The most recommended books set in Manchester England

Who picked these books? Meet our 21 experts.

21 authors created a book list connected to Manchester England, and here are their favorite Manchester England books.
When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

What type of Manchester England book?

Loading...
Loading...
Shuffle

Book cover of Far from the Tree

Russ Thomas Author Of Nighthawking

From my list on crime novels set in the grim North of England.

Why am I passionate about this?

Thereā€™s a saying in England: Itā€™s grim up north! Largely used pejoratively (by the south), itā€™s true to say it is generally colder and wetter, the landscape more unforgiving, the people ā€“ friendlier in my opinion ā€“ are more outspoken and candid. The cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, with their declining industries and rising unemployment, provide fertile ground for crime writers. So when I started my own series following the investigations of DS Adam Tyler and his cold case team it didnā€™t take long to settle on my adopted home of Sheffield as the setting. Be warned: weā€™re a long way from the sleepy villages of Agatha Christie here.

Russ' book list on crime novels set in the grim North of England

Russ Thomas Why did Russ love this book?

The first book in Rob Parkerā€™s excellent Thirty Miles Trilogy sees twenty-seven bodies discovered, vacuum-packed, and buried in a woodland trench. DI Brendan Foley and his newly established police force are the ones tasked with cracking the case but is it a coincidence that these bodies have been buried in Foleyā€™s hometown? Set in the historic town of Warrington, located midway between Manchester and Liverpool, the book explores the murky underworlds of the two cities and the consequences of a war between two drug-dealing gangs as it spills out into the surrounding area.

By Rob Parker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Far from the Tree as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brendan Foley has worked to balance the responsibilities of a demanding job and a troublesome family. He's managed to keep these two worlds separate, until the discovery of a mass grave sends them into a headlong collision. When one of the dead turns out to be a familiar face, he's taken off the case. 

Iona Madison keeps everything under control. She works hard as a detective sergeant and trains harder as a boxer. But when her superior, DI Foley, is removed from the case, her certainties are tested like never before. 

With stories of the Warrington 27 plastered over theā€¦


Book cover of No More Heroes

Nick Quantrill Author Of Sound of the Sinners

From my list on crime set in the North of England.

Why am I passionate about this?

The North of England is home. I was born here, I work here and itā€™s where I will see out my days. Itā€™s a place with its own character, a place largely forged on hard industrial work and one trying to find a new purpose after decades of financial neglect. My home city of Hull captures this in miniature as weā€™ve shared a journey over the last decade via my novels from 'UK Crap Town of the Yearā€™ to ā€˜UK City of Culture.ā€™ Tied in with my background in studying Social Policy and Criminology, Iā€™ll continue to map the city and the regionā€™s trials and tribulations.

Nick's book list on crime set in the North of England

Nick Quantrill Why did Nick love this book?

Set in Manchester, Ray Banksā€™s gift to us is a razor-sharp contemporary Private Investigator series, a relative rarity within the UK crime writing scene. His surly PI, Cal Innes, may be battered and bruised, but his big heart continues to beat. Finding himself in the centre of a racist uprising in the city, itā€™s a place that needs a hero and heā€™s going to be the man who rises to the occasion. Using the classic PI template created by the great US writers, it showed me that I could also adapt the format and apply it to my own writing and PI, Joe Geraghty.

By Ray Banks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked No More Heroes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's Manchester's hottest summer on record and while Callum Innes evicts families on behalf of local slum lord Donald Plummer, the English National Socialists stir up racial tensions to breaking point. A firebomb attack at a Plummer property thrusts Innes into the spotlight as he saves a child from the burning building. But when Plummer enlists his help to track down the arsonists, Innes finds himself dealing with more than the ENS and his rapidly overwhelming codeine addiction. Time's running out and the temperature keeps rising. Manchester needs a hero and Callum Innes is the closest it has.


Book cover of Animals

Kate Tough Author Of Keep Walking, Rhona Beech

From my list on realistic female friendships in challenging times.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™d thought I was writing a novel about someone putting a life back together after everything fell apart but, when Iā€™d finished, readers told me Iā€™d written a book about vivid, authentic friendships. It was a welcome surprise. From Charles Dickens to Sylvia Plath, nuanced characters have always interested me and so, when writing, I set myself the task of believable dialogue and interactions which readers can relate to like itā€™s their own friends sitting around a table; laughing, crying, or bickering. When a life falls apart itā€™s often friendships that are tested to breaking but then become stronger as a result.

Kate's book list on realistic female friendships in challenging times

Kate Tough Why did Kate love this book?

How are women supposed to behave, discreetly? Are their friendships always a saccharine Hallmark card? Not in this novel. Living loudly, louchely, in chaos, with hedonistic nights out and all-day hangovers, Laura and Tyler are a tight, whip-funny twosomeā€¦ except one has a wedding on the horizon to a teetotal stable man, and sheā€™s wrestling with whether marriage is a legitimate life milestone anymore. The friendship portrayal here is a messy, clever, and foul-mouthed foray into the moment when inseparable friends face the prospect of their familiar relationship disappearing through the unstoppable forces of adult life. And weā€™ve all had impossible choices when we havenā€™t known which loyalties to put first ā€“ oneā€™s duty to oneself or to oneā€™s best friend?

By Emma Jane Unsworth,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

ā€œAn utterly triumphant ode to female friendship, in all its intense, messy and powerful beautyā€ from the internationally bestselling author of Grown Ups (Elle).

It is the moment every twenty-something must confront: the time to grow up. Adulthood looms, with all its numbing tranquility and stifling complacency. The end of prolonged adolescence is near.

Laura and Tyler are two women whose twenties have been a blur of overstayed parties, a fondness for drugs that has shifted from cautious experimentation to catholic indulgence, and hangovers that donā€™t relent until Monday morning. Theyā€™ve been best friends, partners in excess, for the lastā€¦


Book cover of A Suitable Job for a Woman: Inside the World of Private Eyes

Caitlin Davies Author Of Private Inquiries: The Secret History of Female Sleuths

From Caitlin's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Novelist Historian Jumble lover Swimmer

Caitlin's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Caitlin Davies Why did Caitlin love this book?

A Suitable Job for a Woman, published in 1995, is an incredibly useful book in terms of the popular depiction of female PIs versus the day-to-day reality of women in the industry.

Val McDermid interviewed 34 PIs in Britain and the States, and while American PIs were open and relaxed, British women were more wary. Thirty years later, I had the same problem, and it took me a long time to earn the trust of my interviewees. 

Val anticipated there would be more women working in private investigation in the future ā€“ and while progress has been slow, around 30 percent of trainees in Britain are now women. As one of her interviewees explains, it is "one of the few jobs where women can exploit the fact that weā€™re second-class citizens."

By Val McDermid,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Suitable Job for a Woman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

""But down these mean streets must go a man who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished or afraid."" When Raymond Chandler wrote these words in his classic The Simple Art of Murder, he drew a blueprint for the male private eyes who descend from Philip Marlowe to populate the world of crime fiction.
But what if the private eye is a woman? And what if she is not a character in a novel but a real, working investigator testing not only the meanness but the absurdity of life on seamy streets? Who will tell her story?


Enter Manchester'sā€¦


Book cover of Little Darlings

Katrina Monroe Author Of Graveyard of Lost Children

From my list on changeling lore.

Why am I passionate about this?

Most people donā€™t realize how deeply ingrained folklore is to our daily lives. Superstitious habits like tossing spilled salt over the shoulder seem silly now, but had grave implications a hundred or more years ago. I love books that draw lines between folklore and reality, that weave tales laced with superstition, especially through the lens of modern issues. Stories like these have always helped me to not only understand myself better, but the world around me. The things people do and say arenā€™t nearly as important as why. Folklore, like changeling stories, Iā€™ve found, is the key to human understanding.

Katrina's book list on changeling lore

Katrina Monroe Why did Katrina love this book?

Little Darlings was the first book Iā€™d read in a long time that made me feel seen.

When Lauren came home from the hospital after delivering twins only to find her life had not become as picture perfect as she was led to believe, I felt a keen connection. Told with visceral desperation, Laurenā€™s story is one we can all relate toā€”a story of self-doubt and a mad scramble for validation. 

By Melanie Golding,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Atmospheric and very creepy' The Guardian

'Goosebump-inducing...Unforgettable' Woman & Home

'Unforgettable...One suspects that the real sorceress here is Golding, whose writing has given a voice to every wronged mother' The New York Times

'Chilling story...stunning' Clare Mackintosh

'Taps into every woman's fear that she will not be believed' Mel McGrath, author of The Guilty Party

* * * *

THE TWINS ARE CRYING. THE TWINS ARE HUNGRY.
LAUREN IS CRYING. LAUREN IS EXHAUSTED.

Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting . . .

A terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves Lauren convinced someone is trying to stealā€¦


Book cover of The Listening Eye

Caron Allan Author Of Night and Day

From my list on classic mysteries you still havenā€™t read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been reading cozy mysteries since I was 8 years old. Thatā€™s over fifty years now, and I love, love, love them. Partly itā€™s the history: the setting and era so different from my own, and partly itā€™s the mystery element, I love to try to get to the answer before the sleuth, so that I can nod sagely and say, ā€˜I thought so.ā€™ Itā€™s also about people going through tough times, and seeing how those times can make or break them. I relate so much to their struggles with everyday life, and trying to fit an investigation around romance or vice versa, often during wartime.

Caron's book list on classic mysteries you still havenā€™t read

Caron Allan Why did Caron love this book?

The strengths of Wentworthā€™s books lie in the portrayal of the era, and in the characters who are forced to find their way through unfamiliar and difficult circumstances. They are not all wealthy, they are not all high-born, and we watch them as they try to adapt to wartime conditions and deprivations. 

Wentworthā€™s mysteries are fascinating, clever, with the protagonist Miss Silver, a spinster who is a professional ā€˜private enquiry agentā€™. The Listening Eye, I feel, contains some of the most acute observations of human nature, and this makes the characters just seem so relatable. Wentworth books are ā€˜cleanā€™ mysteries with a strong thread of romance, little gore, no bad language, or sexy shenanigans.

By Patricia Wentworth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Listening Eye as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

No one would ever have guessed that Paulina Paine was deaf, and that her ability to lip-read was astonishing. So the two men who met one day during the showing of a new art exhibition did not realise until too late that the middle-aged tweedy figure sitting out of earshot could understand every word they said. And it had been no ordinary conversation. In fact, Paulina was so shaken by its implications that she went to see Miss Silver straight away.

As the violence escalates, Miss Silver finds herself at a very tense house party where all the guests areā€¦


Book cover of If I Can't Have You

Frances Quinn Author Of That Bonesetter Woman

From my list on quirky heroines.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a shameless people-watcher. There's nothing I like better than sitting in a cafe, or an airport, or on a bus, and observing the people I see (and yes, I admit, eavesdropping on their conversations). What are they wearing and what does it say about them? Who are they with, and what's their relationship? What are they saying to each other - and what are they not saying? So it's not surprising the most important element of a book for me is the characters, and my favourite characters are women who are a little bit different, who don't fit the mould - because you just never know what they'll do.

Frances' book list on quirky heroines

Frances Quinn Why did Frances love this book?

This oneā€™s a story of obsessive love, with a heroine who is undoubtedly flawed, but who you canā€™t help cheering on, even when sheā€™s doing very bad things.

You wouldnā€™t want her to be your brotherā€™s girlfriend, but sheā€™d be hilarious company on a night out. The story is darkly funny, but ultimately uplifting, which I think is a great combination in a book.

By Charlotte Levin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked If I Can't Have You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'One of the best books I've ever read' Ruth Jones

'This is superb . . . and compulsive and disturbing and very well done indeed' Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange

_______________________________________

If I Can't Have You by Charlotte Levin is an all-consuming novel about loneliness, obsession and how far we go for the ones we love.

My name is Constance Little.
This is my love story.
But this isn't the way it was supposed to end.

After fleeing Manchester for London, Constance attempts to put past tragedies behind her and make a fresh start. When she embarks on aā€¦


Book cover of Night Brother

Carmilla Voiez Author Of Starblood

From my list on grittiest dark-fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an anarcho-feminist who has a special interest in magic; I consider it my guilty pleasure. I write dark and gritty stories that delve into gender, trauma, and mental illness, yet discover hope and freedom in the pit of darkness. I'm best known as a horror writer, but itā€™s more accurate to say that I create dark-fantasy and speculative fiction. My themes reflect the darkness which feels ubiquitous in the world, especially now in this age of extremes and pandemics, but I always search for the glimmer of light, the flame of hope that we can make a better future. I've always been fascinated by the Goth aesthetic and enchanted by post-punk threnodies.

Carmilla's book list on grittiest dark-fantasy

Carmilla Voiez Why did Carmilla love this book?

It is set in the late 19th early 20th century in Manchester, England. A time of suffragists and a blossoming underground queer culture, both of which were violently opposed by state and police. Set in this time, place and atmosphere is the story of Edie and Gnome. The first chapter shows them in perfect, natural harmony with each other. As Edie grows up, her intersex nature (given a gloriously magical bent by Garland) is repressed and made a cause of shame via their motherā€™s abuse. Without full expression and acceptance, Edie/Gnome's relationship becomes destructive and toxic. The Night Brother is a journey of acceptance and balance woven into a wider narrative about feminine roles in society and the struggle to transcend them.

It is a delight to follow Garlandā€™s beautiful prose both as it delves into the violent and gritty aspects of Victorian Manchester and when it soars into fantasticalā€¦

By Rosie Garland,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Echoes of Angela Carter's more fantastical fiction reverberate through this exuberant tale of a hermaphrodite Jekyll and Hyde figure...enjoyably energetic' SUNDAY TIMES

Late nineteenth-century Manchester is a city of charms and dangers - the perfect playground for young siblings, Edie and Gnome. But as they grow up, they grow apart, and while Gnome revels in the night-time, Edie wakes each morning, exhausted and uneasy, with only a dim memory of the dark hours.

Convinced she deserves more than this half-life, she tries to break free from Gnome and forge her own future. But Gnome is always right behind, somehow seemingā€¦


Book cover of Once in a House On Fire

Paddy Docherty Author Of Blood and Bronze: The British Empire and the Sack of Benin

From Paddy's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Historian Artist Autistic

Paddy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Paddy Docherty Why did Paddy love this book?

Having read Once in a House on Fire about twenty years ago, I was recently drawn back to the book by the memory of a beautifully told story of trauma and quiet triumph, and it was no less compelling the second time around.

As the authorā€™s memoir of growing up in a poor family in Manchester in the 1970s and 80sā€”dominated by not one but two violently abusive stepfathersā€”it is powerfully and disconcertingly raw and honest, leaving the reader aghast and willing the youthful author to make her escape.

By Andrea Ashworth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Once in a House On Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Set in 1970s Manchester, ONCE IN A HOUSE ON FIRE tells the harrowing true story of three sisters and their mother, from the point of view of the eldest sister Andrea. They are a close-knit, loving family but are forced to battle with poverty, depression, and terrifying abuse at the hands of two stepfathers. Andrea, a sensitive and highly observant child, witnesses and suffers unbearable cruelty yet refuses to give into despair. Ultimately this is an empowering account of survival and hope, as Andrea forges a future beyond the violent world of home.


Book cover of Alan Turing's Manchester

Andrew Hodges Author Of Alan Turing: The Enigma

From my list on Alan Turingā€™s world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a mathematician, based at Oxford University, following up the ideas of the Nobel prizewinner Roger Penrose on fundamental physics.  But I am best known for writing a biography of Alan Turing, the founder of computer science. I did this at a time when he was almost unknown to the public, long before computers invaded popular culture. And it meant giving a serious account of two kinds of secret history: the codebreaking of the Second World War and the life of an unapologetic gay man. Since then I have also created a supporting website. When I was drawn to find out about Alan Turing, it was not only because he was a mathematician. I seized the chance to bring together many themes from science, history, and human life. This broad approach is reflected in my recommendations. I am choosing books that hint at the great scope of themes related to Turingā€™s life and work.

Andrew's book list on Alan Turingā€™s world

Andrew Hodges Why did Andrew love this book?

My first pick is the one most directly about Alan Turing himself. After 1950 his attention turned mainly to his new theory of mathematical biology, but his death in 1954 left most of this work unpublished.  His ideas were 20 or more years ahead of their time and few people could assess them. Jonathan Swinton is a leading expert in this field, and has been studying Turingā€™s manuscripts for 30 years. But his book has a much broader range: he adds so much on the culture of Manchester and its region, with a particular focus on women both as protagonists and observers. He has also illustrated his story with a wealth of pictures.

By Jonathan Swinton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Alan Turing's Manchester as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Manchester is proud of Alan Turing but does it deserve to be? Dr Jonathan Swinton explores the complexity of the city that Alan Turing encountered in 1948. He goes well beyond Turing as a mathematician, to cover wire-women, Wittgenstein and the daisy. This is a richly illustrated account of lives lived - and one life ended tragically early - in a post-war Manchester busy creating the computer. This is a book about the people one might have met in Turing s Manchester. It records the patronage of older men, triumphant from the successful prosecution of a scientific war, who couldā€¦


Book cover of Far from the Tree
Book cover of No More Heroes
Book cover of Animals

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

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

1,889

readers submitted
so far, will you?