The List of Suspicious Things

By: Jennie Godfrey

Narrators: Joanne Froggatt, Mark Noble, Asif Khan, Gemma Whelan, Simon Harvey

Tantor Media

ISBN: 9781464249051

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Publication Date: 12/30/2025

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC) (ALC)

DEC 2025 MUST-READ BOOKS

"What could be more magical than a writer who can flip from hilarity to darkness and back on the same page? Jennie Godfrey does this and more...in a voice that is as authentic as it is unforgettable." —Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

"We'll make a list. A list of all the people and things we see that are suspicious. And then… we'll investigate them."

Twelve-year-old Miv is panicking. Life has been complicated since her mom got sick, and now her dad is talking about wanting to move their family away from the town Miv has lived in her whole life—because of the murders. Young women are dying, everyone is afraid, and no one knows who the culprit might be.

But as far as Miv is concerned, leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn't an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv's mum stopped talking. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?

So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things on their street. People they know. People they don't. But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighborhood, within their families—and between each other—than they ever thought possible. What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?

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Praise

"A 12-year-old girl determines to unmask a serial killer in this extravagantly ambitious story of small-town Britain in 1979....Imaginative, impressive, and illuminating."

―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review

"What could be more magical than a writer who can flip from hilarity to darkness and back on the same page? Jennie Godfrey does this and more in The List of Suspicious Things, all told in a voice that is as authentic as it is unforgettable."

―Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Good Morning America Book Club pick Pineapple Street

"The List of Suspicious Things somehow manages to be heartwarming yet heartbreaking, a story of innocence lost that will make you feel innocent again, and beautifully nostalgic while being an unflinching portrait of the past. I loved it."

―Tracy Sierra, author of Nightwatching

"Absolutely loved it―it is so engrossing, utterly heartbreaking (made me cry!) but also redemptive and hopefully at the same time."

―Sophie Hannah, international bestselling author

"Heartbreaking yet heartwarming, with compassionate characters you can’t help but root for, The List of Suspicious Things is an unforgettable book on friendship and the power of human connection. I felt like I was in 1970s Yorkshire, investigating with Miv and Sharon, unearthing the secrets of their neighbourhood. A splendid debut."

―Costanza Casati, international bestselling author of Clytemnestra and Babylonia

"A touching paean to lost innocence and the comfort of friendships, its dark undertow leavened by stout Yorkshire humour."

―The Times

"Godfrey succeeds brilliantly in fitting a gripping and moving story in the interstices of a horrific episode in recent history, without ever trivialising, taking focus from, or minimising the lasting impact of the original crimes."

―The Guardian

"There's been buzz around this novel―for good reason. Endearing characters and nostalgic details make this a must-read."

―Good Housekeeping

"One of the buzziest debuts of 2024, and deservedly so….prepare to have all the feelings."

―Red magazine

"The real murders that are the basis for Godfrey’s coming-of-age historical mystery are never trivialized here, and her characters are written with depth and richness. Miv learns lessons that readers will wish they could shield her from, but there is a redemptive arc."

―Library Journal

About the Author

Jennie Godfrey is a British author whose debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, was a Sunday Times #1 bestseller. Raised in West Yorkshire, she left a long career as an HR director for a FTSE 100 company in 2020 to pursue writing full-time. The debut novel, which is inspired by her childhood in 1970s West Yorkshire, was partly influenced by her father having worked alongside Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. Godfrey is also a part-time bookseller and a PhD student in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol. SUBSTACK