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With the new year in full swing 041BOOKS columnist Lauren Hewitt rounds up some books you should add to your must read list this year.

First up a bit of local love

The Lost Love of Akbhar Manzil is written by Durban-based author Subnam Khan (published by Pan Macmillan and is also published under the title The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years.

I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did, of course the blurb sounded intriguing and I knew it was my cup of tea, but I would never have predicted how invested I’d become in all the characters’ stories- even the house (Akbar Manzil) had a story.

What Shubnam said in the live chat- about Sana’s sister really resonated with me and I now feel that her sister was a part of her, that doubting voice we have, the imposter voice that tells us we’re not good enough. But we are! And Sana’s bravery shines.

Every twist and turn and reveal had me reeling and gasping out loud, and the gripping storylines ( in the dual timeline) had me hooked!

Shabum’s writing and descriptions were so vivid I could almost smell the foods being cooked.

If you’re looking for something unpredictable, a story set in South Africa with a gripping story that you absolutely can not put down, then this book is for you. This is my top read of 2024.

(I was gifted this by Panmacmillan, but my views are my own)

Missing before daylight by Carolyn Arnold

As always, I loved Amanda Steele and Trent.

And this book had me almost biting my nails – I’m not a nail-biter, so it was pretty intense!

When a young check-out girl is murdered, Amanda and Trent get called to the scene, upon reviewing the security tapes they discover it was actually a kidnapping with a fatality, and the person kidnapped is Katherine Graves -an ex-colleague!

I loved the way the clues were left and discovered and finally pieced together.

The little tidbits fed to us, kept me hooked and rooting for Trent and Amanda to find her before it was too late!

This is one of my favourite detective series and I can’t wait for the next one!

And despite it being a series it can be read as a standalone but then you’d be missing out on the incredible ongoing storyline and seeing how these amazing recurring characters develop.

Anna O by Matthew Blake (published locally by Jonathan Ball publishers)

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O’” case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial.

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.”

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes.

Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they find out.

WOW! I don’t even know where to start with this one!

Every chapter had a hook, the kind of hook that reels you in and you can’t stop! Luckily the chapters are relatively short and you can read a fair bit in a short time. On the downside, the “just one more chapter” rabbit hole is real and before you know it half the book is gone.

This is definitely the twistiest thriller I have read in a long time and oh boy was I wrong with trying to predict the ending. I love a book that takes everything I thought I knew and tosses it out the window.

Even now days after finishing it I’m rehashing what I read.

I thoroughly enjoyed it!

(I was gifted this by Jonathan Ball publishers, but my views are my own)

Lauren Hewitt is a freelance writer and aspiring author. The avid reader is also a homeschooling and homesteading mom and blogger who collaborates with publishing houses and independent authors ad shares her views on books and promotes authors on her blog and social media pages (InstagramBlogTikTok)