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  • Published: 20 May 2025
  • ISBN: 9781804942949
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $22.99

The List of Suspicious Things




The instant Sunday Times bestseller

***THE BIGGEST DEBUT LAUNCH OF 2024***

THE NUMBER 3 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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

'Such a beautiful story about friendship, community and family and secrets and what’s going on underneath'
ZOE BALL

'Gripping and moving'
GUARDIAN

'To read it is to feel that little bit better about life'
ELIZABETH DAY

‘A touching paean to lost innocence and the comfort of friendships’
THE TIMES

'A beautiful mystery with heart'
ROB RINDER

'This is a heart-warming book'
EMMA HEALEY

'A gorgeous, page-turning book'
I PAPER

'A wonderful story'
FEARNE COTTON

Yorkshire, 1979

Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.

Because of the murders.

Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn't an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv's mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?

So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don't.

But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families - and between each other - than they ever thought possible.

What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?

THE PERFECT DEBUT NOVEL TO DISCUSS IN BOOK CLUBS

***READER REVIEWS***

'Left a lump in my throat and a hole in my heart'
'A book I won't forget for a while'
'A beautiful and emotional debut that I know will stay with me for a long time'
'A superb look at childhood, at growing up, at starting to see the world around you'

  • Published: 20 May 2025
  • ISBN: 9781804942949
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $22.99

About the author

Jennie Godfrey

Jennie Godfrey was born and raised in Yorkshire and the novel was partly inspired by her father having worked alongside Peter Sutcliffe, the man eventually charged with the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper. She is a former HR director of a FTSE100 company who left her career to become a Waterstones bookseller and a writer. This is her first novel.

Praise for The List of Suspicious Things

This is such a tender coming of age story with unforgettable characters. Exquisite storytelling that's full of heart

Julie Owen-Moylan

Absolutely loved it - it is so engrossing, utterly heart-breaking (made me cry!) but also redemptive and hopeful at the same time

Sophie Hannah

I am so sad it has ended because it is a GORGEOUS TRIUMPH. Jennie is an easy and natural storyteller. Beautifully crafted, moving, funny heart-warming, it has all the feels

Georgina Moore

Pretty sure this will be the book of 2024. Bring tissues

Joanna Nadin

The characters completely burrowed into my heart. It's a warm, funny, huge-hearted book without any twee - it's truthful, carrying a sadness too

Chloe Timms

Funny, poignant and drawn with real compassion. This is a heart-warming book

Emma Healey, author of ELIZABETH IS MISSING

Profoundly original and dazzlingly written. A beautiful mystery with heart

Rob Rinder

An astonishing debut written with much talent and tenderness. It sings with humanity

Amy Twigg

Brimming with what is means to be human, this is a book to be savoured and cherished. A book that should be required reading for current and future generations. A once in a lifetime kind of book

Awais Khan

A book full of heart that drops you vividly into a time and place. Superb

Kate Hamer

What could be more magical than a writer who can flip from hilarity to darkness and back on the same page? Jennie Godfrey does this and more in THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS, all told in a voice that is as authentic as it is unforgettable

Jenny Jackson

A heartwarming tale about the power of human connection, written with empathy, warmth and care. To read it is to feel that little bit better about life

Elizabeth Day

I can't believe this is a debut. Heavy themes handled with such tenderness and care, a moving, memorable tale of community, connection and curiosity. I loved it

Emma Gannon

Endearing characters, nostalgic period details and a warmth that rises from the page make this a must-read

Good Housekeeping

There's been buzz around this novel - for good reason. Endearing characters and nostalgic details make this a must-read

Good Housekeeping

A beautiful story of friendship, community and family . . . heart-warming

Zoe Ball

One of the buzziest debuts of 2024, and deservedly so….prepare to have all the feelings

Red

Fabulous. I loved Miv’s spirit

Prima

A mystery wrapped up in a story of community and family, The List of Suspicious Things is a gorgeous, page-turning book

i Paper

[THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS] was such a joyous read . . . the story spoke to me on so many levels. The characters are adorable and we all need an Aunty Jean in our lives . . . a beautiful story of friendship, community and family. Heartwarming

Zoe Ball

A standout debut full of heart

The Sun, Fabulous Magazine

A touching paean to lost innocence and the comfort of friendships, its dark undertow leavened by stout Yorkshire humour

The Times

Godfrey succeeds brilliantly in fitting a gripping and moving story in the interstices of a horrific episode in recent history, without ever trivialising, taking focus from, or minimising the lasting impact of the original crimes.

Guardian

I absolutely adore it!

Marian Keyes

An extraordinary achievement

Clare Pooley

Heartbreaking […] a superlative coming-of-age story

Mail on Sunday

A beautifully written story about friendship, family and the untold secrets hidden beneath the surface...a touching novel that will have you in tears, shock, laughter and horror

Press Association

Thoroughly enjoyable, charming and singular . . . What a debut!

Milly Johnson

Well, this is such a wonderful story. It’s seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl called Miv, in the 1970s in Yorkshire. Miv is on the search with her friend Sharon for the Yorkshire Ripper. Now, although that is a very serious subject matter and a dark one, this book is so warm and cosy and light and funny in parts. It’s just a beautiful tale of friendship and also the secrets that you discover in your own local community. It’s such a brilliant book

Fearne Cotton

It brought me so much joy . . . just phenomenal . . . a wonderful book

Fearne Cotton

This book will live in my heart forever. It's so tender, warm, real and evocative

Daisy Buchanan

I'd heard a rumour that this was a brilliant book. And my goodness, it is. Fully immersing you in 1970s Yorkshire ... the book is unflinching but written in such a gentle way that it's also incredibly readable and touching.

Dorset Life

Heartbreaking yet heartwarming, with compassionate characters you can't help but root for, The List of Suspicious Things is an unforgettable book on friendship and the power of human connection. I felt like I was in 1970s Yorkshire, investigating with Miv and Sharon, unearthing the secrets of their neighbourhood. A splendid debut.

Constanza Cosati

I absolutely adored this book. A highly enjoyable pageturner full of wisdom and kindness. I laughed and cried.

Cathy Rentzenbrink

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