In My Good Books

This week on In My Good Books, I’m joined by bestselling Scottish crime writer Chris Brookmyre to discuss his brilliant new novel Quite Ugly One Evening. A darkly funny, sharply observed locked-room mystery set aboard a transatlantic cruise ship.
Thirty years after the publication of Quite Ugly One Morning, Chris revisits iconic investigative journalist Jack Parlabane in a story packed with murder, family rivalry, satire and social commentary. We talk about the inspiration behind the novel, why the culture wars became such an important theme in the book, and how Chris wanted to explore the idea that we often have far more in common than we realise.
In this episode we also discuss:
Why Quite Ugly One Evening had to reconnect with the tone of the original Jack Parlabane novels
The real-life cruise experience that inspired the book’s setting
How social media outrage and “footballified” politics influenced the story
Returning to recurring characters after nearly a decade away
The challenges of writing satire in today’s climate
The appeal of shared fictional universes
Chris’s excellent recent book recommendations

Find Chris here: https://www.instagram.com/cbrookmyre/
Buy Quite Ugly One Evening: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/quite-ugly-one-evening-jack-parlabane-is-back-in-this-ingenious-locked-room-mystery-chris-brookmyre/2f80c5a47ea9ad58?ean=9780349145822&next=t
Books recommended in this episode:
A Bad Bad Place: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-bad-bad-place-frances-crawford/7876073?ean=9780857508003&next=t
A Violent Masterpiece: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-violent-masterpiece-jordan-harper/ad0944d31f7ac26d?ean=9780571394647&next=t

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by bestselling author Jo Callaghan to talk about Body of Lies, the final book in the Kat and Lock series.
In our conversation, Jo reflects on bringing the series to a close, and why the relationship between Kat and Lock has been at the heart of its success. We talk about how readers connected so deeply with these characters, and why their dynamic, balancing human instinct and emotion with artificial intelligence, has resonated with so many.
We also explore the bigger ideas behind the books, including Jo’s hope that her writing can help demystify AI and encourage us to think more carefully about how we shape its role in ourlives.
Along the way, Jo shares insight into her writing process, including the pressure of ending a beloved series, rewriting a major plot point at the last minute, and how her own experiences of grief shaped the emotional arc of the books.
Find Jo here:https://www.instagram.com/jocallaghankat/
Buy Body of Lies:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/body-of-lies-the-crime-thriller-of-2026-from-the-award-winning-and-sunday-times-bestselling-author-of-in-the-blink-of-an-eye-jo-callaghan/cbbcf2c82f6b5367?ean=9781398535565&next=t
Books recommended in this episode:
When the Cranes Fly South:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/when-the-cranes-fly-south-lisa-ridzen/7733271?ean=9781804995808&next=t
You Are Here:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/you-are-here-david-nicholls/337b7d609c18664b?ean=9781444715460&next=t
When Will There Be Good News:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/when-will-there-be-good-news-jackson-brodie-kate-atkinson/413666?ean=9780552772457&next=t
Missing, Presumed:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/missing-presumed-susie-steiner/4494337?ean=9780008123321&next=t

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by bestselling author Jo Callaghan to talk about Body of Lies, the final book in the Kat and Lock series.
In our conversation, Jo reflects on bringing the series to a close, and why the relationship between Kat and Lock has been at the heart of its success. We talk about how readers connected so deeply with these characters, and why their dynamic, balancing human instinct and emotion with artificial intelligence, has resonated with so many.
We also explore the bigger ideas behind the books, including Jo’s hope that her writing can help demystify AI and encourage us to think more carefully about how we shape its role in our lives.
Along the way, Jo shares insight into her writing process, including the pressure of ending a beloved series, rewriting a major plot point at the last minute, and how her own experiences of grief shaped the emotional arc of the books.
Find Jo here: https://www.instagram.com/jocallaghankat/
Buy Body of Lies: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/body-of-lies-the-crime-thriller-of-2026-from-the-award-winning-and-sunday-times-bestselling-author-of-in-the-blink-of-an-eye-jo-callaghan/cbbcf2c82f6b5367?ean=9781398535565&next=t
Books recommended in this episode:
When the Cranes Fly South: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/when-the-cranes-fly-south-lisa-ridzen/7733271?ean=9781804995808&next=t
You Are Here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/you-are-here-david-nicholls/337b7d609c18664b?ean=9781444715460&next=t
When Will There Be Good News: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/when-will-there-be-good-news-jackson-brodie-kate-atkinson/413666?ean=9780552772457&next=t
Missing, Presumed: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/missing-presumed-susie-steiner/4494337?ean=9780008123321&next=t

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by Sunday Times bestselling author Andrea Mara to talk about her latest psychological thriller, Such a Nice Girl.
Andrea’s novels are known for their page-turning plots, clever twists, and those unsettling “what would you do?” dilemmas - and this new book is no exception.
We chat about the inspiration behind Such a Nice Girl, which started with a very relatable parenting fear and grew into a story about friendship, loyalty, and what happens when trust begins to crack. The novel follows two mothers whose daughters go missing after a wedding, and the terrifying possibility that one of them may be trying to harm the other!
Find Andrea here: https://www.instagram.com/andreamaraauthor/
Buy Such A Nice Girl: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/such-a-nice-girl-andrea-mara/a02c3e8b03a30211?ean=9780857505897&next=t
Books recommended in this episode:
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/untitled-araminta-hall-2025-araminta-hall/7683551?ean=9781035018314&next=t
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/demon-copperhead-longlisted-for-the-women-s-prize-for-fiction-2023-barbara-kingsolver/7425554?ean=9780571376483&next=t
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/long-bright-river-an-intense-family-thriller-liz-moore/3338803?ean=9781786090614&next=t

In this episode of In My Good Books, I’m joined by Elizabeth Arnott, author of The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives, a bold, character-driven crime novel that flips the traditional serial killer narrative on its head.
Some readers may already know Elizabeth as Lizzie Pook, acclaimed for her atmospheric historical fiction. In this conversation, she shares what inspired her shift into crime writing, and how a deeply personal experience led her to create a story that feels both empowering and unexpectedly fun. 
The conversation also explores our long-standing cultural fascination with true crime, from public executions to modern documentaries, and why these stories continue to grip us.
Find Elizabeth here: https://www.instagram.com/elizabetharnottwrites/
Buy The Secret Lives of Murderer's Wives: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-secret-lives-of-murderers-wives-elizabeth-arnott/0afcec091c1327ff?ean=9780241733622&next=t
Books recommended in this episode:
The Wedding People: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-wedding-people-the-hilarious-and-moving-million-copy-bestseller-alison-espach/879f21fa6a0d5e2d?ean=9781399622752&next=t
Notes on an Execution: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/notes-on-an-execution-the-bestselling-thriller-that-everyone-is-talking-about-danya-kukafka/6daee1c8b6373e8b?ean=9781474625975&next=t