Book of the Month: Under the Hammer by Samantha Dooey-Miles

We are proud to be able to offer you the chance to win New Writers Awardee Samantha Dooey-Miles’s debut novel Under the Hammer, in partnership with VERVE Books.

Be in with the chance of winning this darkly comic crime satire about the housing crisis by answering the question at the bottom of this page by 11.59pm on 31 March 2026.

All entrants must reside in the UK and full terms and conditions apply.

Check out our competitions page to find more giveaways.

About Under the Hammer by Samantha Dooey-Miles

Jemma has lost the very little she had. Her toxic boyfriend has run off with her best friend, leaving Jemma alone in their flat, and she can't afford the extortionate rent on her own. She's aimless, depressed and, above all, furious. Slowly but surely, her fury finds its focus: landlords. If only something could be done about them. . .

When Jemma's landlord has a fatal accident while carrying out a property repair, she stumbles across her life's mission: to punish as many landlords as possible. She begins targeting landlords who have appeared on her favourite binge-watch, a home-improvement TV show where their greed is laid bare. It's a messy job, but someone's got to do it.

Governed by her own rules, Jemma is convinced her actions are just – but how long before this vigilante turns villain?

Q&A with Samantha Dooey-Miles

What can readers expect from Under the Hammer?

In Under the Hammer, Jemma is an angry woman from Hamilton, who finds herself drawn to punishing landlords that have featured on her favourite daytime hate-watch in a bid to ease the housing crisis. Readers should expect a dark, pacy, funny read.

How do you choose what to read?

My approach to choosing books is fairly chaotic. I have a gigantic to-be-read pile next to my bed and it is ordered not by what I want to read most but what, vibes-wise, I feel I should. This order is subject to change should the vibes change. At the top at the moment are some proofs of other books coming out in 2026. The pile is made obsolete if a book I have on order at the library comes in and then I read that next instead.

What was your favourite book as a child or teen?

Matilda was up there; I saw something of myself in the bookish girl with a fringe. I bought I Fell in Love with a Leather Jacket about a girl who is trying (and failing) to be an environmentalist at the airport before a family holiday and read it multiple times on that trip and subsequently. The Sweet Valley High series deserves a mention, too, as those books brought me huge joy and got me into the habit of always having a book on the go.

How do you get out of a reading slump?

I tend to get into a reading slump if I've read a few books in a row that haven't connected with me. What I have found has worked is a relatively new behaviour I've adopted – quitting books I know I am not and will not enjoy if I keep going. Before I made myself slog through – which would take ages as I'd have to force myself to pick the book up – in the belief that I might like it in the end despite this never happening in the history of my life. Now I quit and move on.

What's your favourite place to read?

On holiday, lying in the shade, knowing that reading is the only activity I have to do that day. As that is only my life ten days of the year, for the rest of it, my favourite place to read is wherever I am when I have the time: the train, my living room, in a waiting room, and so on.

What's the last great book you read?

Hermit by Chris McQueer. My favourite books are ones that leave me with a lasting feeling after reading. Every chapter in Hermit made me feel something; it was intense and not like anything else I've read. I loved it.