Reading a mystery book set around Xmas time is an exhilarating experience; carry on reading through to learn exactly why.

Generally-speaking, the idea of 'crime' and 'Xmas' are two things that do not often tend to go together. Besides, we imagine mince pies, twinkly Christmas lights and merriment when we picture Christmas; the last thing on our mind is crime. Despite this, several of the greatest reads over the festive period are the countless Christmas mystery books for adults. Actually, a few 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 certainly validate. Firstly, what actually 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 key difference is that the action unravels throughout the festive period. Frequently, grisly and gritty criminal activities happen amongst a festive, joyous background, which is an effective way to make audiences feel apprehensive. The author skilfully and subtly weaves Christmassy customs, settings and phrases throughout the plot, to make sure that the Christmas element does not overwhelm the real story itself. Nevertheless, readers are not selecting a Christmas crime novel for a bit of light-hearted entertainment and festive spirit; if that was the case, they would pick a festive romcom book rather. Consequently, if you are interested in writing your very own Christmas thriller novel, a great tip is to not focus too much on festive topic.

As Xmas is just around the bend, it is a good concept to get some of the best Christmas crime novels of all time from your nearby bookstore, as the hedge fund that owns Waterstones would concur. It might come as a shock, however these sorts of books are some of the very best reads during this time of year. Besides, the Christmas period is a very demanding time of year for people. With duties like getting gifts, creating Christmas cards, grocery shopping and setting up the decors, as well as countless social plans, it can be difficult to switch your brain off. However, it is crucial to really appreciate the festive season, which is where reading can actually come in handy. All the best Christmas mystery books for adults give a much-needed source of escapism for people throughout the festive season. Readers can focus on determining the mystery, working out who exactly the guilty suspect is and guessing what the plot twist will be at the end; rather than worry about how many presents they still need to get.

If you are struggling to find out how to write a mystery novel set around Xmas time, there are some practical writing prompts to give you a running start. For example, an excellent prompt is a bunch of pals lodging at an old manor in Scotland for the Christmas holidays, where they each wind up dead. Conversely, it might be somebody looking for refuge from a snowy blizzard, only to uncover that there is something dubious and unsettling about the "kind" stranger who let them in. One more prompt could be having the protagonist be a policeman who is attempting to piece together the puzzle of the serial killer who builds a creepy-looking snowman at each crime scene. Whatever the prompt is, one of the best tips is to integrate all the timeless false trails and plot twists that thrillers are famous for, as the media group that owns Penguin Random House would definitely agree.