In what was another year I can only describe as weird, I am immensely grateful for the books that sustained and entertained me, made me think and laugh and lose sleep. This is the year I discovered that contrary to what I’ve always thought, I do like horror stories. It’s also the year I found some books I’d missed.
I call this a “Best” list, but of course it’s the best of the books I read this year. Because I’m incredibly lucky to work for authors and publishers, I get to read some books early and I also work for some of the authors of the books below. I’ve never quite understood why we’re supposed to fess up about this…I mean, my opinion of books is exactly that, and it’s not–ever–for sale. They don’t make people who work for Apple and use iPhones post disclaimers when they use them, y’know? Anyhow, there you go.
I was honored to share this list with Kaye Wilkinson Barley at Meanderings and Muses, along with an amazing cast of women readers. Please check out everyone’s recommendations here.
I’ve organized this by the year books were or will be released. And now…drumroll, please…here you go!
BEST BOOK OF 2001
FORTY WORDS FOR SORROW by Giles Blunt
I have no idea how I missed this book, the first in the John Cardinal series. But I saw the (excellent) TV series on Hulu, and when I mentioned it on Facebook, someone said the books are even better and this couldn’t be more true. This is a classic police procedural set in Canada’s great white north, and if you haven’t read it, you absolutely should.
BEST BOOKS OF 2021
LAST GIRL GHOSTED by Lisa Unger
If you know me, you know how much I love Lisa Unger’s books, and LAST GIRL GHOSTED is among her finest.
WHERE THEY WAIT by Scott Carson (aka Michael Koryta)
What do you get when you mix thrills, horror, history, and technology? One of the best stories ever, is what!
RABBIT HOLE by Mark Billingham
I’ve read a lot of Mark Billingham’s books so when I opened this one, I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong, in the most wonderful of ways.
56 DAYS by Catherine Ryan Howard
Yes, this is a pandemic book. Set during lockdown in Dublin, Ireland. Don’t let that stop you from reading it because it is one of the most engrossing stories you’ll ever find.
THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET by Catriona Ward
Honestly? I read this book because it features a cat. It’s not about a cat, though…except it kind of is. Except it’s not. It’s been months since I read it, and I still can’t describe it properly. It is one of the most unusual stories I’ve ever read!
THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell delivers once again with this tale of a maybe-murder.
A DIFFERENT DAWN by Isabella Maldonado
A kick-ass FBI agent with a past she’s only just learning about herself while chasing a serial killer? Yes, please!
In the start of a new series, Val McDermid knocks it out of the park all the way into next week and over the moon and…you get the idea.
THE HOUSE OF ASHES by Stuart Neville
This is another one that can be (and is) called horror, but to me, it is an exploration of fascinating characters.
BEST BOOKS OF 2022
EVERY CLOAK ROLLED IN BLOOD by James Lee Burke
You have never read a book like this one. It has elements of memoir, for sure, and it is as beautiful and prescient a view into human nature and the human condition as has ever been written.
I would not have thought it possible to combine my favorite kinds of books–psychological suspense, mystery, legal thriller, and police procedural–into one story, but this book does exactly that!
This is one of the most ingenious murder mysteries I’ve ever read. And I’ve read a fair few of them.
A SECRET ABOUT A SECRET by Peter Spiegelman
When Peter Spiegelman described this book to me he said that it is set in a place and time that don’t exist. That’s all I knew going in, and I’m so glad, so my advice to you is to not read the description of it and just dive in.
WHEN YOU ARE MINE by Michael Robotham
I’m a sucker for a great police procedural, and this is absolutely that. It’s also described as a psychological thriller, and it’s that too, with a protagonist, Philomena McCarthy, you’ll love hanging out with.
The biggest compliment I can give OVERBOARD is to say that Sara Paretsky will definitely get letters about it. I am in awe of her bravery in telling a story that needs to be told for so very many reasons. It is a masterwork.
