Have you made your Christmas list yet? If you’re stuck making a list, or if you’re desperate to find the perfect gift for the significant crime fiction lover in your life, then the items below might just do the trick.
And, of course, a happy Crimbletide from everyone at Crime Fiction Lover…
221b Baker Street Detective Game
Designed for two to six players, this is the ideal Christmas present for fans of the great consulting detective. Each player assumes the role of Sherlock Holmes, and there are 75 mysteries to solve, each delivered on a card in the deck. You’ll visit 14 London locations as you pursue deductive crime-solving glory. Collect clues, conduct interviews, use your extensive powers of observation, and then return to that famous address on Baker Street to deliver the denouement. Hugely popular and less than £30. Buy now on Amazon
Tickets to top crime fiction event
If the crime fiction lover in your life lives in the UK, why not get them a ticket to CrimeFest 2017, which will be held in Bristol, as is every year. The headline author is going to be Anthony Horowitz, and 2017’s event will include a special panel called Ice Queens, featuring the Icelandic authors Jónína Leósdóttir, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. The dates are 18-21 May. If you’re in North America, then the ultimate crime convention has to be Bouchercon and it’s being held in Toronto between 12 and 15 October. Key speakers include Louise Penny, Megan Abbott, Gary Phillips and Christopher Brookmyre. Early bird offers are available now with CrimeFest asking £175 and Bouchercon CA$175. Buy CrimeFest tickets here Buy Bouchercon tickets here
Poirot Bumper Sticker
It’s time for the crime fiction lover in your life to remove the ‘Honk if you Trumped’ bumper sticker from their car, and replace it with something more befitting of their passion. This Poirot bumper sticker comes in two sizes, white or clear, on high quality vinyl and – like any self-respecting Agatha Christie novel – is printed using premium inks. Durable, long lasting, moustache-twirling glory for the rear of the distinguished crime reader’s vehicle. Buy now on Amazon
Trapped on DVD
When a big Danish ferry comes into a small Icelandic port, things get stormy. A man’s torso is found in the harbour and it looks like he’d been tortured. At the same time, a terrible snowstorm strikes that prevents the ferry from leaving, stopping traffic in and out of the town, and grounding flights. The ship, its crew and passengers, and the town’s residents are all trapped there along with the killer. As local police chief Andri Olaffson, (played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) grapples with what’s going on, several subplots emerge involving sex trafficking, local corruption and the cold case death of a girl in a fire a decade prior.
Iceland is the crime fiction destination at the moment, and with 10 glorious episodes of ice, snow, snow, ice and murder, this DVD set the perfect present for crime fiction lovers everywhere. Buy now on Amazon
Amazon Paperwhite E-reader
Now, we could have pointed you towards the Amazon Kindle Fire, which is a 7-inch tablet ideal for movies, TV shows, music, books, games and more. It’s only £49.99. Although it’s a great way of accessing Amazon’s range of content, it’s not as good as the Paperwhite E-reader when it comes to sitting down and enjoying a good read. And reading is what we’re all about here at Crime Fiction Lover.
With a 6-inch display, this device has a high resolution 300 points per inch (PPI) display and a finish that makes its screen look and feel like paper. There’s no screen glare, it is lightweight, and a charge lasts weeks rather than a day. Amazon has even developed a special typeface for it to make your Kindle books more readable.
Yes, at £104 it’s more expensive than a Kindle Fire, but it’s far cheaper than an iPad and is made with serious readers in mind. Stuff it in their stocking and they’ll love you for it. Buy now on Amazon
Bonus gift: Agatha Christie t-shirt
Yes, we said five gifts, but here’s a bonus one that we stumbled upon while searching for the perfect Poirot bumper sticker. We’re not really sure we’re in on the joke, but here’s a t-shirt reading ‘Agatha Christie was homeschooled’ – we’d probably have home schooled as two words… but isn’t the colour fetching? Purchase here
