Five years ago, Rose’s mother and stepfather disappeared. Now seventeen, Rose is about to meet up with her step-brother Josh again and together they are determined to discover what happened to their parents. But when Rose witnesses not one but two murders, her investigations lead them both into danger. Then they discover a mysterious notebook containing cryptic messages and possibly some answers…could their search be connected to these murders in some way?

The latest novel for young adult readers from Anne Cassidy is a fast-paced and exciting thriller with plenty of suspense, mystery and even romance. A promising beginning to the Murder Notebook series.

Locked away by his mother's abusive, alcoholic partner Harris, Edward is seven years old before a watching neighbour makes up her mind to tell social services about the pale face she sees early in the morning, peering through a crack in a boarded up window. He has never been to school, can barely remember the outside world, and has been exposed to horrifying brutality: his only escape has been watching and re-watching the cheerful video tapes of a long-forgotten television programme.

Rescue comes at last, and Eddie embarks on a new life - first with kindly foster carers Linda and Allen, then with new adoptive parents Nick and Natasha and adopted sister Alice. At first he struggles to adapt, but cautiously, he begins to build a life for himself, discovering the joys of books and reading, and even learning to cope with his damaged mother, Lucy, who has now been institutionalised. But Edward's past continues to haunt him - and then one fateful day, he catches sight of a photograph that shocks him to the core - and his new life begins to dramatically unravel.

Edward's story is told through the different accounts of all those involved in his life: the police officers, social workers, therapists, foster carers, teachers and friends he encounters, as well as by Edward himself. Powerful and often distressing, his tale is gracefully told by Anne Fine, who brings directness, understanding and sensitivity to this difficult subject. A book which will stay with readers long after they have finished reading, Blood Family is a compelling, responsible and important novel about trauma, guilt, anger, the nature of family ties and coming to terms with the past.

A tense thriller plot is combined with a perceptive and harrowing portrait of life on the streets as a serial killer preys on the young and vulnerable homeless. Link, aged 17, is distrustful of people until he pairs up with Deb, another homeless youngster. But what Deb doesn't tell him is that she's an ambitious young journalist on a self-imposed assignment to track down the killer and she's prepared to use herself as bait ...