Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For the rules see her blog.

The topic this week is:  The Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020. Some are the next books in series that I’ve been reading and some are books by authors who are new to me.

The Mirror and the Light (The Wolf Hall Trilogy) by Hilary Mantel – March – the final years of Thomas Cromwell’s life. I loved the first two books and am expecting this one to be just as good. Her books bring 16th century England to life in vivid colour and I have become very fond of Cromwell.

False Value (Rivers of London 8) by Ben Aaronovitch – February –  the latest book in this series that follows Peter Grant, an ordinary constable turned magician’s apprentice, as he solves crimes across London in a sensational blend of inventive urban fantasy, gripping mystery thriller, and hilarious fantasy caper. I’ve only read the first book in the series that I thought was absolutely fascinating.

The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey (March) – I haven’t read anything by her before. At the start of WW2 Hetty Cartwright, a museum curator in London in charge of the mammal collection is evacuated to Lockwood Manor, a creepy gothic house. When some of the animals go missing, and worse, Hetty begins to suspect someone – or something – is stalking her through the darkened corridors of the house.

The Last Protector (James Marwood and Cat Lovett, Book 4) by Andrew Taylor –  (April)  following James Marwood and Cat (Catherine) Lovett. I loved the first three, set in Restoration England. This one sees the return of Oliver Cromwell’s son, Richard.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell – (March) a novel inspired by Shakespeare’s son this is the story of the heartbreaking loss which inspired his play, Hamlet. Maggie O’Farrell is one of my favourite authors.

A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry – (March) this is a follow-up novel to Days Without End, a book I loved. It’s about Winona, a young Lakota orphan adopted by former soldiers Thomas McNulty and John Cole.

Remain Silent by Susie Steiner – (May) this is the third DI Manon Bradshaw murder mystery. I loved the earlier books in the series, both hugely gripping murder mysteries. In this book Manon investigates the death of a young migrant who is found hanging from a tree.

Hitler’s Secret by Rory Clements – (January) I’ve read Corpus, the first book in his Tom Wilde series and this is the fourth, so I have some catching up to do. This is a spy thriller set in 1941, when Cambridge professor, Tom Wilde is asked to smuggle a secret  package out of Germany.

The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray – (February) his debut novel. This is set 40 years into the future after the planet’s rotation has slowed to a halt, resulting in half the earth facing the constant light of the sun while the other half lives in an endless, frozen night.

The Deep by Alma Kastu – (March) I thought her earlier book, The Hunger, was an outstanding book and this new one looks just as impressive. It’s about the sinking of the Titanic and the ill-fated sail of its sister ship, the Britannic.