This is a little gem of a book that encapsulates not only the trials and tribulations of growing up but also the late 70s/early 80s depression.
Miv is a 12 yr old living with her Dad, Aunt Jennie and a mother suffering from mental health issues, in Yorkshire during the time of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. There is talk of them moving and this doesn’t go down well with Miv so she decides she should try to solve the case and find out who is murdering these women. She enlists the help of her friend and they befriend the son of the local shopkeeper of Pakistani descent which brings a touch of racism to the story.
I really don’t want to say too much about the story as I think everyone should read this book. It brings back a time that was difficult for a lot of people, after all Thatcher was in power, but as it’s told from a 12 yr olds point of view it has a different slant. Perhaps unsurprisingly the same issues such as racism and mental health still exist today.

Read it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review

5 stars! Loved this evocative coming-of-age novel set in 1980's Yorkshire. The shadow of the Ripper hangs over Miv's hometown but danger may be much closer to home.... A brilliant debut novel from Jennie Godfrey. I expect this will make the bestseller lists in 2024!

The premise of the book was really interesting, and the setting is something I like a lot:the effect of
Thatcher on industry in the North, against the backdrop of the murders by the Yorkshire Ripper. The
protagonist/catalyst of the story is 12 year old Miv. She’s being raised by her father and aunt; Miv’s
mother has debilitating mental illness. So many situations feel out of control for her, and Miv decides
that one thing she’s going to help with, is to try to catch the Yorkshire Ripper. She goes about it in
‘Harriet the Spy’ fashion-maintaining a list of people she thinks are suspicious and snooping about on
them, with her best friend Sharon. In typical YA novel fashion, Sharon is pretty and popular, MIv is not. I
don’t mind that as a narrative trope, however, it’s how young girls navigate their growing up years-we
all think we’re the ugly best friend ,whether you really are or not! The book starts off well, and I like the
multiplicity of narrative voices-the author manages to make them all unique, and each deal with a
different facet of being human-the excellently-written Mr. Omar, dealing with the grief of losing his wife
and raising his son Ishtiaq away from their native Bradford, Mr.Ware, the schoolteacher who’s
completely misguided in his attempts to be a good instructor and his reasons, Helen and Archie, with
their own problems to deal with. They all feel believable, and their stories are woven in excellently into
the narrative. This book doesn’t get a higher rating though, because Miv is quite badly-written. You’re
expected to think of her as an introspective, sensitive girl, when she’s extremely selfish and Sharon’s the
far more empathetic character. I don’t mind unlikeable protagonists, but Miv isn’t supposed to be one!.
She constantly leads other characters into danger, and even when it has terrible effects, she seems to
absolve herself very easily. I also find authors who use the death of a child for shock value emotionally
manipulative, and this author resorts to that quite a bit. The book requires a lot more editing, and is
allowed to go on for much longer than it should have. This was ultimately a disappointing read.

I normally write notes as I go along to assist with my reviews however I must say this one got me so hooked from the start and I didn't have chance to make many as I was too busy turning the pages. I loved this book.

The story begins with us meeting Miv, 12 years old in a town in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Ripper is just starting out on his spree. The book is everything I was expecting it to be, in a good way! It has humour, murder, religion, friendship, love and racism all mixed in but never feels too heavy - a mean feat in itself with serious topics covered like this.

I really adored the main character and was instantly taken to her. We follow Miv as she starts to list suspicious people and things in the hope of catching the Ripper so she doesn't have to move away. But she realises the more she starts to take notice of things everyone suddenly seems suspicious and that list just keeps getting longer I read this over two days, I couldn't put it down.

I will be recommending this book to everyone! I will be looking out for more from this author.

Oh my goodness such a fantastic read. I wasn’t 100% sold on it at the beginning but as I got into it I appreciated how beautifully it was written. I think it’s a very clever book which draws you in and whilst you think you’re ready about one thing (ie the Yorkshire ripper) it’s so much more than that. It’s fantastic and I think it will stay with me for a long time. As an aside I was a teenager in the 1970s in Lancashire and remember the police driving around the bus station asking all the girls where they were going and warning us not to be alone). Brilliant!

I have just finished The List of Suspicious Things, Jennie Godfrey’s powerful debut. I am feeling so many emotions right now.

The List of Suspicious Things is essentially the story of Miv, a 12 year old girl, with insatiable curiosity. She is on the cusp of leaving childhood, of having to learn hard unpleasant lessons about people, life, and how cruel it can be. The book encompasses so much, that it will be hard to do it justice in this review.

Miv and her friend Sharon are living in 1979, in a small Northern town, which is long past it’s heyday, under the dual shadows of Maggie Thatcher and The Yorkshire Ripper. Miv has already had a tough life, something she is unaware of, though it’s a somewhat open secret in her community. Miv’s world is further threatened by the possibility of moving away, the only logical way for her to tackle this, in her mind, is to solve the case of The Yorkshire Ripper.

Miv and Sharon are a little older than I am, and I lived in “The South”, much loathed by Aunty Jean; but I found so many familiar things in the pages. The joy of a 10p mix up, the comfort found in the pages of Enid Blyton, the cloying sweet smell of Impulse, the nervousness felt on the corridor in a Comprehensive, when you weren’t part of the popular group.

My previous read had tried to be shocking, dramatic, thrilling. It tried so hard, that it failed on all counts, so I was desperate to read a good book. I needed a genuine, honest book, where the characters felt real and relatable. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this gem at the right moment, it is everything I hoped for and more.
This book is quiet and thoughtful, but shocking too, in a very understated manner. In the way that all of our lives can be.

I found this book so moving, tender and heart-warming. The story shines through Miv, through her innocence, the understanding of the unpleasantness of life starting to pull at the edges of her. The book manages to cover so much, so many social issues distilled into her investigations. She thought her investigations were fruitless, that she wasn’t making progress; but all the while she saw so much, and unwittingly helped so many.

By the end of the book, I wanted to hug most of the characters, with a few obvious exceptions. I felt so proud of their courage, and their determination to move forward, while keeping alive the past, and those who will forever live forever only in that time.

This is the author’s debut, and I am writing this review extremely early, the book doesn’t publish for another 5 months; but I am already incredibly eager to read whatever Jennie writes next.
Without a doubt, this is a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me, I thought it was wonderful. I hope you will love it too.

From The Cover📖

Yorkshire, 1979

Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.

Because of the murders.

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 down their street. People they know. People they don't.

But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, 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?

Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this beautifully written novel. Funny, poignant written with real compassion and a tender voice. A superb look at childhood, at growing up, at starting to see the world around you isn’t all that seems or all good. Jennie Godfrey is such a talented new voice in fiction, her writing is brave and unexpected and reminded me of Joanna Cannon. whose work I adore. A beautiful and emotional debut that I know will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended. This was not at all what I expecting from the cover but it is all the better for it.

Told in first person POV with the wonderfully unique Miv and in the second person POV from the other well written brought to life touching cast of characters we travel to 1970’s Yorkshire in the mist of the hunt for the Yorkshire ripper, this is not only a well plotted story of family life but a tribute to the victims. Whist it is set in the 1970’s a lot of the topics and the thinking around them are very still topical and relevant for today, Jennie has weaved a dark subject matter into a heartwarming, tender and a some what uplifting story full of hope. I found this book really engaging, I liked the slight mystery within, I found the Yorkshire ripper element fascinating, I loved the innocence and unique voice of Miv and the nostalgia throughout.

A surprising must read novel that will stay with you long after. Fabulous debut

A lovely story set in Yorkshire during the time of the Ripper murders. Anyone who was a youngster in the 70s will recognise so much of the detail.
Miv is a great character. She tells the story and through her investigations into the case learns so much about life and the people around her in her community.
Recommended.

Not sure whether this is a children's story (albeit with dark themes of serial murders and racism) or an adult story written in the more simplistic manner of a child's with two youngsters endeavouring to solve the Yorkshire Ripper attacks themselves.
Other reviews would indicate that I am in the minority here but a book not really for me.
However my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

This was a really quirky, enjoyable book. I loved the characters and the descriptions of growing up in Yorkshire were great. Highly recommended.

A good book centred around the era of the Yorkshire Ripper. Miv lives with her mom and dad and her Auntie Jean who moved in as her mom was suffering with depression. Her mother became more and more of a recluse and Miv managed to always get out and about as she was to an extent unsupervised. As the murders continued Miv decided she was going to investigate these and bring the murderer to justice. She managed to persuade her best friend, Sharon, into the investigation which on occasion did not according to plan. She started reading into things which became dead ends although she was convinced she was on the right trail. As the book continues you can see how she is growing up fast and wants so desperately her mom’s comfort. Another thing which upsets her is that her dad is always out and when she finds out why this is devastated which causes more friction at home. The story also touches on the NF element which causes Mr Bashir (the local newsagent) and his son terrible problems and Miv is really upset about the whole National Front thing. The book gets better as you go through it and I loved the different characters especially Mrs Andrews, the local librarian and how the book ends for her. A great read

This is such a nostalgic read and coming from someone roughly the same age as the main character and from Yorkshire, this really touched me. I think the fact that this is a debut novel makes it even better. I think this book will make waves when it is released,

Initially I found the use of the Yorkshire ripper's crimes as a background to a story rather distasteful, having been living in Heaton in Bradford at the time of his reign of terror, but the author wove an enjoyable story from a child's viewpoint. She also included the hateful crimes of racial discrimination and wife beating in the story.

A debut, coming of age novel set during the time when the Yorkshire ripper was active.

Miv's family life is troubled, her mum has had a nervous breakdown and hasn't spoken for sometime. Her aunt has moved in to help take care of them, but with the ripper still out there, Yorkshire isn't what it used to be and there is talk of moving away. This is devastating to Miv, who would then lose her best friend, Sharon, the one stable thing in her life. Her solution is to catch the ripper, so she starts the list of suspicious things and sets out with Sharon to investigate. Along the way, the pair meet a strong cast of characters and form a pretty tight group of friends.

I felt it was a strong debut that evokes a real sense of time and place, I did think the ending let it down a bit; there were some threads of the story I would have liked more detail on, and some things that I felt a bit let down by; however, I enjoyed reading it and think it should do well.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

I loved this book. A real trip down memory lane for someone who grew up in the north of England in the 70's. Told through the voice of Miv a young girl who is determined to catch Jack the Ripper. It's got so many themes that run beautifully together and the characters seem so real and of their time. Some real hard hitting themes that include domestic abuse, racism and of course murder.
Thanks to the author (please write more!) publisher and NetGalley for the pre published copy.

Jennie Godfrey has managed to bring the late 70s and early 80s alive through the pages of this stunning novel. Twelve year old Miv is a wonderful character who, together with Sharon, her best friend, makes it her mission to track down the Yorkshire Ripper. The plot is cleverly executed as the girls’ search reveals so much about the private lives of those in this small Yorkshire town. Friendships are made, marriages are in trouble and racism rears its ugly head.

The importance of community is paramount in the telling of this story and the friendship between the two main characters is central to this novel for so many different reasons.

This is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.

Miv and Sharon are best friends. Sharon is everything that Miv aspires to be; pretty, popular, confident and outgoing but she has chosen Miv as her best friend and closest confident.
This is the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. When women were terrified of going out at night and dark haired men were looked at suspiciously.
Miv decides that she and Sharon should try to catch the Ripper and so they begin a list of suspicious things. Men with dark hair and a moustache. Men who don't behave quite as 'normal".
But there are other had things happening in their town, as in the rest of the country. Racism is rife and When Sharon befriends and eventually falls for Ishtiaq she opens herself to comments from many in her community.
The story is about so many issues and has a bitter sweet ending which would be spoilt by saying too much.
It is enough to say that the girls do not catch the Ripper.

An unlikely coming of age story set against the background of the Yorkshire Ripper, but it really works. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This book is written in a very simplistic manner, more in the style of YA. It is the story of Miv and her pal Sharon, who at the age of twelve, decide to enliven their lives with their dysfunctional families by trying to catch the Yorkshire Ripper. Set in the 1960/70s it is in many ways, true to its time.
However, it’s a dark subject to be making light of in my opinion, and I just did not enjoy it.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book?

A tender coming of age story set in a Yorkshire town living under the very real threat of the Yorkshire Ripper. The book is about friendship, first love, family and, of course, suspicious things. Some very gritty themes are dealt with as the story progresses, but every one is dealt with sensitivly but without skirting over the issue. Bad things happen to good people & life isn't a fairy tale, but family, friendship, community & the kindness of strangers shine through in this book.