3 Books to Get People Reading Again & Brian McGilloway - Summer Special

Recorded live at Capital Crime Book Festival, this episode kicks off Philippa's August Friday series — shorter interviews with brilliant authors you should know more about. First up: Brian McGilloway, talking holidays, control, and his standalone thriller The One You Least Suspect.

But first, three books perfect for anyone who hasn't read in years and wants to fall back in love with reading on holiday:

Three Books for the Reluctant Reader

Love, Mom – Iliana Xander

A bestselling thriller author dies in a so-called accident — and the letters that follow reveal a family secret worth killing for. Gripping from the first page.

Deception – Jack Jordan

A couple desperate to fund their son's life-saving surgery accepts an offer from a mysterious syndicate — but every task is a crime, and the stakes only rise. Widely considered Jack Jordan's best yet.

Strange Houses – Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion

A creepy, atmospheric Japanese horror told partly through unsettling floor plans. Short, immersive, and impossible to put down — Philippa's favourite holiday read of last year.

Brian McGilloway on The One You Least Suspect

A barmaid in Derry wakes up after an ill-advised one-night stand to find herself pressured into becoming a police informant by two detectives who've been watching her for months. Caught between the law and the men she works for, Katie has to find her own way through — and her own voice.

Brian and Philippa discuss:

• Why he avoids flying wherever possible — buses, trains, and ferries are all preferable
• His dream holiday: a cruise that wakes you up somewhere new every morning, or family time at Lake Garda
• Why he still prefers physical books to e-readers (the percentage counter just doesn't cut it)
• The real story behind Northern Ireland's history of police informants, and why he wanted an "unlikely" central character everyone underestimates
• The original, much darker title that didn't survive — and why The Informant almost stuck
• Which of his 13 books he'd recommend to a first-time reader
• His celiac-friendly answer to the usual biscuit question: ice cream, raspberry sauce, and a sprinkle of chocolate

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