Must Read Fiction For January 2026

’n Kwessie soos hierdie gaan nie net oor die olifante nie. Dit gaan oor die land. Dit gaan oor die verlede en die toekoms.

Dit is 1916 en Caleb Kelly, ’n jong WOI-veteraan, keer getraumatiseerd en geskend terug na sy familieplaas in die Oos-Kaap. Wanneer olifante groot skade op Bellevue aanrig, is hy gereed om hulle voor die voet te skiet. Maar dan gebeur iets wat maak dat hy sy woede verruil vir ’n diepe vriendskap met ’n trop wat bedags tussen die ruigtes op die plaas skuil.

 Intussen word pogings tot grootskaalse sitrusverbouing in die Sondagsriviervallei nag ná nag in die wiele gery deur olifante wat lemoenboorde stroop en besproeiingsinstallasies vernietig. Dewald Troskie, oorlogsheld en befaamde grootwildjagter, word aangestel om hulle uit te wis.

Deur feit met fiksie te verweef neem Bakkes lesers op ’n reis vanaf 1916 tot die stigting van die Addo-olifantpark in 1931. Soetdoring in die ruigtes is meer as ’n historiese roman – dit is ’n meditasie oor trauma en genesing, oor die mensdom se vermoë tot sowel vernietiging as bewaring.

Helga Roets woon al ses jaar by Silwerhare Aftreeoord, maar danksy haar motortjie bly sy bedrywig. Wanneer sy deur die oogarts met makulêre degenerasie gediagnoseer word, is Helga raadop. Dis dan so ’n bedrywige week wat voorlê, twee begrafnisse en ‘n troue in die Paarl!

Dinsdag glip Helga suutjies uit by die aftreeoord, reg om haar reisavontuur te begin. Maar die orige Stefaans de Wet wag onder die lamppaal, so ewe van plan om haar te vergesel. Net omdat sy kwansuis nie kan sién nie.

Die moord-en-roofspeurder Adriaan Kruger verhuis saam met sy nuwe vrou na Overberg, ’n dorpie in die Suid-Kaap. Daar ontdek hy gou onheil is nie beperk tot die grootstad nie. Die egpaar is nog besig om hul voete te vind toe hy skielik gekonfronteer word met ’n raaiselagtige verdwyning, ’n dorpenaar wat sterf weens vergifting, en ’n ou, onopgeloste saak wat lyk asof dit met die twee onlangse sake verband hou.

Drie misdade, wat oënskynlik geen raakpunte het nie – maar los jy één op, so vermoed Adriaan, word die ander los drade ook vasgeknoop . . .

Drie misdade in ’n knoop is die derde titel in ’n reeks van vyf ligte spanningsverhale wat tussen 1998 en 2003 deur die gewilde skrywer Eleanor Baker onder die skuilnaam Alex Muller geskryf is.

Muhammad has always been the perfect son.

In Cape Town’s close-knit Muslim community, he prays on time, follows the rules, and lives up to his devout mother Zaynab’s expectations. But beneath his carefully constructed facade, Muhammad feels suffocated by the weight of who he truly is and he is supposed to be.
One evening at a braai, he meets Riyaaz – and everything changes. From that moment, Muhammad must navigate the uncertainty between his duty and the truth.
Set against the rich tapestry of Cape Malay culture, Muhammad’s story captures a world where tradition and modernity collide. Here, the sacred rhythms of prayer exist alongside secrets that threaten to tear his world apart.

Haram is a tender yet unflinching exploration of faith, family, and forbidden desire.

When two people find out their online crushes are actually their IRL enemies, they must figure out a way to work with each other in this charming and geeky enemies-to-lovers romcom perfect for fans of Olivia Dade.

When your favorite player turns out to be your very real boss, the rules are a lot more complicated.

Elizabeth Gordon-Bettencourt is rebuilding her life on her own terms, starting with a new internship, a shot at her dream job as a civil engineer, and a whole lot of distance from her family’s drama. With her life full of change, the one constant is @theanswerisno, a charming gamer who seems to just . . . get her. Even if he has no interest in meeting her in real life.

Elizabeth would feel a lot more confident about her job if her new boss wasn’t so hard to read. Lincoln Carden is quiet, demanding, and adamant about avoiding small talk-especially in the office. What she doesn’t know is that online, he’s someone else entirely: quick, confident, and a little bit flirty. And his favorite player to team up with is @pancakesareelite, the one person who never makes him feel like he has to try so hard. As their two worlds start to collide, Elizabeth and Lincoln start to wonder: with their careers on the line and their online friendship at risk, is a romance IRL worth it?

The captivating new novel from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Steele is a spellbinding book club read, set in the glittering French Riviera in the dangerous days leading up to the outbreak of WW2.

Nestled into the pine-dusted coastline of the Cap d’Antibes is the dazzling white Chateau Violette. When British diplomat Lord Harry Castlemere, his young Jewish wife Daisy and their four-year-old son move into the chateau in the summer of 1938, their home becomes a beacon for the glamorous expat set – rife with gossip about the Windsors, and everyone in denial about the grumblings across the border in Italy and northern Europe.

But as Germany tightens its grip on Europe, Daisy discovers the chateau holds a dark past that could threaten her future. While she unravels the tragic secrets of the previous mistresses of Chateau Violette, war begins to rage across the continent, and soon, no one is safe – least of all Daisy…

Cairo 1915. A wealthy Egyptian jeweller commissions a Fabergé egg as a wedding anniversary gift to his “queen.”

Cairo 1976. After leaving Paris, Lilianne is recruited by the CIA to keep tabs on a charming, corrupt jeweller. But when a betrayal renders Cairo unsafe, Lilianne and a broken Gilles must leave for the US – unaware they are carrying priceless cargo. Back on the Connecticut coast, their marriage of convenience deepens into a singular kind of love – until devastating news forces them to make an impossible choice.

Southport, Connecticut present day. Decades later, Sophie has lost everything; her husband, her house, and her picture-perfect life. When her parents’ old friend Helen visits with an exquisite antique doll, Sophie discovers a stunning treasure – and a truth about her birth mother that sends her on a journey of self-discovery. In the green mountains of Vermont, she is drawn to the strong, silent Owen and to the family she never knew . . . until another secret upends her life again.

Three priceless treasures. Three extraordinary women. Three powerful legacies.

The next book in the series, The Temptations of Crete, will follow Connie’s story after parting from Lilianne and Helen in 1975 Paris.

With cross-generational appeal and captivating international settings, this series is perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Rachel Hore and Santa Montefiore.

It’s 1985, what will soon become known at “The Year of the Spy,” and fourteen-year-old Peter Bennett is convinced his mom’s new boyfriend is a Russian agent.

“Gary” isn’t in the phone book, has an unidentifiable European accent, and keeps a gun in the glove box of his convertible Porsche. Peter thinks Gary only wants to get close to his mom because she works at Scientific Atlanta, a lab with big government contracts. But who is going to believe him? He’s just a kid into BMX and MTV.

But after another woman who works at the lab is killed, Peter recruits an unlikely pair of allies – a has-been pulp writer named Dennis Hotchner and his drag performer buddy and heavy, Jackie Demure. Both soon become the target of an unhinged Russian hitman (is it Gary? Maybe!) with a serious Phil Collins obsession.

Meanwhile, Sylvia Weaver, a young, Black FBI agent, investigates Scientific Atlanta in the wake of the employee’s murder and discovers a nest of Russian spies. Little does she know her investigation is being thwarted by a seriously compromised colleague in Washington, D.C., who is in league with a lovesick, hypochondriac KGB defector who is playing both sides of the Cold War to his benefit.

As Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev prepare for a historic nuclear summit in Geneva, what happens in Atlanta might change the course of the Cold War, the 20th Century, and Peter Bennett’s freshman year of high school.

An impossible pairing. An unstoppable team.

Conman and expert thief Nick Fox is responsible for some of the most daring heists of recent years. Now he’s responsible for driving FBI Special Agent, Kate O’Hare crazy as they work together to take down some of the world’s most untouchable felons.

Nick and Kate’s first assignment: to track down one of the most notorious embezzlers in the world – along with the $500 million he stole on his way out of the country. It’s going to include hardships like travelling to an island paradise, living on a yacht, and dinner theatre. And if Nick is turning out to look a lot like the man of Kate’s dreams… well, that can only be expected when you’re having fun parachuting into forbidden territory, setting off explosives and playing the part of a honey trap…

Coming Soon!

Opulence. Sex. Betrayal … Sometimes friendship can be deadly.

Meet the women of Buckhead–a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.

Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …

Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …

Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …

Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?

Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead–and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.

Coming Soon!