Chosen by award-winning crime author Chris Brookmyre, this unconventional crime book subscription offers delights and surprises for readers everywhere, whether you’re a long-time fan or a rookie detective stepping into your first case. Join one of Scotland’s best-loved authors, and one half of bestselling duo Ambrose Parry, to explore his ‘twisted crime fiction selection box of unusual flavours.’
Perfect for fans of Slow Horses, Knives Out, Mindhunter and Happy Valley, each book in this subscription delivers a complete story, a new mystery and pushes the envelope of what crime fiction can do. Expect thrillers, heists, plot twists, fiendish puzzles, humour, amateur sleuths with unexpected CVs, grief, stories that explore the true crime craze, philosophy and magic tricks. Whether you want to discover why crime fiction has an enduring grip on readers, or you want to step outside your usual crime selections, you’ll find cold cases and a warm welcome here.
Please note that we recommend this book subscription for adults, aged 18 and over, as the books selected contain adult themes and content.
What's in the book subscription?
Subscribe now, and each month for the length of your subscription, you will receive a book box containing:
One beautifully wrapped mystery book chosen by our curator
An exclusive postcard with their reason for choosing the book
What to read next: recommendations from our expert team
A reflective reading postcard to support you to access the wellbeing benefits of reading for pleasure
More about the curator
Chris Brookmyre was a journalist before becoming a full-time novelist with the publication of his award-winning debut Quite Ugly One Morning, which established him as one of Britain’s leading crime authors. His novel Black Widow won both the 2016 McIlvanney Prize and the 2017 Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, and his most recent novel, The Cracked Mirror, won the 2024 McIlvanney Prize. Together with Dr Marisa Haetzman, Chris Brookmyre also writes bestselling historical crime fiction under the name Ambrose Parry.
Sneak Peek (spoilers ahead!)
If you'd like to know a little about the books you will receive in your subscription please click the drop downs below.
If you think you've read a book, but you still want to subscribe, please get in touch with us at sales@scottishbooktrust.com
3 month subscription hints
Ferociously funny, a philosopher meets an incompetent bank robber and they commence on a spree of bank robberies through France.
What better to distract you from your husband leaving you for your best friend than a true crime podcast? But when this main character recognises the name of one of the victims, everything she's worked for is sent into freefall.
Funny and poignant, a double murder brings a detective and grieving widower back to work - and amateur ballroom dancing - before he's ready. But when the murders are more connected to his own grief than he realises, will the detective miss a step?
6 month subscription hints
An insurance mathematician has everything figured out, until he loses his job and inherits and adventure park - and the problems that come with it. Quirky, tense and warmly funny thriller.
A self-styled private investigator sets out to prove the interconnectedness of all things by solving in a murder in this wildly entertaining cult classic.
A macabre historical crime puzzle. A conjurer is down on his luck in the seedy caberet scene of Berlin, but somehow his secrets have a habit of catching up with him.
It's always great to support a local business, but you might want to be specific about which one in this page-turning and darkly funny series about three generations taking over the family funeral home - and PI business.
When a child of a rich family disappears at a summer camp, it reminds a mountain community of the last time a child of the same family disappeared in 1975. An inexperienced investigator must navigate local class tensions and long-held secrets in this atmospheric, expertly paced thriller.
A satire in three sections - 'see it, say it, sorted.' Our main character is adrift after university, wishing she could write cosy crime novels - until she finds herself caught up in a plot that could be part of one.
Buying a gift?
To give this book subscription as a gift, please enter the gift recipient's details into the delivery address fields at checkout. Do you want them to choose their own book subscription? Then please purchase a gift subscription.
When will I get my first book?
We send out book boxes once a month, during the first week of the month. To ensure your order is included in the next dispatch, please order before the final day of the month.
Bought for my husband when he retired and he was delighted. He enjoyed every book and when he received one book he already had it was easy to return for a replacement. I would recommend
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