FP’s Holiday Book List

As FP’s books editor, it is always a treat to see what our columnists and staff writers consider holiday reading. For some, lighter fare fits the bill, from a detective novel in colonial-era Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a sun-drenched excursion through Corsica. Other contributors gravitate toward, for instance, a fictionalized account of an Austrian director’s work with Nazi propagandists. No matter where you fall on this spectrum, the reading list below is sure to have a book that strikes your fancy.—Chloe Hadavas

As FP’s books editor, it is always a treat to see what our columnists and staff writers consider holiday reading. For some, lighter fare fits the bill, from a detective novel in colonial-era Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a sun-drenched excursion through Corsica. Other contributors gravitate toward, for instance, a fictionalized account of an Austrian director’s work with Nazi propagandists. No matter where you fall on this spectrum, the reading list below is sure to have a book that strikes your fancy.—Chloe Hadavas

The Burning Grounds: A Novel

Abir Mukherjee (Pegasus Crime, 384 pp., $28.95, November 2025)

This holiday season, I am reading The Burning Grounds, the latest detective novel by the British Indian writer Abir Mukherjee. It features the return of Surendranath Banerjee, a former Bengali police officer, and Captain Sam Wyndham, a world-weary detective, to colonial-era Calcutta.