A truly unique book one of which I wished would never end! A testament to the power of storytelling and the written word.
It was a suspenseful, emotional, and thoroughly engaging. I absolutely adored it and wish there was more like it!

I'd heard so much about this book that I started to follow the author, Jennie Godfrey, online. I was so happy to receive a copy of this book and it didn't disappoint. I had been married for less than a month when the Yorkshire Ripper began his killing spree and by 1979, when this book is set, was, like the4 rest of the nation, horrified by the frequency with which he killed. This book is so evocative of those days and feels so familiar. The descriptions of rooms: wallpaper, carpets, shades of brown were everywhere, even in my home. Through the efforts of 12 year old Miv and her friend Sharon, the author has transported me back to the world of Margaret Thatcher, sensitively handling the issues of racism, domestic abuse, sexual abuse and mental health that we picked our way through. There is a real flavour of Yorkshire and of the horror and frustration experienced by those living with this fear. Jennie Godfrey has captured the emotion and reasoning of a 12 year old girl and her quest to do what the police have failed at: catch the Yorkshire Ripper. The characters are diverse and authentic to the period with all the flaws and failings of humanity. As in real life, it's not always the people you think who will be strong and Jennie has certainly explored this to the full. A wonderful book. I look forward to reading her next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

A fun, enjoyable read. Easy to read, written well and makes you laugh and was fast paced and heartwarming. I would recommend.

Yorkshire, 1979. England has just begun living under the iron yoke of Margeret Thatcher's government, while an unknown killer has been terrorising the women of Yorkshire for four years. When her father mentions the possibility of moving 'Down South', away from their beloved Yorkshire and Miv's best friend, Sharon, Miv fixates upon the murders: if they were solved, surely there'd be no reason to move away?

Considering that it is nominally about a quest to solve a series of brutal murders, Jennie Godfrey's debut novel is a touching, sweet story about growing up, family and community, full of vividly drawn characters and with a tightly-written, engaging plot.

Godfrey was inspired to write a book set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper murders because she grew up in Dewsbury, the base for the so-called 'Ripper Squad', and her father - a mechanic - even knew Peter Sutcliffe, the man eventually identified as the Yorkshire Ripper, through his work. Through Miv and Sharon, she confidently gives voice to girls who were considered too young to be potential victims of the Ripper, and yet were old enough to know what was happening, and offers an insight into how such an infamous, high profile case may have impacted them and their communities. The mystery of the Ripper drives the plot, but also recedes into the background at times as Miv and Sharon uncover a trove of secrets about their neighbours along the way - some sordid, others just sad.

Godfrey is proud of her Yorkshire roots and it shows through the warmth of her descriptions of the small town and its inhabitants, even as she voices her exasperation at 'this Yorkshire way of talking around the things that mattered, of carrying on regardless.' However, she doesn't flinch at depicting a troubled, fractured community where high unemployment and the collapse of heavy industry were the perfect breeding ground for anti-immigrant, anti-outsider sentiment among those desperate to go back to 'the way things were'. Godfrey also paints a picture of a place where gender roles were entrenched, casual misogyny normal and domestic violence hushed up. The List of Suspicious Things convincingly illustrates how suspicion and mistrust must have infiltrated northern, working class communities during the time of the Ripper murders.

Godfrey tenderly captures the distinct period of girlhood when you straddle the boundary between childhood and fully-fledged adolescence - a time when you are torn between wanting to cling on to the security of childhood and longing to take the first frightening, exciting steps into a grown-up world of make-up, boys and puberty. The friendship between Miv and Sharon is beautifully realised and the reader can feel Miv's pain at feeling her more mature, wordly friend seeming to pull away from her over the course of the story as they grow older. Miv's narration accurately portrays the naïvety of children her age; she tries to navigate the adult word in other to carry out her investigation, but doesn't have the life experience or vocabulary to fully realise the extent of much of what she uncovers. Even as she is being counselled to come home when the streetlights go on, in her innocence Miv cannot comprehend that handsome men can be monsters or that boys she's grown up with could be dangerous. Godfrey also captures the frustration of feeling that you have something important to say, but that no one is listening to you because of your age.

Godfrey takes the time to ensure that the minor characters who live and work alongside Miv's family have interesting, layered back stories, and I found the chapters from the perspective of Omar, the Pakistani corner shop proprietor, and Helen, the shy librarian, particularly compelling. Godfrey develops connections between each of the characters, as befits a small community, and some of the unlikely friendships that emerge throughout the story - which in other hands might have felt contrived - are really beautiful.

The ending felt a little too neat and cosy for me, particularly the resolution to the plotline about Miv's mother's vaguely described mental health issues, but I was rooting for many of the characters to end the novel in a more hopeful position than they began it in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Hutchinson Heinemann for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

A really great and fun read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS by Jennie Godfrey is a rare gem. A unique book that defies category: tense, dramatic, funny, thought-provoking and moving. A book that really stays with you long after you finish it. It tells the story of Miv, a young girl struggling with family tensions in the 1970'2 during the time of the Ripper murders in Yorkshire. The writer brilliantly captures the awful atmosphere of suspicion and fear pervading the local community while the murders remained unsolved, by showing the effect on one young girl, Miv, and the people around her. She deflects from her own problems by determining to do the impossible: to solve the Ripper murders. In the process she discovers that everyone has secrets and her driven, heroic and sometimes dangerous meddling shakes situations up - for good and for bad. The writer evokes the historical period with evocative details and handles a large cast of characters with aplomb. A truly impressive debut.

It’s 1979 and the Yorkshire Ripper is on the loose. Miv, a young girl with many problems of her own, decides that she and her friend Sharon will be the ones to capture him. And so begins The List of Suspicious Things.
A thoroughly engaging and thoughtful read, bringing the challenges of life in the late 70s, early 80s to the surface using multiple povs.
I really enjoyed reading this book and, in my opinion, it would work equally well for a YA audience as well as for adults.
Congratulations to the author, I’m sure this book is destined for great things.

The idea behind this book is clever but the reality of reading about two kids trying to solve a huge case like this just didn't do it for me. It was not a book I felt compelled to pick up but I got to the end and it was an ok-ish read. Sorry I cannot be nicer, its just not my kind of book though I'm sure lots of people would like it. If you like mysteries and are not bothered by kids trying to solve the crime, it might be for you.

As soon as I saw the eye-catching cover, I was instantly drawn to 'The List of Suspicious Things' and knew I had to read it after perusing the description. I have a particular fondness for books that evoke a sense of nostalgia, especially those set in the latter half of the 20th century. It was an absolute privilege to have been granted access to an advance reader copy, and I write this review with great pleasure.

A big grin spread across my face after reading a few pages. What a delight to visualise the humorous domestic scenes and be reminded of things I had encountered in a 1980s British school and long forgotten. I absorbed myself with ease and pleasure, relishing in the talented way Godfrey writes from the perspective of a girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager and expertly captures the concerns of a young mind. The experience of nostalgia lit a spark of happiness and contentment within me.

A beautiful equilibrium was drawn between serious social issues and humour, with the flow from one to the other perfectly accomplished. The entire story was packaged with care and sensitivity and the stream of individual struggles explored from the perspective of minor characters were pleasingly concluded at the end. Far from disrupting the flow, this brought additional layers of depth and enhanced the experience: as I progressed in reading 'The List of Suspicious Things', a great fondness of certain characters was borne - as well as a dislike for others, whom I was pleased to witness receiving their 'just desserts'!

The deep, reverberating wounds caused by The Yorkshire Ripper were relayed in Miv's story, with victims' real names interwoven with the main work of fiction. It was believable and suitably honoured the memories of those who died, with Sharon's emotionally mature outlook (which saw the victims as women) complimenting Miv's more determined and factual perspective as she sought to catch The Ripper. It was a wonderful example of how two different outlooks and personalities can both create friction, but still manage to work together, with the bonds of friendship ultimately winning out.

Although this book dealt with tragedy and grave topics, Godfrey managed to blend enough moments of warmth and intimacy to prompt more emotions than sadness in the reader. Friendship was a key theme and consistently precipitated reflection as to how Miv's relationships would unfold. The final conclusion is memorable, heartfelt and marvellous.

I'm keen to read more from Jennie Godfrey and am thrilled to award 'The List of Suspicious Things' a well-deserved 5 stars and a place on Mrs Bennett's Bookshelf - the first to receive a full 5 stars since inception in June 2023.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was a different read to what I am used to but saying that I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters so would recommend to other readers.

It's 1979 and Yorkshire is being terrorised by the Yorkshire Ripper. Best friends Miv and Sharon decide to investigate, hoping they can unmask the man responsible.

The List Of Suspicious Things from Jennie Godfrey is one of those novels you become completely immersed in. The style and language draw you in and you feel as if you are one of the characters. It helped that as a child of the sixties, the story felt very nostalgic for me.

Primarily a book about friendship, this novel also reflects on many of the issues of the time; the fear caused by the Yorkshire Ripper, the decline of the industrialized north and racism to name a few. The author has illustrated how these things impacted on tight-knit communities.

Miv and Sharon are chalk and cheese but complement each other. On the cusp of becoming teenagers, they are in that no-mans land of no longer children, but still not adults. Miv is the driving force of the pair. Virtually motherless, with a father who has little time for her, she is tended by a stern Aunt. At home, Miv loses herself in books such as The Famous Five and you can see how she uses these as a blueprint to investigate. Unfortunately, these stories also reflect a different era and we see how the naive friends end up in some dangerous situations.

Some of the things the girls get up to would be considered inappropriate today, but they show how communities rallied together and supported each other. Unfortunately, they also show a time when gossip was freely swapped but things such as mental health and domestic abuse were considered taboo subjects for discussion. It's the things that aren't discussed, both between neighbours and within families, that give the whole novel a tone of sadness. We learn that people keep living by simply putting one foot in front of the other each day. It is only when tragic events take place that people begin to contemplate their place in life and others open up.

I loved this coming-of-age story, it shows the fierceness of innocence, the bonds of friendship and the excitement of first love set against a community terrorised and worn down.

This was such a coming of age book, strongly evocative of the 1970s. I must be about the same age as Miv and she felt authentic, growing up and confused not having a full understanding of events around her. I loved it, despite the bombshell near the end, and would like to read more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley.

‘The List of Suspicious Things’ by Jennie Godfrey is an absolutely sensational debut novel and it the best book I have read this year at least!

This novel is set in Yorkshire in the 1970’s in a community rocked to its core by the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper.

Miv is a young girl and she decides that she needs to find the Yorkshire Ripper and stop him. She enlists the help of her friend Sharon and the List of Suspicious Things begins.

The List is a distraction from Miv’s home life, where her Mum is poorly and the rest of the family are struggling to cope with this.

This book absolutely brims with amazingly developed characters, most of which you come to love.

The book is also brimming with themes and it is done in such a sensitive and caring way.

This is a book that you really can’t put down and that really carries you on a rollercoaster of emotions.

I cannot recommend this book enough and it is a book that has touched me and will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review. I am honoured.

I absolutely loved this book. A difficult subject matter so tenderly and sensitively handled, that I felt as though Jennie Godfrey was sitting at the side of me, wiping my tears but nodding when I smiled. As a child who grew up when the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper made the newspaper headlines, the fear was real and the author transports the reader into the world as it was, prior to the internet and mobile phones. Miv and Sharon grew up at a time when libraries were the first resource you used; telephone boxes had to be used and you could disappear for the day, without Life360 or Findmy... apps tracking every move. Every situation is so intricately woven into the story, that it isn't the story, if that makes sense? Racism, domestic abuse, suicide, rape, child abuse, alcohol abuse - all included, so cleverly that you do not feel as though you're reading through a tick list of subjects that an author wants to hashtag. The myriad of relationships that unfold are obvious but beautiful. A List of Suspicious Things is a fantastic debut novel, that I have already told so many friends about.. I feel as though I just want to sit and tell you everything that happens, but my talent isn't that of Jennie Godfrey, and everyone deserves to have her sit at the side of you.. I can not wait for her next novel. Thank you NetGalley - this is why I love this site.. thank you.

The List of Suspicious Things is a rather wonderful debut novel set at the end of the 1970s and focussing on the fascination a 12 year old girl, Miv, has with finding the Yorkshire Ripper.

The List of Suspicious Things is about so much more than this quest though. It takes Miv, and her friend Sharon’s search for the Yorkshire Ripper as the canvas for a study of some wonderful characters all living in Miv’s neighbourhood and who all find themselves at some point on The List of Suspicious Things.

As I started to read the book and realised that we were being taken through each suspicious person on Miv’s List, I was a little concerned that this was simply going to be a series of individual tales with no discernible thread to link them all together. How wrong I was. Once the individual stories begin to intertwine the book really came alive and I couldn’t read it fast enough. The characters the author has drawn were wonderfully presented - albeit some of them rather unpleasant - and there were times that I had to go back and re-read some of the writing as it was so beautifully crafted.

As well as the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, the book deals with some of the other difficult social issues of the time including racism and the National Front, domestic violence and hidden mental health problems.

I have no doubt that this will be a much talked about book in 2024 and will feature in many ‘books of the year’ lists - quite rightly so.

Thank you to the publishers Hutchinson Heinemann and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book ahead of its publication in 2024.

A really well written story that evoked the period it was set in - a time i grew up so it really brought back memories for me and was set just right. I loved the portrayal of the complexity of friendships, feeling different and growing up. It was an intriguing read and far more heart wrenching than I initially bargained for. Really touching and a story and cast that will linger with me.

I am very grateful to Net Galley and the publishers of this book for the E-Arc I received for review.

I was very drawn by the synopsis of this book. Set in Yorkshire in 1979, the year Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female Prime Minister and at a time when the North Of England was gripped by the hunt for a terrible, sadistic monster, known as The Yorkshire Ripper. No one felt safe and few were above suspicion. One little girl, with troubles of her own, sets out to investigate and find the Ripper.

I LOVED this book. I was 2 years old in 1979 and I grew up in London, very different to Yorkshire but the nostalgia seeping from the chapters of this book was so familiar. So much was just as it felt at the time, as if Jennie Godfrey had taken detailed notes of life in 1970's Britain and woven them expertly into the story. The details, the people, the language, all of it was spot on. The warmth of the place and time was such a nice place to be whilst reading, despite what else was going on.

While the murders that were happening at the time feature heavily in this book, with victims being found and identified in real time and the police investigation swirling around them, this book is about community and friendship above all else. I cried a few times, I got angry at the terrible things happening to some characters and the behaviour of others. I would have loved a friendship like Miv and Sharon's, at any age. This book is a masterpiece. Read it and remember the women who's lives were taken and those whose lives were turned upside down by a monster, hiding in plain sight.

Oh, I’m sad for those of you who will have to wait until 2024 to read this, as it’s clearly going to be one of my favourite books of the year. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Lovely 12 year old Miv and her best friend Sharon live in Yorkshire in a time dominated by the search for the Yorkshire Ripper. There’s a lot going on in their worlds too, and driven by curiosity and need to solve things, Miv decides that they could find the Ripper themselves. So she writes a list of suspicious things and they start to investigate. Along the way, they uncover all sorts of other things within their local community, about themselves, and about their neighbours. They fall in love, discover what it’s like to like to live in an adult world, and right some wrongs, although there are definitely some mistakes made by our amateur sleuth.
This is a novel full of lovely warmth and wit. The Yorkshire setting allows for a familiarity of place and dialect which feels comforting. But boy, is there some big stuff here. Racism, domestic abuse and paedophilia are all tackled within the pages of this novel, but in a way which makes sense as all the stories are connected. Miv’s family is complicated, with a silent mother, a prickly aunt and a reserved dad all living together. I grew to love Miv, Sharon, and their friends (particularly Ishtiaq) and their early 80s childhood where they are able to roam without the distraction of phones or computers.
Towards the end of the book something happens which made me ugly cry, and which changes everyone’s lives forever.
This is an absolutely brilliant debut, in fact, it’s just a brilliant book, without that qualifier. This deserves all the accolades I’m sure it’s going to get. I’ll certainly be raving about it to everyone.

Set in a Yorkshire village, this is a coming of age tale about friendship and community, with the sinister killings of the Yorkshire Ripper casting a shadow.
Can Miv and her friends do what the police can’t and uncover the identity of the murderer? They uncover quite a few local secrets along the way.

I grew up in Yorkshire and the language and potted meat sandwiches were spot on!
A brilliant book well worth a read.

There were aspects of this novel I enjoyed very much, so I'll list them:
1. The period in which it was set. I made so many connections here because of the many references throughout the book. Definitely my era!
2. I liked the way in which the characters were portrayed.
3. The dialogue was authentic and the story had a lot of heart, hence I believe it will appeal to those who enjoy real-life family dramas.

What I found a little disappointing:
1. If I'm truly honest I found the writing style a little immature in parts. It really did read like a debut.
2. Too much 'real life/soap opera feel' for my taste.
3. I'm surprised that it's listed under literary fiction as I would not consider it literary. There was a lot of head nodding, far too many adverbs, and the writing felt simplistic.

That said, I believe this book will have wide appeal and be very popular. I probably would have enjoyed it more twenty years ago, but I now prefer something more challenging/thought provoking.

My thanks to the publisher for granting me an ARC via Netgalley.