Philippa opens with a much-requested update on the Barcelona Kindle story — specifically, the one detail everyone wanted to know: did the Kindle survive? (It did. The case did not.) Then it's three book reviews and a wonderful conversation with debut novelist Amman Brar about Mr. Sidhu's Post Office — one of BBC News's 12 books to read in 2026.

📚 Three Book Reviews

The Burning Tide – William Shaw (out 16th July)

The second Eden Driscoll mystery sees the ex-Met detective pulled into a case involving a stranger who claims someone is trying to kill him — only to vanish before Eden can ask more questions. Beautifully written, with Shaw's signature warmth in portraying adult-child relationships.

The Tailor – Tim Sullivan

A bespoke tailor is found murdered on the Bristol to London train. DS George Cross deduces immediately it's an execution, not a robbery — and finds himself in personal danger for the first time. Tim Sullivan joins Philippa next Monday to discuss it in full.

Eyes on You – Adele Parks (out next month)

A woman whose father murdered his secret lover when she was 15 meets a man with his own dark past — and what feels like love may be something far more dangerous. Philippa opened it intending to file it away and couldn't put it down. Adele Parks joins the podcast soon.

🎙️ Amman Brar on Mr. Sidhu's Post Office

Mr. Sidhu is a widower in his 60s, quietly devoted to his post office, his two willful grown-up children, and his coworker Rose — with whom he's unexpectedly falling in love. When money starts going missing from the till, his carefully built life begins to unravel.

Written as a tribute to Aman's father, who ran a post office in Richmond for decades, the book also quietly acknowledges the devastating Post Office Horizon scandal and its human cost.

Amman and Philippa discuss:

• Growing up around his father's post office in the '80s and '90s, and wanting to capture a world that's slowly disappearing
• Writing the book as a way of spending time with his father after he passed away eight years ago — and why finishing it felt like letting him go all over again
• His background in theatre (Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Tamasha) and how writing a novel is completely different — more solitary, less terrifying than opening night
• The original working title: Dave and Rose (which made him laugh, which is why he chose it)
• Why his dream writing location is the South of France — and why his black Labrador is his best untangling tool
• His nightmare: the quiet carriage, one man on his phone, and the moment Aman became that guy
• What he's reading: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniel Murtagh
• The second book: another family drama, this time about his own generation

Biscuit answer: French Normandy butter and almond biscuits, dunked in coffee — with rosé on the side if Philippa's paying.

💬 Get in touch

Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com

Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

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Kate Eberle's debut novel If Books Could Kill sparked a 10-way bidding war, sold film and TV rights, and is being published in over 14 countries — and it's easy to see why. This rom-com-meets-thriller follows Roxy Mitchell, a romance novel superfan who wishes herself into her favorite author's next book... only to discover the author has swapped genres to crime thriller, and her dream date is now trying to kill her.

In this episode, Kate joins Philippa to talk about:

• The meme that sparked the entire idea (yes, an Emily Henry meme)
• What it's actually like to live through a 10-way book auction in real time
• Writing a genre mashup nobody knew how to categorize — and why publishers loved it anyway
• Creating Grant Hoffman, the know-it-all love interest readers can't stop talking about
• Her dream (a library with snacks) and nightmare (a concert with FOMO) writing locations
• Why she's been hearing from readers whose partners think they've lost it from laughing so hard

Plus: the book that's keeping Kate up at night right now, and the cookie that powered every word of If Books Could Kill.

Mentioned in this episode: If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle, Beach Read by Emily Henry, In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson

Follow Quick Book Reviews for book recommendations, author interviews, and weekly podcast episodes.

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Philippa welcomes back Alison Barrow, PR director at Transworld, fresh from Capital Crime, for a fascinating look behind the curtain of book publishing and promotion.

The Business of Book PR

Alison shares insights from a recent masterclass on author publicity, including the eye-opening shift in how many times someone now needs to see a book before buying — and why there's no single magic trick to a successful launch.

They discuss:

• Why book promotion is "an amalgamation of things" rather than one big lever to pull
• How publishers start thinking about a book's positioning years before publication
• The enduring power of bookseller advocacy and word-of-mouth recommendation
• Why traditional media still matters even in a podcast and social-media-saturated world

What Transworld Is Publishing Now

• Not That Sort of Girl – Andrea Mara
• Getting Away With Murder – Shari Lapena
• The Creative Compass – Emma Gannon
• Data Empire – Roopika Risam(a history of data — and an unsettling glimpse at where AI is headed next)

What Alison's Been Reading

• An Unlikely Visitor – Joanna Cannon (no, it's not about a dog — Philippa needed reassurance)
• It Could Have Been Her – Lisa Jewell (a dark, Barbara Vine-esque departure)
• The Whistler (Tom Lake) – Ann Patchett (on connection, memory, and a chance reunion four decades in the making)
• Meet Me at the Museum – Anne Youngson, plus a celebration of novels-in-letters, including The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and the classic 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Listener Question: The Unlimited Budget

A listener asks what Alison would do with an unlimited budget to launch a book. Her answer goes well beyond money — covering proofs with sprayed edges, nationwide bookseller tours, and why most of the real value comes from time and human connection rather than spend. (A branded helicopter is briefly considered and wisely abandoned.)

Billboard advertising and marketing myth-busting are saved for a future episode — watch this space.

Get in touch

Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com

Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.