interviews

In this week’s show, writers Liz Nugent and SJ Watson join Sinead in studio to discuss their psychological thrillers and the dark side of love.

Liz Nugent’s debut novel Unravelling Oliver (Penguin Ireland) won last year’s Best Crime Novel Award at the BGE Irish Book Awards.  It’s an unsettling and nuanced portrayal of a sociopath, Oliver Ryan and it begins with a savage act of brutality.
UK writer SJ Watson’s first novel Before I Go To Sleep was an international bestseller. His latest book, Second Life (Doubleday), is also a psychological thriller which delves into identity, sexual exploration and the messier aspects of love. It too begins dramatically - with a murder in Paris.
Both writers discuss their work and some other books which have inspired them.
Dangerous Liaisons shocked its first readers in pre-revolutionary France, says Dr. Siofra Pierse from UCD’s School of Languages and Literature. It may even be compared to 50 Shades of Grey. She uncovers the novel’s themes of seduction and corruption and explains why it has continued to absorb and fascinate readers since its first publication in 1782.

Catherine Lacey’s debut novel, Nobody Is Ever Missing (Granta), tells the story of Elyria, a young woman who leaves her husband and her home in New York and travels alone to New Zealand. The book, often impressively comic, weaves Elyria’s past life with her hitchhiking across a strange new land. The author talks to Sinead about the background to her novel and what motivates Elyria on her journey.

S2 Ep 18 The Book Show

Brought to you by Penguin.

A ritual killing. An ancient curse. What's myth... and what's murder?

After a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has decided to hand in his resignation to the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.

When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s gets in touch to beg for his help: he believes his family are cursed, and that he is going to die on his 47th birthday, just like his father and grandfather before him.

As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?

Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman novels:

'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES

'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEE

© Ajay Chowdhury 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Shadow written by Ajay Chowdhury and read by Mikhail Sen and Layla Chowdhury

What makes a thriller truly unputdownable? Which novels have a sense of place that feels like its own character? What are your favourite darker reads for winter nights. We answer these questions and more on our latest episode of Ask Penguin. 

We’re joined by best-selling author, Paula Hawkins, who discusses art, love and remote islands in her latest thriller, The Blue Hour, as well as answering your latest questions with plenty of book recommendations to help you find your next read.

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Paula's subsequent thrillers have all been instant Sunday Times bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards, and in 2025 The Blue Hour was voted the Good Housekeeping Good Books winner.

What makes a setting feel so vivid it becomes a character? With Paula Hawkins

10 contact us

03 Our Relationshi

On this week's live show, we're welcoming guests Kenny Porter and Mike Becker (Mad Cave Studios' The New Space Age) and Rodney Barnes (Oni Press' Crownsville).

Comic Book Club: Kenny Porter, Mike Becker, And Rodney Barnes

What were our favourite books of the year and what are we most excited to read in 2026? Join the team behind the Ask Penguin podcast to look back at standout titles, memorable podcast moments, and the reading intentions we’re taking into the New Year.



What were the best books of 2025?

On this week's live show we're welcoming guest Jason Spisak (Batman in "Batman: High Volume")!

Comic Book Club: Jason Spisak

02 Resources to support your work

The Book Show on RTE Radio 1 (Irish national radio).  Now airing Season 5 where writers get to ask the questions.  Writers and publishers will talk stories, books and the world of writing and we’ll have readings, reports and regular items. The Book Show will bring you the best in international and Irish authors, with weekly discussions, interviews, features and literary trivia.

If there’s anything you’d like to hear covered on the show or have any comments to make, why not get in touch bookshow@rte.ie and you’ll find us on twitter @bookshowrte and on Facebook.

S2 Ep 18 The Book Show

The Book Show RTE Radio 1

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