December: A Time for TV Crime

For many decades, winter and the pre-Christmas period has been a time in which British television grows ripe with a great variety of detective sagas, crime series, and mystery dramas. There's something about the grim weather, the cold winds, and the darkening days that stokes our burning desire to lose ourselves in tales of evil and macabre acts, as well as seeing those who commit them be brought to justice. Perhaps this desire is shared worldwide; some of the most critically acclaimed and successful crime dramas come from countries far from our own in the depths of winter, including the revered Danish series The Killing, or the long-running Swedish phenomena Beck. Whatever it is about this time of the year, clearly the climate doesn't chill our blood enough... and this is when our lust for crime-related entertainment grows.

With the many series, mini-series, and upcoming shows, literary adaptations often rear their beautiful heads to join the fun. And, when certain classics get adapted for the small screen, it's hard for us here at the Country House Library to not feel a certain twang of excitement about what wonderful crime novel we may see on our televisions this year. An example of this are the many Christmas-time BBC adaptations of Agatha Christie books, with past titles including And Then There Were None, The Witness for the Prosecution, and The ABC Murders. Of course we were all disappointed to find out that there won't be an adaptation in time for Christmas this year - though nevertheless, it's still thrilling to learn that there are two Christie adaptations in the works for somewhere down the line - The Pale Horse and Death Comes as the End.

And now, whilst we cannot offer you much by the way of visual adaptations, we are happy to bombard you with as many literature crime classics as your heart could ever possibly desire. As brilliant and entertaining as a well-written bit of television can be, the abundance of crime and mystery stories in novel form is unrivalled in any other manner of media. Whether you want exceptionally dark crimes or just a little light-hearted mischief, whether you want to follow a brutal murderer on a killing spree or a lovable detective trying to capture a mischievous rogue, we have what you're looking for in our extensive vintage crime collection. So, whatever route you take this Christmas with your crime-based entertainment, Country House Library is happy to help - and if you can't find what you want, the television will always be right there in your living room!