From Edinburgh’s moral grey zones to a stag night that spirals into terror, these thrillers explore how quickly bravado curdles into jeopardy. A relentless investigation tests loyalty and endurance, while elsewhere disgraced operatives circle the corridors of power with bitter wit and buried grudges. Each novel probes accountability and ambition, blending procedural rigour with political edge. Sharp, muscular storytelling that refuses to loosen its grip. TITLES: Ian Rankin, 'Midnight and Blue' + Peter James, 'Dead Simple' + Michael Connelly, 'The Waiting' + FREE Mick Herron, 'Slough House'

From a house sealed by secrets to a landslip that exposes more than ancient earth, these novels share a fascination with confinement, landscape and the long reach of memory. Snowbound Shetland, the brooding Hebrides and a shaken Edinburgh all become pressure cookers where guilt festers and loyalties fracture. Across each investigation, isolation sharpens motive and the past refuses to stay buried. TITLES: Ian Rankin, 'Question of Blood' + Ann Cleeves, 'Cold Earth' + Peter May, 'Black Loch' + FREE Elly Griffiths, 'The Locked Room'