Bestselling authors Peter James and Sophie Hannah join Joe Haddow for a right royal Book Off!

They discuss Poirot, Christie, Greene and many other writers they love - and give us some great book recommendations too.

Peter and Sophie also chat about their new novels. Queen Camilla is a huge fan of Peter James' Roy Grace books - so much so that she is the star of the latest novel 'The Hawk Is Dead'. And Sophie's latest 'No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done' is based on something that happened in real-life, which led her to ask "what would I do in that situation?" (the answer is in the book)

THE BOOK OFF

'Brighton Rock' by Graham Greene

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'The Rose And The Yew Tree' by Mary Westmacott (aka Agatha Christie)

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Charlatans lead singer, Tim Burgess, and music photographer, Tom Sheehan, join Joe Haddow for a war of the words.

Tim and Tom have worked together on and off for over 30 years - and during that time, Tom has captured some of the most iconic images of Tim's band. They chat about their new collaboration 'How High: A Portrait Of The Charlatans' as well as some of their favourite music biographies, artists they've worked with - and the new Charlatans album too.

THE BOOK OFF

'Amusing Ourselves To Death' by Neil Postman

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'Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky' by Patrick Hamilton

Here's a little more info on their gorgeous photography book 'How High'

This is the inside story of The Charlatans, told through the lens of legendary photographer Tom Sheehan and the words of the band's frontman Tim Burgess.

More than 250 of Sheehan's photographs - blending iconic shots with those seen here for the first time - are accompanied by moving and insightful text from Burgess, sharing his memories of a band at the very height of their powers.

Covering a decade of the band's story, the book captures recording sessions, live performances, cover shoots, tours and intimate moments snatched backstage and around the world.

Beautifully presented in a cloth-bound hardback, this book is a stunning visual history of The Charlatans, one of the defining bands of a generation.

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This week Joe welcomes two debut authors - Lisa Smith and Marcia Hutchinson - who get head to head in a war of the words.

They chat about their writing journeys, black voices in literature, coming to writing later in life and why sometimes, you can just use books as a way of getting back at people!

THE BOOK OFF

'Beloved' by Toni Morrison

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'Small Island' by Andrea Levy

Here's a little more about our guests new novels:

'Jamaica Road' by Lisa Smith

South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed.

Daphne’s attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every way: lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother “nuh land”—meaning they’re in England illegally—Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie’s fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently.

Spanning one tumultuous decade, from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the sandy beaches of Calabash Bay, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you’re born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer.

'The Mercy Step' by Marcia Hutchinson

Bradford, December 1962.

A precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb, to a chaotic household that seems to have no place for her. Her siblings do not understand her, her mother’s attention is given to the Church, and the entire family lives at the whims of her father’s quick temper.

Left to herself, Mercy finds solace in books, her imagination, and the quiet comfort of her faithful toy, Dolly. But escapism has its limits, and as the grip of family, faith and fear threatens to close in, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future; one where she is seen, heard, and her family set free.

The Mercy Step is a sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion, and her refusal to be broken.

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