Inklings Book Club

Harlan Coben is the number-one bestsellling author of 35 novels, translated into 46 different languages. Specifically, he's sold over 90 MILLION copies, and 12 of his stories have been adapted for the screen by Netflix. The newest adaptation is Run Away, starring James Norton and Ruth Jones, which follows a family trying to find their daughter Paige. I wanted to ask Harlan about finding that perfect formula that has made him the king of the thriller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the day after Christmas, and you might be wondering How To Kill Your Family... Author of How to Kill Your Family, Bella Mackie, has done it again. She's back with her sophomore novel What A Way To Go and discusses it here, on launch day, with Jack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm so thrilled to introduce a hero of mine to the Inklings Book Club: Rick Riordan. Author of over 40 books, including the iconic Percy Jackson series, Rick is infatuated with mythology. From Norse to Egyptian myths, he's brought characters of legends to life and introduced them to a whole new audience. Firstly, I had to just say: thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2016, David Szalay's novel All That Man Is was nominated for the biggest prize in books, The Booker Prize. Then, in 2025, he was shortlisted for his newest offering, Flesh, and won the whole thing!! It's well-documented that Flesh was my personal winner this year, and I was elated to see it propser. Flesh tells the story of István, a Hungarian immigrant working for a wealthy English family as a chauffeur. In a way, István is the chauffeur of the novel too, silently driving us forward -- however, all we see is his side profile, his outline. He's evasive and stoic as a result of his unprocessed trauma. I was thrilled that David was able to find time in his jampacked schedule as a newly crowned Booker winner to come and chat to the Inklings Book Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sorry for the lisp this mic seemed to give my audio guys. This is Saba Sams’ debut novel, all about the sticky stuff, the scum and the scuzz. It’s about the things we’d usually scrub away – instead of glossing over it, we linger there and embrace the mess. Set in Brighton, we follow an unconventional family dynamic – two young divorcees, Jules and Leon, and the girl, Nim, who gives them her baby, I interviewed Saba at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Book Festival, as part of their Voicebox programming, which provides inclusivity at the book festival by providing free events which are accessible for everyone. It’s such a great initiative and I’m so pleased to have been involved. Especially when it means getting to interview an author I adore, about a novel that was definitely one of my favourites I read this year — at one point the characters sit on Brighton Pier and eat a warm doughnut in the pouring rain, and that’s exactly what this reading experience was for me too.  In amongst the chaos, there is warmth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices