Published 15 February 2024. Such a compelling read - a coming of age story as we follow our 11 year-old narrator Miv as her naivety turns into knowledge of the people around her and the secrets they are hiding. Set in Yorkshire during the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, we are in a small town where ripples of fear are running through the community. We can sense the way that this fear affected women, making them feeling vulnerable, afraid to walk the streets once day turns to night. This is a community full of characters that spring of the page, the women that love to gossip. It is against this background that we find Miv who lives with her father and her Aunt Jean who has moved in as her mother has withdrawn into herself and is now silent, is now spending most of her time in bed when she is not in hospital for respite. Her best friend in Sharon who is the opposite of Miv. Sharon is pretty and blonde and the eyes of boys always miss Miv and fall upon Sharon. With the fear of the Ripper all that anyone seems to talk about, Miv hears her father and Aunt Jean talking about leaving Yorkshire. The thought of leaving her friend is horrendous and so Miv decides that the only thing to do is to find the Ripper, and so, enlisting the help of Sharon, she sets about this task and starts making a list of anyone and any place that is suspicious. Her naivety and innocence at the beginning is endearing, as she finds explanations for situations that we, the reader recognise instantly. And we watch as this 11 year old turns into a teenager and her understanding of the world and the actions of those around her increases. This is a novel that has a dark side, set not only against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper, but also touching upon racism, school bullies, domestic violence and mental illness. But it is the character of Miv that shines through, her insecurity, her fear of losing her friend, her shyness around boys. It is lovely to watch her grow. A super debut novel.

I had heard so many positive comments about Jennie Godfrey’s debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, I was keen to read and yet sceptical whether it really could be as good as it I had heard. It excelled my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is so beautifully written and deserves all the positive reviews it has received.
It is set in Yorkshire in 1979. There is a lot that people are suspicious about, the first female prime minister, people who don’t look or sound the same as them and the identity of the Yorkshire Ripper. When the protagonist, 12 year old Miv, learns that her father is thinking of moving the family away from Yorkshire, she decides that if she and her best friend can catch the ripper and make Yorkshire a safe place, there will be no need to move. So she sets about making her list of suspicious things.
It is a book that will undoubtedly stay with me for a very long time. Such wonderful characters and relationships. So very well written. I have already recommended it to so many people and will be buying copies as gifts. I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This little gem of a book is set in Yorkshire in the late 70's / early 80's when both Maggie Thatcher and The Ripper are running rife and causing all manner of upset.

Miv, is twelve and her home life is also not what it used to be, her Mam is having one of "her spells", her Aunty Jean is covering domestic duties and her Dad is nipping out to the pub a lot more than usual. But, Miv has Sharon, her best friend who is the highlight of her day and life.

Miv convinces Sharon they should do an investigation of their own to identify who the Ripper is and help things get back to normal. They set about creating the list, of suspicious things. But children unraveling secrets of adults and not fully understanding the context of said secrets is a recipe for disaster and Miv and Sharon suffer the consequences of their meddling.

This is a beautiful debut, I fell in love with Miv and her cast of supporting actors. It's a glorious coming of age novel. It's an absolute rarity that the voice of a character settles into your heart so quickly and Miv certainly did that for me. She was second only to Demon Copperhead as my most favourite character this year; I was besotted with her.

Thanks to @Catherineryanhoward who demanded that everyone read this, and of course to Randomhouse and Cornerstone for the advance reader copy.

The List of Suspicious Things is out on February 15th.

The title drew me to this book and I was excited to start it. Initially I wondered whether I was going to enjoy it as when I realised it was about young teenagers and a coming of age tale, I became hesitant. However, that reticence was soon lost as I became engrossed in the story.

The story is about Miv who is a young girl approaching teenage years who is going through an emotional time at home. The story is set at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper and Miv, along with her best friend decide to try and catch the serial killer themselves by working through their list of ‘suspicious things’

It’s a tale of many interlinked characters and themes including racism, gender inequality, domestic violence, mental health to name a few. The author managed to portray a vivid, though realistic, feeling of life as it was at that time

This is a debut novel by this author, which if you didn’t already know that would not guess as it’s so well written. I look forward to seeing more of this author’s work. I think this is going to be a huge hit in 2024 and deservedly so.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Hutch Heinmann for my advanced copy of this book. This is my own honest review

t’s 1979 the world for women in Yorkshire changed as the monster known as ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’ was making a name for himself by viciously killing young women and leaving every woman feeling frightened to even go out at night. It’s during this period of time that this incredible novel is set.

Miv lives with her Dad and her auntie Jean. Miv's mum is in the home too, suffering from some type of mental break down, interspersed with extended stays at the the hospital. Miv over hears her dad and Aunty Jean discussing moving away from Yorkshire, citing the Ripper as one of the reasons, So with that in mind Miv decided she needs to discover the identity of the killer and then maybe she won’t have to move away from her best friend Sharon,

Auntie Jean had a very methodical system she lives by and makes lists for everything, So Miv begins a list of her own, only this list is of all the suspicious things about the people she comes into contact with, and that might lead her to The Ripper!

This book is a wonder, mainly told through Miv's voice and occasionally the voices of those close to her. It builds am incredible picture of the lives of those living in a small Yorkshire village in the grip of Ripper fear.
A fabulous read that overwhelmed me with emotions. Not to be missed

4.50* rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann for a digital review copy of "The List of Suspicious Things" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

In a word, wow! What a debut novel this is! This coming of age story (set during the time of the Yorkshire Ripper and in and around where the murders occurred) really evokes a sense of time and place as we follow Miv as she navigates the dramas of growing up, dealing with a really tough family dynamic and the fears of moving away from her small town home and friend, Sharon.

She is strong willed and decides that she can be the one to solve the case of the Yorkshire Ripper so she beings to make a list of suspicious things about the people and places of her town, roping in Sharon to become an amateur detective duo.

It took me a little while to connect with the characters and the story (though this may be more about me and my current reading mood) but once I did I fell in love and was swept away with the truly good heart that sits at the centre of this novel. I enjoyed the slow building sense of community that comes as Miv and Sharon investigate, meeting the characters that make up the town and uncovering their secrets and troubles.

Whilst I was Miv's age in the early/mid 90s I could still closely relate to the details of the childhood and adolescence described and loved the sense of nostalgia this evoked, as well as understanding that feeling of innocence being lost due to events outside the control of our central characters. Despite the background of the Ripper case and the turbulence of the era this is a novel that isn't dark as you might expect. It has lovely humour, vivid dialogue and well rounded and truly human characters.

This is a debut not to be missed and will be a bright reading spot for the dark and gloomy winter months when it's released in February 2024.

What a delightful book. A coming of age story starting in 1979; Margaret Thatcher is the first female prime minister of the UK and in Yorkshire the Yorkshire Ripper has started his reign of terror. Mavis ‘Miv’ is 11 years old. She lives with her Dad, Mum and Auntie Jean and has a best friend called Sharon. When she hears her Dad and Aunt discussing a move away from Yorkshire she believes it’s because of the Ripper so she makes a decision. With the help of her friend she is going to find the Ripper so she starts by getting a notebook to make ‘a list of suspicious things’. Told from multiple POV’s but largely that of our main character, Miv and chronologically.

Briefly, Miv and Sharon start their investigations by looking at people they know, one at a time, until they are convinced they are innocent. They carry out investigations at the library befriending the librarian, visit the corner shop befriending the shopkeeper and his son, in fact they are just two nice kind girls who want to help anyone in need.

This isn’t all hearts and flowers. There are threads about bullying, mental health, some dreadful racism and brutal domestic violence but nothing written is gratuitous. This is about life in a small community, where everyone knows everyone else and there is no such thing as a private life. It’s about friendship, with your contemporaries but also with other generations and people from other backgrounds and cultures. And it’s about families, families who stick together through thick and thin, families who help you in times of need. It’s a heartwarming story, with some heartbreaking elements, I won’t lie one really shocked me, and I loved every page. Beautifully written and beautifully constructed it’s just a wonderful read.

Miv and Sharon are best friends aged 12, living in Yorkshire in the late 1970's at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper.
With Sharon's help, Miv decides to conduct her own investigation, taking the police advice very literally. She identifies suspicious behaviour in many of the adult men in the neighbourhood. The story is mostly told from the perspective of Miv, with some chapters by Helen, the librarian. It's a beautiful story about friendship, loss, and growing up. It made me laugh and cry. The characters are lovely, I especially liked Omar and Aunty Jean. Recommended.

Although there is a lot of darkness in this story, I found there was enough humour as well, to lift me through. I lived in Yorkshire in the 1980's, so much of the setting resonated with me, and I could easily imagine the characters. I also really liked the idea of the list - it felt like something my friends and I would have done, and although Miv doesn't stick to her own deductions through the book (she seems to forget the ripper's accent requirements in her later suspicions) she is a child, so of course she's not going to figure things out logically.
There was a little part of me that felt it was just reaching a little too far in including so many different 'issues'...child abuse, domestic violence, racism, suicide, depression, and I felt that around halfway through the pace of the story slowed somewhat because of that. But still, I cared about what was going to happen and the different characters involved.

A coming of age tale set in Northern England in 1980, when the Yorkshire Ripper was reigning terror locally and Thatchers iron gripped ruled the country.

It took me a while to get to grips with this one, every time I picked it up , its bleakness somewhat overwhelmed me. There is a lot of dark in the book and the time and location adds layers to this bleakness. However, some light balances the narrative and Miv and her friend Sharon are well developed and believable characters. Miv kept me reading and I was invested in what would happen because of her.

I can see why a lot of people will love this one unfortunately it wasn’t wholly for me although I enjoyed the writing and characters , the bleakness overwhelmed them for me.

A strong debut and I’d read more from this author just maybe set in a different time.

The story of a girl trying to catch the Yorkshire Ripper really resonated with me - I remember at the time actually suspecting my own father!
The first half of the story was leisurely but well written and I enjoyed the pacing. However, as things ramped up it seemed as if too many issues were being shoe-horned in: child abuse, suicide, domestic violence, mental health, racism and accidental death. Some of the storylines were just unnecessary and the book would have been better without them. By the end I was finding it all a bit ridiculous and unbelievable. Because of this I ended up speed-reading and didn't really give the last couple of chapters my full attention.
On the whole though, it was an interesting read but would have been better focusing on the main storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

The book is set in Yorkshire, in the dark times of the Yorkshire Ripper.
Two friends, Miv and Sharon, set out on a quest to catch the ripper. Miv hopes that if they do catch him, her family might not have to move. This quest will get them closer to the community of their sleepy town and they will also make new friends, helping them along the way.

This book is a fantastic read, a heartwarming tale of growth and discovery, centered around the power of family, friendship, and community. It is a coming of age book, that navigates how friendship changes with time, but also speaks about themes such as women safety and racism.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. It captures the 1970s and the events of that time really vividly. Beautifully written, funny in parts, this is a stunning read.

The List of Suspicious Things is a wonderful, moving and stunningly written novel, set in Yorkshire in 1980 in the months leading up to the arrest of the Yorkshire Ripper.

Through the eyes of Miv, aged 12/13, who of course doesn't always fully understand what is happening around her, we perceive the impact of the threat of violence, and the repeated findings of murdered women, on the people living in the region who are just going about their normal lives.

It's a multilayered narrative, encompassing class, racism, poverty and everyday violence in homes and communities. It's also a moving - and totally immersive - snapshot of the place and time. Despite the sometimes harrowing scenes, it's funny and full of empathy and warmth.

Miv and her friend deal with the uncertainty around them, all the things they can't control, by taking control in their own way: they decide to find out themselves who the murderer is, starting with a list of the things (and people) that seem suspicious.

It's an original and very clever structure on which to build the narrative. And a wonderful way to marry the complex themes and parallel storylines into Miv's own story. It throws lightness and humour onto the dark events happening.

The use - and uselessness - of a 'list of suspicious things' written in a notebook by a child seems to mirror the ineptitude of the police investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper, carried out using only paper records (without computers) by police officers with insufficient experience for an investigation of this magnitude.

I expect The List of Suspicious Things will garner a lot of praise and both literary and commercial success: it will be well deserved.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

A coming of age novel set in Yorkshire against the background of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. Miv, a twelve year old, is an engaging central character supported by other interesting characters. Miv's story is told in the first person and is interspersed with third person narratives from the other characters. Miv decides, with the help of her best friend, Sharon, to try to solve the Yorkshire Ripper case as the police are struggling to make progress. She draws up a list of people she feels need investigating. As her investigations progress, it is clear that her friends and neighbours have unresolved issues affecting their lives.
This is a story of self discovery that has a heartwarming ending but on the way there is much bleakness. The story includes mental illness, domestic violence, arson, suicide, racism, adultery and child abuse and of course murder. The neighbourhood where Miv lives, seems to be a place of much misery. Thankfully I thought the ending did redeem some of the bleakness and it did bring tears to my eyes. My main criticism with the book is that it is overly long. The pace of the middle part of the book was frustratingly slow after a promising start. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book, it is a very promising debut novel.

When Miv befriends Sharon the big story in the headlines is about the Yorkshire ripper. Miv decides that they should try and find out what the police can't and they devise a list of suspicious things to try and find out who it could be. This leads them into other peoples lives and some bonding of friendships.
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were beautifully written and I warmed to them instantly. The story highlights 1970s Britain and the awful problems with racial abuse. It also touches on domestic abuse and misogyny of that time.
Not all is dark and doom and gloom though. It has some lovely light hearted moments and highlights childhood innocence. It is a very warm story and that also depicts that amongst a monority of bad people there are also those that exude human kindness. Parts of the story were also heart breaking. With a lot of nostalgia thrown in I can safely say that this book touched on all of my emotions.
I would highly recommend reading this.

I could definitely come up with a long list of reasons why I loved this book so much: I am from Yorkshire, not far from Dewsbury. When the Ripper terrorised the streets, I was about Miv's age. Like Miv, I had a lovely friend to whom males were attracted, but she wasn't as sweet as Sharon, so that's where the similarities ended. The plot, the characters, and the dialogue in this outstanding debut novel are the primary factors, though.
Miv is an immature, anxious young girl who is trying to deal with her father's increasingly concerning behaviour, her mother's sudden withdrawal from her life, and having a best friend that she is desperate to keep (not realising she doesn't have to try at all). Jennie Godfrey drew on her own life to create Miv.
However, Miv is not the only entirely believable character; there are also much lesser-known figures like Jim, whose Newcastle accent makes him a target for a while after the Wearside Jack tapes, and Mr. Bashir, who has lost his wide, moved from Bradford, and is trying to deal with the NF element that is threatening his life and livelihood.
As the story progressed, all of these incidents that had before seemed hazy in my memory now became crystal clear to me. However, this is not a book about The Yorkshire Ripper; rather, it is about the inhabitants in a tiny Yorkshire town battling personal issues such as mental illness, drunkenness, domestic abuse, racism, the National Front, and the changing nature of the streets. Any street would have the same issues if its roofs were lifted, but Jennie Godfrey has given them a voice and given them life through Miv, whose relentless pursuit of the Ripper is at times comical, at times absurd, and occasionally downright terrifying as she works to keep Sharon close and her family together.
With my review, I don't think I did this book justice. Despite the concerns that are exposed, it is rarely gloomy. Like so many of Ms. Godfrey's characters, Miv is a fantastic, colourful character who positively pops off the pages. The dialogue that I brought up previously is also relevant. Ms. Godfrey does an excellent job of crafting genuine dialogue in this piece of art.
Strongly recommended. You'll be enthralled through to the very finish.

This book is set in a small Yorkshire town, just at the time when M Thatcher gets into power and the Yorkshire Mills have been closed, the National Front is on the rise and the Yorkshire Ripper is prowling the streets. It is a story of small-town life, observed by two friends, Miv and Sharon. It is also a coming-of-age story, a tale of a beautiful teenage friendship told by Miv, assisted by an all-knowing narrator to fill in the gaps.

The unexplained murder of women attributed to the Yorkshire Ripper impacts on everyone’s life and restricts the freedom of movement of girls and women. With the lack of progress the police are making with their investigation and the growing number of murdered women, the two girls decide to start their own murder enquiry and they put together a list of places and people that seem dubious: their very own List of Suspicious Things.

This, of course, is an ever-growing list, once they have started to take a real interest in the people and things that surround them, there is hardly anything or anyone that does not appear to be suspicious in one or the other way. And with this process of peeping into other people’s lives, the girls start experiencing life in its raw and unedited form: they encounter prejudice, racism, adultery, child abuse, domestic violence, tricky and difficult relationships, but also experience love, deep friendship and the warmth of a functioning community.
They don’t find the Yorkshire Ripper, of course, but following their inquisitive minds they learn a lot about themselves and their communities – a heart-warming, sad and at the same time life-affirming story.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Hutchinson/Heineman for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a lovely but sad story going through the growing up of a young girl and what is happening in the world around her. Resonates well and is a great read.

Loved this book! Cleverly blending the biggest news event of the time with a very personal story, it kept me gripped to the end. There are shades of Joanna Canon in the way the story is told and the use of the young girl as narrator ensures that we see events from a point of view that never fully reveals the true meaning of what is going on until the shocking conclusion.