Why am I passionate about this?

I worked as long-haul cabin crew for many years and I love travelling. I’ve really missed being able to travel (as many have too) and I dream of the places I’ll be able to visit again soon. The Ex-Husband was the book I wrote in lockdown so I loved being able to ‘escape’ to the sunny Caribbean. I had fond memories of a trip to Barbados, so the book is mostly set there. I also travelled a lot as a child and one of my first memories is of being on a plane.


I wrote

The Ex-Husband

By Karen Hamilton,

Book cover of The Ex-Husband

What is my book about?

Charlotte has an unsavoury past, but she’s on the straight and narrow these days. She was so young then –…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of He Started It

Karen Hamilton Why did I love this book?

In He Started It a group of siblings embarks on a road trip from hell in a warped trek down memory lane. The thought of being trapped in a car with unlikeable people or with those keeping dark secrets feels claustrophobic and full of tension. To me, travelling is supposed to be fun or an adventure. Not in this case! I raced through this tightly plotted thriller, unable to put it down.

By Samantha Downing,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked He Started It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SOMEONE ALWAYS TAKES THINGS TOO FAR . . . The gripping Sunday Times bestselling psychological thriller from the No. 1 bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

'So addictive it should come with a warning' Alice Feeney
________

No-one knows you better than your family.

They know the little things that make you smile.

They know your darkest secrets.

Sure, you haven't always been best friends. But if it seemed as though someone was after you, that you might be in danger, then you'd be on each other's side . . .

Right?

So gripping you won't stop reading.

So twisty…


Book cover of Beautiful Bad

Karen Hamilton Why did I love this book?

This book is rich in detail and tells the story of Maddie who is a travel writer who meets her future husband, Ian, while abroad. From the beginning during a 911 call, it’s obvious that something has gone badly wrong. This is a wonderfully written book, set in the Balkans, Iraq, and Kansas, to name a few places, and is full of tension. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. 

By Annie Ward,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beautiful Bad as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Ward writes with the same compelling energy as you get in a blockbuster Netflix series'
Daily Mail

'Compelling. Filled with unexpected twists... a riveting read'
Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Wife Between Us

Maddie and Ian's romance began when he was serving in the British Army and she was a travel writer visiting her best friend Jo in Europe. Now sixteen years later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America.

But when an accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian's PTSD;…


Book cover of The Castaways

Karen Hamilton Why did I love this book?

A small plane crashes on an uninhabited island in the Pacific. The fear and tension among the survivors against the backdrop of paradise and the wreck of the plane is palpable. As the main character Lori struggles to survive her sister, Erin, who missed the flight, has no idea where the plane crashed. As the group of people struggles to survive the hardships, fear grows as it seems there is no way off the island. Chillingly brilliant.

By Lucy Clarke,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Castaways as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't miss One of the Girls, the scorching new thriller from Lucy Clarke, available to pre-order now

*A Waterstones Thriller of the Month selection & the Sunday Times bestseller*

A SECRET BEACH.
A HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME.
WISH YOU WERE HERE?

THINK AGAIN...

'We're tipping it as one of 2021's best reads' Marie Claire
'Totally addictive, clever and atmospheric' Erin Kelly
'Tense, unnerving and emotional' C. L. Taylor
'Packed full of intrigue' Heidi Perks

You wake on a beautiful, remote island.

Sparkling blue seas, golden sunsets, barely a footprint in the sand.

Yet this is no ordinary escape.

Next to…


Book cover of Murder on the Orient Express

Karen Hamilton Why did I love this book?

I love Agatha Christie and this is one of my favourite books. Trapped in the middle of nowhere in the snow, a group of passengers is stranded onboard the luxury train. Again, I love the sense of luxury against the wider harsh backdrop and the sense of panic at being trapped on board a train with a murderer and no way to escape. 

By Agatha Christie,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Murder on the Orient Express as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE MOST WIDELY READ MYSTERY OF ALL TIME—NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY KENNETH BRANAGH AND PRODUCED BY RIDLEY SCOTT!

“The murderer is with us—on the train now . . .”

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer.

Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s…


Book cover of The Woman in Cabin 10

Karen Hamilton Why did I love this book?

I loved this tightly plotted thriller set on a luxury yacht. Lo writes for a travel magazine and at first, the trip is seemingly perfect, with clear skies and calm seas. However, when Lo witnesses a woman going overboard and all the passengers are accounted for, the ship continues on its way despite her attempts to get to the truth. Trapped, this is another spine-chilling and brilliantly claustrophobic read. 

By Ruth Ware,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Woman in Cabin 10 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Reads like Agatha Christie got together with Paula Hawkins to crowdsource a really fun thriller' Stylist

A PASSENGER IS MISSING...BUT WAS SHE EVER ON BOARD AT ALL?

This was meant to be the perfect trip. The Northern Lights. A luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship.

A chance for travel journalist Lo Blacklock to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse.

Except things don't go as planned.

Woken in the night by screams, Lo rushes to her window to see a body thrown overboard from the next door cabin. But the records…


Explore my book 😀

The Ex-Husband

By Karen Hamilton,

Book cover of The Ex-Husband

What is my book about?

Charlotte has an unsavoury past, but she’s on the straight and narrow these days. She was so young then – she married the wrong man, falling for Sam’s sweet-talking charm and charisma, and got caught up in his con artist games. Now Sam is missing. But before he disappeared, he left urgent, cryptic messages about someone threatening him – someone who has been threatening Charlotte too.

So Charlotte takes a job as a personal assistant for an engagement party aboard a private luxury cruise ship, the Cleobella, to get far away from anyone who means her harm. But as the Cleobella sails through its glittering destinations, increasingly sinister events haunt the guests, and the turquoise waves and sun-drenched beaches give way to something darker. 
Book cover of He Started It
Book cover of Beautiful Bad
Book cover of The Castaways

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Defection in Prague

By Ray C Doyle,

Book cover of Defection in Prague

Ray C Doyle Author Of Lara's Secret

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been writing for many years, and my main preference is political thrillers with criminal overtones. I first became interested in politics when I worked at several political conferences in the 60’s and 70’s. I have been involved in several criminal cases, including my own, and within my family, I have a nephew in the police force. For many years I have had the opportunity to mix with the upper tiers of society as well as the criminal classes and this has given me great insight into creating my characters and plots.

Ray's book list on mysteries with complicated plots and risky characters

What is my book about?

Pete West, a political columnist, travels to Prague to find a missing diplomat, later found murdered. He attempts to discover more about a cryptic note received from the diplomat and is immediately entangled in the secret Bilderberg Club’s strategy to form a world federation.

Pete meets a Czechian agent who wants asylum. She has a murdered EU Commissioner’s diary containing clues to the civil unrest planned by the club, encrypted in algebraic chess notations. West seeks answers and links up with retired MI6 officer Tosh. While escaping would-be captors, they decode enough chess moves to reveal the anarchy of the…

Defection in Prague

By Ray C Doyle,

What is this book about?

Pete West, a political columnist, travels to Prague to find a missing diplomat, later found murdered. He attempts to discover more about a cryptic note received from the diplomat and is immediately entangled in the secret Bilderberg Club’s strategy to form a world federation.

Pete meets a Czechian agent who wants asylum. She has a murdered EU Commissioner’s diary containing clues to the civil unrest planned by the club, encrypted in algebraic chess notations. West seeks answers and links up with retired MI6 officer Tosh. While escaping would-be captors, they decode enough chess moves to reveal the anarchy of the…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in sibling, private investigators, and journalists?

Sibling 229 books
Journalists 208 books