Val McDermid has always had a soft spot for winter: the bitter clarity of a crisp cold day, the crunch of frost on fallen leaves, and the chance to be enveloped in big jumpers and thick socks.

In Winter, McDermid takes us on an adventure through the season, from the frosty streets of Edinburgh to the windblown Scottish coast, from Bonfire Night and Christmas to Burns Night and Up Helly Aa. Recalling in parallel memories from her own childhood—of skating over frozen lakes and carving a “neep” (rutabaga) for Halloween to being taken to see her first real Christmas tree in the town square—McDermid offers a wise and enchanting meditation on winter and its ever-changing, sometimes ephemeral, traditions.

A hygge-filled journey through winter nights, McDermid reminds us that it is a time of rest, retreat and creativity, for scribbling in notebooks and settling in beside the fire. A treat for the hunkering-down, post-holiday reading season, Winter is a charming and cozy celebration of the year’s idle months from one of Scotland’s best-loved writers.

Praise for Winter:

An NPR Book of the Day

“The perfect little book to get you through winter’s doldrums . . . [in which] the prolific mystery writer Val McDermid offers a warm look at a dark time . . . Winter is more than her memories; it is a celebration of all things cold, dark and Scottish . . . ‘Winter’ is about winter, of course, and about Scottish winter specifically, but it is mostly about the things that inspire McDermid and make her happy. It is a memoir of her heart.”—Laurie Hertzel, Washington Post

“An ode to memories of winters past and a heartfelt appreciation of all the season has to offer.”—NPR

“It’s a lovely, gentle little book, a warming meditation on the coldest, darkest time of the year. Winter celebrates how local Scottish traditions take the bite out of short, frosty days and long, windblown nights.”—Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor

“[A] celebration of the season that is part memoir, part guide to our festive traditions and seems tailor-made for the Christmas market.”—Vikki Reilly, The Scotsman (UK)

“Reflective but never maudlin . . . This warm, eclectic book can be read in one sitting—preferably in front of a toasty fire.”—Anne Cassidy, Washington Independent Review of Books

“Tartan noir master McDermid (Past Lying) flexes her talent for evocative description in this appealing collection . . . a satisfying collection of literary amuse-bouches.”—Publishers Weekly

“An endearing panorama of Scottish winters, told by a crime novelist on holiday from horror.”—Kirkus Reviews

“McDermid’s writing is lyrical, often profound, and thoroughly enjoyable. The perfect holiday gift for all lovers of nature tales and things Caledonian and for McDermid’s fans, who will appreciate the insights into her creative process and the environment within which her brilliant novels are often set.”—Jane Murphy, Booklist

“A warm hug of a book. I felt like I was sitting by a roaring winter fire and Val was talking to me directly, sometimes singing.”—Jackie Kay, author of Red Dust Road

“Rich, ruminative, and deeply, dazzlingly rousing . . . If winter wasn’t your favorite season already, that’s about to change.”—Michael Pedersen, Edinburgh Makar

“Lyrical reflections on a land especially suited to the colder months.”—Benjamin Riley, New Criterion

“If you’re looking for a way to deepen your understanding of the seasons, and maybe even connect with the rituals and traditions of the past, you will find yourself immersed in this highly evocative and readable book.”—David Barton, A Life More Creative

“Reading it felt less like opening a book and more like settling down for a long, fireside chat with an old friend who happens to love the very things I’ve started to resent—the iron-cold air, the early dark, the whole damp Scottish midwinter package. McDermid writes with the ease of someone talking across the kitchen table . . . If you’ve ever loved winter and fallen out with it, this gentle, funny, beautifully made little book is the reconciliation you didn’t know you needed.”—Pattie Tierney, Book ‘Em

“McDermid’s prose here is controlled but unshowy, alert to detail without lingering over it. She knows when to stop. The sentences trust the reader, and the book benefits from that restraint . . . Winter is a small book that knows what it wants to be. It will not change anyone’s mind about the season, and does not aspire to. Instead it offers a record of attention shaped by weather, habit and place. In January, that feels generous, and enough.”—Philip Martin, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette