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Lounge & Simon & Schuster

Coffee & Crime Book Club

Lounge is teaming up with Simon & Schuster to bring you the Coffee & Crime Book Club, in collaboration with The Likely Suspects, their crime and thriller novel-loving community.

Each month, we’ll be choosing a Book of the Month to spotlight, with exciting giveaways on our socials to get your own physical or audiobook copy of the novel, as well as interviews with the author and the chance to discover your next favourite read.

And if you want to purchase the book through the links on this page, the money will go to a local bookstore based on your delivery address, so you’ll be giving back to your local community!

July’s pick is Body of Lies by Jo Callaghan, an award-winning Sunday Times bestselling author. Click the link below to purchase, or scroll down to find out a bit more about the book.

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A person in a blue-striped sweater holds the book "Body of Lies" by Jo Callaghan with a pink cover, above a worn wooden floor with various colored squares.
A vibrant pink and yellow book titled "Body of Lies" by Jo Callaghan stands upright on a wooden floor, surrounded by evidence markers labeled 1, 2, and 3 in a restaurant or café setting.
By Jo Callaghan

Body of Lies

DCS Kat Frank returns to the Future Policing Unit to investigate a murdered MP… with a cryptic binary message pointing directly at her. As she works alongside AIDE Lock, an AI detective she doesn’t fully trust, the case explodes into a cyberattack on the National Grid and a search for a killer always one step ahead.

In a world of deepfakes and digital deception, Kat must confront whether she can trust AI itself, and whether Lock is solving the crime or orchestrating something far more dangerous.

Jo Callaghan is an award-winning Sunday Times bestselling author, known for the sensational In the Blink of an Eye.

Body of Lies
A middle-aged woman with blonde hair, wearing a light pink sweater, stands indoors in front of a white wall next to a bookshelf, smiling softly at the camera.

Jo Callaghan

Q & A With The Author

Every great mystery has a beginning. What was the very first seed of an idea for the Kat & Lock series?

I wanted to write a crime novel, but I couldn’t think of something different from a pretty crowded market. Then in 2017, for my work I was researching the potential impact of AI on the future workforce, and I suddenly thought, I wonder if you could have an AI Detective? I carried out some initial research, and learnt that police forces were already experimenting with AI, raising important questions about whether decisions should be made using algorithms or gut instinct, the strengths and limitations of AI and the value that only humans can add. This gave me the idea to pair DCS Kat Frank with the world’s first AI Detective AIDE Lock, allowing me to explore issues of love, loss and ultimately what it means to be human.

Sum up Body of Lies in three words…

Shocking, scary and emotional (Lock would probably point out that is four words…)

What (food, drink) fuels your writing sessions?

Lots of tea! I love tea, but it needs to be scalding hot, in a big mug with sugar-free soya milk. I am not a big snacker when I am writing (too messy!), but if I am in the zone I often skip lunch, and then something like fig rolls or coconut macaroons are great because they are quite filling and can keep me going until dinner.

What crime novel would you always pick up if you saw it in a Lounge Library?

Aargh, what a hard question! I would probably pick them all up, but if I had to say one it would probably be When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. I have read this at least 5 times. I love the Jackson Brodie series, but this has it all: a teenage ‘detective’ called Reggie, dogs, missing people, lots of humour and a huge emotional impact. In fact, writing this has made me want to read it all over again…

Body of Lies & Jo Callaghan

What others are saying

“A crime writer of exceptional quality.” – Steve Cavanagh, author of the Eddie Flynn novels

“Terrifyingly timely and provocative.” – Val McDermid, author of over 30 ‘Tartan Noir’ novels

“A new force to be reckoned with in crime.” – Daily Mail

 

A woman lounges in sunglasses, sipping from a yellow mug and reading "Deception" by Jack Jordan at a café, seated at a table with a yellow patterned tablecloth.
A book titled "A Plot to Die For" by Ardal O'Hanlon stands on a checkered table beside a yellow cup of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, and pink marshmallows.
Previous Books - June 2026

Deception

A deadly game. The ultimate price. The Chain meets Squid Game meets Emily the Criminal in this pulse-pounding new thriller from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.

Emma and Miles are out of options. Their son needs life-saving transplant surgery, but in a world of privatised healthcare and impossible costs, they can’t afford it. Then comes the offer: a shadowy syndicate known only as The Levels promises them the exact amount of money they need. All they must do is complete a series of tasks.

The catch? Each task is a crime. As the competition intensifies and they struggle under the weight of their choices, they’re faced with the ultimate question – how far would you go to save the one you love?

Jordan is a global bestselling author of various thrillers, including Redemption, Conviction, and Do No Harm, with Conviction being adapted into a Disney+ series starring Elisabeth Moss in 2027.

Deception
Previous Books - May 2026

A Plot To Die For

One of Ireland’s best-loved actors and comedians has written a new book! Known for his roles in Father Ted, Taskmaster, Derry Girls, Death in Paradise and many more, Ardal O’Hanlon has turned his pen to a brand new mystery, A Plot to Die For.

Set in a small Irish town, celebrity gardener Finn O’Leary returns to his hometown to care for his ageing mother and is roped into the Tidy Towns competition… and a murder investigation.

When an alto-baritone at his mother’s choir practice drops dead, Finn sets out to discover who has brought murder to Abbeyford alongside his mother, her carer Happiness and his best friend’s sister Aoife.

A Plot to Die For is the perfect book for readers who enjoy the warmth of Graham Norton and the mystery of Death in Paradise, all wrapped up in one small Irish town.

Small town Ireland, big time murder..

A Plot to Die For
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A man with short brown hair wearing a dark blue button-up shirt stands against a light blue background, resting his chin on his fist and looking at the camera with a thoughtful expression.

Previous Author Q&As

Jack Jordan

Every great mystery has a beginning. What was the very first seed of an idea for Deception?
When creating my moral dilemmas, the first thing I do is consider which life element is at stake: is it a person’s professional duty being called into question, or is it about justice and the law? With Deception, I wanted to explore healthcare, and how in so many parts of the world, healthcare isn’t considered a right, but a product you can either afford or you can’t. I wanted to explore the lives of those who can’t afford it, and how playing with right and wrong in this arena asks the reader to consider what they would do in the characters’ shoes: how far would they go to save someone they love, when let down by the system, which is supposed to save them?

Sum up Deception in three words…
High-octane, heart-wrenching, propulsive!

What food and drink fuels your writing sessions?
I start the day with a pain au chocolat and extra hot soya latte (iced soya lattes if it’s warm outside!), and then run on Coke Zeros and a midday KitKat! If I have lunch, it’s often a mid-afternoon chicken Caesar salad or a smoked salmon bagel. Essentially: caffeine, sugar and carbs!

What crime novel would you always pick up if you saw it in a Lounge Library?
Although historical, I consider this a landmark crime fiction title, too: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I’ve read it three times, and it has the best twist I’ve read in fiction (yes, it even beats Gone Girl in my book!).

Ardal O'Hanlon

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VAT On Kid's Menus Reduced to 5%

Great British Summer Savings

As part of the UK government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, VAT charged on our Little Loungers’ menu has dropped from the usual 20% down to 5% from 25th June until 1st September 2026. Please see our web menus for our new lower prices for this summer.