A coming-of-age story told by a precocious 12-year old set in the time of the Yorkshire Ripper (late 70s). Miv and her best friend Sharon decide to find the Ripper themselves when their world starts falling apart due to the constant threat. They start by compiling a list of suspicious things about the people around them, and as they pursue investigations on multiple fronts, they learn a great deal about life. The unfolding stories of various people in their community are always instructive — some in bad ways and others in good. Miv learns about bullies, racism, grief, and even domestic abuse, but also about the importance of standing up for yourself and others, doing the right thing, tolerance, curiosity, friendship and love.

I liked the writing a great deal — Miv’s voice is unique, appealing, often humorous, and a good deal more exposed than an actual person might agree to. Never overdone or overly dramatic, but also never, ever vapid. I loved the way we got to know characters who appeared one way but easily morphed into a more complex (and much more likable) person with a little time and exposure. The ending was a real surprise, but well done and thought provoking.

This was such a heartfelt and wonderful book. It definitely does not read much like a typical mystery, as to be expected when told from the eyes of a 12 year old. I appreciated that we were able to follow a scary and unknown time of a serial killer at large through the eyes of a child. While the Ripper was a very real threat, there’s a sense the whole time of “well that won’t happen to us” and I thought it was so great to see that through the perspective of a child. Hearing whispers and bits of information about what’s going on in the world and near your town but not being seen as “adult” enough to hear the full scope. I greatly enjoyed that while Miv was a bit obsessed with the Ripper and finding out who it was, the story at its core is still just about a pre-teen learning to navigate the world. She holds concerns about being different or not being to go-to person for her best friend as seriously as the potential of a killer on the loose, which I think is such an accurate representation of how the weight of things are prioritized as a child.

Overall, this was a story about friendship, growing up, and learning the world isn’t always a good place—whether that be through murder, attacks, or racism. It’s also a story about grief and how it can change people in the different ways they process and learn to cope with loss in various different forms. Get to see Miv react to her mother going silent as well as see how her various neighbors handle loss of loved ones—both through death and circumstance. I felt this novel did a wonderful job of handling various different aspects of life and how it might feel to be figuring all of this out during such a terrifying time as a child.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

When I was 10, a young cheerleader was murdered in our small American town. It left me sleepless with fear, aware of death for the first time, and now years later unconsciously drawn to Jennie Godfrey's splendid mystery debut, inspired by her growing up when the Yorkshire Ripper terrorized her own community.

Godfrey's debut is a sort of miracle, a perfect book that captures the coming of age of two young girls, Miv and Sharon, who decide to make a list of who the Yorkshire killer might be and expose him. It also reflects the zeitgeist of 1970s England strangled by Thatcher's strictures.

What Tana French did for Dublin thrillers, Godfrey has now done with greater grace for Yorkshire. The book thrums with dread, grief as Miv's Mom is ill, warmth from keen friendship, and even hope in a dark dark world. It's become one of my favorite reads ever. Don't miss it!

Book Review: The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

The List of Suspicious Things marks Jennie Godfrey’s compelling debut into literary fiction, offering readers a nuanced exploration of human suspicion, community dynamics, and the psychological weight of observation. Set against the backdrop of a small British town during the 1970s, the novel follows an ensemble cast of characters whose lives become intertwined through a shared document cataloging their neighbors’ questionable behaviors. Godfrey demonstrates remarkable control over both narrative structure and character development, crafting a story that is as much about the act of watching as it is about being watched.

The novel’s greatest strength lies in its meticulous character studies. Godfrey avoids simplistic moral binaries, instead presenting each figure with their own complex motivations for contributing to—or resisting—the titular list. The protagonist, a middle-aged schoolteacher serving as the list’s reluctant curator, serves as an effective moral center while still revealing her own flaws and biases. Secondary characters are rendered with equal care, their interconnected backstories emerging organically through subtle dialogue and well-paced revelations.

From a stylistic perspective, Godfrey employs a restrained prose style that effectively captures the restrained emotions of provincial English life. Her use of free indirect discourse allows for seamless shifts between characters’ perspectives while maintaining a cohesive narrative voice. The 1970s setting is evoked through careful period details—ration books still in use, the lingering effects of postwar austerity—without descending into nostalgia or heavy-handed exposition.

The novel does encounter minor structural challenges. The middle section sags slightly under the weight of its expanding cast, and some readers may find the resolution of certain subplots less satisfying than others. However, these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise an exceptionally controlled narrative. The final act delivers both emotional payoff and thoughtful commentary on the nature of collective suspicion, leaving readers with lingering questions about their own observational biases.

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Analytical Scoring Breakdown:
-Character Development: 5/5 - Masterful psychological portraits with authentic growth arcs
-Narrative Structure: 4.5/5 - Tightly plotted with minor pacing issues in middle sections
-Thematic Depth: 5/5 - Sophisticated exploration of surveillance and social dynamics
-Stylistic Execution: 4.5/5 - Elegant prose with effective period vernacular
-Emotional Resonance: 4.5/5 - Thought-provoking with strong cathartic moments

Thank you to NetGalley and author Jennie Godfrey for providing an advance copy of this exceptional debut novel in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

Miv, age 12, lives in West Yorkshire during the late 1970s, after the mills have closed and when the Yorkshire Ripper was running rampant. Miv decides that she and her best friend Sharon should investigate suspicious occurrences and people and find the Ripper themselves and they discover so much along the way, both good and bad.

Oh, book lovers. If you were ever a twelve year old girl (and even if you weren’t) there is so much to love here. The book is told from Miv’s perspective (mostly) and she is so perfectly twelve. There are many characters with compelling stories and they are nearly all well done (if maybe all a little either too good or too bad) and the life of a former mill town in decline in the late 1970s is also rendered well. I couldn’t quite tell if this was a debut, but, either way, wow. I was absolutely charmed by this, and I don’t normally go for the type of books that you would use the word “charmed” about. Highly recommended.

Miv is a 12 year old living in Yorkshire, England in the 1970s. Along with her best friend Sharon, she tries to get to the bottom of things going on in her community. Things at home are rocky, her mom has gone silent and is a ghost of her former self and Miv is left to her own devices much of the time. When news of the serial killer The Yorkshire Ripper starts appearing everywhere her father talks about moving away. But Miv can't bear to leave Sharon, so she proposes the two of them keep a list of suspects and try to figure out who the Ripper really is.

Wow, what a powerful book with such an interesting plot. Based on the author Jennie Godfrey's childhood growing up in the 1970s in Yorkshire during the time of the Yorkshire Ripper, the story is filled with strong detailed characters, especially the young Miv, who is headstrong and smart and going through the difficult process of growing up and turmoil at home.

The book is interesting in that Miv's (the MC) chapters are narrated in the first person while the supporting characters chapters are written in the third. And it all works beautifully to deliver a story with heart and a little bit of mystery. The town of Yorkshire comes alive with the descriptions of its residents and even through the language used, the author even provides a glossary of Yorkshire terms at the beginning of the book.

An absolutely lovely, enjoyable, heartfelt story of growing up and the importance of friendship. Five stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Twelve-year-old Miv is panicking. Life has been complicated since her mom got sick, and now her dad is talking about wanting to move their family away from the town Miv has lived in her whole life—because of the murders. Young women are dying, everyone is afraid, and no one knows who the culprit might be.

But as far as Miv is concerned, 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 on their street. People they know. People they don't. But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighborhood, 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?

Loved it. Will recommend to others

In the late 1970s the Yorkshire Ripper cast a shadow of fear. Fear and wariness grew causing locals to be hyper-suspicious. In one town a young girl, Miv, decides to make a list of suspicious things in hopes of capturing the Ripper so life can return to normal. She enlists her best friends in this pursuit. Her list focuses on various neighbors. As her list grows we see into their lives.. We along with Miv see the secrets, hopes, and tragedies of their lives and the strings that connect them all. There is lots of material here for Book discussion groups.

I adored this book! When I read the description, I was hoping for a Flavia de Luce readalike, but I enjoyed reading through 12 year old Miv’s eyes even more. The chapters rotate from her first person point of view to third person viewpoints of other characters, and this helped me relate to and care for all of these characters. The author’s father was acquainted with the Yorkshire ripper, and this book follows that time period, with Miv doing her own childlike investigations to see what community members could be involved. I realize now after reading that there are some sad circumstances for many of these characters, but at the time of reading, it didn’t feel overly sad; just felt wholesome and warm. The sense of community, especially towards the end, is heartwarming and left me with a good feeling, even though the Yorkshire ripper was responsible for some vicious attacks. This is a book to read less for the mystery itself, and more to enjoy this town’s characters.