This is a charming, poignant story set in the midst of Peter Sutcliffe's terrible crimes. Our heroine is at that awful age when she's no longer the child she once was but still nowhere near to being an adult. I found her navigation of life, family relationships, racism and everything beyond compelling.

I heard Jennie Godfrey on the Radio 2 Book Club podcast and she came across so lovely and enthusiastic about her book. I discovered I had been fortunate enough to receive an advance copy so decided to put it to the top of my reading list.

The book is a coming of age story, set in the late 70s in Yorkshire. It follows Miv and her best friend Sharon as they navigate the challenges of life. The Yorkshire Ripper is dominating the headlines and women are fearful. Miv’s dad has suggested they move ‘down south’ which fills her with dread, so she sets about making a list of suspicious things, in a bid to find the identity of the killer and hopefully not have to move away.

I was a bit concerned that the book would be doom and gloom and almost make a mockery of the situation, however I was wrong. There’s so much to the story than the ripper. The characters are so well done, I could picture them all and really grew to like Miv. Despite her struggles at home and feeling like she doesn’t fit in at school, she carries on with her list and has a heart of gold, just wanting the best for others. Miv is a child, and at times this is very apparent, but she also shows insight and maturity beyond her years.

The book sensitively deals with many serious themes including racism, mental illness, abuse and bullying. Despite this, there are a lot of uplifting and heartwarming moments and I wouldn’t describe it as a sad read. There are some sad and poignant moments yet the community rallies together to support each other.

Despite not being from the area and not even being alive in the 70s, I still enjoyed the story a lot and could relate to some of the characters. For a debut novel this is brilliant and I would really recommend it. Miv will stay with me for a while yet.

Published on 15th February 2024. Thanks to Penguin Random House UK, Cornerstone, and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy.

This is EXCEPTIONAL. I loved every page. I’m a nostalgia junky at the best of times, but this novel made it all the more enjoyable. What an incredible debut. Read it now. Not a moment to waste.

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

Wow! This book. I think this may be my top read of the year. It’s a debut and I’m pretty sure everyone is going to adore this book.

I thought this book was about the Yorkshire Ripper but it is only a small part of the story. It’s set in Yorkshire in the late 1970s when the Ripper is at large and Margaret Thatcher has become the first female prime minister.

Miv, the main character, and her best friend Sharon are school girls. Miv overhears her Dad talking and believes they are going to move away from Yorkshire because it is too dangerous for young women with the Ripper at large. Miv and Sharon decide to take matters into their own hands to try and catch the murderer so that Miv and her family will stay in Yorshire. The girls begin to investigate and draw up a list of suspicious things, covering people within their community and strange happenings, but their hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper leads them to uncover dark secrets within their own town.

This is a beautiful coming of age story about two girls, their friendship, their families and the importance of community. The book is nostalgic, yet at the same time exposes the inherent racism and prejudice, the lack of understanding of mental health, and the blind eye many turned to domestic violence. This book was both heartwarming and also heartbreaking, with twists I really didn’t see coming. This is a stunning book that I will reread very soon as I didn’t want it to end and I’m already missing the main characters.

Such an insightful book! I’d class it as a family drama. It’s written in the first person for Miv’s chapters and the third person for the chapters about other people in the story. I really liked the writing style and it definitely makes you think. Definitely recommend this one. Thank you #netgalley

I’ll start by saying that this is the authors debut book and wow what an a brilliant debut it was, I actually had to double check that it actually was a debut it was that good. This book completely and utterly hooked me from the very start. It’s 1979 and Margaret Thatcher had just become Prime Minister in the U.K. Whilst all this politics is going on there is also the serious problem of a serial killer in the Yorkshire area who is murdering women and has been nicknamed the Yorkshire Ripper. Two young friends Miv and Sharon decide they will try and find the killer and make a ‘List’ of suspicious things and people and the reasons they suspect them. There is lots more going on in this wonderful coming of age book but I don’t want to say too much more for fear of saying too much and giving away spoilers. All I will say is everyone needs to read this book it truly is amazing. A definite contender for one of my top ten reads for 2024.

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

An assured first novel, this story is narrated by Miv, about to turn 12 at the start. It is 1978 and the small Yorkshire town where she lives with her father, heavily depressed mother and aunt is preoccupied with one thing - the Yorkshire Ripper’s murders. Well, not just that; there is also near-universal scorn for Margaret Thatcher’s election as Prime Minister, and the National Front is gaining a foothold amongst restless teenagers looking for trouble.

As unrest grows locally with each new Ripper killing, and Miv’s father starts making noises about moving ‘down south’ to make a fresh start, Miv decides that this must be because of the Ripper’s proximity, and she and her friend decide that the only thing for it is to catch him themselves. So they start a List of Suspicious Things, and investigate each in turn, with ultimately devastating consequences. Over the course of the next few months Miv grows from a child into a young woman. Her growing awareness of the ways of the adult world - half-truths, racism, gossip, domestic violence - is portrayed beautifully and completely realistically. As someone born only a handful of years later than Miv, I could completely relate to her confusion and resistance to real adult troubles.

This debut is absolutely pitch perfect. It is a celebration of friendship, an acknowledgement of the violence against women that has gone too long unchecked in society, and a beautiful coming of age story. It is compellingly readable and moving, without sentiment or triteness. My first five star review of the year.

Oh my goodness, what an amazing book. Despite dealing with racism, The Yorkshire Ripper, mental health and suicide, this still manages to be such an uplifting book. It speaks so well of the time it was set in; buttoned up attitudes and women still doing all the household tasks. The musings of the main protagonist, a 12 year old girl, are perfectly portrayed. This will be a massive bestseller.

Funny, sad, poignant and oh so clever, The List of Suspicious Things is a brilliant piece of writing.
Right from the very first meeting with Miv, I felt transported to my 10 year old self in the late 1970’s and childhood memories of sherbet fountains, playing Operation and hearing on the news about the Yorkshire Ripper came flooding back.
Full of heart, I loved the friendship between Sharon and Miv. Unlikely friends initially, their bond was unbreakable. The importance of this friendship was brought home time and time again as Miv and Sharon devise the list and assess their community with opened eyes. Each of the characters introduced to the story add such depth and the relationships between them and Miv are so cleverly described. Miv has broken my heart and mended it again with her unfailingly need to do good.
This book will make you cry and laugh in equal measures and is well deserved of all the accolades- it’s certainly a contender for one of my favourites of the year.

YA story but suitable for adults. It's 1979. Margaret Thatcher is just won a general election, and the country is obsessed with finding the Yorkshire Ripper who has been attacking young women in Yorkshire.
12 year old Miv hears a broadcast where the police say that the Ripper is hiding in plain sight and decides that she is going to investigate suspicious people, and finds that things are not always as they seem.
The book really evokes the times and the area and the characters are superb. Took a little while to get into it but do persevere. It's worth it.

What a way to make a debut! Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things is such a special book: I laughed, I cried (quite a bit to be honest, but I think hormones may be partly to blame 🤷🏼‍♀️), and I mainly worried about our main character, Miv.

Miv has decided that she and her friend Sharon will be the ones to solve the case of the Yorkshire Ripper. She and Sharon will make a list of all the suspicious things in their neighbourhood, and in doing so, the Rippers identity will be revealed to them. Along the way, the list actually means that they get to know a lot more about their neighbours, and they make friends in unexpected places.

And that’s all I want to say, because I don’t think I should spoil the book that you’ll all need to go out and buy! I think it’s better that you meet Miv, Sharon and the whole cast of characters through reading the book instead of my review. This will undoubtedly be on my list of favourite books this year, without a doubt.

Many thanks to Random House for my e-copy of this wonderful book through NetGalley.

I’m about the same age as Miv and this story of a girl growing up is set in the time of Margaret Thatcher, milk snatcher, rollerball lipgloss and telephones attached by a cord is so well written and evocative. Behind this is the darker world of the Yorkshire Ripper, the National Front plus domestic abuse and child sexual abuse simmering just below the surface. Dealing with the sadness of her own traumatised mother, Miv sets out to find the Ripper, working through her list of suspicious things. As she works through her suspects, she makes connections and she makes friends. Her relationship with Sharon, Ish and Paul, as well as the older characters is heart warming and authentic..

This book got off to a strong start capturing the young female protagonist and setting the scene for an interesting look at small town Northern life. Miv’s character was written really well and her anxieties and awkwardness as she straddled the gap between child and teen were easy to feel.

The area I struggled with was the Ripper storyline. It increasingly felt forced as a device to examine the other inhabitants of the town. The characters were interesting enough on their own and the topics sufficiently meaty; racism, domestic violence, being in a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business but stays out of it even when it’s dangerous. To me the Ripper was a distraction.

Overall a pleasant read that could have been great but didn’t quite get there.

Thanks to NetGalley for my proof copy.

A book I will remember.

Based in Yorkshire in the 1970’s until 1980, during a time of the Margaret Thatcher government, this book is based around the Yorkshire Ripper in the background of the storyline.

Twelve year old Miv and her best friend Sharon, embark on a mission to find the Yorkshire Ripper.
An eclectic mixture of characters both young and old make up this story.
It covers sensitive issues.
Poignant, a very touching testimony of growing up, making the baby steps of being a child, evolving into a teenager and preparing for adulthood, in all its complexities. Emotions and emotional, a reminder of how I felt at that age. A blast from the past with some of the descriptions of life in those times for me.
It covers secrets, value, worth, caring and tenderness, loyalty, compassion, understanding, living a life in difficult delicate situations, dealing with life in a small community.
Certainly a book I will remember.
An excellent read for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
I remember only too well the feeling of fear engendered by The Yorkshire Ripper that is the backdrop for this novel. I love the way in which 11 year old Miv works out that if she solves the mystery of the Yorkshire Ripper she will not have to leave her home and her best friend. She ropes Sharon in to assist in her investigations and Miv begins to list all of the “suspicious things” she notes about everyone with whom she comes into contact. This continues over a period of 3 years and at the beginning she is very naïve but gradually becomes more aware.
This is a brilliant debut novel and it is hard to imagine that a new author has begun on such a high. The period is well researched and the characters leap off the page. There are themes which will challenge our 21st century sensibilities - there is racism, bullying, misogyny and domestic violence but it is an accurate picture of the late 1970’s early 1980’s. I will definitely be recommending this book at all of my book clubs and would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

The List of Suspicious Things whisks readers back to Margaret Thatcher's 1970's Britain and the bleak time of the Yorkshire Ripper, when women were terrified, and rightly so.

The List of Suspicious Things is told through the eyes of Miv. She's a kid on a mission to solve the murders.  She and great friend, Sharon decide to make a list of people they find suspicious. They're typical kids who know the news, taken it to heart and curiosity gets to them as they try, in their own wee way to help to solve the case. As time passes by, as shown in the chapters, you can see her begin to grow-up.

The strength of friendships and community binds this book tightly together in an uplifting way that weaves through the darker themes as the 1970's rumbles on and Sutcliffe is on the loose. I read it with an understanding of how the 1970's was and I feel that's the best way to read it as there are of course a number of things that aren't so easily acceptable these days. It keeps it real and that's a great quality for this particular book. For many, there will be an air of nostalgia, some of which continued through to the 80's and 90's like fruity lipgloss/balms, styles of jeans etc.

The author, Jennie Godfrey makes the 1970's come to life, whether you lived through them or not. I did not and that did not matter. I felt transported there, through her thorough and beautiful way of writing as you navigate your way through twists and turns, discovering secrets, a pulling together of community, friendship and trends.

Jennie Godfrey has produced a stunning debut in ‘The List of Suspicious Things’. I must admit, I was anxious to read it due to the subject matter, but I trusted that Jennie would handle it with care and sensitivity and she has. The book brought back so many vivid memories of living in Thatcher's Britain. The nostalgia is strong with this one, and I relished every reference to my 1980s childhood. I love that we get to see little snapshots of the lives of the cast of characters throughout, whilst the book is essentially an ensemble piece about the power of community. It really evokes the atmosphere (and indeed fear) of the era. I was thoroughly invested in Miv, her family and friends and I'm sad to leave them. Surely the sign of a great book and a skilled writer. Well done, Jennie Godfrey! I'm so excited to see what you do next.

The adventures of Miv and Sharon didn't start well for me but I warmed to it. The book is set in the late 1970s when two young girls from Yorkshire are caught up in the hunt for the serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper. There's a kind of local hysteria at the time and Miv is drawn into it and begins to make lists of likely suspects from the local community, ticking them off one by one. Sharon who is slightly older follows but without quite the same conviction.

At the start of the book, the setting is described as overtly 'Yorkshire' and because the narrative is seen through the eyes of an 11 year old girl it is all a bit simplistic and as childish as you might expect. At times, the way she behaves and the way members of the community behave is not really convincing but it gets better.

The way the two girls are growing up is well portrayed as are the difficulties of making sense of an adult world. In the end, Miv finds out more about herself and her family even as the Ripper is arrested. It's a good story but needs a certain willingness to suspend belief and to enjoy the ride.

Junior sleuths have always been a mainstay in children’s fiction, from the crime-busting gang in all-time German classic “Emil And The Detectives”(1929) to Enid Blyton’s “Famous Five” who are referenced in this novel. They are also a significant force in adult fiction from Mark Haddon’s modern classic “The Curious Incident Of The Dog At Nightime” (2003), Joanna Cannon’s “Trouble With Goats And Sheep” (2014), Alan Bradleys’ Flavia De Luce series, the impressive urban Indian tale “Djinn Patrol On The Purple Line” by Deepa Anaparra (2020) and certainly not forgetting Catherine O’Flynn’s ten year old detective Kate in the outstanding “What Was Lost” (2007) for me pretty much a benchmark for this type of novel. There’s countless others I could add to this list because there is much appeal in the adolescent viewpoint of the adult world and adding to that list meet Miv, the twelve year old main character in this solid debut novel.
This sparky heroine is pitched against real life crime, the Yorkshire Ripper, and it begins in 1979. Seeing the concerns of adults and worried if the events will drive her family from her home environment and away from best friend Sharon the girls hatch a plan to discover the identity of the Yorkshire Ripper themselves and use a notebook to record individuals who arouse their suspicions in their neighbourhood. This is a fascinating premise- the reader can see the potential in this plot immediately.
And it is done well. Miv’s first person narrative is interspersed with third-person viewpoints of characters who at some point appear on Miv’s list. I must admit these switches from first to third person jar a little but it gives a valuable perspective on the youngster’s misconstruing of events. As a character, Miv is great, on the cusp of entry into the adult world of secrets and things that should not be talked about exemplified by the difficult situation within her own family. Early on, there’s some incidental moments which really get the feel of the times, the school playground Kiss Chase is replaced by a dark playground chase game because of the Ripper killings. For me, it is when the novel settles into the sleuthing that it comes to feel a little one-note and I’m not sure I totally bought into the Yorkshire depicted by the author and there were a couple of questionable motives behind actions. The darker territory the novel hovers around -the Ripper’s crimes, racial tensions and mental health issues didn’t always meld smoothly with Miv’s tale and I am aware that we are seeing much from the child’s viewpoint but I think if the darkness was a little darker and the lightness lighter we would have had something outstanding.
I certainly enjoyed this and it will win many fans and I think it would be a splendid book group choice as the setting and premise of the novel will provide much discussion. I’m not sure, despite twists towards the end which I certainly didn’t see coming if this will continue to resonate in the way that some of the young detective novels I mentioned at the top of this review do.
The List Of Suspicious Things is published by Hutchinson Heinemann on 15th February 2024. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

The story is set in Yorkshire in the 70s at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper killings. Miv is worried her father might want to move away because of this, so she decides to try to solve the mystery herself by making a list of anyone who is acting suspiciously.
It’s related from her point of view as an 11 year old and draws you, convincingly, into her friendships and how she sees the world.
The author gets the descriptions of the era just right even describing a brown carpet with orange swirls and some yellow, which sounds just the same as the one we (and lots of others) had at that time.