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The Barbecue at No.9
  • Published: 12 February 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804954966
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 400

The Barbecue at No.9

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
17 Feb 2026
EBook
12 Feb 2026
Audiobook
12 Feb 2026
Hardback
12 Feb 2026
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The second novel from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

'From the very first page I was in awe. I LOVED it.' MARIAN KEYES

‘A beautiful story about secrets, lies and community.’ GRAHAM NORTON

'A delicious and irresistible story. An utter treat.' RACHEL JOYCE

'Gripping, suspenseful, moving, perfectly constructed.' SOPHIE HANNAH

FROM THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS . . .

It's the summer of 1985 and the residents of Delmont Close are preparing a neighbourhood barbecue to watch the biggest music event in history: Live Aid. A day like no other that will end having reached millions and changing the lives of all who attend.

House-proud Lydia Gordon, whose idols are Princess Di and Delia Smith, is determined to put on a show that will impress everyone - with her posh garden and state-of-the-art television, and her sweet husband and two children, Hanna and David.

But as the guests flood into number nine, so do all of the secrets that have been kept in the close.

Rita, a new neighbour from Australia, is hoping for a fresh start but harbours a shocking event in her past; Steve, a young Falklands veteran, battles his own demons; and Mr Wilson is surely too good-looking to ever be trusted.

But as the hours count down to the last performance of the night, it's Lydia who faces the heart-breaking truth that her immaculate home and flawless family might not be so perfect after all.

And if each of their neighbours is guilty of hiding something, so are the Gordons at number nine ...

'Brilliantly evocative and deliciously addictive. I couldn't stop reading until all the characters' secrets were revealed.' CLAIRE FULLER

'Jennie Godfrey is such a tremendous storyteller. This book doesn't shy away from the dark, while encouraging us all to embrace the light.' DAISY BUCHANAN

'Sizzles with secrets, suspense, superbly drawn characters, and so much heart.' NIKKI MAY

'I absolutely loved it! What a joy. Great characters and just so absorbing, funny and intriguing.' JANE FALLON

'A brilliantly absorbing and satisfying novel full of heart and humanity.' CATHY RENTZENBRINK
  • Published: 12 February 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804954966
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 400
Categories:

About the author

Jennie Godfrey

Jennie Godfrey was raised in West Yorkshire in a mill-working family and her debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, was inspired by her childhood there in the 1970s. In 2020, Jennie gave up her corporate career to build a life around books. She is now a writer and part-time bookseller who lives, and writes, in the Somerset countryside.

JG

Also by Jennie Godfrey

The List of Suspicious Things
See all

Praise for The Barbecue at No.9

From the very first page I was in awe. I LOVED it. Jennie Godfrey has such an incredible gift for characterisation

Marian Keyes

Set against the backdrop of Live Aid, and covering everything from Jammy Dodgers to Queen, this is a delicious and irresistibly good-hearted story about ordinary lives and the dark secrets that lie behind the net curtains. What emerges is a plea for facing the things of which we are most afraid, even if it requires the help of a bowl of Twiglets. An utter treat.

Rachel Joyce

Gripping, suspenseful, moving, perfectly constructed - and every bit as good as, if not better than, its stonkingly successful predecessor, The List of Suspicious Things

Sophie Hannah

A beautiful story about secrets, lies and community. This is a gorgeous novel that will steal your heart

Graham Norton

I could smell the musky Impulse body spray, taste the cremated sausages, and hear the Live Aid concert. The Barbecue at No.9 sizzles with secrets, suspense, superbly drawn characters, and so much heart. Jennie has done it again. I loved it!

Nikki May

Brilliantly evocative and deliciously addictive. I couldn't stop reading until all the characters' secrets were revealed.

Claire Fuller

WHAT a book! Jennie Godfrey is such a tremendous storyteller. She writes characters who seem to have existed forever - they move into your heart straight away and stay there. This book is so real, human and hope-filled, and it doesn't shy away from the dark, while encouraging us all to embrace the light. Hanna is already one of my all time favourite heroines.

Daisy Buchanan

I absolutely loved it! What a joy. Great characters and just so absorbing and funny and intriguing.

Jane Fallon

A brilliantly absorbing and satisfying novel full of heart and humanity. I laughed, cried and felt better for having read it.

Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘Such a fresh and interesting voice. You'll cry and you won't be able to stop reading’

MARIAN KEYES on The List of Suspicious Things
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