My first 5 star read for a very long time. I enjoyed every minute of being immersed in this brilliantly evocative story, woven through the background of the real-life murders of thirteen women by the notorious Yorkshire Ripper. I am so often frustrated by clumsy use of varying points of view but Jennie Godfrey deftly weaves the narrative from different viewpoints, sometimes from unexpected narrators. I loved Miv, clever and endearing, with so much to learn about the world. And the 1970’s was so brilliantly evoked, often by an appropriately placed song lyric. A remarkable debut and I am so looking forward to reading more from this author.

I absolutely loved this book and I'm still thinking of it. This is a story of two best friends who set out to find a murderer through their own investigations and the trial and tribulations of teenage friendships. Jennie Godfrey writes teenage experience so well and the story itself is a real page turner. This book has heart and I would recommend this absolute page turner to anyone.

Is this really a debut novel? Excellent read, I remember the era well with the strikes hardships etc. that the 70's bought to everyday people.

This novel is one that really plucks the heartstrings, childhood friendships, and the growing, developing age of the characters involved. Riveting read. A few times the tissues had to come out.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this excellent novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy of this delightful debut novel. This coming of age story is set in Yorkshire in 1979 just as Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female British Prime Minister and The Ripper continues to make headline news striking terror into local communities. It is the story of a young girl growing up, of friendship, love and so much more. Told mainly from 12 year old Miv's point of view it is littered with references to the music, politics and cultural awakenings of the 70 and 80's. As the police are struggling to stop the 'Yorkshire Ripper' Miv and her best friend Sharon decide to find him. Throughout the story the author has captured the innocence of a pre internet and mobile phone age, one where news was gleaned from newspapers and gossips in close communities where everyone knew everyone. Jennie Godfrey has taken the issues of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, mental health and racism and sensitively woven them into an excellent book that I am happy to recommend. Look forward to more from this author.

It’s 1979, Thatcher has just been elected and the Yorkshire Ripper is casting a shadow and putting everyone in Yorkshire on edge. Including 12 year old Miv, whose dad is threatening to move away from Yorkshire. The police are getting nowhere with the case so she convinces her best friend Sharon that they should investigate. They buy a notebook and start their list of suspicious things.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this debut novel. As a Yorkshire lass I was drawn to it because of the Yorkshire setting, but I’m so glad I read it. It is a coming of age tale told by Miv. There are some pretty heavy themes in it, suicide, grief, SA, CSA, bullying, racial tensions, DV and it is at times quite bleak. But Miv is a compelling narrator, with her immaturity and naivety. Miv isn’t the only narrator, with some chapters being told by other characters . I was in tears by the end, it’s a story that will stay with me. I thoroughly recommend it and look forward to more from Jennie Godfrey.

I'm afraid it's one of those awkward times when you review a book everyone loves...and you don't.

The List of Suspicious seems to be getting 5 stars from one and all but I'm an outlier on this one.

It's a coming-of-age story set in Yorkshire around the time of the Ripper murders. A young girl called Miv decides to try to solve the mystery of the murderer.

A nice set-up, but the execution left me feeling like a dispassionate observer of the story, rather than reeling me in. Miv is a good central character but some of the other characters were thin, to the point I often forgot who was who.

I think my main two issues with the book were the pacing and the unremitting bleakness.

In terms of pacing, i almost DNF'd the book around a third of the way through because it was dull. Then in the last 20% of the book suddenly no end of crazy shit starts happening. Perhaps if some of these events had happened earlier it would have got me invested. It would also have prevented the climax of the book feeling somewhat unrealistic, with a huge amount of stuff suddenly happening concurrently. It was exciting, but also felt a bit silly.

In terms of bleakness, if this is Yorkshire life, I'd recommend Miv, and everyone else, moves to another area. Life can throw challenges at us from time to time but Miv appears to be fucking jinxed! Over the course of the few months the book covers she encounters severe mental illness, adultery, racism, arson, manslaughter, paedophilia (which felt bizarrely levered in as a sub-plot near the end), deviant vicars, domestic abuse, suicide and tragic death.

It wouldn't have been surprised to find out the postman was a Nazi war criminal in hiding. I certainly hope Miv's following few months were a little more chilled.

The List of Suspicious Things had some good things going for it but ultimately seemed suspiciously like a list of melodramatic YA events, which felt uncomfortable alongside the very serious subject matter.

Huge thanks to the publisher and the author for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This was such an incredible read, it’s thoughtful, engaging, emotional and I really felt moved reading it. It must have been such a precarious time.

This is a hugely accomplished debut. Full of atmosphere for its era, intrigue, and characters that hook you in.

A lot of research was obviously conducted for this, and it shows. I lived through these years and I felt I was transported back in time. Over and above its specific setting, this is a great investigation into the kinds of issues faced in childhood, particularly here sexism and racism.

Sounds serious? Well, yes it is; but the author’s skill and the use of younger POV lets this soar with a lightness too.

Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this.

It’s such a sweet but desperately sad story, and wonderfully written. Jennie Godfrey creates a brilliant cast of characters and explores their interconnecting lives.

It’s so well written, and allows the reader to perfectly imagine a small Yorkshire town in the 80’s. She captures the racial tension, the economic struggles, and the fear people felt due to the Yorkshire ripper.

It’s heartbreaking in parts, and heartwarming in others, and it’s just an excellent book!

Fabulous book. A touching tale, primarily about friendship; this is beautifully written. Covering a dark time in criminal history, many of us will remember the fears around at this time. It is all handled very well.
A book I will keep remembering, and one that I have already recommended to lots of others.

Wow, this was such an incredible debut. I was initially attracted the the premise of the 70’s era, and Yorkshire location of Bradford/leeds where I too grew up at the time of ‘The Ripper’. So many familiar, nostalgic feelings were drawn out whilst reading, but it’s such a good book that it’s far from the main reason for its success.

The story is narrated from several characters point of view, but primarily from 12 year old Miv’s viewpoint, but this isn’t a teen novel; it deals with some incredibly grizzly topics - domestic abuse, racism, the rise of the National Front, paedophilia, suicide, prostitution, alcoholism and last but far from least, the horrifically violent murders of ‘The Ripper’. Jennie Godfrey cleverly switches between each character to give us insight into their secret lives, and as a reader we feel we are shown the secrets and lies of these characters and crucially, what goes on behind closed doors.

The pre-teens Miv and Sharon totally steal your heart. They both play ‘detectives’, making lists of suspicious things about people who are in their lives, comically determined to personally identify and catch the ‘Ripper’ whom the police had warned would be hiding in plain sight. There is a childish innocence in their suspicions and their fears, which reads a little like an Enid Blyton mystery story at times, but this childish register only adds to the readers’ sense of irony. We can foresee the dangers they present for themselves, but their immaturity actually protects them from the full fear... until it doesn’t.

I laughed, cried (sobbed in fact!) and smiled wryly at this beautiful, touching book. Highly recommended as an absorbing and quite beautiful read.

Thank you to Net Galley and to Jennie Godfrey for an advance reader’s copy.

Absolutely loved this book.

Set in 1970s Yorkshire during the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, Miv starts her List of Suspicious Things and ropes her friend Sharon into investigating with her.

The book touches on murder, suicide, spousal abuse, alcohol abuse, xenophonbia and paedophilia but in spite of these heavy topics, it is a hopeful story.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book and would like to thank Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review. And my honest review is read this book you won't regret it

‘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?’

The List of Suspicious Things was an absolutely delightful read. Having grown up a few years into the 80s and a few miles from Dewsbury, it felt incredibly evocative of that period.

The only weakness for me (if I can call it that: it’s more that I thought the book would have been stronger for focusing only on Miv’s perspective) we’re the pov chapters from the adult characters. These tended too much towards telling, not showing, when I’d have preferred to work out the threads of their stories through Miv’s eyes. But this is a minor complaint and I would still highly recommend the book.

Wow
I was born in West Yorkshire in 1975 and although I don’t obviously remember the Yorkshire Ripper at the time, I did grow up knowing his name. I might be a few years younger than Miv but I felt like Miv could have been me. The characters are super genuine, I feel I met them all in my childhood. It took me straight back to growing up in a small mining town in Yorkshire. The dialogue of Aunty Jean could have come straight out of my mum's mouth. I found myself smiling while reading the Yorkshire language, its spot on. "By heck", it's so believable that many times I asked myself "is this memoir or literally fiction?" I found it hard to see where the author had used her artistic abilities and what she had plucked straight from memory.
Aside from the wonderfully nostalgic dialogue, the book does tackle some dark themes like domestic violence, racism, suicide and mental health, but overall the book is about healing, growing and coming of age. It's about relationships and bringing folks together. I love a book about characters and where the setting becomes a character in itself and for me this had wonderful, marvellous characters in spades. If you are born and bred Yorkshire, "thy'll love it". If you love a characters you can fall for, this is "rate up ya ally"
Thank you to Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Miv lives in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Ripper is what everyone is discussing. The story is set in the 70s when the newspapers were full of articles about the Yorkshire Ripper and his victims. Miv lives at home with her father, her aunt and her mother. Her aunt lives with the family because her mother has become so withdrawn, she is unable to look after Miv so Aunt Joan has stepped in to help. The atmosphere at home is quite cold most of the time, probably because of the way the mother has become and the secrets that are being kept. Miv has a best friend, Sharon and Miv adores her. Stella is pretty and vivacious and Miv, who is shy and slightly withdrawn tries to model herself on her. Miv, with Sharon’s help decides they are going to discover who the Yorkshire Ripper is and this becomes the focus for both of them, but particularly for Miv. In a notebook she notes down any man she thinks is a bit suspicious, hence the book title. The consequences of their search lead to tragedy and have far reaching effects on many families in their community. This is an excellent story full of real people, some good and some bad but all believable characters. There are many strands running through the book including racial tension, domestic violence and of course the impact something like the threat of someone killing women can have on an area. The book is very well written and the pace is good but easy to follow. For a debut novel this is superb. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me and ARC of this book.

I loved this book; it is an outstanding debut. A simple title but a complex story on so many fronts. Set in Yorkshire at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper, the 70’s are brought alive, together with the Ripper still at large as the police fail to capture him and the fear this brings.
Set along side is Miv’s story. Due to suggestions that they might move South which would mean leaving her best friend behind, she decides to help identify the Ripper by making lists. The small community is brought to life in a not always comfortable way. There is racism, domestic violence but also friendship and warmth and the story of adolescence. It’s an emotional read and one that will stay with me. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. I really couldn't put it down.

A story of true friendship and community.

Miv and Sharon are two very different girls and the best of friends. You will follow them through their brilliant list and meet so many varied amazing characters along the way.

It is Yorkshire in the time of The Ripper and our heroines are out to prove themselves.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this eARC.

I remember the fear which resounded around the time of these murders. My own brother was stopped because of his resemblance to Peter Sutcliffe. It was a scary time to be a woman. As a ten year old I know I was often shielded from realities such as this but my dad was also a policeman so I naturally overheard things.

I felt the novel certainly improved as it went along. I became more absorbed with the characters pursuits.

The author was also not afraid to tackle difficult subject material.

Miv and Sharon remind me of the childhood dramas we used to think were terribly important. They were endearing and developed well as the novel progressed.

I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. This novel is out in February 2024.

I am undecided between rating 4 and 5 stars for this book. It does get significantly better as it goes on and I finished the last 40% of it in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. There are a couple of events in the last third of the book that are genuinely so upsetting to read about and gave me a lump in my throat. I really do hope that when this is published, content warnings are clearly listed at the beginning.

I struggled to get into it at the beginning because I always think "tween" age is the hardest to get correct as a first person narrator, and it was also irritating that Miv's point of view was the only first person one. I don't mind alternating narrators at all, but using 3rd person for all the adults and 1st person for Miv was a little distracting and didn't make for smooth reading. This is the reason I would take a star off, but as the story progresses it does become less jarring.

Towards the end of the book the reader comes to realise that "member of the public wants to solve murders" was never really the main point of the novel, the main point is in fact more of a love letter to tween/teen friendships, and solidarity between different marginalised groups.

On the surface, it has a bit of a Hollywood ending where the various criminal characters all get their dues, but there is a mixture of bittersweet emotions that remains, based on everything the other characters lost before it got to that point, as well as awareness that we are living roughly 40 years after this book is set and yet these issues of misogyny and domestic violence are far from over.

Being a Yorkshire girl the same age as Miv so much of this book resonated with me. From the songs about Thatcher to the fear of the Yorkshire Ripper I felt like I was living this book. It’s beautifully written, isn’t afraid to cover racism, domestic abuse, bullying and so much more. This is probably the most touching book I’ve read for a long time and it will stay with me. It’s just beautiful heartbreaking nostalgia.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.