Broken Ground Val Mcdermid Little Brown. Out Thursday

A long-buried mystery lies at the heart of this multi-layered, smart thriller. When a couple in search of family treasure buried in the Highlands uncover a body in a bog, it falls to returning heroine Karen Pirie of the Historic Crimes Unit to untangle the mystery. So convincing are the procedural details that, along with the fascinating forensics, the intricacies of the case sweep you away – right back to the 1940s. Another masterly handling of pace and plot, blended with brilliant characterisation, from the Queen of Crime.