In this Christmas treat to myself – the first in a paranormal crime series – PI Yannia Wilde tries to adapt to life in Old London and prove the all-seeing Heralds of Justice can make mistakes (which like it would have consequences). If you’re curious, it’s on offer from Louise Walters Books through January!

I haven’t kept up with the novellas that intersect the PC Grant series, but any story involving Abigail is always going to tempt me. Besides, this one is about that time with the foxes that Peter would really like to know about. And so would I. Thanks M!

Bradley P Beaulieu has a new name and a new world: Absynthe has a jazzpunk setting of automata, 20s glam and dark thrills. I’ve just started it, and while I’m finding Bellecourt’s style blunt and over-explanatory, I’m already curious about his world.

Past and present collide when an exiled rebel and the family of a murdered politician are trapped in a remote mountain haven together. I started this near-future dystopian thriller in the summer and treated myself to a hardback in the winter sale (go grab a copy!). I can’t wait to finish it.

I’ve had my eye on Depth for ages, and a friendly book fairy sent it to me for Christmas. This is a near-future noir set in a submerged New York, where a PI helping an archaeologist recover lost art is pulled into a murder case. I have a thing about drowned cities, okay? Blame John Wyndham.

A Christmas treat, which I’ve already started listening to (I wasn’t going to resist being beguiled by Chiwetel Ejiofor’s voice). This story of a young man documenting his discovers in a labyrinthine world is surreal and charming, with echoes of other tales and a hint of unreliable narrator.

Interlinked stories of disappearing worlds just before they collide into one another, written by one of my favourite authors? Yes, please. My partner-in-enthusiasm Lisa sent me this apocalyptic fantasy and I’m looking forward to sharing my delight with her.

A speculative re-imagining of the Underground Railway told from the perspective of a boy who has the power to move himself great distances through bodies of water. This is another case of me taking advantage of the winter sale – I’ve been curious about The Water Dancer for a while.

Melinda Salisbury wrote one of my favourite 2020 reads, and I love the sound of her practical guide to getting back in touch with the natural world. The almanac is part education, part inspiration, part journal and a big departure for me – a new approach to the year.

Last up, the lovely Emma sent me a cookbook I’m already salivating over. Our meat consumption plummeted last year, and subscribing to Oddbox challenged me to find new ways to cook random veg – but I’m always looking for more ideas and this book is chock full of tasty inspiration.