Nicola Sturgeon's most anticipated reads

I predict that this will be the biggest thriller published next year. It has everything I love in a book – courtroom drama, an audaciously gripping story and a female lead character who is fascinating in her complexity. The book poses big, moral questions about crime and punishment which you will still be pondering days after you finish reading it. Jo Murray’s plot will hook you on page one and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very final sentence. You won’t see the twists coming but when they hit you, you will marvel at the masterfully laid clues along the way and wonder how you could possibly have missed them. Get your pre-order in now – you won’t regret it.

Continuing with the courtroom drama theme, this book is set to light up the legal thriller world in the final part of 2025. The Secret Barrister’s non-fiction work has already taken us behind the scenes of the criminal justice system. This book, written under the pseudonym, SJ Fleet, is the author’s first foray into fiction and it does not disappoint. This is an intricate story, masterfully told, of a criminal trial in which we see the same crime from the different perspectives and accounts – some truthful, some not – of each of the co-defendants. The book is a searing indictment of the poverty and social breakdown that leads so many vulnerable young people – boys especially – into the hands of the criminal justice system. Amongst other questions, it makes us consider how blurred the line often is between victim and perpetrator.

The premise of Steph McGovern’s debut thriller – a TV presenter’s earpiece being hi-jacked during a live broadcast – is the one of most brilliantly innovative I have come across in a book. Steph tells her story with the skill and pacing of someone who has been writing crime books all her life. There are twists and turns, and cleverly placed red herrings, in every chapter. However, this book doesn’t just entertain - it also poses big questions about power. Who wields it and who pays the price when it is abused? If all of that isn’t tempting enough, Deadline also draws on the author’s vast experience as a prime-time broadcaster to take the reader behind the scenes of live television. Spoiler: it is not always as glamorous as you think. This book should not be missed by anyone who loves crime fiction. It is outstandingly good.

The latest book by Ann Cleeves, one of the doyens of crime fiction, will be published in the autumn and I can’t wait to read it. This book sees the return of veteran cop, Jimmy Perez, as he finds himself investigating the murder of a childhood friend who appears to have been killed by an ancient neolithic stone. Of all the plot twists that the story is sure to take us through, perhaps the most intriguing is this: Detective Inspector Perez, star of Ann’s crime series (and its TV adaptation) Shetland, has moved to Orkney! No matter where he is, though, murder and intrigue will surely follow. I have never read an Ann Cleeves book that I haven’t loved and I am certain that this one will live up to expectations.

It is perhaps not surprising that writing my own memoir has given me a new appreciation of the genre, and this one by Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland, is bound to be a fascinating read. Marin, who became Prime Minister at just thirty-four years old, led her country through the Covid pandemic and championed many of the causes, from tackling climate change to promoting inclusive economic growth, that were close to my own heart as First Minister of Scotland. Along the way, she encountered the sexism and misogyny that is still the reality for women in public life. And yet, in spite of it, she rose to the highest office in the land. I can’t wait to read her story.

In this deeply personal memoir, Sturgeon recounts her journey from working-class Ayrshire to the steps of Bute House. Revealing the person behind the politician, she explores the schism between her private and public personas: one painfully shy and self-critical, the other a consummate public performer. And yet, she pulls no punches, candidly recounting her interactions with figures including Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, and Alex Salmond – her mentor and, ultimately, her staunch adversary. Full of the verve and wit that made Sturgeon one of the most high-profile politicians in the UK, this is a unique blend of personal insight and captivating vignettes. Infused throughout with a love of Scotland and its people, it discusses Sturgeon’s mistakes, her battles, and her triumphs with candid honesty. Frankly is the compelling story of no ordinary politician.