Secret Santa ideas for armchair detectives

An examination of the criminal justice system in the United States, the nature of crime, and her own experience of abuse, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich’s The Fact of a Body is a true crime story like no other. One of the Sunday Times books of the year, The Fact of a Body would make a great gift for fans of Serial and Netflix’s The Keepers.

Know someone who thinks they could be the next James Bond? Challenge them this Christmas with Spy School. Taking inspiration from the former Russian Secret Service’s brain training programme and packed with quizzes, tests and brain hacks, Spy School will give them the chance to prove if they'd make the cut. 

Set in Ann Cleeves' hometown of Whitley Bay, The Seagull is a story of corruption, community and the fragility of family relationships. This is the eighth book in the Vera Stanhope series, and is available in hardback now.

The highly unusual and masterful crime novel by China Mieville is being adapted for the small-screen (and airing on BBC One in 2018) so now is the perfect time to read the novel. The City & The City will make a great stocking filler for those who like their crime writing a little different to the norm.

End Game by David Baldacci is available now. Set between London and the Rocky Mountains, the fifth book in the Will Robie series is Baldacci at his thrilling best.

Complete with gold gilt edges and Sidney Paget's original illustrations, the Macmillan Collector’s Library edition of the very best of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories will brighten up any crime-lovers bookshelf this Christmas.

Need You Dead by Peter James sees Brighton based detective Roy Grace facing his most mysterious case yet. A great gift for the crime fiction lover in your life, and it's out in paperback now. 

The second Soho Nights story by Ronnie O’Sullivan draws on his experiences growing up in the West End, a childhood spent playing snooker in seedy clubs and living amongst London's gangsters in the 1980s. Double Kiss will make a great gift for fans of Roberta Kray and Jessie Keane.