4 intense thrillers to enjoy with an intensely delicious pizza

Did you catch Joanna Page’s second review for the Radio Times Book Club, sponsored by Ristorante? She reviewed Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson – a twisty mystery about a woman trying to solve her own murder. And as it’s a super-intense thriller, she paired it with Ristorante’s intensely delicious Pepperoni-Salame pizza.

If you read and enjoyed Not Quite Dead Yet as much as Joanna, the good news is, there are plenty more nail-biting mysteries to sink your teeth into this year. Read on to discover four of our favourite new releases, including two Ristorante-inspired picks based in Italy.

The Magus of Sicily

Set on the beautiful Italian island of Sicily, this atmospheric mystery is the first book of a brand-new crime series from Philip Gwynne Jones. It all starts in the ancient town of Acitrezza, where a pantomime at a harbourside folk festival takes a dark turn.

Rookie journalist Nedda Leonardi is expecting another day of reporting on unremarkable events – until the performers dive into the sea for their finale and emerge with a corpse. Could this be her big break?

During her investigation, Nedda meets Calogero Maugeri, a self-styled magus and wanted con artist, whose attempts to clean up his act and keep a low profile are ruined by the revelation of his suspicious connection to the deceased. Together, the improbable pair set out to solve the murder and clear his name.

Beautiful Ugly

Written by New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney, this captivating psychological thriller follows author Grady Green in the aftermath of his wife Abby’s disappearance.

She went missing while driving home from work. Grady was calling her to share some exciting news, when she suddenly slammed the brakes, got out of the car and vanished. Eventually, he finds her car abandoned by a cliff edge, but Abby is nowhere to be found.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to his wife. Unable to sleep or write, he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try and get his life back on track. That’s when he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like Abby.

The Vipers

Sometimes nothing beats a good whodunnit, and this one by Katy Hays will transport you to the glittering island of Capri. The affluent Lingate family take a holiday there every year in memory of Sarah Lingate, who died in a tragic accident at their Italian villa 30 years earlier.

This time, Sarah’s daughter Helen – the sole heir to the Lingate fortune – travels to Capri with a plan to free herself from her family’s control. But when they all arrive, an anonymous gift is waiting for them: the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died.

As the investigation into her mother’s death is reopened, Helen starts to lose trust in everyone around her, from her controlling father Richard and drug-addled aunt Naomi to her aloof uncle Marcus and even the family assistant Lorna, whose past is frustratingly opaque. And when secrets begin to surface, it seems they might not leave the island alive.

Don’t Let Him In

If you’re a fan of Lisa Jewell, you’ll love this latest release from the bestselling author. The story begins when widow Nina Swann reconnects with Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband. At first, he seems like the perfect man, but as Nina and Nick get closer, her daughter Ash starts digging into his past – and is deeply unsettled by what she finds.

Meanwhile, florist Martha is living in a neighbouring town with her young daughter and devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him, he always has a legitimate explanation, but she can’t shake the feeling something isn’t right.

Soon, Nina, Ash and Martha find themselves on a collision course towards a shocking truth that is far darker than any of them could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: don’t let him in.