May 2026 Books

Before we get into this month’s books, I’d like to make a proposal to the publishing industry.

Every book that forms part of a series should be legally required to begin with a chapter called “Previously…”

Not a subtle recap. Not a few vague references sprinkled into chapter three. Not a character casually mentioning something that happened six books ago and expecting me to remember it.

A proper television-style catch-up. “Last time on DI So-and-So…”

Because by the time I get around to reading book seven in a series, there’s a fair chance I’ve read another thirty books, hosted a few radio shows, written some quizzes, attended a couple of gigs and spent several months trying not to drown while training for a triathlon.

It doesn’t help that if I discover a series, I have to start with book one. My brain simply won’t allow anything else. If somebody recommends book five, I’ll spend weeks working my way through the previous four before I’m allowed anywhere near it.

The irony, of course, is that I do everything properly. I read the books in order. I invest the time. I follow the series from the beginning. I just happen to read so many other books in between that by the next release my memory has quietly wandered off to do something else.

Which is all well and good until I can no longer remember who the suspicious neighbour was, why everyone dislikes the local vicar or what exactly happened at Blackwood Farm.

When book seven opens with: “As Detective Smith reflected on the tragic events at Blackwood Farm…” I’m usually sat there thinking: “Who is Detective Smith and where the hell is Blackwood Farm?”

Eventually it all comes back to me, usually about a third of the way through the book, but a proper recap would save everyone a lot of time. If you’ve read all the previous books recently or possess a proper functioning brain and not one that keeps going of on many tangents, you can simply skip the section. The rest of us would be grateful.

Anyway, on to May’s reading.

This month featured serial killers, police investigations, workplace psychopaths, time travel, Korean contract killers, Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. Which is not a sentence I expected to write at the start of the month. As ever, these aren’t literary reviews. They’re simply the thoughts of a bloke who reads a lot of books, drinks a lot of tea and occasionally forgets what happened in book four of a series he started in 2022.

Mrs Shim is a Killer – Kang Jiyoung

Let’s start with the strangest book of the month. The title doesn’t leave much room for interpretation. Mrs Shim is indeed a killer.

What follows is one of the most original crime novels I’ve read for quite some time. Darkly funny, occasionally brutal and packed with characters whose lives become increasingly intertwined as the story progresses.

What impressed me most was how different it felt. Crime fiction can sometimes fall into familiar patterns, but this never really did. Every time I thought I knew where it was heading, it wandered off in a completely different direction. The result is a novel that’s funny, clever, violent and surprisingly thoughtful all at the same time. A genuinely memorable read and exactly the sort of book that reminds you there are still plenty of fresh ideas left in the crime genre.

Fleetwood Mac: All The Songs & Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs

One thing became abundantly clear during May. What started as a “casual “try and listen to see if you change your mind” challenge around eighteen months ago has developed into a full-blown Fleetwood Mac obsession.

Like most obsessions, it began innocently enough. A couple of albums. Then a few more. Then the discovery that Fleetwood Mac’s story doesn’t begin and end with Rumours. Before long I was exploring the Peter Green years, the Bob Welch years and all the wonderfully chaotic periods in between.

Fast forward to today and I’ve bought the albums, started hunting down rarities, accumulated a steadily growing collection of vinyl and now find myself reading books about the band and its various members. There are certainly worse hobbies to have. Although judging by recent bank statements, there are probably cheaper ones.

Fleetwood Mac: All The Songs turned out to be exactly the sort of book that feeds an obsession rather than curing it. Every song comes with a story. Every album comes with another tale of internal disagreements, relationship dramas, unexpected departures or moments where the entire band appeared to be held together by little more than stubbornness and blind optimism.

Frankly, it’s a miracle they ever found time to record anything.

What makes the band’s history so fascinating is that Fleetwood Mac somehow survived things that should have destroyed them several times over. Most groups would struggle with one line-up change. Fleetwood Mac practically turned it into an art form. Naturally, after spending days reading about Fleetwood Mac, it seemed entirely reasonable to follow it up with a book about Stevie Nicks.

After all, if you’re going down the rabbit hole, you might as well do the job properly.

Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs approaches its subject from a different angle, using fifty songs to tell the story of her life and career. Rather than feeling like a traditional biography, it feels more like being guided through her career by the music itself.

Reading the two books together wasn’t planned, but they complemented each other brilliantly. One tells the story of a band that constantly reinvented itself. The other focuses on one of rock music’s most recognisable voices and personalities. Together they probably explain why Fleetwood Mac now account for a disproportionate amount of my listening habits.

Katie, meanwhile, continues to insist Fleetwood Mac aren’t really her thing. This position has become increasingly difficult to defend over the last few months. Not only can she now identify a surprising number of their songs within the opening few seconds, but I also happened to catch recently dancing to Go Your Own Way.

Fair Play – Roy M Burgess

I’ve read enough crime fiction over the years to know fairly quickly whether a book is going to work for me. Usually it comes down to two things. Do I care about the characters? And do I believe what they’re doing? Fair Play passed both tests with ease.

This is the second outing for DI Carrie Tyler and from the opening pages it feels like you’re in safe hands. The story combines organised crime, murder, drugs and police investigations, but what impressed me most was how believable everything felt.

Too many crime novels seem determined to turn every detective into a cross between Sherlock Holmes and an action movie hero. Before long they’re solving impossible cases whilst simultaneously surviving explosions, car chases and enough near-death experiences to keep an insurance company busy for a decade. Thankfully Fair Play takes a different approach.

The investigation unfolds at a natural pace, the characters behave like actual human beings and the police work feels authentic rather than theatrical. The result is a story that steadily pulls you in until you’re reading “just one more chapter” and suddenly discovering you’ve stayed up far later than intended. The Yorkshire setting also adds plenty of atmosphere. Having spent most of my life surrounded by industry and people who generally say exactly what they think, I’ve always preferred crime fiction that feels grounded in the real world rather than glamorous city penthouses occupied exclusively by impossibly attractive detectives.

By the time the various threads begin coming together, the story has built enough momentum that putting the book down becomes increasingly difficult. Which is both a compliment to the author and a significant contributor to several slightly tired mornings during May.

Different Gravy – Simon Bailey

This was probably the hardest book of the month to categorise. Part relationship drama, part life story and part reflection on some of the challenges life throws at us when we’re busy making other plans.

It’s warm, funny, emotional and refreshingly human throughout, although the central storyline involving a female teacher and her eighteen-year-old student certainly makes for an unusual and occasionally uncomfortable read.

In many ways that’s what makes the book so difficult to pin down. It’s undoubtedly well written and the characters stay with you long after you’ve finished the final chapter, but there were moments where I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it all. Some books entertain you while you’re reading them and then quietly disappear from memory. This wasn’t one of those books. Several scenes and characters lingered long afterwards, which is always a sign that a book has done something right.

Whether I’ll rush out and read more in the series, however, remains open to debate. I enjoyed it, but it was also one of the strangest books I’ve read this year and I’m still not entirely certain where I stand on it..

We’re Like Family Here – Jack Dane

If a company ever tells you that they’re “like a family”, experience suggests it’s usually time to check where the exits are.

This psychological thriller follows Ashley Jacobs as she joins a prestigious New York real estate company only to discover that the workplace culture is considerably darker than advertised.

The tension builds beautifully throughout and the story moves at a pace that makes it very easy to lose track of time. The sort of book where you decide to read one more chapter before bed and then discover it’s somehow half past midnight.

A thoroughly enjoyable thriller and a useful reminder never to trust corporate mission statements.

A Killer Strikes – Georgia Rose

Another murder mystery, because apparently I spent May helping fictional detectives stay in employment.

This is a well-crafted mystery that balances the investigation itself with the impact the crime has on the people around it. The setting works well, the characters are engaging and there’s enough uncertainty throughout to keep the reader guessing. Most importantly, it never feels rushed. The mystery unfolds naturally and allows the characters room to breathe, something that many modern thrillers seem reluctant to do.

An enjoyable and thoroughly satisfying read.

1986: A Year in the Life of Lucy Hart – Jason Ayres

As somebody whose formative years were firmly rooted in the 1980s, this one already had my attention before I’d turned the first page. This is part of Jason Ayres’ wider series of time-travel novels and, technically speaking, you could probably read it as a standalone story without too much difficulty. Each book tells its own tale and doesn’t demand encyclopaedic knowledge of everything that came before.

That said, there is an ongoing thread running through the series, with certain characters appearing across multiple books and a wider universe gradually developing in the background. Because of that, I’d still recommend starting with 1980 and working your way through them in order. Which, admittedly, is exactly what I did.

The story combines family drama, secrets and time travel as Lucy Hart finds herself transported back to 1986. The nostalgia is handled beautifully. It’s there throughout without becoming overwhelming. No smartphones. No social media. No influencers trying to sell protein powder. Just people getting on with life and occasionally consulting Ceefax. Quite frankly it sounds delightful.

While the time-travel element provides plenty of entertainment, it’s the emotional heart of the story that makes it work. Beneath the nostalgia there’s a thoughtful story about family, relationships and second chances that gives the book real substance. For anyone who grew up during the decade, there are plenty of moments that will raise a smile. For everyone else, it’s simply a well-written story that happens to take place in one of the most colourful decades Britain has ever produced.

Buy The Books

All of these books are available through the usual places including Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Hive and most independent bookshops.

Although if you can support your local independent bookshop, even better. They generally smell nicer than Amazon warehouses and are significantly better at recommending what you should read next.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, May was one of those months that perfectly demonstrates why reading remains one of my favourite hobbies.

Within the space of eight books I travelled from 1980s Surrey to modern-day Yorkshire, from Korean contract killers to New York office politics, and from police investigations to the wonderfully chaotic world of Fleetwood Mac. No other hobby allows you to jump between worlds quite so effortlessly. What struck me most was the variety. Every book offered something different. Some made me laugh, some kept me guessing, some sent me down musical rabbit holes and one or two ensured I stayed up considerably later than intended.

June’s reading pile is already beginning to take shape and, judging by the books currently loaded to my Kindle and those packed in my suitcase ahead of our week in the Canaries, there will almost certainly be more crime, more mysteries and probably at least one book that leaves me wondering why I started another series without making notes.

Still, that’s a problem for next month’s review.