2005 Christmas reads: Thrillers

The Lighthouse
By P. D. James
(Faber and Faber $35)

Another Adam Dalgliesh novel from the reliable James. Dalgliesh is still writing tortured poetry, pondering his tortured love life and, occasionally solving a crime. No messy spills, no serial killers, no autopsies, just good characters and quietly good writing. Old fashioned, and all the better for it.

The Minotaur
By Barbara Vine
(Penguin/Viking $35)

As Vine the very good Ruth Rendell is even better. And this is very good Vine. She is particularly good at the ghastliness of English family life. As seen, as usual, from the eye of the outsider, The Minotaur goes inside the living room and examines the messiness of the rooms beyond the visitor's view.

Silence of the Grave
By Arnaldur Indridason
(Harvill Press $36.95)

For depression and crime, look to Iceland. There's a formula here. The protagonist is a cop whose family hates him; he hates himself. But this is laden with a gloominess beyond the usual — if you like that sort of thing, which I do — and written with quite wonderful introspection.

Alice in Jeopardy
By Ed McBain
(Orion $35)

Not McBain's best. A long way from it. But it came out in the year McBain, one of the greats, died. So it's one of the last — there will always be something worth publishing in a drawer somewhere. And it shares that trademark wit with excellent dialogue and feisty characters. Get the back catalogue.

Nothing More Than Murder
By Jim Thompson
(Orion, $24.99)

Thompson's been dead a while longer. First published in 1949, this has been re-released as part of the Crime Masterworks series. It involves a bogus insurance claim, a small-town, small-time crim; his wife and his mistress. A real classic from the hard-boiled end of the genre and a classic of tight, terrific crime writing.

Sun and Shadow
By Ake Edwardson
(Harvill, $36.95)

Eric Winter is a great name for a Swedish chief inspector. He is rather jollier than the brooding types typical of the Scandinavian's take on the genre. But not by much. Winter likes jazz, cooking, and crime solving and brooding just a bit. Deftly done and nicely written.

Broken Prey
By John Sandford
(Simon & Schuster $35)

And of course we need a blockbuster for Christmas — although a superior sort of blockbuster. This is one. Three serial killers are securely locked up in the high-security nuthouse. So just who is doing all that nasty serial killing? Great twists and a plot thrilling enough to keep you busy all through Christmas. Which should take your mind off that over-whelming urge to kill the rellies.