Some cases are never truly resolved, only set aside until the past finds reason enough to reopen them. Here, Rebus pries apart a string of deaths dismissed as suicide in Edinburgh, Enzo Macleod circles a murdered chef's last days in France, Lorimer is hunted through Glasgow as his own kind become targets, and Bosch and Ballard piece together a girl's forgotten death in Los Angeles. Four cities, four investigations, and the particular pleasure of watching justice finally catch up with time.

Michael Connelly, Dark Sacred Night - Ballard & Bosch chase a killer who left a teenage girl forgotten for years. Now an Amazon Prime series.

Peter May, Blowback – Enzo traces a dead chef through rivalry and betrayal to a volcanic plateau, and the pull of it never slackens.

Ian Rankin, Let it Bleed – Rebus follows the money through backstreets and buried paperwork until the city itself feels like a suspect worth watching.

Alex Gray, When Shadows Fall – Lorimer hunts a killer targeting ex-officers one by one in this tense tartan noir.

Nothing here is quite as it first appears. A magician's assistant dies in Brighton and old tricks of misdirection prove useful again; an alibi that should end a case only deepens the mystery around it; a man who cannot forget a single detail finds his gift becoming a curse, and a chance sighting online draws a detective into a web of lies built to exploit the vulnerable. All four titles reward the reader who likes working things out for themselves.

Peter James, Not Dead Enough – Roy Grace pushes past a perfect alibi into a case of stolen identity that will keep readers guessing until the close.

Harlan Coben, Missing You - Detective Kat Donovan uncovers a scheme built on lies after a chance glimpse of an ex-fiancé on a dating site online. Now a Netflix series

David Baldacci, Memory Man – Decker cannot forget a single detail of his own tragedy. A year on, a school massacre and a mysterious confession reopen the case.

Elly Griffiths, The Great Deceiver – 1953; and retired magician Max Mephisto returns to the stage to expose a killer hiding among old rivalries