'George Cross is becoming one of my favourite detectives.' ELLY GRIFFITHS

A George Cross Christmas short story.

When George is informed that his mother will be joining him and his father for Christmas, he is sent into a tailspin. How on earth is he meant to know what present to get her?

Soon after, one cold winter morning, Cross goes to inspect a dead body found tangled in thick hedgerow. It appears the young man was trying to scramble through the hedge when he died. Perhaps he was running away from something - or someone...

With frost on the ground obscuring evidence and secretive neighbours not giving anything away, finding the killer won’t be easy. But even with the odds stacked against him, DS George Cross is more confident in solving this murder than successfully working out what to get his mother for Christmas…

Perfect for fans of MW Craven, Ann Cleeves and Joy Ellis, this is a short story featuring the brilliantly persistent, wonderfully unique DS George Cross from the 2025 Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library Award longlistee.

ALSO IN THE GEORGE CROSS MYSTERY SERIES
#1 THE DENTIST
#2 THE CYCLIST
#3 THE PATIENT
#4 THE POLITICIAN
#5 THE MONK
#6 THE TEACHER
#7 THE BOOKSELLER
#8 THE TAILOR (COMING 2026)

CROSS CHRONICLE SHORT STORIES
THE LOST BOYS
THE EX-WIFE
THE HUNTER
THE BASKET CASE