Year One by Nora Roberts

They call it The Doom – a deadly pandemic that starts on New Year’s Eve in the Scottish countryside. As billions fall sick and die, some survivors find themselves invested with strange, unexpected abilities.

This dystopian thriller is the latest release from New York Times bestseller Nora Roberts, who is the author of a staggering 190 novels.

Release date: 5th December

The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites

1914. Jewish silversmith Johann Blumenthal crafted a tiny ornamented box for his young son before leaving to fight in a war to honour his beloved country – a country that would soon turn against him. A half century later, Londoner Lilian Morrison inherits the box, and finds a link to an astonishing past.

This historical novel was originally published in Baites’ native German and has already received a slew of five-star reviews on Amazon.

Release date: 1st December

Catalina by Liska Jacobs

Elsa Fisher retreats to Los Angeles after being fired from MoMA on the heels of an affair with her married boss. Her abandoned crew of college friends receive her with open arms and, thinking she’s on vacation, a plan to celebrate their reunion on a booze-soaked sailing trip to Catalina Island. But Elsa is hell-bent on self-destruction.

Jacobs’ debut has already been compared to Bret Easton Ellis’ early work, and bestselling author Jill Alexander Essbaum has said: ‘Liska Jacobs writes with teeth; this book’s got bite.’

Release date: 13th December

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

The people who call End of the Line need hope. They need reassurance that life is worth living. But some are unlucky enough to get through to Laura. Laura doesn’t want them to hope. She wants them to die. But now someone’s onto her – Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand-in-hand with a stranger.

This book is the fourth from journalist Marrs and has an intriguing, unusual premise.

Release date: 1st December

The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond

Newlyweds Jake and Alice are offered a mysterious wedding gift – membership of a club which promises its couples will never divorce. Signing The Pact seems the start to a perfect marriage. Until one of them breaks the rules.

This new thriller has perhaps inevitably been compared with Gone Girl, and author Lisa Gardner has issued a warning that ‘this will keep you up all night’.

Release date: 14th December

What Remains True by Janis Thomas

From the outside, the Davenports look like any other family – until that devastating day when five-year-old Jonah is killed, and the family is torn apart. As guilt engulfs them, the Davenports slowly start to unravel, one by one.

This intimate portrayal of familial guilt is told from multiple points of view – including Jonah’s.

Release date: 1st December

An Unremarkable Body by Elisa Lodato

When Katharine is found dead at the foot of her stairs, it is the mystery of her life that consumes her daughter, Laura. The medical examiner’s report, in which parts of Katharine’s body are weighed and categorised, motivates Laura to write her own version of events; to bear witness to the unbearable blank space between each itemised entry.

This novel has been described as part memoir, part thriller, and promises to be both heartfelt and haunting.

Release date: 14th December

The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen

No one in sleepy Woodbury where Ellery works as a police officer knows she was once victim number 17 of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only one who lived. When three people disappear from her town in three years, Ellery fears someone knows her secret.

This idea has been done many times before, but Scaffhausen’s credentials as winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition suggests this might be something special.

Release date: 5th December

Quick Curtain by Alan Melville

When Douglas B. Douglas – leading light of the London theatre – premieres his new musical extravaganza, he is sure the packed house will be dazzled by the performance. What he couldn’t predict is the death of his star on stage in the middle of act two.

This satirical novel from the golden age of British crime fiction between the world wars has been rediscovered in a new edition by British Library Crime Classics.

Release date: 5th December

The Name of the Wind: 10th anniversary deluxe illustrated edition by Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe is living as an unassuming innkeeper. Few suspect that the man serving them drinks is actually a notorious magician, masterful musician, dragon-slayer and infamous assassin.

This deluxe edition marks the 10th anniversary of this brilliant fantasy novel, and would make a great Christmas gift for any fantasy fan in your life.

Release date: 7th December