Buying books as a Christmas gift is always a challenge, so if you’re looking for something to treat the crime loving reader in your life, here’s my list of five of the books they’d love to find under the tree this festive season!
5. The Mystery Of Three Quarters: Sophie Hannah’s latest outing of her reimagined Poirot features the intrepid Belgium detective and his young friend Edward Catchpool working to uncover two mysteries: was the death of an elderly man an accident, and why was Poirot implicated in the accusation of an array of unlikely suspects? This is a tense tale that’s great for Christie fans, readers who enjoy Golden Age crime fiction or those who want something mysterious yet relaxing and fun to read over Christmas.
4.The Siberian Dilemma: Fans of Martin Cruz Smith and his revered Arkady Renko series will love this latest instalment, which sees the investigator embroiled in a personal mystery after his on/ off girlfriend disappears. When he gets the opportunity to interrogate a suspected assassin, Renko travels to Siberia to find his lover and get to the bottom of the criminal conspiracy she’d stumbled upon. This novel is fast-paced and enticing, making it great for readers who want thrills and chills this Winter.
3. Bodies From The Library 2: The second instalment of this incredible anthology series of stores and novellas from Golden Age stalwarts is a masterclass in how to create the perfect selection of tales for mystery lovers. It features famous names like Dorothy L Sayers, through to less well-known writers who nonetheless have a lot to offer. Readers who enjoy Golden Age books, or just a good classic mystery, will love this well thought out anthology.
2. The Complete Collection Of Sherlock Holmes: Mystery fans who’ve only perused a few of Conan Doyle’s classic tales will adore a complete set, particularly if you get them one with all of the original drawings, or a newly illustrated one from a provider of luxury books, such as my personal favourite the Folio Society. The stories and novels that Conan Doyle created remain popular to this very day, and with good reason: each contains a cleverly constructed mystery and a solution that is both ingenious and deeply human. Make sure the person you’re buying for doesn’t already have a complete set before you buy them another one!
1.The Puppet Show: A copy of this year’s CWA Gold Dagger Award winning novel is a great gift for any crime fiction fan who hasn’t read it yet. Bloody and dark, M.W. Craven’s novel is not for the fainthearted. It features a deranged serial killer who’s burning victims alive in a set of stone circles in the picturesque Lake District. The police bring back a reluctant, disgraced detective whose past seems to be linked to these horrific crimes, and he embarks on a challenging investigation that will shake everything you think about humanity and human decency. Fans of rough, tough thrillers with lots of blood and gore will be ecstatic to find this book under their tree on Christmas morning.
The Dorset Book Detective 