Meg's Picks: December 2015

As I mentioned earlier this month, December releases are a little scant this year. But there are LOTS of great things coming in January, so hang in there--the winter doldrums will be anything but dull for readers this year.

In the meantime, there are a few hidden gems being released next month that I wanted to make sure to mention. If you're a fan of British crime fiction, pay close attention!

One is Harbour Street, by Ann Cleeves. Cleeves's work is worthy of LOTS of note. First, her thriller Raven Black won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award in 2006. Secondly, her Vera Stanhope series (Harbour Street is book 6) has been made into an extremely popular television series, Vera, which is currently filming its fifth season--fans of series like Midsomer Murders and Broadchurch should absolutely check out Vera. Here, DI Stanhope avoids the holiday festivities by rushing to a Metro station in (fictitious) Northumberland, where an elegant woman has been found stabbed to death in one of the train cars. Just days after Vera launches an investigation with Det. Joe Ashworth, a second woman dies, and the clues keep leading to Harbour Street, whose residents are surprisingly uncooperative. If you're a fan of contemporary English mysteries, this series is not to be missed.

The Verdict, by Nick Stone. Terry Flynt is a struggling legal clerk, desperately trying to get promoted. And then he is given the biggest opportunity of his career: to help defend a millionaire accused of murdering a woman in his hotel suite. The only problem is that the accused man, Vernon James, turns out to be not only someone he knows, but someone he loathes. This case could potentially make Terry's career, but how can he defend a former friend who betrayed him so badly? Stone is being called Britain's John Grisham, so this is very much worth your time.