The List of Suspicious Things is a wonderful, moving and stunningly written novel, set in Yorkshire in 1980 in the months leading up to the arrest of the Yorkshire Ripper.

Through the eyes of Miv, aged 12/13, who of course doesn't always fully understand what is happening around her, we perceive the impact of the threat of violence, and the repeated findings of murdered women, on the people living in the region who are just going about their normal lives.

It's a multilayered narrative, encompassing class, racism, poverty and everyday violence in homes and communities. It's also a moving - and totally immersive - snapshot of the place and time. Despite the sometimes harrowing scenes, it's funny and full of empathy and warmth.

Miv and her friend deal with the uncertainty around them, all the things they can't control, by taking control in their own way: they decide to find out themselves who the murderer is, starting with a list of the things (and people) that seem suspicious.

It's an original and very clever structure on which to build the narrative. And a wonderful way to marry the complex themes and parallel storylines into Miv's own story. It throws lightness and humour onto the dark events happening.

The use - and uselessness - of a 'list of suspicious things' written in a notebook by a child seems to mirror the ineptitude of the police investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper, carried out using only paper records (without computers) by police officers with insufficient experience for an investigation of this magnitude.

I expect The List of Suspicious Things will garner a lot of praise and both literary and commercial success: it will be well deserved.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

A coming of age novel set in Yorkshire against the background of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. Miv, a twelve year old, is an engaging central character supported by other interesting characters. Miv's story is told in the first person and is interspersed with third person narratives from the other characters. Miv decides, with the help of her best friend, Sharon, to try to solve the Yorkshire Ripper case as the police are struggling to make progress. She draws up a list of people she feels need investigating. As her investigations progress, it is clear that her friends and neighbours have unresolved issues affecting their lives.
This is a story of self discovery that has a heartwarming ending but on the way there is much bleakness. The story includes mental illness, domestic violence, arson, suicide, racism, adultery and child abuse and of course murder. The neighbourhood where Miv lives, seems to be a place of much misery. Thankfully I thought the ending did redeem some of the bleakness and it did bring tears to my eyes. My main criticism with the book is that it is overly long. The pace of the middle part of the book was frustratingly slow after a promising start. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book, it is a very promising debut novel.

When Miv befriends Sharon the big story in the headlines is about the Yorkshire ripper. Miv decides that they should try and find out what the police can't and they devise a list of suspicious things to try and find out who it could be. This leads them into other peoples lives and some bonding of friendships.
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were beautifully written and I warmed to them instantly. The story highlights 1970s Britain and the awful problems with racial abuse. It also touches on domestic abuse and misogyny of that time.
Not all is dark and doom and gloom though. It has some lovely light hearted moments and highlights childhood innocence. It is a very warm story and that also depicts that amongst a monority of bad people there are also those that exude human kindness. Parts of the story were also heart breaking. With a lot of nostalgia thrown in I can safely say that this book touched on all of my emotions.
I would highly recommend reading this.

I could definitely come up with a long list of reasons why I loved this book so much: I am from Yorkshire, not far from Dewsbury. When the Ripper terrorised the streets, I was about Miv's age. Like Miv, I had a lovely friend to whom males were attracted, but she wasn't as sweet as Sharon, so that's where the similarities ended. The plot, the characters, and the dialogue in this outstanding debut novel are the primary factors, though.
Miv is an immature, anxious young girl who is trying to deal with her father's increasingly concerning behaviour, her mother's sudden withdrawal from her life, and having a best friend that she is desperate to keep (not realising she doesn't have to try at all). Jennie Godfrey drew on her own life to create Miv.
However, Miv is not the only entirely believable character; there are also much lesser-known figures like Jim, whose Newcastle accent makes him a target for a while after the Wearside Jack tapes, and Mr. Bashir, who has lost his wide, moved from Bradford, and is trying to deal with the NF element that is threatening his life and livelihood.
As the story progressed, all of these incidents that had before seemed hazy in my memory now became crystal clear to me. However, this is not a book about The Yorkshire Ripper; rather, it is about the inhabitants in a tiny Yorkshire town battling personal issues such as mental illness, drunkenness, domestic abuse, racism, the National Front, and the changing nature of the streets. Any street would have the same issues if its roofs were lifted, but Jennie Godfrey has given them a voice and given them life through Miv, whose relentless pursuit of the Ripper is at times comical, at times absurd, and occasionally downright terrifying as she works to keep Sharon close and her family together.
With my review, I don't think I did this book justice. Despite the concerns that are exposed, it is rarely gloomy. Like so many of Ms. Godfrey's characters, Miv is a fantastic, colourful character who positively pops off the pages. The dialogue that I brought up previously is also relevant. Ms. Godfrey does an excellent job of crafting genuine dialogue in this piece of art.
Strongly recommended. You'll be enthralled through to the very finish.

This book is set in a small Yorkshire town, just at the time when M Thatcher gets into power and the Yorkshire Mills have been closed, the National Front is on the rise and the Yorkshire Ripper is prowling the streets. It is a story of small-town life, observed by two friends, Miv and Sharon. It is also a coming-of-age story, a tale of a beautiful teenage friendship told by Miv, assisted by an all-knowing narrator to fill in the gaps.

The unexplained murder of women attributed to the Yorkshire Ripper impacts on everyone’s life and restricts the freedom of movement of girls and women. With the lack of progress the police are making with their investigation and the growing number of murdered women, the two girls decide to start their own murder enquiry and they put together a list of places and people that seem dubious: their very own List of Suspicious Things.

This, of course, is an ever-growing list, once they have started to take a real interest in the people and things that surround them, there is hardly anything or anyone that does not appear to be suspicious in one or the other way. And with this process of peeping into other people’s lives, the girls start experiencing life in its raw and unedited form: they encounter prejudice, racism, adultery, child abuse, domestic violence, tricky and difficult relationships, but also experience love, deep friendship and the warmth of a functioning community.
They don’t find the Yorkshire Ripper, of course, but following their inquisitive minds they learn a lot about themselves and their communities – a heart-warming, sad and at the same time life-affirming story.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Hutchinson/Heineman for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a lovely but sad story going through the growing up of a young girl and what is happening in the world around her. Resonates well and is a great read.

Loved this book! Cleverly blending the biggest news event of the time with a very personal story, it kept me gripped to the end. There are shades of Joanna Canon in the way the story is told and the use of the young girl as narrator ensures that we see events from a point of view that never fully reveals the true meaning of what is going on until the shocking conclusion.

I couldn't get on with this book at all and only plodded on with it because I was hoping that at some point I would have an epiphany and see what everyone loved about it.
I didn't.

I can't even put my finger on what it is that I didn't like. The writing is fine and the subject matter is something that will speak to many of us living in Britain that are of a certain age.

It’s bleak “up’t north” and this book managed to portray just that. Miv and Sharon are school mates and of course come from different social backgrounds. Their idea of identifying the Ripper by categorising the local men is just the sort of thing I could imagine young girls doing – becoming detectives in their locality. Unfortunately as the tale unfolds it becomes less and less believable.

It’s difficult to believe this is a debut novel. Jennie Godfrey’s writing is assured and she has a real eye for detail. It’s set in 1979; the era of Thatcher and the Yorkshire Ripper. There’s a real feeling for the period which is brought vividly to life. It reminded me of Joanna Cannon; at one level, the writing and characters are deceptively simple and straightforward, but beneath that, there’s a great deal going on.

In compiling the list of suspicious things, the two central characters explore the lives and actions of those around them. Who are their neighbours and what really goes on in this unassuming neighbourhood? Themes of abuse and racism are explored, but this is a very gentle and poignant story, told with humour and insight as friendships, bonds and familial ties are strengthened. A great talent and I hope they’ll be more from Jennie Godfrey.

This book brought to mind The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon and What July Knew by Emily Koch. They all deal with a coming of age story, often nostalgic, and with a mystery attached.
This story is interesting in learning how the Yorkshire Ripper affected a community.
Occasionally I found the plot a little slow moving but overall it was interesting.

We meet 11-yr-old Miv in Yorkshire, 1979, where times are changing and the threat of the Yorkshire Ripper hangs constantly in the air. Things are already difficult for Miv – her mum is unwell, her dad is increasingly busy, and the formidable Aunt Jean has moved in. Not the most social girl, and in danger of being moved out of Yorkshire and her best friend in the world, Miv decides that all will be better if only the Ripper could be caught. So, she decides to hunt him down and find him.

What starts as Miv’s notes on “suspicious things” grows and blossoms into a real coming-of-age tale. Unexpected relationships arise, conflicts are uncovered, and Miv learns the true meaning of friendship. This is a fascinating character study, and Miv felt incredibly real – as did the supporting cast of characters. There were some very dark themes, but these were sensitively handled, as seen through the eyes of a young girl.

The writing is evocative and gives a real sense of the time and place. A powerful debut, I look forward to reading more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Having recently watched the excellent Long Shadow series about the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, it seemed good timing to pick up this book centred around two schoolgirls who decide to try and catch the Ripper themselves. With the backdrop of Yorkshire in the late 1970s, which resonated with my own 80s childhood in the North, this hooked me from the very beginning.

The main character Miv is a bit of a lost soul, her mum stopped talking or engaging with the world a while ago and is mainly confined to her bed. Aunty Jean moves in to help Miv's dad but brings her own set of rules and strong opinions into the family dynamic. When Miv befriends Sharon at school, a pretty and popular girl, Miv's life quickly improves, and with the Ripper investigation to focus on, the girls become inseparable... until boys start to become a new distraction and things change forever. Although the plot is about a serial killer, and involves racism, violence and bullying, all these subjects are handled so well. Jennie is a brilliant writer and I hope there will be more books to follow 💖

Very enjoyable read and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars is the lack of development of some of the ancillary characters.

This book manages to somehow be as cute as a button, yet also sharp as a tack as it follows the daily life of Miv as she navigates home, school and friendship to the backdrop of news articles about the prevalence of the Yorkshire Ripper.

Miv becomes obsessed with catching him and, along with her best friend Sharon, sets out to solve the mystery seemingly convinced they can succeed where the police had so far failed.

Yet the book is so much more than this, it touches on the emergence of the national front and casual racism, it prys into families and relationships and reveals that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. 

Mostly it is a celebration of love and friendship but there is a darker side too and there are several parts of the book that take a sinister path.

Overall, this was a bittersweet read and I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately this books just wasn't my cup of tea. I tried so hard to get into the story, but it was very slow and just didn't grip me at all, despite the promising blurb. Sadly I didn't get past 10%

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC.

It’s the year 1979 in Yorkshire, and Miv is a schoolgirl growing up in a country terrified of the Yorkshire Ripper. A country equally as terrified, though, of women in power such as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; the female victims of the Ripper, who happen to be mainly sex workers, and anyone who ‘doesn’t belong’, which for their Yorkshire town means people of colour, or even anyone without a Yorkshire accent.
Miv has other worries, however – such as keeping a hold of her best friend Sharon, who seems to be floating away from her, and the ever-present worry about Miv’s mum, who stopped speaking one day and hasn’t started since. And then, in the wake of the murders, Miv’s dad and Aunty Jean suggest moving ‘Down South’ where it’s safer. All of a sudden, Miv has to come up with an idea to ensure they stay in Yorkshire, so she can stay friends with Sharon.
She decides she has to catch the Yorkshire Ripper, and stop the killings. So begins her ‘list of suspicious things’, which she keeps in her notebook, jotting down facts about suspicious people and places in the town.
Little does Miv know though, is that those people, and even those close to her, are harbouring other secrets, and that there are other mysteries between the people she meets and comes across, that threaten to have much deeper, darker consequences.

I adored this book. Miv was such a relatable pre-teen character, and her perspective throughout the novel grew as she became wiser – realising more and more things about the people she came across, and their hidden, secret lives. A definite coming-of-age tale, Miv goes from someone sheltered and unaware, to someone who encounters real-world adult issues like domestic abuse, adultery, racism, sexism, and sexual harassment/abuse and pedophilia.
Throughout the course of the book, the many characters Miv encounters become like family to her, and to us as the reader too. She finds parental figures in so many wonderful characters, becomes friends with people she never would have thought to ‘laik out’ with, and experiences a first crush and relationship.

I would recommend this novel to everyone, this book has my whole heart, and I fully intend to buy a physical copy when it’s published, because I am intent on pushing everyone in my life to read this.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, via NetGalley. I enjoyed this book, in the end I couldn't put it down and powered through it! Would recommend and looking forward to more from Jennie Godfrey!

5* The List of Suspicious Things is a very special book. On the one had warm, enveloping and funny and on the other tackling dark subjects at a very difficult time in the history of a community. Jennie Godfrey manages to balance the characters and the plot in such a way that spending time in the book feels a little bit magical.

Miv is a pre-teen living in a working class town near Leeds in Yorkshire in the late 1970s, the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. Her family situation is strained and her salvation is her friend Sharon and the stability of Sharon's family, who welcome Miv with open arms. When it is suggested that Miv might move away from Yorkshire, Miv (and a reluctant Sharon) decide to find the Ripper and to make Yorkshire safe again.

Aiming to make a list of suspicious characters and things, the 'terrible-twosome' become embroiled in the lives of many of the characters in the community. At a time of upheaval, particularly the closure of the mines and overt racism, Miv and Sharon inadvertently shine a spotlight on many of the people they live alongside.

Without doubt this is the best book I have read this year (and I'm writing this at the end of the year). I was hooked from the first paragraph and within a few pages proclaimed that I was reading something very special. The quality of the writing, the characters, the humour, the care-giving and the sense of being together are perfectly intertwined. This is not a saccharine 'uplift' novel, it is a book that hits you hard because you are rooting for people to overcome the situations they find themselves in.

Thanks to Hutchinson Heinemann and Netgalley for an ARC.

Miv is determined to find out the identity and help to catch the Yorkshire Ripper. She, along with best friend, Sharon, start investigating and recording their observations of potentially suspicious local people. In doing so, they - and we - meet a cast of brilliantly written characters and learn more about the neighbourhood and its inhabitants.

I loved everything about this book! I stayed up well into the night to finish it and was totally unprepared for the twist near the end, so much so, that I had to go back and reread it to make sure.

I think the thing I loved most about this book is the clever way that we are introduced to the different characters. The different chapters are told by various people but the way that the author makes these transitions is really clever. We could be reading a Miv chapter, when she bumps into/has a conversation with/overhears another character and then the chapter ends. The next chapter then begins with that character and continues the story from their point of view, until the same thing happens again and we go off with someone else. I really enjoyed this and it added to the sense of community and neighbours knowing and looking out for each other that is clearly an important part of the book.