The Richard and Judy Book Club, exclusive to WHSmith Richard And Judy

How well do you sleep at night? We all go through periods when we’re not sleeping as well as we might like, but for the protagonist in this week’s Book Club novel, Insomnia, her sleep deprivation is particularly disturbing... Sarah Pinborough’s unreliable narrator Emma is petrified of meeting the same fate as her mother who had a psychotic breakdown when she turned 40.
Richard, Judy, and Sarah chat about which big milestone birthdays they found difficult, and how they cope with early morning and lack of sleep. Plus, with a history as a horror writer, Sarah explains why she likes to add an paranormal element to her thrillers.
Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING23 for a 10% discount.

What happens to the families of serial killers? How do they reflect on the memories they shared? These are the questions Victoria Selman asks in Truly Darkly Deeply. Sophie was 12 when Matty Melgren came into her life as her mother’s much-loved partner; 20 years later he’s in prison for murder and Sophie must question everything she thought she knew.
Richard, Judy, and Victoria explore whether they think people are born evil, and why our fascination with true crime might speak to a need to understand the things that scare us so we’re better prepared to face them. Plus Victoria explains why she’s keen not to celebrate killers in her work, instead focusing on the victims.
Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Spring Book Club collection, and use the code SPRING23 for a 10% discount.
 

Are there any circumstances under which it’s ok to leave a young child alone? What should the punishment be? In Jessamine Chan’s The School For Good Mothers, such recklessness demands you spend time being re-educated as a parent by the state.
Joining Richard and Judy, Jessamine tells the real life story that inspired her semi-dystopian novel, and they wonder whether parents are subject to more judgement now than ever before.
Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER22 for a 10% discount.

What is a woman to do when staying with her abusive husband is dangerous, but leaving could be worse? Leah and McKenna, both women with apparently perfect lives, have never met, but their home lives look incredibly similar in this week’s Book Club novel, The Favour.
Debut author Nora Murphy joins Richard and Judy to talk about how her law degree informed the way she chose to cover intimate partner violence in her novel. They also explore how, although the book is dark and chilling, Nora has written with a compelling sense of cheer and adventure.
Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER22 for a 10% discount.

In October 1966, a landslide at a colliery spoil tip buried a school in Aberfan. In A Terrible Kindness, this real life event is the back drop for Jo Browning Wroe’s fictional story. 19 year old newly-qualified embalmer William is one of many who volunteer to attend the disaster, and the novel follows his life as it continues to unfold.
Jo, who grew up in a crematorium in Birmingham, joins Richard and Judy to explain why undertaking is often a family business, and why the process of embalming is so important at disasters in particular.
Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER22 for a 10% discount.

Isolation is a key theme in this week’s Book Club novel, The French House. Set on the remote island of Guernsey during WWII, we meet a deaf Guernsey native, a woman trapped in a fearful marriage, and a German lieutenant whose isolated worlds will all collide, changing their lives forever.
Author Jacquie Bloese joins Richard and Judy to talk about the parts of the book that are inspired by her own life, including the fact that she used to work at the real ‘French House’ in the title. They also discuss the ways in which the Nazi occupation of Guernsey was a microcosm of what could have happened had the mainland been occupied.
Simply head online to whsmith.co.uk to browse the Winter Book Club collection, and use the code WINTER22 for a 10% discount.