The Long Shadow

Extracted from The Beer Kitchen by Melissa Cole (Hardie Grant, £20) One of the greatest mobile games of 2018 has finally made its way to PS4 – and it doesn’t disappoint.

Up to 100 players are dropped from a plane and parachuted into the huge battle royale map, which measures an impressive 8km by 8km and covers different terrains.

You instantly take part in an adrenaline-fuelled dogfight either on your own, as a duo or in a small team of up to four people.

And, in true battle royale fashion, the last team alive wins the match.

Players are thrown into the game wearing customised clothing that Celia Fremlin

Faber – out now

If you’re expecting a full house this Christmas, spare a thought for Imogen, who is struggling with the death of her husband. Weeks after womanising Ivor was killed in a car crash, her house has filled with uninvited guests – including grown-up children from a previous marriage, and another of his former wives. When objects start to move in weird ways, Imogen begins wonders if Ivor too has come for Christmas. Then there’s the matter of the stranger accusing her of killing him. This suspenseful story, written in 1975, is a classy chiller.

The Snow Girls As a disgraced priest suspected of a series of child abductions nears death, feisty investigator Darby McCormick returns to Boston to reopen the case she failed to solve. A heartfelt and contemporary thriller with huge emotional heft.

The Christmas Lights As social media ‘influencers’, Bo and her fiancé Zac travel the world, sharing their photogenic adventures with their fans. But a visit to Norway exposes the cracks in their perfect facade. Perfect winter escapism, with an enjoyable back story on a separate timeline.