Christmas Thrillers

Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man…

Lily Armitage returns to Endgame House for the annual Christmas Game, drawn by a promise that the game's riddles will reveal her mother's murderer. Competing with estranged cousins for twelve days, with thick snow and downed phone lines, Lily must stay sharp. Not everyone plays fair, and lives are at stake as they vie for the house's deeds.

My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

Meet Jenny Starling, a traveling cook and reluctant sleuth. While preparing Christmas dinner in a snowed-in Cotswolds country house, she discovers the family she's working for is filled with tension. When a body is found on the kitchen table, Jenny is blamed. With an incompetent detective on the case and no clear motive, Jenny takes it upon herself to find the real killer and clear her name.

It’s three days before Christmas, and detective-turned-chef Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is drafted in to cater a charity event run by a notorious millionaire at a 13th-century abbey on Bodmin Moor. Things get more complicated when a snowstorm descends, stranding them all, and the next morning they find one of the guests has been gruesomely murdered in their bed…

It’s winter in the small town of Dewstow, and Margery is preparing for her first Christmas as Summerview school’s kitchen manager. She’s supported by her wife, Clementine, and is trying to stay focused on the task at hand. The pair are determined to stay out of the way of the Christmas concert planning that has gripped the rest of the staff. However, they are caught in the crossfire when the stage lights collapse at the first practice, killing Mrs Large, the music teacher.

In Lower Lockwood, the Fairway Players rehearse "Jack and the Beanstalk" to raise money for a new church roof. Amidst petty rivalries, an asbestos-filled beanstalk, and absent players, the season's goodwill is scarce. Then, a dead body appears onstage. Lawyers Femi and Charlotte investigate Christmas letters, emails, and police transcripts to uncover the victim and killer before the holiday production ends for good.

Madeline Martin, owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop, faces a difficult Christmas caring for her infirm father. Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, arrives to investigate events Madeline wants to forget. As the sole survivor of Evan Handy's attacks, which included her best friend Steph's murder and the disappearance of two other friends, Madeline is wary. Granger, known for his controversial methods, questions the closed case and its connections to recent disappearances. As Christmas and a blizzard approach, Madeline and her friend Badger revisit their past to find the missing Lolly and uncover truths closer to home than they imagined.

It's Christmas Eve at the Merry Monarch. Nestled amongst the Yorkshire Dales, the pub is preparing to host its annual festive games night for its rabble of regulars. But this year, they are interrupted by a knock at the door from a stranger, stranded by the snow storm that's closing in on the village. And this won't be the only surprise of the night. When the power is cut off and darkness descends, the games turn deadly . . .

American art student Ashley Smith plans to spend Christmas alone until fellow student Emma Chapman invites her to Starvewood Hall, a festive Cotswold manor. Ashley is enchanted by the manor, the village of Clevemoor, and Emma’s aloof brother, Adam, who is under investigation for a local girl’s murder. As a mysterious stranger haunts the nearby woods, Ashley questions if she’s in a romance, a gothic tale, or something more sinister. Over thirty years later, the events of that week and a 1989 diary are revisited, concluding in modern-day New York.

On 19 December 1931, Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool investigate a murder in a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool's mother, Cynthia, insists Poirot stay at a coastal mansion for the festive period while solving the case. Cynthia's friend's husband is set to be admitted to the same hospital, and his wife fears he will be the next victim. Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent further murders before Christmas, while a ruthless individual has their own plans for him.

Sherlock Holmes discovers a mysterious musical score, triggering a Christmas challenge by Irene Adler with clues themed around 'theft without theft,' such as a hidden statue found in the same room it was taken from. As Holmes focuses on the "Adler Variations," he risks neglecting his new client, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who has received threats in the form of animal carcasses on his doorstep. Could these be from a strange spirit following Nansen since his Greenland expedition? And is there a connection to Adler's game?