No Alibis Bookstore

Paperback Launch: Chloe Michelle Howarth - Heap Earth Upon It
2026-05-13 18:00 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | No Alibis Bookstore, 83 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1JL, United Kingdom
Join us at No Alibis to celebrate the launch of the paperback edition of Heap Earth Upon It, published by Verve Books, with author Chloe Michelle Howarth!
Book Your Free Ticket Here
January 1965. The orphaned O’Leary siblings – Tom, Jack, Anna and Peggy – arrive in the village of Ballycrea, tight-lipped about their troubled past and desperate for a fresh start. After being met with suspicion from most of the locals, the family are thrilled when they’re taken under the wing of their well-respected neighbours, Bill and Betty Nevan, who offer them work, companionship and an opportunity to fit in.
But for one of the O’Learys, this new friendship sparks an intense attachment that makes the dynamic dangerous for all. It’s difficult to bury secrets, but almost impossible to bury feelings… Crackling with suspense and intensity from start to finish, Heap Earth Upon It revisits the rural Ireland of Howarth’s critically acclaimed debut, delving into claustrophobic relationships and tangled identities, and leaving you wondering who to trust until the very last page.

Book Launch: Sue Divin - Runaway Road
2026-05-15 17:30 - 19:00
Join Northern Irish author, Sue Divin, to celebrate the launch of her third novel, Runaway Road. In conversation with Cathy Carson & Q&A.
***BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE***

Three life-changing minutes. Two siblings on the run. One choice that changes everything…
Adults and teens, writers and readers all welcome to this free book launch event. Light refreshments available from 5.30pm. Event starts 6pm.
Sue Divin is a Derry-based writer with Armagh roots. Her critically acclaimed novels are popular with teens and adults alike. Published in May 2026, Runaway Road (First Ink, Macmillan), is on the Irish Times ‘Best fiction of 2026’ list. Set in Northern Ireland and Donegal in 2023, it explores themes of family and belonging, identity, borders and youth justice. Sue’s début novel, Guard Your Heart, shortlisted in the prestigious Carnegie awards and her 2nd novel, Truth Be Told, is now included on the Ireland’s curriculum.
Ezra is sixteen. He’s no stranger to crossing the line, but this time it’s serious – and someone might be dead. To escape justice, he’ll have to cross another line: the Northern Irish border. But that means leaving behind the only thing that really matters. His little sister, Evie. Evie is nine and sees it differently. Why shouldn’t she go on the run with him too? Raised in care, the siblings are used to feeling invisible. Now they have to become invisible for real.
Book sales and signing will be available on the night, with kind support of No Alibis Bookshop.
Sue Divin will be in conversation with Cathy Carson.
Cathy Carson is the writer and performer of the award winning one woman show ‘ Becoming Marvellous’ which has been staged in venues throughout UK and Ireland and is published by Flight of the dragonfly press. Her writing focuses on human connection and condition and she has performed for radio, television, festivals, theatres and podcasts. She has been nominated for the pushcart prize for her performance poem ‘17’ and has been published in several anthologies.

Book event: The Rag Doll Contract by Dorothy Herson
2026-05-19 18:00 - 19:30
Join us in the bookshop for an evening with Dorothy Herson to celebrate the publication of her novel, The Rag Doll Contract. Dorothy will be in conversation with Andrew Comiskey.
***BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE***
About The Rag Doll Contract:
Olivia has always believed that worth is earned through achievement-by any means necessary. Her ruthless ambition fuels her escape from the deadening familiarity of Bracknell. First, she conquers Oxford; then law school; and finally, the Only Circle-a shadowy network of the most elite corporate law firms in the world. The promise of power and greatness beckons, and Olivia surges forward, convinced she’s found what she’s always craved: wholeness, identity, and a self remade. But beneath the gleaming high-rises and immaculate offices of the Only Circle lies a brutal reality. Trainees work through endless nights on thankless deals that siphon their time, sanity, and identities. In-house gyms, sleeping tubes, and on-site clinics ensure employees never leave the building. Dull-eyed psychiatrists dole out prescriptions, keeping staff steady on little white pills and beta blockers as they grind through the twilight hours.
And in everyone lurks a need-visceral and stiff, more brutal than want-to be the best. To break from the bloodshot masses. To be the thing that is perfect and shiny and new. Under this carnivorous system of constant monitoring, appraisal, and scrutiny, Olivia tells herself, again and again, that she is willing to pay the price. Whatever the cost.
About the author:
Dorothy qualified as a lawyer at a Magic Circle firm before transitioning into writing and activism. As a journalist, her work has been featured in prominent publications, including the Independent, Marie Claire, National Geographic, Antics, and others. She is an editor and writer at Cambridge University Press, where she has contributed to leading mental health research. Dorothy has designed and edited impactful mental health policy work, which she successfully launched in Parliament. ​Dorothy is currently studying for a PhD in Literature and Medicine in Belfast.

Book Launch: Jamie Guiney - The Lightning
2026-05-28 18:30 - 20:00
Join us at No Alibis to celebrate the release of The Lightning, published by Bluemoose Books, with author Jamie Guiney.
Book your free place here
Pre-order a copy of the book here
Wolf Island is in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean. An old lighthouse-keeper is at the end of his rope and he challenges the universe and his place in it. It is a tale of unexpected visitors, their personal histories and navigating the natural surroundings, whilst confronting the elemental rage of the sea.

Book Launch: Sheila Armstrong - The Red Mouth
2026-06-30 18:00 - 19:30
Join us at No Alibis to celebrate the launch of The Red Mouth by Sheila Armstrong, published by Bloomsbury.
Book your free ticket here!
Pre-order your copy of the book here!
When a dog finds a strange, alien antler in a restored bog, the owner’s first thought is to keep it for himself. But when he realises the value of his find, he is drawn back to the rich peat to keep searching. It is not one stag skeleton that is buried there, but dozens – an ancient dying ground of the Great Irish Elk.
Other things have surfaced from the bog: prehistoric settlements, bronze cauldrons, ancient butter, iron weapons – and the mutilated body of a two-thousand-year-old female. Fifty years ago, a young archaeologist named her Belroe Woman, and dedicated his life to telling the story of her sacrificial death. While state and public treat the bog body as a national treasure, others must reckon with its otherworldly influence over their lives: the peat-cutter who first unearthed her and carries this discovery like a curse; the archaeologist’s daughter who grows up in the shadow of the bog’s strange magnetism; and the young environmental scientist whose work draws her back to where it all began.
Haunting and lyrical, The Red Mouth – an béal rua – is the story of two discoveries and the four strangers who become intertwined in their wake. The deep time of the bog is both mystical and sinister: those bound to it must decide what to bury – and what to unearth.
