#TopTenTuesday Debut Novels I Loved

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s topic is 2023 Debut Books I’m Excited About. I’ll be honest I didn’t have time to look through upcoming books to find those which are debuts so instead I’m looking back at ten debut novels I loved when I first read them. I always think it’s exciting to find an author at the beginning at their writing journey, one perhaps you can follow in years to come. Links from the title will take you to my review.

The Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch – Fast-paced historical crime thriller set in late eighteenth century New York
Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik – Based on the life of the author’s own grandmother, the tender story of two women brought together by war 
Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson – A compelling historical crime mystery set in eighteenth century London
The Deception of Harriet Fleet by Helen Scarlett – Set in nineteenth century County Durham, an absorbing story of family secrets, betrayal, grief, jealousy and a desire for vengeance
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton – Fizzing with energy, the story of a fictional band in 1970s New York set against the backdrop of segregation, discrimination and racial unrest
The Late Train to Gipsy Hill by Alan Johnson – A crime thriller with an intricate plot, a cast of shady characters and a storyline involving Russian criminals and money laundering that couldn’t be more up-to-date 
No Ordinary Killing by Jeff Dawson – Action-packed historical crime mystery set in late 19th century South Africa and featuring Captain Ingo Finch of the Royal Army Medical Corps 
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay – In the wake of her mother’s death, a young woman from Bangalore sets out for a remote Kashmiri village
People Like Us by Louise Fein – Set in pre-WW2 Germany, the story of two young people who love each other but find events and political dogma place obstacles in their way
City of Spies by Mara Timon – Set in WW2 Lisbon, the cover quote “Casablanca meets Le Carré” is spot on

Are there debut novels that stick in your mind?


#TopTenTuesday Books Set in the Caribbean

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

Barbados BeachThis week’s topic is a freebie and since I’m off to Barbados in a few days time (don’t hate me) I’ve come up with a list of books set wholly or partly in the Caribbean. Links from the title will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads. 

Sugar Money by Jane Harris – Martinique & Grenada
Fortune by Amanda Smyth – Trinidad
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys – Jamaica
Sugar in the Blood by Andrea Stuart – Barbados
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan – Barbados
How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones – Barbados
Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud – Trinidad
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer – Barbados, British Guiana (now Guyana) & Trinidad
The Tide Between Us by Olive Collins – Jamaica
Island on Fire by Sophie Schiller – Martinique