Thrill Switch by Tim Hawken

SPSFC 2023

Would you work with your dad's killer to solve another murder? Detective Ada Byron is pumped to finally be assigned her first murder case - until she sees the crime scene. Someone has been killed exactly the same way as her father was seven years earlier. But the psycho who did that is in jail, isn’t she? To see if this is a copycat, or something more sinister, Ada must work with her personal nightmare Jazlin Switch, who knows much more that she’s letting on. What follows is a mind-bending, heart-stopping ride through the dark side of reality and the virtual world. A gripping, techno noir thriller that will have you questioning what is real and what is even possible.

99 Days by Keith Ward

They stole everything he had. Big mistake. Kertram is a contented man with a simple life. He likes the dangerous, but rewarding work of shepherding baby dragons. He loves his wife. The day his children are born make him happier than he ever thought he could be. That life is destroyed when his village is attacked in a raid between warring regions. His wife is murdered. His babies kidnapped. Kertram's first thought is suicide, and he nearly gives in. But he learns his newborns will be ritually sacrificed on the 99th day of their lives to satisfy the hideous appetites of others -- unless he can get there first. Thus begins a desperate journey that will end a continent away, and a revelation that will shake the world. Kertram is not alone on his quest. Those who risk their lives to help him include a Span Seer -- a powerful witch who questions the morality of her calling; an ex-soldier with a fatal secret; and a guide whose mind is so warped he can’t remember his own name day to day. His mission to save his children may cost Kertram his life. He’s imprisoned, stabbed and viciously betrayed along the way. The pressure builds as he presses on, knowing that each sunrise brings his newborns closer to death. Day 99 is coming. The countdown to death -- or life -- has begun.

The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon by Benedict Patrick

SPFBO6

Impossible world. Impossible dragon. Impossible adventure. Lost with her ship and crew in an unfamiliar land, Min’s first command could be her last. Nothing here behaves the way it should: The magic that powers her skyship has been drained, rendering it immobile. The sky is an endless twilight, lit by the luminous fish that swim in it. Off starboard, there’s also the country-sized dragon that is looking particularly hungry. It will take all of Min’s training and experience to get her people safely back home, but as the truth about the Darkstar Dimension begins to be revealed, Min will have to prove to her crew - and to herself - that she is still the best person for the job. From the twisted mind that created the ‘delightfully weird’ Yarnsworld series comes a fantasy adventure like no other. Grab it now, to set sail on a journey you’ll never forget!