Beware of long-lost friends, sleepy cats, and Santa’s grotto. Think twice about gypsy curses, squawking parrots, and peach-coloured thermal underwear - for any one of them can confound your expectations and shatter a cosy world.

In this addictive collection, master crime writer Peter Lovesey prescribes 15 fiendishly clever stories featuring the man in the street along with the ever-popular detectives Peter Diamond and the self-important Bertie, Prince of Wales. Here, the genteel mix easily with the sordid in a nasty but effective concoction of mayhem and suspense. It’s a mixture that will make your heart beat faster - and there are twists that will take your breath away....