10 Novels You Should Read in December

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At long last, December is upon us, and so, too, are the slow, creeping days of winter, ready to be filled with crafting, mulled wine, and of course, mystery novels. Few novels are released in December, so this is always a nice month to draw attention to subgenres we don’t as often explore, including supernatural thrillers and some sexy, sexy suspense. Get ready to wait out the rest of the holiday season/surge with these 10 entertaining and moving takes on the crime genre.

Robert Justice, They Can’t Take Your Name
(Crooked Lane)

In this moving race-against-time thriller, an innocent man faces his impending judicial murder by a state that refuses to examine new evidence that will exonerate him. Meanwhile, his daughter grows increasingly desperate as she frantically works to stay her father’s execution. A new romance for her, and the heartbreaking dynamics of a family torn apart by injustice, fill out the intense and very human relationships portrayed in the novel. For a debut, They Can’t Take Your Name demonstrates an incredible maturity and clarity from Robert Justice, an author I hope to see many more titles from in the future. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Senior Editor

Lindsay Faye, Observations by Gaslight
(Mysterious Press)

Lindsay Faye’s new book, Observations by Gaslight, serves as a fitting addition to the world of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of epistolary accounts written from the perspectives of characters within the detective’s orbit—some are major players like Irene Adler; others got only passing mention in the original canon, but here come alive through Faye’s formidable imagination. It all adds up to a fascinating project that amplifies the fictional world and adds striking notes of depth to a host of characters and tales. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Editor-in-Chief

Kay Hooper, The Curse of Salem
(Berkley)

From the 1980s throwback cover design, to the very last perfectly-plotted page, The Curse of Salem is irresistible. If you’re a fan of paranormal suspense, you’re probably already familiar with Kay Hooper’s Special Crimes Unit series, but we’ve seen an uptick in our readers’ interest in fun haunted house books (By “our readers” do I just mean “me”? Quite possibly…) and those of use who’ve spent more time than usual both indoors and in small towns over the past two years should get plenty of enjoyment out of this one, whether or not you’re familiar with the previous books in the series. –MO

Stephen Spotswood, Murder Under Her Skin
(Doubleday)

Spotswood continues with the mysteries of knife-thrower Willowjean “Will” Parker and legendary detective Lillian Pentecost in this throwback mystery that sees the duo travel to the midcentury South and join the circus. Spotswood conjures up thick atmospherics and keeps the story moving with plenty of rapport, clever observations, and a tight, suspenseful plot. There’s an exuberance to these novels that will keep readers coming back for more. –DM

Lara Thompson, One Night, New York
(Pegasus)

Lara Thompson’s glittering Art-Deco, Depression-era crime novel takes place over the course of a single December night in the 1930s, when two women meet atop the Empire State Building to punish the man who wronged them. If you love New York City like I do, you’re going to want to read it. –OR

Elly Griffiths, The Midnight Hour
(Mariner Books)

Elly Griffiths delivers another mystery full of tightly plotted suspense, eccentric characters, and pure fun. In The Midnight Hour, Emma Holmes and her partner Sam Collins have launched their PI services in Brighton, where Holmes’s husband serves as police superintendent, and wouldn’t you know it, their very first case puts them on a collision course with local law enforcement. The case involves music, theater impresarios, and a lot of interesting leads that intersect with the women’s own lives. This is a smart, enjoyable read from a reliably compelling author. –DM

Shea Ernshaw, A History of Wild Places
(Atria)

A private detective goes looking for a vanished writer, and pauses at her long-abandoned car before vanishing into the woods himself. Years later, a married couple begin to question the boundaries of their tight-knit community. Why can nothing new be brought in from the outside anymore? And why do the trees…move…in that way? What dangers are waiting in the dark, with what other dangers lurking at home? –MO

RV Raman, A Dire Isle
(Agora)

The second novel in the Harith Athreya series firmly establishes RV Raman as an author on the rise and an impressive force in the world of whodunnits. In A Dire Isle, there’s a mysterious death at an archaeological site near a fabled island in the Betwa River, in Central India. Detective Athreya is called to investigate and encounters a kind of locked-room puzzle mixed in with gothic notes from the beyond. Readers who crave the fair play puzzling of a traditional mystery mixed in with some armchair travel will be richly rewarded. –DM

Briana Cole, Couples Wanted
(Dafina)

What’s better than a psychological thriller? A steamy psychological thriller, of course. Stay warm under the covers with author and sex educator Briana Cole’s new novel of a couple swap gone wrong and the dangers of straying. Also check out her fabulous list of similarly sexy thrillers to keep the party going. –MO

John Straley, So Far And So Good
(Soho)

Straley’s Alaskan PI Cecil Younger is one of the more eccentric, enjoyable offerings in crime fiction today. In So Far And So Good, Cecil is plying his trade out of prison, where he’s serving a (much-reduced) seven year term for past misdeeds and passing the time helping other inmates work on their parole packages. He’s also corresponding with his daughter, who has decided to join the family vocation with her own sleuthing project, which traces a friend’s history to a notorious case of a baby taken away from her Native mother. The story makes for a heady mix, all set against an uncanny backdrop—a frozen near-wilderness peppered with private eyes. –DM

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