Best books set in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England

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Reading lists

14 books set in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Four Stories from the TARDIS

Doctor Who: The Day She Saved the Doctor

The Doctor's Companion: A person who explores time and space with the Doctor, fights enemies with the Doctor, and often has to save the Doctor's life. 
 
If it wasn't for the companions, the Doctor probably wouldn't have made it out of so many scrapes. To celebrate the formidable women who have travelled in the TARDIS, dive into four fantastic new adventures with the Doctor, starring Rose, Sarah-Jane, Clara and Bill. 
 
Written by Jenny Colgan, Jacqueline Rayner, Dorothy Koomson and Susan Calman, these stories are the perfect way to celebrate the Doctor's fantastic female heroines, for fans of all ages.

A companion: explores time and space with the Doctor, gets into trouble with the Doctor, fights enemies with the Doctor . . . And - more often than not - has to save his life. 
 
Here are four fantastic new adventures with the Doctor, starring Rose, Sarah-Jane, Clara and Bill. Publishing on International Women's Day in March 2018, it will also be the perfect way to prepare for Jodie Whittaker's first ever female Doctor. 
 
Written by Jenny Colgan, Jacqueline Rayner, Dorothy Koomson and Susan Calman, these stories are a celebration of the Doctor's fantastic female friends, for fans of all ages.

The Friend

What secrets would you kill to keep? 
From the bestselling author of That Girl from Nowhere and When I Was Invisible comes a thrilling new novel that will have you questioning the line between right and wrong.

Simmering with tension and fraught with tales of failed friendship and broken relationships, this is a fantastic summer read.

Satisfyingly full of suspense with engaging characters

A thrilling new novel about friendship, trust and the thin line that often occurs between what is perceived as morally right and wrong . . . another page-turning, addictive read

Gripping, twisty and written with Koomson’s trademark brilliance, this is pure class

Life has a funny was of sneaking up on you blog

Dorothy Koomson, The knitty-gritty. . . 
Dorothy Koomson is the author of twelve novels including That Girl From Nowhere, The Chocolate Run, The Woman He Loved Before, The Ice Cream Girls and My Best Friend’s Girl. While writing The Friend she took up, in the name of research, knitting and cocktail mixing – two things that are oddly compatible. Give it a try.

After her husband's big promotion, Cece Solarin arrives in Brighton with their three children, ready to start afresh. But their new neighbourhood has a deadly secret. 
 
Three weeks earlier, Yvonne, a popular parent, was almost murdered in the grounds of the local school - the same school where Cece has enrolled her children. 
 
When she meets three other mothers who welcome her into their circle, Cece begins to feel more comfortable in her new world. 
 
That is until she learns the police believe one of her new friends tried to murder Yvonne. 
 
One of these women has a secret. And it is a secret they will kill to keep. . . 
 
From the bestselling author of That Girl from Nowhere and When I Was Invisible comes a thrilling new novel that will have you questioning the line between right and wrong. 
________________________________ 
 
Praise for Dorothy Koomson: 
 
'Tense, twisty and unputdownable. I loved it!' Claire Douglas 
 
'Expertly crafted' Jendella Benson 
 
'Clever, unnerving and utterly compulsive' Kia Abdullah

The Beach Wedding

From Sunday Times bestselling author Dorothy Koomson - her first ever Quick Reads title. 
Will your past always catch up with you?

Will your past always catch up with you? 
 
Tessa Dannall is excited and happy when her daughter, Nia, arrives at their family’s tropical beach resort to get married. 
 
 Tessa is also trying to forget the last time she went to a wedding on this beach and how that day changed her life for ever. 
 
 But as the big day draws near, Tessa realises she must face the deadly ghosts from her past – or they may ruin her daughter’s future... 
 
Praise for Dorothy Koomson: 
 
‘Terrifically addictive’ Good Housekeeping 
 
‘Beautifully written’ Closer 
 
‘Koomson just gets better and better’ Woman and Home

A powerful novel about missed opportunities from the bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls

When I Was Invisible

An emotional and compelling novel from Dorothy Koomson, bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls, The Woman He Loved Before and My Best Friend's Girl

Powerful and haunting, the book tackles difficult topics and makes you realise how easily you can lose your whole world

A powerful story about friendship and forgiveness, and fans of Dorothy Koomson will enjoy the clever twists and unexpected turns, which keep the reader enthralled and eager to discover just what happened to two little girls destined for greatness.

Gritty and emotional, with lots of satisfying twists and turns. A compulsively readable book about empowering women. I couldn't put it down; I think this is one of her best.

A thought-provoking and suspense-filled tale of friendship.

Koomson brilliantly captures the fraught friendship between the two girls in this gripping tale.

An absolute page-turner of a novel…powerful and oh so compelling When I Was Invisible left me with a tear in my eye and touched my heart

I’m a massive Dorothy Koomson fan, so I’ll be taking When I Was Invisible on holiday

Cancel the excursion to the ancient ruins and get poolside for this compelling story of love and forgiveness.

Tense and emotional with truly empathetic characters

A powerful story about friendship and forgiveness, fans of Dorothy Koomson’s novels will enjoy the clever twists and unexpected turns, which keep the reader enthralled

A powerful book … it’s always good to be thinking of a book long after you put it down

‘‘Do you ever wonder if you’ve lived the life you were meant to?’ I ask her. She sighs, and dips her head. ‘Even if I do, what difference will it make?’ 
 
In 1988, two eight-year-old girls with almost identical names and the same love of ballet meet for the first time. They seem destined to be best friends forever and to become professional dancers. 
 
Years later, however, they have both been dealt so many cruel blows that they walk away from each other into very different futures – one enters a convent, the other becomes a minor celebrity. Will these new, ‘invisible’ lives be the ones they were meant to live, or will they only find that kind of salvation when they are reunited twenty years later?

A gripping and emotional story from the bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls

That Girl From Nowhere

From the bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls, The Woman He Loved Before and My Best Friend's Girl, an emotional story about love, identity and the meaning of family.

Immediately gripping and relentlessly intense, this story grabs you by the innards right from the off

Cracker of a novel... completely involving from the get-go

Her best yet... powerful and beautifully written - and highly recommended!

This heart-rending novel will have you gripped from the start

Beautifully written and utterly intriguing, this kept me reading late into the night

Gripping and authentic, sweeping and emotional, Dorothy Koomson's writing takes the reader on a compelling journey into the world she has created

A satisfying and moving story about love, relationships and the consequences of discovering the truth about the past

A woman's journey to self-discovery is handled with warmth and intelligence in this thought-provoking page-turner

Dorothy Koomson mixes the story of a woman searching for her birth mother with a gripping mystery in That Girl from Nowhere

I'm a big fan of Koomson's suspenseful novels and this lived up to expectations

A thought-provoking and gripping emotional thriller

Dorothy Koomson fans will not be disappointed with this

A gripping read that fans of Dorothy Koomson will love

From the bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls, The Woman He Loved Before and My Best Friend's Girl, an emotional story about love, identity and the meaning of family. 
 
‘Where are you coming from with that accent of yours?’ he asks. 
‘Nowhere,’ I reply. ‘I’m from nowhere.’ 
‘Everyone’s from somewhere,’ he says. 
‘Not me,’ I reply silently. 
 
Clemency Smittson was adopted as a baby and the only connection she has to her birth mother is a cardboard box hand-decorated with butterflies. Now an adult, Clem decides to make a drastic life change and move to Brighton, where she was born. Clem has no idea that while there she'll meet someone who knows all about her butterfly box and what happened to her birth parents. 
 
As the tangled truths about her adoption and childhood start to unravel, a series of shocking events cause Clem to reassess whether the price of having contact with her birth family could be too high to pay...

From There to Here

A short prequel to Dorothy Koomson's new bestselling novel That Girl From Nowhere 
 
In That Girl From Nowhere, Clemency Smittson leaves behind her old life in Leeds to move to Brighton in search of answers to her past, and to escape from the sadness of her present. Clemency’s mother, Heather Smittson, loves her with a fierce protectiveness that means she’ll follow her daughter to the ends of the Earth. . . From There to Here is the story of their journey from the north of England to the south.

Dorothy Koomson

Koomson’s characters are perfectly formed yet flawed, showing acute insight into the human psyche. Thanks to their depth and intricately woven, ever changing relationships, the novel simmers with tension and an undercurrent of darkness

The novel simmers with tension and an undercurrent of darkness

This will creep its way under your skin and stay there long after you finish the final gut-twisting chapters. Brilliant.

Another brilliant, suspenseful read from a master storyteller.

Has all the classic elements of the big beach novel. It adds extra depths to the whodunit in terms of characterisation and emotional impact, and races to a conclusion that had me turning the pages as if they were on fire

I found the book a slow starter but it became an exciting thriller. Just when you think you know what happened and you have your suspects a turn of the page will prove you wrong. This novel is fast paced and a great read

Koomson is the queen of the big reveal, and takes her time slowly building the tension in this truly gripping read

The Brighton Mermaid is a breathtakingly brilliant, twisty belter of a book and you need to read it!

Miranda Dickinson, author of Somewhere Beyond The Sea

Fast-paced, dark and simmering – can’t recommend this novel enough.’

Caroline Smailes, author of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton

Gripping, twisty, scary and uplifting in spite of it all . . . thriller lovers, this one is for YOU.

A brilliant exploration of the dark side of human nature and the secrets people hide.

Emotive and thrilling this makes for a compelling read

It was an excellent, absorbing read, and there's lots of content to sink your teeth into.

If you’re looking for a book where you won’t be able to guess where it’s heading, where you are on the edge of your seat and cannot guess the ending then this is the book for you!

I’m convinced it’s this intimacy between reader and character that makes Dorothy’s stories so gripping. In the case of The Brighton Mermaid the suspense, thrill and fear was palpable

I've been left reeling from this book that packs a humongous punch. The story builds steadily at first but when I sat down for the last 30% this evening, I didn't expect anything like what I read

As always Dorothy Koomson uses a number of hard-hitting issues in The Brighton Mermaid but all are deeply woven into the story-line, not one appearing placed for effect alone

The premise for this story is clever, intriguing and a perfect hook. The lingering sense of threat and ominous atmosphere builds gradually . . . kept me gripped and on edge of my seat

Plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to put the book down

The gripping thriller from the bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls

**WINNER OF THE PRECIOUS LIFESTYLE MUST READ OF THE YEAR AWARD 2018** 
 
‘This will creep its way under your skin and stay there long after you finish the final few gut-twisting chapters. Brilliant’ Heat 
_____________________ 
 
Brighton Beach, 1993 
 
Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman and when no one comes to claim her, she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell is still struggling to move on when, three weeks later, Jude disappears. 
 
Twenty-five years on, Nell is forced to quit her job to find out who the Brighton Mermaid really was – and what happened to her best friend that summer. 
 
But as Nell edges closer to the truth, dangerous things start to happen. Someone seems to be watching her every move, and soon she starts to wonder who in her life she can actually trust… 
 
Fast-paced and thrilling, The Brighton Mermaid explores the deadly secrets of those closest to you. 
 
_____________________ 
 
‘Another brilliant, suspenseful read from a master storyteller’ (Candis) 
 
‘With a cracking plot to boot – this brilliant read will hook you from the start’ (Fabulous magazine) 
 
‘This will creep its way under your skin and stay there long after you finish the final few gut-twisting chapters. Brilliant’ (Heat) 
 
‘Tense and emotional’ (My Weekly) 
 
‘Thrilling!’ (Take A Break) 
 
‘Koomson is the queen of the big reveal, and takes her time slowly building the tension in this truly gripping read’ (The Sun) 
 
‘Has all the classic elements of the big beach novel. It adds extra depths to the whodunit in terms of characterisation and emotional impact, and races to a conclusion that had me turning the pages as if they were on fire’ (Viva magazine) 
 
‘A hot read’ (Woman magazine) 
 
‘Just when you think you know what happened and you have your suspects a turn of the page will prove you wrong. This novel is fast paced and a great read’ (Woman’s Way) 
‘The novel simmers with tension and an undercurrent of darkness’ (Daily Express) 
 
‘The Brighton Mermaid is a breathtakingly brilliant, twisty belter of a book and you need to read it!’ (Miranda Dickinson, author of Somewhere Beyond The Sea) 
 
‘Fast-paced, dark and simmering – can’t recommend this novel enough.’ (Caroline Smailes, author ofThe Drowning of Arthur Braxton)

Dorothy Koomson

Praise for The Brighton Mermaid

Koomson’s characters are perfectly formed yet flawed, showing acute insight into the human psyche. Thanks to their depth and intricately woven, ever changing relationships, the novel simmers with tension and ...

The novel simmers with tension and an undercurrent of darkness

Tense and emotional

Koomson’s characters are perfectly formed yet flawed, showing acute insight into the human psyche. Thanks to their depth and intricately woven, ever changing relationships, the novel simmers with tension and ...

The novel simmers with tension and an undercurrent of darkness

Tense and emotional

Koomson’s characters are perfectly formed yet flawed, showing acute insight into the human psyche. Thanks to their depth and intricately woven, ever changing relationships, the novel simmers with tension and ...

The novel simmers with tension and an undercurrent of darkness

Tense and emotional

Books by Dorothy Koomson

Series by Dorothy Koomson

Doctor Who

Articles featuring Dorothy Koomson

14 books set in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

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