Some people are difficult to shop for.
Readers aren't.
A great book can deliver mystery, adventure, romance, history, danger or an entirely new world — all wrapped inside one present.
If there's a serious reader on your holiday shopping list, here are some great reads to consider.
For the Reader Who Loves a Great Thriller: The Firm — John Grisham
Few writers have done more to popularize the modern legal thriller than John Grisham.
The Firm combines ambition, money, danger and institutional corruption in the story of a young attorney who discovers that landing his dream job may have been the worst thing that ever happened to him.
It's a classic choice for someone who likes smart, fast-moving suspense.
For the Mystery Lover: Devil in a Blue Dress — Walter Mosley
Give the mystery reader on your list an introduction to Easy Rawlins.
Walter Mosley's acclaimed novel transports readers to postwar Los Angeles for a story of murder, money and race that launched one of modern crime fiction's most memorable characters.
Better yet, it's the beginning of a series — so the gift can lead to many more books.
For Someone Who Wants Something Different: The Publisher's Dilemma — Darius Myers
What happens when a Black executive rises toward the top of one of America's most powerful media companies — and suddenly finds himself surrounded by ambition, secrets and murder?
That's the starting point of Darius Myers' The Publisher's Dilemma.
The novel introduces Donald Alexander and Kwame Mills and launches the seven-book Black Camelot thriller saga.
It's a particularly good gift for readers who enjoy corporate intrigue, political suspense, conspiracy and continuing characters.
And if they get hooked, there are six more Black Camelot novels waiting.
For the Reader Who Likes Southern Crime: All the Sinners Bleed — S.A. Cosby
S.A. Cosby combines a murder investigation with questions involving race, faith, history and justice.
The central character, Titus Crown, is the first Black sheriff in his Virginia county and soon finds himself confronting a horrifying case.
It's an absorbing choice for readers who want their thrillers to have something substantial to say.
For the Reader Who Loves Texas Mysteries: Bluebird, Bluebird — Attica Locke
Black Texas Ranger Darren Mathews investigates murders in a small East Texas town where race, family and justice collide.
Attica Locke delivers both an engrossing mystery and a vivid portrait of place.
For the Reader Who Likes Big, Continuing Adventures: Black Camelot — Darius Myers
Sometimes the best present isn't one story.
It's an entire world.
The Black Camelot saga follows Donald Alexander, Kwame Mills, Samantha Rivers and the people surrounding them as their lives move from corporate America into enormous wealth, celebrity, romance, political intrigue and increasingly dangerous confrontations.
Across seven novels, enemies emerge, alliances shift and consequences from earlier books return later in the saga.
That makes Black Camelot particularly suited to the reader who loves discovering characters and staying with them book after book.
Explore the full Black Camelot series or see our guide to gift-worthy book series this holiday season.
Give a Story This Holiday Season
Books are unusual gifts because their value doesn't end when the wrapping paper comes off.
A favorite novel can be remembered for years. A favorite character can feel like an old friend. And discovering a great series can provide months of reading.
So when you're shopping for the reader on your list this holiday season, give them something that won't simply sit under the tree.
Give them a story they can't wait to continue.
Darius Myers is the author of the seven-book Black Camelot thriller series and a former media executive.
0 comments