Sadie When She Died by Ed McBain (Orion, £6.99)

Christmas is fast approaching but life for the cops of the 87th Precinct remains as gritty as ever.

A woman is found dead in an apartment, a knife still in her stomach. It seems like an open-and-shut case - especially as the police have a confession from the drug-addicted burglar, who admits he stabbed her.

But Detective Steve Carella's instincts tell him that the dead woman's smooth-talking lawyer husband is somehow involved - and he is determined not to let the matter drop.

Meanwhile, Detective Bert Kling's emotions are all over the place - his girlfriend has split up with him but he can't get her out of his head.

McBain's dialogue and police procedural stuff are as compelling as ever, while his descriptions of a city trying its best to look festive but failing miserably due to bleak, snow-threatening weather, are superb.

Sadie When She Died was first published in 1972 and is now re-issued as part of Orion's Crime Masterworks series. Its sparse prose and terrific pace make it a winner.