The latest edition of The Thursday Book Club was broadcast on 19th February 2026 at 2pm on Phonic FM. Joining hosts Jonathan Posner and Cathy Dodd were Cathie Hartigan and Bob Fairbrother. Click the names to find out more about them, and use the audio bar below to listen to the full show.
Our book review was The Sweetshop of Second Chances by Hannah Lynn, on the basis that a cozy romance would be great for Valentines Day.
Did we think it was? Listen below to find out.
Available on Amazon.
The second hour featured an interview by Cathy Dodd with author Jay Jacobs about her book Back for Good, a novel dealing with near-death experiences.
Cathy also played some great music!
Listen to the show in full here:
The next show is at 2pm on the 19th March 2026.
We’ll be reading and reviewing Her, by C.M. Serpell. Why not read along with us?
Get your copy now from Amazon.
NEWS THIS MONTH
Helena Dixon’s latest book is released on 23rd February. Murder at Sea is book 23 of the Kitty Underhay Mysteries. If you’re a fan of the cozy crime genre, then this one is definitely for you. Here’s what it says about the book on Amazon.
A glorious ocean liner setting sail, sunset on the horizon, and champagne on deck. All seems shipshape… until Kitty discovers a body on board. Time for some sleuthing!
Devon, 1938. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a well-deserved rest when her very upset cousin Hattie suddenly bursts in. She sobs that the gentleman she had been seeing, Richard Westonholme, seems to have vanished, taking all of her jewellery with him. As Hattie describes Richard, he sounds eerily familiar, and Kitty and her husband Matt board a ship in hot pursuit – only to find him lying in a lifeboat… dead.
As they’ve set sail, the murderer has to be on board too, but there are suspects as far as the eye can see. Could Richard’s wife have something to do with the murder? What about the rich heiress and her guardian? And is the steward hiding something fishy?
Kitty and Matt are all too aware that the clock is ticking while the suspects are trapped with no escape. Can they net the killer before the ship docks? Or will one of them be dead in the water before they reach dry land?
Preorder (or order after the 23rd Feb) on Amazon.
While we’re on the subject of cozy mysteries by the sea, Riptides, Rivalries and Rigor Mortis, Book 3 of the Jane Austen Tearoom Mysteries by Suzy Bussell, came out at the end of January. Here’s the Amazon blurb:
Cold water. Warm scones. And a corpse that won’t stay quiet.
Trinity Bishop thought wild swimming with her Aunt Ruby’s club would be the perfect stress relief. Instead, she finds herself shivering over a dead body—again. When Pauline, a fellow swimmer, is found poisoned in her beach hut, Trinity discovers she can now see Pauline’s ghost. And Pauline isn’t going anywhere until her killer is caught. Armed with five Regency-era ghosts, one swaggering pirate captain recently released from his enchanted ring, and a growing attraction to the dangerously handsome DI O’Malley, Trinity must navigate a swimming club full of secrets, and a murderer who’s already killed twice.
As Trinity gets closer to the truth, she realizes the cold Devon waters aren’t the most dangerous thing in Sidmouth. With a poisoner still at large and her ghostly companions offering more chaos than clues, Trinity must solve the case before she becomes the next victim.
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with a supernatural twist, Jane Austen charm, and a heroine who attracts both handsome detectives and dead people in equal measure. Available on Amazon.
Helena Dixon isn’t just launching another book. On Thursday Feb 26th she will be at Churston Library with Hannah Dennison, giving a talk. The event runs from 4pm till 5.30. There will be chat, laughs and a high probability of cake. Tickets are available from the venue, Churston Library.
The launch for Alison Huntingford’s fourth historical novel Beyond the Dark Oceans will be on April 16th.
The launch event is at the Ivybridge Bookshop at 5:30pm. All are welcome. Beyond the Dark Oceans is a historical fiction tale of family, emigration, love and warmth set in England, Canada and France. It’s based on Alison’s family history from 1904 to 1923. Alison’s other books are available on Amazon, including Dance a Fearful Jig.
On the 27th and 28th February and 1st March, Mary Elizabeth Earle will be at the Totnes Wellbeing Show in the Civic hall. She’ll be promoting her memoir The Longing. She’s keen for people to come along and hear why she wrote this story. She also says she will be signing each book with a joyful clairvoyant message!
She’ll be giving the same talk at The Mind, Body, Spirit and Craft Weekend on the 7th and 8th March in Woolwell, Plymouth, and at the Tavistock Well Being event on the 14th and 15th March. Finally, she’ll be at Hawthorn House, Ivybridge, presenting and reading from her book on 28th March at 11am. The Longing is available on Amazon.
