her lane," and her fascination with hotels, parks, and other places where strangers' lives briefly intersect
Ice cream order: Chocolate, coffee, and nut — multiples of three, naturally, with a cone for garnish.
Get in touch
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

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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 Slaughter
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
The Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter
Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
Mary Higgins Clark
Mo Hayder
James Patterson
Bernard Cornwell
Jane Austen
This 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.
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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 Reader
Love, Mom – Iliana Xander
A 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 Jordan
A 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 Rion
A 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 Suspect
A 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 preferable
His dream holiday: a cruise that wakes you up somewhere new every morning, or family time at Lake Garda
Why 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 underestimates
The original, much darker title that didn't survive — and why The Informant almost stuck
Which of his 13 books he'd recommend to a first-time reader
His celiac-friendly answer to the usual biscuit question: ice cream, raspberry sauce, and a sprinkle of chocolate
Get in touch
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

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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 Marrs
The One by John Marrs
The Good Samaritan by John Marrs
The Passengers by John Marrs
The Marriage Act by John Marrs
The Family Experiment by John Marrs

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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 Burn
In 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 consequence
Why 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 around
Their 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 room
The 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 reporter
The Radio 2 Book Club announcement — recorded with Sara Cox the morning of this episode
Reader 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 end
Where 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 about
What 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 touch
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.