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World Book Club
Podcast · Free

World Book Club

BBC World Service

The world's great authors discuss their best-known novels with readers around the globe.

12 recent episodesFree to stream
Karin Slaughter - The Good Daughter
World Book Club welcomes Karin Slaughter to answer your questions about her brutal, heart-rending thriller, The Good Daughter.28 years after the murder of their mother, another horrific crime forces sisters Sam and Charlie Quinn to confront the truth about the night that shattere
1 Jun 202665:01
John Connolly - The Book of Lost Things
Harriett Gilbert welcomes John Connolly to World Book Club to answer your question on his beautiful, but twisted fairy tale - The Book of Lost Things. Set in the Second World War. The novel tells the tale of twelve-year-old David, who mourns the death of his mother while shut up
1 May 202662:52
Ragnar Jonasson: The Darkness
Octavia Bright talks to Ragnar Jónasson about his shocking thriller, The Darkness.When Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is unceremoniously told she is being forced into early retirement, she is given the chance to work on one last Cold Case, anything she likes. The case s
1 Apr 202661:37
Laurent Binet - HHhH
Harriett Gilbert welcomes the French author Laurent Binet to the World Book Club studio to answer your questions about his acclaimed novel HHhH.The book tells the story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, and the daring mission
2 Mar 202658:11
Linwood Barclay - Take Your Breath Away
Harriett Gilbert welcomes master of suspense, the Canadian author Linwood Barclay in the World Book Club Studio, to answer your questions about his thriller 'Take Your Breath Away'.The story centres on Andrew Mason, whose wife Brie vanished six years ago, making him the prime sus
2 Feb 202664:18
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - The Palace of Illusions
Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni into the World Book Club studio to discuss her internationally acclaimed novel, The Palace of Illusions.A luminous reimagining of the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharat, The Palace of Illusions traces the li
1 Jan 202667:15
Philippa Gregory: The Other Boleyn Girl
Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Philippa Gregory into the World Book Club studio to discuss her celebrated historical novel, The Other Boleyn Girl.This novel, about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is a vivid portrayal of ambition, love, and betrayal in the Tudor C
1 Dec 202555:08
Oyinkan Braithwaite - My Sister, The Serial Killer
Harriett Gilbert welcomes Nigerian author Oyinkan Braithwaite into the World Book Club studio to discuss her internationally bestselling debut, My Sister, the Serial Killer — a darkly comic thriller that has captivated readers around the globe.This is the story of two sisters, Ko
1 Nov 202550:40
Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Mexican Gothic
Harriett is joined by Silvia Moreno-Garcia to discuss her chilling bestseller Mexican Gothic. The story begins when Noemí Taboada, a glamorous socialite from 1950s Mexico City, receives a desperate letter from her cousin Catalina, claiming her new husband is poisoning her. Unsure
4 Oct 202566:33
Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles
Join us for a special episode of World Book Club as we journey into the fog-shrouded moors of Devon to explore The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle—arguably the most iconic and enduring novel in the Sherlock Holmes canon. First published in 1902, this gothic master
6 Sept 202562:22
Juhea Kim - Beasts of a Little Land
Harriett Gilbert talks with Juhea Kim about her debut novel Beasts of a Little Land.Set during the turbulent years of Japanese-occupied Korea in the early 20th century, this sweeping historical epic traces the lives of two unforgettable characters: Jade, a young girl sold to a co
2 Aug 202558:54
Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project
On this episode of ‘World Book Club’ Harriett Gilbert speaker with with Graeme Macrae Burnet about his riveting historical crime novel ‘His Bloody Project’.Set in a remote Scottish community in the 1800s, the story centres on a brutal triple murder and the person who admits guilt
5 Jul 202549:20