Sara chats to Rose Kooper Johnson about her own book group, living in Bristol and how she discovered the Radio 2 Book Club through 'Ordinary Saints'.

Rose's Top Five Reads of the year (so far) are:

'Disappoint Me' by Nicola Dinan 'Agatha of Little Neon' by Claire Luchette 'Some Strange Music Draws Me In' by Griffin Hansbury 'The Original' by Nell Stevens 'The Safekeep' by Yael Van Der Wouden

Laura Shepherd Robinson is the author of four crime novels, set in the Georgian era.

In this episode, she tells Sara all about her latest book, 'The Art Of A Lie', a cat-n-mouse thriller that follows a widowed confectioner, drawn into a web of love, betrayal, intrigue and a battle of wits.

They chat about her fascination with the 18th Century, the crime-writing community and how to make ice cream (the Georgian way!)

Sara also shares a short clip from the audiobook - and - finds out more about the longest-running crime writing festival in the UK (which takes place in Harrogate each year)

More on the book...

London, 1749. Following the murder of her husband in a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. The Punchbowl and Pineapple, her confectionary shop on Piccadilly, is barely turning a profit, and her suppliers are conspiring to put her out of business. So when she learns that her husband had a large sum of money in his bank account that she knew nothing about, the surprise is extremely welcome. And when William Devereux, a friend of her late husband, tells her about a new Italian delicacy called “iced cream”, Hannah believes it might transform the fortunes of her shop.

But her husband’s unexpected windfall attracts the attention of author-turned-magistrate Henry Fielding, who suspects the money was illicitly acquired. Unless Hannah can prove otherwise, her inheritance will be confiscated. As she and Devereux work to uncover the secrets of her husband’s double life, their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything, even her husband’s murder.

To celebrate Pride Month, we're putting the spotlight on some brilliant queer literature, courtesy of the Queer Girls Book Club.

Ayse Huseyin joins Sara for a chat about their group and shares with us her Top Five Reads Of The Year so far. We also sent the book club a copy of 'Ordinary Saints' by Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (a previous choice of ours) and captured a little bit of their discussion. It turns out, they liked it just as much as we did!

Here are Ayse's Top Five Reads of 2025 (so far) as discussed on the episode:

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamyah H

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Two Lives by Vikram Seth

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel