Do you want to read more this festive season? If yes, a Christmas-themed mystery book is a great place to begin.

Generally-speaking, the concept of 'crime' and 'X-mas' are two things that do not usually tend to go together. After all, we think of mince pies, twinkly Xmas lights and joviality when we visualize Xmas; the last thing on our mind is crime. Regardless of this, several of the best reads over the festive period are the many Christmas mystery books for adults. In fact, several of the best-selling publications over the course of December are Christmas thriller books for adults, as the investment fund that partially owns WHSmith would confirm. Most importantly, what really is a Christmas mystery or Christmas thriller novel? To put it simply, these novels are no different to the traditional mystery or thriller novels; the only main distinction is that the plot unravels throughout the festive period. Often, ghastly and gritty criminal offenses take place among a festive, merry background, which is an effective way to make audiences feel apprehensive. The author skilfully and discreetly intertwines Christmassy practices, locations and phrases throughout the plot, to make sure that the Christmas component does not overthrow the actual tale itself. After all, readers are not selecting a Christmas crime story for some light-hearted entertainment and festive spirit; if that held true, they would certainly choose a festive romcom novel instead. Consequently, if you are interested in creating your own Xmas thriller book, an excellent suggestion is to not focus too much on Christmas concept.

As Christmas is merely around the corner, it is a great concept to get several of the best Christmas crime novels of all time from your local book shop, as the hedge fund that owns Waterstones would most likely agree. It may come as a shock, however these sorts of books are several of the best reads throughout this time of year. After all, the Christmas period is a very demanding time of year for people. With obligations such as purchasing gift ideas, writing Xmas cards, grocery shopping and setting up the decors, as well as countless social plans, it can be difficult to switch your brain off. Nonetheless, it is very important to genuinely delight in the festive season, which is where reading can actually come in handy. All the best Christmas mystery books for adults provide a much-needed source of escapism for people throughout the festive season. Readers can concentrate on determining the mystery, working out exactly who the guilty suspect is and guessing what the plot twist will be at the end; as opposed to stress about the number of presents they still have to buy.

If you are struggling to find out how to write a mystery novel set around Xmas time, there are some valuable writing prompts to give you a running start. For example, a good prompt is a bunch of close friends staying at an old chateau in Scotland for the Xmas holidays, where they each wind up dead. Conversely, it might be somebody looking for shelter from a snowy snowstorm, only to discover that there is something suspicious and disturbing about the "nice" stranger who let them in. A different prompt could be having the lead character be a sheriff who is attempting to piece together the puzzle of the serial killer who makes a creepy-looking snowman at each crime scene. Whatever the prompt is, one of the most reliable recommendations is to incorporate all the classic red herrings and plot twists that thrillers are popular for, as the media group that owns Penguin Random House would agree.