Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall

In this episode of Quick Book Reviews, it is feedback week! Please send Philippa your thoughts on the podcast, you can email here: [email protected]. You can find her on instagram at this account: @quick_book_reviews
Philippa chats to bestselling author Rosie Walsh about her gripping new novel The One Day You Were My Husband.
Rosie discusses the inspiration behind the book, the challenges of writing after major success, researching the life of a surgeon, and why this was the book she came closest to abandoning.
Philippa also reviews three very different books:
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman
A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz
Deception by Jack Jordan
In this episode
Rosie Walsh on The One Day You Were My Husband
Writing emotional thrillers with huge twists
The pressure of following bestselling novels
Why this book was so difficult to write
Balancing publicity, motherhood and creativity
Writing under the name Lucy Robinson
Researching medicine and surgery for fiction
The importance of titles in publishing
Philippa’s spoiler-free book reviews
Feedback week for the podcast
About The One Day You Were My Husband
Carrie and Johan are newly married on a beach in Thailand when armed men arrive and take Johan away.
Twelve years later, Carrie has rebuilt her life. She is remarried, has children, and is preparing to return to work as a surgeon. Then she sees a familiar face online — Johan, alive in Stockholm, with a new life of his own.
Why did he never contact her?
What really happened in Thailand?
And should Carrie risk everything to find out?
Books reviewed
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride – Matt Dinniman
A wildly inventive, hilarious and action-packed instalment in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
A Deadly Episode – Anthony Horowitz
A clever, funny Hawthorne mystery set around the filming of The Word Is Murder.
Deception – Jack Jordan
A high-stakes thriller about desperate parents, impossible choices and a deadly game.
Books mentioned
The One Day You Were My Husband – Rosie Walsh
The Love of My Life – Rosie Walsh
Ghosted / The Man Who Didn’t Call – Rosie Walsh
The Things You’ll Never Know – Ashley Audrain
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride – Matt Dinniman
A Deadly Episode – Anthony Horowitz
Deception – Jack Jordan
Biscuit verdict
No biscuits for Rosie Walsh — but there is a memorable discussion of cold sliced hard-boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt and a life without sugar.
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This week on Quick Book Reviews, Philippa is joined by publishing powerhouse Alison Barrow for a fascinating behind-the-scenes conversation about the world of books, publishing, publicity, BookTok, book reviewing, and what really happens inside a major publishing house.
Alison shares the emotional impact of the recent Bookseller Awards, including the extraordinary success of Nobody’s Girl and the moving tributes to legendary romantic fiction authors including Jilly Cooper, Sophie Kinsella and Joanna Trollope.
They also discuss:
the launch of Transworld’s new horror imprint 3AM
the rise of horror and romantasy publishing trends
Alison’s own experience writing and editing her debut novel
how exhausting structural edits really are
the realities of social media for book reviewers
whether TikTok or Instagram matters more for publishing
why authenticity matters more than follower counts
Plus Alison recommends some brilliant reads, including:
London Falling
Fame Sick
The Agatha Cure
If you’ve ever wondered how publishing really works, how books become bestsellers, or how to start reviewing books online, this episode is packed with insight, warmth and honesty.
Follow Quick Book Reviews for book recommendations, author interviews, and weekly podcast episodes.
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In this episode of Quick Book Reviews, Philippa chats to Ardal O’Hanlon about his new novel A Plot to Die For, the first book in his Blooming Murder Mystery series.
Best known for Father Ted and Death in Paradise, Ardal brings comedy, warmth and murder mystery together in this funny, charming and sharply observed cosy crime novel set in a small Irish town.
Philippa also reviews three books exploring the current tradwife trend in very different ways:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Tradwife by Sarah Langan
The Tradwife’s Secret by Leanne Child
In this episode
Ardal O’Hanlon on A Plot to Die For
Writing cosy crime with genuine comedy
Why funny writing still takes serious craft
The influence of Death in Paradise and murder mystery structure
Creating Finn O’Leary, celebrity gardener turned amateur detective
Small-town Ireland, community secrets and Tidy Towns
Writing a series and what might come next
Audiobook narration and why Ardal reads his own book
Philippa’s tradwife fiction recommendations
About A Plot to Die For
A Plot to Die For introduces Finn O’Leary, a TV celebrity gardener who returns home to Ireland to care for his mother — only to find himself caught up in murder, secrets and local rivalries.
Expect:
cosy crime
Irish humour
amateur sleuthing
gardening
community drama
a brilliant cast of characters
and a murder during choir practice
Books reviewed
Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke
A twisty, genre-bending tradwife novel perfect for book clubs and holiday reading.
Tradwife – Sarah Langan
A horror take on the tradwife trend, with farmhouse perfection hiding something deeply unsettling.
The Tradwife’s Secret – Leanne Child
A psychological thriller full of secrets, lies and domestic tension.
Books mentioned
A Plot to Die For – Ardal O’Hanlon
The Truth About Ruby Cooper – Liz Nugent
The God of the Woods – Liz Moore
White City – Dominic Nolan
Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke
Tradwife – Sarah Langan
The Tradwife’s Secret – Leanne Child
Biscuit verdict
Ardal chooses the Wagon Wheel — original preferred, jammy accepted in emergencies.
Follow Quick Book Reviews for book recommendations, author interviews, and weekly podcast episodes.
📧 Email: [email protected]
📸 Instagram & Threads:
@quick_book_reviews
🎵 TikTok: @quickbookreviews
🐦 X: @quickbookrevie3
🦋 Bluesky: quickbookreviews

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Bestselling author Veronica Roth joins Philippa to talk about her gripping new novel Seek the Traitor’s Son — a romantic dystopian fantasy packed with prophecy, danger and high-stakes love.
We cover:
Life after the global phenomenon Divergent
Writing pressure, creativity & finding joy again
Playlists, world-building & surprising story twists
Why this is just the start of a new series
Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and epic sci-fi fantasy.
Love books? Follow Quick Book Reviews and never miss an episode!
Email Philippa at [email protected]
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In this episode of Quick Book Reviews, Philippa talks to Tariq Ashkanani about his latest novel The Hollow Boys, a dark, atmospheric blend of crime, horror and small-town mystery.
Set in the fictional Appalachian town of Aurora, The Hollow Boys begins after two boys go missing. Ten months later, one boy returns — but claims he is the other boy. What follows is a chilling investigation into identity, memory, fear and the secrets buried beneath a dying town.
Philippa also reviews three very different books:
Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
In this episode
Tariq Ashkanani on The Hollow Boys
How crime and horror overlap
Writing dark, atmospheric fiction
Why setting can become a character
Small towns, secrets and creeping dread
The influence of books such as Red Dragon
Writing while balancing another career
Why publishing can move so slowly
Podcasting, author interviews and literary festivals
Philippa’s spoiler-free reviews
About The Hollow Boys
The Hollow Boys is a tense, unsettling mystery about two missing boys, one impossible return, and a town haunted by what lies beneath it.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
crime fiction
horror-tinged thrillers
dark small-town mysteries
eerie atmosphere
missing person stories
morally complex characters
Books reviewed
Dissection of a Murder – Jo Murray
A gripping legal thriller with courtroom tension, secrets and a compelling murder case.
Bloom – Delilah S. Dawson
A book that begins with cosy romance energy before taking a shocking turn into full horror.
The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
A nostalgic return to Moon-Face, adventure, peril and childhood reading magic.
Books and authors mentioned
The Hollow Boys – Tariq Ashkanani
The Midnight King – Tariq Ashkanani
Red Dragon – Thomas Harris
The Death of Us – Abigail Dean
Night Film – Marisha Pessl
Biscuit verdict
Tariq goes rogue with drumstick sweets rather than biscuits — sticky, chewy, nostalgic, and officially allowed.
Follow Quick Book Reviews for book recommendations, author interviews, and weekly podcast episodes.
📧 Email: [email protected]
📸 Instagram & Threads:
@quick_book_reviews
🎵 TikTok: @quickbookreviews
🐦 X: @quickbookrevie3
🦋 Bluesky: quickbookreviews

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