Need some inspiration for holiday gift shopping?

The Deaths of December by Susi Holliday

‘Have yourself a deadly little Christmas’ … an advent calendar is delivered to a police station. Each window contains the photo of a crime scene. Why would someone want to draw attention to murders? Dealing with the fall-out of a serial killer are a seasoned officer DS Eddie Carmine aka Scrooge – ‘…anything that can distract me from the hell that’s Christmas is a good thing’ and the new girl on the block, Becky, who loves Christmas. The dynamic between these two suggests this might be the first book of a new series of sparkling police procedural books.

Published November 2017 by Mulholland Books / Hodder

The Absence of Guilt by Mark Giminez

If you like thrillers, then you might enjoy this American take on an impending ISIS attack on the Super Bowl. District Judge A. Scott Fenney, one of the last truly moral men among the jackals of the legal profession, has to tread the difficult line between imprisoning a suspect who might be involved in an attempt on the lives of thousands of people, or letting him go free as there is too little real evidence to implicate him. This is a riveting thriller prepared to ask some difficult questions. The American Constitution is not just about gun control and Judge Fenney is prepared to stake more than his career to see that justice is done.

Published 2016 by Sphere

For those who love classics and are not daunted by lengthy books, A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George is just the thing for the Christmas stocking. Are you familiar with the exciting world of DI Thomas Lynley and DS Barbara Havers? This is the 19^th in the series, taking off from when Lynley's wife has been murdered and Havers feels the need to redeem herself after several misdemeanors that could end her career. With A Banquet of Consequences, a police procedural with in-depth characterisation and focus on relationships, Elizabeth George has hit top form.

Published in paperback in 2016 by Hodder

Fateful Mornings by Tom Bouman

This beautifully-written crime novel takes us to Pennsylvania, USA. Not to the wholesome part of tidy farms and apple pie, but deep into the sordid world of heroin and meth hidden in the sticks. There are all sorts of reasons you might want to live away from it all, even if you are a cop, or especially if you are a cop and want a quiet life. When a man is shot and a woman goes missing Officer Henry Farrell must engage, however reluctantly. With well-drawn characters and an evocative setting, this book would look enticing under any Christmas tress.

Published in 2017 by Faber & Faber