Jeff Popple recommends three books to put under the tree this Christmas. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com

The Year Of The Locust by Terry Hayes

Bantam, $34.99

Fans of bulky action thrillers will appreciate finding a copy of Terry Hayes’ The Year Of The Locust under their tree. It has been 10 years since Hayes’ bestselling I Am Pilgrim, but finally the follow-up novel is here, and it is well worth the wait. Moving from a vividly described desolate corner of Iran and Pakistan to a war-ravaged Afghanistan and a remote area of Russia, it is a briskly paced thriller with plenty of up-to-date military technology and a compelling plot that holds attention all the way to the totally unexpected ending. A good, light holiday read.

Saving Lieutenant Kennedy by Brett Mason

NewSouth, $34.99

More serious fare is provided by Brett Mason’s Saving Lieutenant Kennedy. This fascinating slice of military history recounts the rescue of the future American President, John F Kennedy, by an Australian ‘coast watcher’, Reg Evans, and his Solomon Islander scouts during the Pacific war. Kennedy’s torpedo boat had been rammed by a Japanese destroyer, killing two of the crew and leaving the rest clinging to wreckage. They eventually made it to an uninhabited island, where they were found by Evans, who ensured their rescue. Set against the broader context of World War II and Kennedy’s subsequent political career, it is an absorbing tale.

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

Faber, $24.99

Finally, fans of festive crime novels will like Peter Swanson’s highly entertaining The Christmas Guest. This short novel is an enjoyable play on the classic country house murder mystery. When Ashley Smith, a lonely American studying in London, is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate’s family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll. But is there something strange about the family and their old rundown house, and the holiday does not go as expected. Told largely through Ashley’s diary extracts, this is a typically clever mystery by Swanson that will make for an ideal post-Christmas lunch read.