My best reads for 2016

I've just taken my top 10 titles, but there are plenty more on my list, and plenty of Australian representation here too. (A)
And a number of them I read as E books on my Kindle (E)
See all at
http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com.au/p/2016-reviews.html

1. 5.0, THE LAKE HOUSE, Kate Morton (A) (E)
2. 5.0, A DEADLY THAW, Sarah Ward (E)
3. 5.0, THE WRONG HAND, Jane Jago (A)
4. 5.0, CONCLAVE, Robert Harris 
5. 5.0, THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET, Jock Serong (A) (E)
6. 4.9, WHAT SHE NEVER TOLD ME, Kate McQuaile (E)
7. 4.9, ALL THE BIRDS, SINGING, Evie Wyld (A)
8. 4.9, COFFIN ROAD, Peter May
9. 4.9, PLAY DEAD, Angela Marsons (E)
10. 4.9, BLOOD LINES, Angela Marsons (E)

What I read in April 2016

A good selection this month with Sharon Bolton's A DARK AND TWISTED TIDE my pick of the month.
Four Australian authors ***

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month
April 2016

• 4.5, CHANCE DEVELOPMENTS, Alexander McCall Smith
• *** 4.4, HINDSIGHT, Melanie Casey
• 4.5, SIX FOUR, Hideo Yokoyama 
• 3.7, MYSTERY IN WHITE, J. Jefferson Farjeon
• *** 3.8, OUT OF THE ICE, Ann Turner  
• 4.4, THE TRAVELLER'S RETURN, Patricia Wentworth
• 4.6, A FEW OF THE GIRLS, Maeve Binchy  
• *** 4.5, PROHIBITED ZONE, Alastair Sarre
• *** 4.4, THE BARRAKEE MYSTERY, Arthur Upfield  
• 4.5, A DARK AND TWISTED TIDE, Sharon Bolton
• 4.2, DYING FOR A TASTE, Leslie Karst  
• 4.5,  LAST WILL, Lisa Marklund

See what others have chosen for their Pick of the Month.

Kerrie's Top "Ten" in 2015

As usual there is something seriously wrong with my counting.

Crime fiction of course

I read 137 books in 2015 and here is the top of my list.

However I can't even assure you at this distance that the book at the very top is the best that I read.
I suspect that honour could probably go to any on this list, and perhaps even to one a little further down.
For the other 100 or so see here.

• 5.0, THE HUNTING DOGS, Jorn Lier Horst
• 5.0, THE SILENCE OF THE SEA, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 
• 5.0, THE GHOSTS OF ALTONA, Craig Russell
• 5.0, HADES, Candice Fox
• 5.0, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, Louise Penny 
• 5.0, THE DROWNED BOY, Karin Fossum 
• 5.0, ENTRY ISLAND, Peter May

• 4.9, THE BACK ROAD, Rachel Abbott
• 4.9, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, Paula Hawkins
• 4.9, THE NATURE OF THE BEAST, Louise Penny
• 4.9, TELL THE TRUTH, Katherine Howell

• 4.8, THE MOTH CATCHER, Ann Cleeves
• 4.8, THE HANGING GIRL, Jussi Adler Olsen 
• 4.8, THE BANK INSPECTOR, Roger Monk 
• 4.8, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 
• 4.8, ONLY THE INNOCENT, Rachel Abbott
• 4.8, CLOSED FOR WINTER, Jorn Lier Horst
• 4.8, BRYANT & MAY: THE BLEEDING HEART, Christopher Fowler 
• 4.8, CLOSE YOUR EYES, Michael Robotham
• 4.8, THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND, Stuart Neville
• 4.8, RUNAWAY, Peter May  
• 4.8, THE SECRET PLACE, Tana French
• 4.8, THE SHUT EYE, Belinda Bauer 
• 4.8, ABATTOIR BLUES, Peter Robinson
• 4.8, IN BITTER CHILL, Sarah Ward
• 4.8, IN A DARK, DARK WOOD, Ruth Ware  
• 4.8, THE SKELETON ROAD, Val McDermid

Best Crime Fiction Read in 2013 - a meme

Best Crime Fiction Read 2013

I may be a bit late in creating this meme, as I am aware of a number of lists appearing already.
These lists have been very useful in the past.

However I have had a number of requests for such a page so here it is.

I won't make any attempt to collate the books that each link contains, but I would be grateful if you would add your own link or any others that you find.

---

My Top Reads for 2013

This list comes from my Reviews for 2013 and comprises the books I awarded 5.0 to.
They are in no particular order:

1. 5.0, BITTER WASH ROAD, Garry Disher
2. 5.0, THE ROBBERS, Paul Anderson
3. 5.0, DEAD WATER, Ann Cleeves  
4. 5.0, TRUST YOUR EYES, Linwood Barclay
5. 5.0, THE LEWIS MAN, Peter May 
6. 5.0, THE LAST POLICEMAN, Ben H. Winters
7. 5.0, TRACES OF RED, Paddy Richardson
8. 5.0, DEADLY HARVEST, Michael Stanley 
9. 5.0, CLOUDSTREET, Tim Winton  
10. 5.0, THE GHOST RIDERS OF ORDEBEC, Fred Vargas
11. 5.0, ALEX, Pierre Lemaitre
12. 5.0, THE CUCKOO'S CALLING, J.K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith 
    
    Of course you could argue that there is probably actually little difference between those and the next batch that I gave 4.9 to.
    
13. 4.9, BLACKWATERCREEK, Geoffrey McGeachin
14. 4.9, SILENT VALLEY, Malla Nunn
15. 4.9, CAPTURED, Neil Cross
16. 4.9, BLACK SKIES, Arnaldur Indridason
17. 4.9, THE DARK WINTER, David Mark

or even those that scored 4.8

1. 4.8, THE TOOTH TATTOO, Peter Lovesey
2. 4.8, THE MISTAKE, Wendy James 
3. 4.8, ROTTEN GODS, Greg Barron
4. 4.8, UNNATURAL HABITS, Kerry Greenwood 
5. 4.8, STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE, Ian Rankin
6. 4.8, SUFFICIENT GRACE, Amy Espeseth
7. 4.8, THE MARMALADE FILES, Steve Lewis & Chris Uhlmann
8. 4.8, PEOPLE OF THE BOOK, Geraldine Brooks
9. 4.8, A DARK ADAPTED EYE, Barbara Vine 
10. 4.8, ICE COLD, Tess Gerritsen 
11. 4.8, IF I TELL YOU... I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU, Michael Robotham (edit) 
12. 4.8, THE HIGHLAND WITCH (aka CORRAG), Susan Fletcher

What I read in July 2013

A respectable total of reads this month, keeping me on track for a good target this year.
A real mixture, including a "how we do it" from Australian crime fiction authors, and some really top reads from Michael Robotham, Adrian McKinty, and Linwood Barclay.

• 4.4, THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS, Deborah Crombie 
• 4.8, IF I TELL YOU... I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU, Michael Robotham (edit) - Australian writers
• 4.8, I HEAR THE SIRENS IN THE STREET, Adrian McKinty - Aussie author
• 4.2, GUNS IN THE GALLERY, Simon Brett
• 4.5, BONES UNDER THE BEACH HUT, Simon Brett 
• 4.4, THE PALE HORSE, Agatha Christie
• 4.0, SNOW WHITE MUST DIE, Nele Neuhaus - translated
• 5.0, WATCHING YOU, Michael Robotham  - Aussie author
• 3.7, BAMBOO AND BLOOD, James Church  - library book
• 4.7, NEVER SAW IT COMING, Linwood Barclay - library book

My pick of the month is  WATCHING YOU by Michael Robotham


Synopsis (author site)

Marnie Logan often feels like she's being watched. Nothing she can quite put her finger on - a whisper of breath on the back of her neck, or a shadow in the corner of her eye - and now her life is frozen.
Her husband Daniel has been missing for more than a year. Depressed and increasingly desperate, she seeks the help of clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin.

Joe is concerned by Marnie's reluctance to talk about the past, but then she discovers a book packed with pictures, interviews with friends, former teachers, old flames and workmates Daniel was preparing for her birthday. It was supposed to be a celebration of her life. But it's not the story anyone was expecting... 

See my review

See what others have named as their pick of the month.

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - the contributors

I collected suggestions for the best crime fiction fellow bloggers read in 2012 and have culled lists from 28 blogs, and put together a total list of 366 books.

Some bloggers have focussed on books published in 2012 while others have rated all that they read, regardless of the year of publication. Some have focussed on mysteries, while others, like me, have ranged wider.

Lists like these wouldn't happen if there were no contributions, so many thanks to those who added their posts to Mr Linky.
I also took the liberty of adding others that I noticed on the blogging by-ways.

You might like to add these blogs to those that you regularly check, so I'm listing them all below.

If you are looking for authors or books  mentioned many times see

• Best Crime Fiction 2012 Top Books
• Best Crime Fiction 2012 Top Authors
• Best Crime Fiction 2012 all the nominated titles

Blogs I consulted

1. Rob Kitchin - View from Blue House 2. Bev@My Reader's Block 3. Jose Ignacio - The Game's Afoot 4. Margaret @ BooksPlease 5. Puzzle Doctor @ In Search Of The Classic Mystery Novel 6. Barbara Fister's Place 7. TracyK@Bitter Tea & Mystery 8. Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan 9. Philip Young @ To Be Read 10. Bernadette from Reactions to Reading 11. Josh from Just a Guy...All Noir Best Reads! 12. Col's Criminal Library 13. MiP - Kerrie 14. Moira @ Clothes in Books 15. Harvee@BookDilettante 16. Cat @ Tell Me a Story 17. John Sheridan @ The Mystery Bookshelf 18. a hot cup of pleasure 19. Sarah @ crimepieces 20. Spinetingler's choices 21. Publicsphere's best 5 reads 22. January Magazine Part 2 23. January Magazine Part 1 24. RavenCrime's Top Reads 25. Dalene @ A Date with a Book 26. Dalene @ A Date with a Book 27. EuroCrime choices - favourite reads 2012 28. EuroCrime choices - favourite European reads 2012

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - all the titles

I've been collecting suggestions for the best crime fiction fellow bloggers read in 2012 and have culled lists from 28 blogs, and put together a total list of 366 books.
There were 310 unique titles in the list. That was a bit unusual. There are usually more listed several times.

Some bloggers have focussed on books published in 2012 while others have rated all that they read, regardless of the year of publication. Some have focussed on mysteries, while others, like me, have ranged wider.

What is strange about the list I have put together is that no one book dominates, no one author either. There is a very wide diversity. Some British and European authors you might have expected to dominate are missing.

I have already published lists by titles or authors nominated more than once.
Here is the full list of the unique titles. Happy hunting and reading.


7 DAYS    Meyer, Deon
A COFFIN FOR DIMITRIOS    Ambler, Eric
A DARK REDEMPTION    Sherez, Stav
A DEATH ON THE FAMILY    Knausgaard, Karle Ove
A DETAILED MAN    Swinson, David
A DIRTY JOB    Moore, Christopher
A F*CKLOAD OF SHORTS    Ayres, Jedidah
A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN    Gentill, Sulari
A FISTFUL OF COLLARS    Quinn, Spencer
A GOOD DEATH    Ironside, Elizabeth
A KILLING IN THE HILLS    Keller, Julia
A LILY OF THE FIELD    Lawton, John
A MURDER IN THEBES    Apostolou, Anna
A PLACE OF EXECUTION    McDermid, Val
A SPARK OF DEATH    Pajer, Bernadette
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT    Penny, Louise
A WALK IN THE DARK    Carofiglio, Gianrico de
ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL    Burke, Declan
AFTER THE FUNERAL    Christie, Agatha
ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE    Edwards, Martin
ALONE IN THE CLASSROOM    Hay, Elizabeth
ALPHA    Rucka, Greg
AN EASY THING    Taibo, Paco Ignacio
AN EMPTY DEATH    Wilson, Laura
AND THE LAND LAY STILL    Robertson, James
AND WHEN SHE WAS GOOD    Lippman, Laura
ANGER MODE    Tegenfalk, Stefan
ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER LIFE    Persson, Leif GW
ARCTIC CHILL    Indridason, Arnaldur
ASHES    Gakas, Sergei
BATTLE ROYALE    Takami, Koushun
BEDS OF NAILS    Varenne, Antonin
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP    Watson, S. J.
BEFORE THE POISON    Robinson, Peter
BELIEVING THE LIE    George, Elizabeth
BERLIN GAME    Deighton, Len
BETWEEN SUMMER'S LONGING AND WINTER'S END    Persson, Leif GW
BIG MARIA    Shaw, Johnny
BITTER WATER    Ferris, Gordon
BLACK FLOWERS    Mosby, Steve
BLACK SKIES    Indridason, Arnaldur
BLACK WATTLE CREEK    McGeachin, Geoffrey
BLACKBIRDS    Wendig, Chuck
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD    Nunn, Malla
BLOOD ON THE MINK    Silverberg, Robert
BLOOD RED TURNS DOLLAR GREEN    O'Brien, Paul
BLOOD SAFARI    Meyer, Deon
BLOODLAND    Glynn, Alan
BOOK OF MURDER    Martinez, Guillermo
BRAT FARRAR    Tey, Josephine
BROKEN HARBOR    French, Tana
BURNED    Enger, Thomas
CASH OUT    Bardsley, Greg
CLAWBACK    Cooper, Mike
COLD HANDS    Niven, John J.
COLLECTING COOPER    Cleave, Paul
CONFINED SPACE    Collier, Deryn
COP TO CORPSE    Lovesey, Peter
CRASHED    Hallinan, Timothy
CREOLE BELLE    Burke, James Lee
CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER    Franklin, Tom
DANDY GILVER AND A BOTHERSOME NUMBER OF CORPSES    McPherson, Catriona
DARE ME    Abbott, Megan
DARK ANGEL    Jungstedt, Mari
DARK CITY BLUE    Preston, Luke
DARK ROOM    Mosby, Steve
DEAD HARVEST    Holm, Chris F.
DEAD SCARED    Bolton, S. J.
DEAD TO ME    Staincliffe, Cath
DEATH IN SARDINIA    Vichi, Marco
DEATH KNOCKS THREE TIMES    Gilbert, Anthony
DEATH OF A UNICORN    Dickinson, Peter
DEATH ON A LONGSHIP    Taylor, Marsali
DIE, YOU BASTARD! DIE!    Kozlowski, Jan
DISAPPEARED    Quinn, Anthony
DOMINION    Sansom, C. J.
DON'T EVER GET OLD    Friedman, Daniel
DOUBLE-D DOUBLE CROSS    Faust, Christina
DRIVEN    Sallis, James
DRIVING ALONE    Helmick, Kevin Lynn
DRIVING THROUGH THE DESERT    Lynch, Donna
EDGE OF DARK WATER    Landsdale, Joe R.
EL GAVILAN    McDonald, Craig
FAULT LINE    Goddard, Robert
FIFTEEN DIGITS    Santora, Nick
FINDERS KEEPRES    Bauer, Belinda
FLASHOVER    Highland, Gordon
GARNET HILL (trilogy)    Mina, Denise
GHOST MONEY    Nette, Andrew
GHOSTHEART    Ellory, R. J.
GHOSTING    Gann, Kirby
GONE    Hayder, Mo
GONE BABY GONE    Lehane, Denis
GONE GIRL    Flynn, Gillian
GROWING UP DEAD IN TEXAS    Jones, Stephen Graham
GUTSHOT STRAIGHT    Berney, Lou
HANGING HILL    Hayder, Mo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TURK    Arjouni, Jakob
HARBOR NOCTURNE    Wambaugh, Joseph
HELL ON CHURCH STREET    Hinkson, Jake
HICKORY DICKORY DOCK    Christie, Agatha
HIT AND RUN    Johnstone, Doug
HOMICIDE    Simon, David
HOUR OF THE WOLF    Nesser, Hakan
HOUSE OF THE HUNTED    Mills, Mark
I REMEMBER YOU    Sigurdardottir, Yrsa
IMMOBILITY    Evenson, Brian
IN THE WOODS    French, Tana
INVISIBLE MURDER    Kaaberbol, Lene & Friis, Agnete
ISTANBUL PASSAGE    Kanon, Josef
JOHNNY PORNO    Stella, Charlie
KALEIDOSCOPE    Bowen, Gail
KINGS OF COOL    Winslow, Don
KNOCK-EM-STIFF    Pollock, Donald Ray
LABYRINTH OF OSIRIS    Sussman, Paul
LAKE COUNTRY    Dolittle, Sean
LAST WILL    Marklund, Lisa
LETHAL INJECTION    Nisbet, Jim
LETHAL INVESTMENTS    Dahl, K.O
LIFE AND FATE    Grossman, Vasily
LIVIN' LAHAINA LOCA    Bassett, JoAnn
LORRAINE CONNECTION    Manotti, Dominique
LOST IN CLOVER    Richardson, Travis
LYRICS ALLEY    Aboulela, Leila
MADAME MEPHISTO    Bakalar, A.M.
MIDWINTER SACRIFICE    Kallentoft, Mons
MISERY BAY    Hamilton, Steve
MISS PYM DISPOSES    Tey, Josephine
MIXED BLOOD    Smith, Roger
MOCKINGBIRD    Wendig, Chuck
MOONLIGHT MILE    Lehane, Denis
MURDER OF HALLAND    Juul, Pia
MURDER ON THE 31ST FLOOR    Wahloo, Per
NEVER APOLOGISE, NEVER EXPLAIN    Craig, James
NICEVILLE    Stroud, Carsten
NIGHT ROUNDS    Tursten, Helene
NINE MAN'S MURDER    Keith, Eric
THE NINTH STEP    Jerkins, Grant
NO GRAVE FOR A LADY    Bonett, John and Emery
NO MARK UPON HER    Crombie, Deborah
NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH    Chase, James Hadley
NOT DEAD YET    James, Peter
ONE TWO BUCKLE MY SHOE    Christie, Agatha
PARADISE CITY    Mayor, Archer
PAST THE SHALLOWS    Parrett, Favel
PAVING THE NEW ROAD    Gentill, Sulari
PAYBACK    Nicol, Mike
PHANTOM    Nesbo, Jo
PIERCED    Enger, Thomas
PIG IRON    Myers, Benjamin
PRAGUE FATALE    Kerr, Philip
PROOF OF LIFE    Campbell, Karen
RAYLAN: A NOVEL    Leonard, Elmore
RESURRECTION EXPRESS    Romano, Stephen
RIVER OF SHADOWS    Varesi, Valerio
ROMAN GAMES    Macbain, Bruce
SAILOR    Epperson, Tom
SCRATCH DEEPER    Simms, Chris
SIEGE    Kernick, Simon
SILENT VOICES    Cleeves, Ann
SISTERS OF MERCY    Overington, Caroline
SLOWLY, SLOWLY IN THE WIND    Highsmith, Patricia
SOME DANGER INVOLVED    Thomas, Will
SORRY. PLEASE    Yu, Charles
SPIES    Verissimo, Luis Fernando
SPIES OF THE BALKANS    Furst, Alan
SPLIT SECOND    Staincliffe, Cath
STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE    Rankin, Ian
STAY AWAKE    Chaon, Dan
STRAY BULLETS    Rotenberg, Robert
SUCH FRIENDS ARE DANGEROUS    Tyrer, Walter
SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN    Tremayne, Peter
SWALLOWING A DONKEY'S EYE    Tremblay, Paul
SWEETNESS OF LIFE    Hochgatterer, Paulus
TAHOE TRAP    Borg, Tod
TEMPORARY PERFECTIONS    Carofiglio, Gianrico de
THE AGE OF MIRACLES    Walker, Karen Thompson
THE BAT    Rinehart, Mary Roberts
THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY    Penny, Louise
THE BLACK PATH    Larsson. Asa
THE BLACKHOUSE    May, Peter
THE BLIND GODDESS    Holt, Anne
THE BROTHERHOOD    Erskine, Y.A.
THE CADAVER GAME    Ellis, Kate
THE CALLER    Fossum, Karin
THE CHALK CIRCLE    Vargas, Fred
THE CHESSMEN    May, Peter
THE CHOSEN    Hunt, Arlene
THE CITY OF SHADOWS    Russell, Michael
THE CLOCK IN THE HATBOX    Gilbert, Anthony
THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS    Cain, James M.
THE COLD, COLD GROUND    McKinty, Adrian
THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS    Wilson, Robert
THE CRIMSON ROOMS    McMahon, Katherine
THE CUTTING ROOM    Welsh, Louise
THE DARK EARTH    Jacobs, John Hornor
THE DARK ROSE    Kelly, Erin
THE DARK WINTER    Mark, David
THE DEATH OF THE MANTIS    Stanley, Michael
THE DEMON OF DARTMOOR    Halter, Paul
THE DEVIL DOESN'T WANT ME    Beetner, Eric
THE DEVIL OF ALL TIME    Pollock, Donald Ray
THE DEVOTED    Shapiro, Eric
THE DISPATCHER    David, Ryan
THE DOUBLE GAME    Fesperman, Dan
THE DOVE SEASON    Shaw, Johnny
THE DROP    Connelly, Michael
THE EIGHT OF SWORDS    Dickson Carr, John
THE END OF THE WASP SEASON    Mina, Denise
THE ENGLISHMAN'S CAMEO    Liddle, Madhulikka
THE ENVOY    Wilson, Edward
THE EXPATS: A NOVEL    Pavone, Chris
THE EYES OF LIRA KAZAN    Joly, Eva and Perrignon, Judith
THE FACE THIEF    Gottlieb, Eli
THE FATHERLAND    Harris, Robert
THE FEAR ARTIST    Hallinan, Timothy
THE FEAR ARTIST    Hallinan, Timothy
THE FIFTH MAN    Coles, Manning
THE GHOST    Harris, Robert
THE GIRL ON THE STAIRS    Welsh, Louise
THE GLASS ROOM    Cleeves, Ann
THE GODS OF GOTHAM    Faye, Lindsay
THE GUARDS    Bruen, Ken
THE HIDDEN CHILD    Lackberg, Camilla
THE HOUR OF THE WOLF    Nesser, Hakan
THE IMPEACHMENT OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN    Carter, Stephen L.
THE INNOCENT    Baldacci, David
THE KEY    Toyne, Simon
THE KILLING OF EMMA GROSS    Seaman, Damien
THE KINGS OF COOL    Winslow, Don
THE LAST KIND WORDS    Piccirilli, Tom
THE LAST POLICEMAN    Winters, Ben H.
THE LAST POLICEMAN    Winters, Ben H.
THE LEWIS MAN    May, Peter
THE LIMINAL PEOPLE    Jama-Everett, Ayize
THE LONG FALL    Kostoff, Lynn
THE LOST DAUGHTER    Grindle, Lucretia
THE MAGICIAN'S DEATH    Doherty, Paul
THE MALTESE FALCON    Hammett, Dashiel
THE MAN ON THE BALCONY    Sjowall, Maj and Wahloo, Per
THE MESSENGER    Miller, Stephen
THE MIDWIFE'S TALE    Thomas, Sam
THE MISTAKE    James, Wendy
THE MORNING AFTER DEATH    Blake, Nicholas
THE MOTHER HUNT    Stout, Rex
THE MURDER FARM    Schenkel, Andrea Maria
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MISS AUSTEN    Ashford, Lindsay
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD    Dickens, Charles
THE NAMELESS DEAD    McGilloway, Brian
THE NINTH STEP    Jerkins, Grant
THE NOBODIES ALBUM    Parkhurst. Carolyn
THE ONE FROM THE OTHER    Kerr, Philip
THE PARIS DEADLINE    Byrd, Max
THE PLATINUM LOOP    Williams, Austin
THE POINT    Brennan, Gerard
THE POSTHUMOUS MAN    Hinkson, Jake
THE POTTER'S FIELD    Camilleri, Andrea
THE PRECIPICE    Duigan, Virginia
THE PROBLEM OF THE GREEN CAPSULE    Carr, John Dickson
THE PROFESSIONALS    Laukkanen, Owen
THE PROPHET    Koryta, Michael
THE QUARRY    Theorin, Johan
THE QUIET TWIN    Vyleta, Dan
THE RAGE    Kerrigan, Gene
THE REDEEMED    Hall, M. R.
THE REUNION    van der Vlugt, Simone
THE REVISIONISTS    Mullen, Thomas
THE ROBBERS    Anderson, Paul
THE SIXTH LAMENTATION    Brodrick, William
THE SLIPPERY STAIRCASE    Lorac, E. C. R.
THE SO BLUE MARBLE    Hughes, Dorothy B.
THE STORY OF IVY    Lowndes, Marie Belloc
THE SUCCESSOR    Kadare, Ismail
THE SUMMER OF DEAD TOYS    Hill, Antonio
THE SUSPECT    Wright, L.R.
THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE    Bradley, Alan
THE THIEF    Nakamura, Fuminori
THE THREE EVANGELISTS    Vargas, Fred
THE THREE-DAY AFFAIR    Kardos, Michael
THE VANITY GAME    Hampson, H. J.
THE WATER ROOM    Fowler, Christopher
THE WHISPERING HOUSE    Erskine, Margaret
THE WHITE FOREST    McOmber, Adrian
THE WHITE LIE    Gillies, Andrea
THE WICKED GIRLS    Marwood, Alex
THE WOODCUTTER    Hill, Reginald
THE WRONG GOODBYE    Holm, Chris F.
TIGER IN THE SMOKE    Allingham, Margery
TITANIC 2012    Walker, Bill
TO LOVE AND BE WISE    Tey, Josephine
TRACKERS    Meyer, Deon
TRIPLE CROSSING    Rotella, Sebastian
TRUST YOUR EYES    Barclay, Linwood
TUESDAY'S GONE    French, Nicci
UNDER THE DIXIE MOON    Cuzon, Ro
VILE BLOOD    Wilde, Max
WAKE UP THE DEAD    Smith, Roger
WATCH OUT FOR ME    Johnson, Sylvia
WE ARE THE HANGED MEN    Lindsay, Douglas
WEE ROCKETS    Brennan, Gerard
WHAT IT WAS    Pelecanos, George
WHAT LIES WITHIN    Vowler, Tom
WHAT THE DAY OWES THE NIGHT    Khadra, Yasmina
WHERE THE DEVIL CAN'T GO    Lipska, Anya
WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE?    Semple, Maria
WHISPERING DEATH    Disher, Garry
WHITE HEAT    McGrath, M.J.
WOLF TICKETS    Banks, Ray
WOLVES AND ANGELS    Jokinen, Seppo

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - Top Authors

I've been collecting suggestions for the best crime fiction fellow bloggers read in 2012 and have culled lists from 28 blogs, and put together a total list of 366 books.

Some bloggers have focussed on books published in 2012 while others have rated all that they read, regardless of the year of publication. Some have focussed on mysteries, while others, like me, have ranged wider.

Yesterday I gave a list of the books nominated more than once.

I had expected the list to contain at least one or two "stand-out" titles, but that didn't happen.

Today my list consists of 60 authors who were nominated more than once.
Some are on the list because one of their books was nominated more than once, some because multiple titles were nominated.



Author nominated 5 times
Meyer, Deon    BLOOD SAFARI, 7 DAYS, TRACKERS
Nesbo, Jo    THE BAT, PHANTOM

Author nominated 4 times
French, Tana    IN THE WOODS, BROKEN HARBOR
May, Peter    THE LEWIS MAN, THE CHESSMEN, THE BLACKHOUSE
McKinty, Adrian    THE COLD, COLD GROUND
Persson, Leif GW    ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER LIFE; BETWEEN SUMMER'S LONGING AND WINTER'S END
Wendig, Chuck    MOCKINGBIRD, BLACKBIRDS

Author nominated 3 times
Abbott, Megan    DARE ME
Brennan, Gerard    WEE ROCKETS, THE POINT
Christie, Agatha    ONE TWO BUCKLE MY SHOE, HICKORY DICKORY DOCK, AFTER THE FUNERAL
Dolittle, Sean    LAKE COUNTRY
Faye, Lindsay    THE GODS OF GOTHAM
Flynn, Gillian    GONE GIRL
Fossum, Karin    THE CALLER
Hallinan, Timothy    CRASHED, THE FEAR ARTIST
Hayder, Mo    HANGING HILL, GONE
Hinkson, Jake    HELL ON CHURCH STREET, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN
Holm, Chris F.    THE WRONG GOODBYE, DEAD HARVEST
Indridason, Arnaldur    BLACK SKIES, ARCTIC CHILL
Marklund, Lisa    LAST WILL
McGilloway, Brian    THE NAMELESS DEAD
Pelecanos, George    WHAT IT WAS
Penny, Louise    THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY, A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
Smith, Roger    MIXED BLOOD, WAKE UP THE DEAD
Tey, Josephine    TO LOVE AND BE WISE. MISS PYM DISPOSES, BRAT FARRAR
Welsh, Louise    THE CUTTING ROOM, THE GIRL ON THE STAIRS

Author nominated twice
Camilleri, Andrea    THE POTTER'S FIELD
Carofiglio, Gianrico de    TEMPORARY PERFECTIONS, A WALK IN THE DARK
Cleeves, Ann    THE GLASS ROOM, SILENT VOICES
Enger, Thomas    PIERCED, BURNED
Gentill, Sulari    A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN, PAVING THE NEW ROAD
Gilbert, Anthony    THE CLOCK IN THE HATBOX, DEATH KNOCKS THREE TIMES
Harris, Robert    THE FATHERLAND, THE GHOST
Hill, Antonio    THE SUMMER OF DEAD TOYS
James, Peter    NOT DEAD YET
Jerkins, Grant    THE NINTH STEP
Jones, Stephen Graham    GROWING UP DEAD IN TEXAS
Keith, Eric    NINE MAN'S MURDER
Keller, Julia    A KILLING IN THE HILLS
Kerr, Philip    PRAGUE FATALE, THE ONE FROM THE OTHER
Koryta, Michael    THE PROPHET
Landsdale, Joe R.    EDGE OF DARK WATER
Lehane, Denis    MOONLIGHT MILE, GONE BABY GONE
Lipska, Anya    WHERE THE DEVIL CAN'T GO
Mina, Denise    GARNET HILL (trilogy), THE END OF THE WASP SEASON
Mosby, Steve    BLACK FLOWERS, DARK ROOM
Nesser, Hakan    THE HOUR OF THE WOLF
Pajer, Bernadette    A SPARK OF DEATH
Pollock, Donald Ray    KNOCK-EM-STIFF, THE DEVIL OF ALL TIME
Rankin, Ian    STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE
Robinson, Peter    BEFORE THE POISON
Shaw, Johnny    BIG MARIA
Staincliffe, Cath    DEAD TO ME, SPLIT SECOND
Stanley, Michael    THE DEATH OF THE MANTIS
Theorin, Johan    THE QUARRY
Varenne, Antonin    BEDS OF NAILS
Vargas, Fred    THE CHALK CIRCLE, THE THREE EVANGELISTS
Winslow, Don    THE KINGS OF COOL
Winters, Ben H.    THE LAST POLICEMAN
Wright, L.R.    THE SUSPECT

Tomorrow I'll publish the full list of nominations by title in alphabetic order.

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - Top Books

I've been collecting suggestions for the best crime fiction fellow bloggers read in 2012 and have culled lists from 28 blogs, and put together a total list of 366 books.

Some bloggers have focussed on books published in 2012 while others have rated all that they read, regardless of the year of publication. Some have focussed on mysteries, while others, like me, have ranged wider.

What is strange about the list I have put together is that no one book dominates, no one author either. There is a very wide diversity. Some British and European authors you might have expected to dominate are missing.
There are many new-to-me titles  Some of the books in the list were on my own list of good reads, but not necessarily in my top 10. I think the lists will give you plenty to consider.

So today I will give you those books that were nominated more than once. Tomorrow I will give you the authors who received more than one nomination and there some "stand outs" on that list.
Then later in the week I'll give you the full list arranged alphabetically by title.

There were 12 titles nominated 3 times and another 36 nominated twice.

Titles nominated 3 times

• ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER LIFE by Persson, Leif GW
• BROKEN HARBOR by French, Tana
• DARE ME    by Abbott, Megan
• GONE GIRL by Flynn, Gillian
• LAKE COUNTRY by  Dolittle, Sean
• LAST WILL by Marklund, Lisa
• PHANTOM    by Nesbo, Jo
• THE CALLER by Fossum, Karin
• THE COLD, COLD GROUND by McKinty, Adrian
• THE GODS OF GOTHAM by Faye, Lindsay
• THE NAMELESS DEAD by McGilloway, Brian
• WHAT IT WAS by Pelecanos, George

Titles nominated twice

• 7 DAYS by Meyer, Deon
• A KILLING IN THE HILLS by Keller, Julia
• A SPARK OF DEATH by Pajer, Bernadette
• BEDS OF NAILS by Varenne, Antonin
• BEFORE THE POISON by Robinson, Peter
• BIG MARIA by Shaw, Johnny
• BLACK SKIES by Indridason, Arnaldur
• BLACKBIRDS by Wendig, Chuck
• EDGE OF DARK WATER by Landsdale, Joe R.
• GONE by Hayder, Mo
• GROWING UP DEAD IN TEXAS by Jones, Stephen Graham
• HELL ON CHURCH STREET by Hinkson, Jake
• MIXED BLOOD by Smith, Roger
• MOCKINGBIRD by Wendig, Chuck
• NINE MAN'S MURDER by Keith, Eric
• NOT DEAD YET by James, Peter
• STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE by Rankin, Ian
• THE BAT by Rinehart, Mary Roberts
• THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY by Penny, Louise
• THE BLACKHOUSE by May, Peter
• THE DEATH OF THE MANTIS by Stanley, Michael
• THE FEAR ARTIST by Hallinan, Timothy
• THE GIRL ON THE STAIRS by Welsh, Louise
• THE HOUR OF THE WOLF by Nesser, Hakan
• THE LAST POLICEMAN by Winters, Ben H.
• THE KINGS OF COOL by Winslow, Don
• THE NINTH STEP by Jerkins, Grant
• THE POTTER'S FIELD by Camilleri, Andrea
• THE PROPHET by Koryta, Michael
• THE QUARRY by Theorin, Johan
• THE SUMMER OF DEAD TOYS by Hill, Antonio
• THE SUSPECT by Wright, L.R.
• THE WRONG GOODBYE by Holm, Chris F.
• TRACKERS by Meyer, Deon
• WEE ROCKETS by Brennan, Gerard
• WHERE THE DEVIL CAN'T GO by Lipska, Anya

Reminder: I'm collecting Lists of Best Crime Fiction read in 2012

As I warned in mid December, I am collecting your best crime fiction reading for 2012.

Below I have provided a Mr Linky for those of you who blog, so that you can write a post, and come back and leave a link. If you don't have a blog, or if you prefer to do it that way, then leave a list of books (with authors) as a comment on this post.
The titles can have been published any time, but must be crime fiction.
It would be great if you could add the year first published into your list.

Collection time will run for another week, until January 20th 2013 and then I'll do some collation of the suggestions.

If you come across other blog posts listing best crime fiction reads please feel free to add them to Mr Linky for us to check.

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What I read in December 2012

Crime Fiction 2012

December was a Kindle month. We were travellling and so e-books provided a good alternative to carry a weighty heap of books with me.

I was also trying to complete some of my 2012 reading challenges and they to some extent determined my reading choices. The 9 books were all read on my Kindle.

My Pick of the month was THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY by Louise Penny

1. 4.6, DEATH LIES BENEATH, Pauline Rowson
2. 4.8, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, Donna Leon
3. 3.9, THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, Elizabeth George - young adult title, beginning of a series
4. 4.5, LETHAL INVESTMENTS, K.O. Dahl -translated
5. 4.9, THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY, Louise Penny
6. 4.5, THE BOMBER, Lisa Marklund - translated
7. 4.2, HICKORY, DICKORY, DOCK, Agatha Christie
8. 4.4, SISTERS OF MERCY, Caroline Overington - Aussie author
9. 4.7, DEATH OF A CARPET DEALER, Karin Wahlberg - translated

What I read in June 2012

I spent over half of this month away from home so almost all my reading was done on my Kindle.
No Australian authors unfortunately but 5 translated ones (T) and I finished off the Canadian Book Challenge for 2011-2012 (C)

1. 4.7, THE HOLY THIEF, William Ryan (30 June)
2. 4.2, APRIL FOOL, William Deverell (25 June)(C)
3. 4.4, THE BURNING EDGE, Rick Mofina  (21 June) - Kindle (C)
4. 4.5, KILLER REELS, Rob Kitchin (18 June) - Kindle
5. 4.9. BEFORE THE POISON, Peter Robinson (18 June) - Kindle (C)
6. 4.6, A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED, Agatha Christie (16 June) - Kindle
7. 5.0, THE QUARRY, Johan Theorin (15 June) - Kindle (T)
8. 4.6, NEXT OF KIN, Elsebeth Egholm (13 June) - Kindle (T)
9. 4.5, THE FINAL MURDER, Anne Holt (11 June) - Kindle (T)
10. 4.7, DREGS, Jon Lier Horst (8 June) - Kindle (T)
11. 4.5, THE FLATEY ENIGMA, Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson (4 June) - Kindle (T)

My Pick of the Month was THE QUARRY by Johan Theorin which I gave 5 to, but  BEFORE THE POISON by Peter Robinson was a very close second.

THE QUARRY is #3 in Theorin's seasonal quartet set on the island of Oland off the east coast of Sweden, connected to #1, ECHOES FROM THE DEAD, by the elderly character Gerloff Davidsson. In his mid 80s Gerloff decides that he must get away from the retirement home he is living in, and goes back to his summer cottage in Stenvik which is located near a quarry.
Two new houses have been built there since he last visited and the only other nearby resident is Per Morner who has inherited an old stone mason's cottage.

Theorin weaves a fascinating story that binds the residents together. One of the new houses is owned  by a writer whose wife lived nearby when she was a child. Little by little Theorin reveals that there are connections between these people that actually go back decades. And in the background is the constant quarrel between the elves and the trolls, and the coming of Walpurgis Night when the dark powers gather together.

Review posted here.

Check what others have selected as their Pick of the Month for June.

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - a mid year perspective

During 2012 I've been collecting readers' Picks of the Month but these lists don't always include all your best reads.
In past years I have invited blog readers to submit "best crime fiction reads".
At the beginning of this year I wrote a summary post for these collections from 2008 to 2011.

In past years I posted my "best reads" at the end of March, June, September and the end of the year, and invited others to contribute theirs as comments or links. For some reason I didn't do that this year at the end of March.

However it is never too late.
So here is your invitation to look back over your crime fiction reading for 2012 and to tell me title and author of your best 10 reads.
They do not need to be recent publications, and you can choose to give me your list as a comment or write your own post and give me a link to it. If Blogger comment turns uncooperative send me the information at kerrie dot smith at esc dot net dot au
I hope that makes sense.

I will aggregate all the lists and turn them into reading recommendations in posts in a couple of weeks' time.

Your help in advertising this activity via Twitter or on your blog would be much appreciated.
I've put a copy of the logo in the right hand column to help people locate the post.

To start the ball rolling, here are mine. You'll notice right off that there are more than 10 on my list, because these are the titles I have given 4.8 or more to. Feel free to take liberties with the numbers too.

GONE, Mo Hayder (2010)
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT, Louise Penny(2011)
THE QUARRY, Johan Theorin (2011)
THE BROTHERHOOD, Y.A. Erskine(2011)
A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN, Sulari Gentill (2010)
THE CALLER, Karin Fossum (2011)
THE NOBODIES ALBUM, Carolyn Parkhurst(2010)
BEFORE THE POISON, Peter Robinson (2011)
SILENT FEAR, Katherine Howell (2012)
THE PRECIPICE, Virginia Duigan (2011)
CHELSEA MANSIONS, Barry Maitland (2011)
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Wendy James (2010)
THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE, Lena Kaarbol & Agnete Friis(2011)
1222, Anne Holt (2010)

After a suggestion from a contributor, could you add the year of publication to your list?
(I am aware this might be different for US and UK.)

What I read in January 2012 - crime fiction

I've made an excellent start to 2012 with the some stellar reads and an excellent start on some reading challenges.

My local library has served me well, supplying half the books.

There were two books that I rated at 5.0 and they were so different that I am going to name them both as my pick of the month.

I'm surprised that this month only one of the books was a translated title.

1. 4.7, BLOOD MOON, Garry Disher - library book - Australian
2. 4.6, THE VAULT, Ruth Rendell - library book
3. 4.5, A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD, Alan Bradley - library book
4. 4.6, THE MISSING, Jane Casey - library book- debut title
5. 4.0, Some Agatha Christie Short Stories- Kindle
6. 5.0, THE BROTHERHOOD, Y.A. Erskine - library book - Australian - - PICK OF THE MONTH
7. 4.2, STEPS TO HEAVEN, Wendy Cartmell- Kindle - debut title.
8. 4.2, THE ANATOMY OF GHOSTS, Andrew Taylor- library book
9. 4.2, TOWARDS ZERO, Agatha Christie
10. 4.5, THE HANGMAN, Louise Penny - Kindle
11. 4.5, MURDER AT THE SAVOY, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - audio
12. 5.0,  A TRICK OF THE LIGHT, Louise Penny- library book - PICK OF THE MONTH
13. 3.5, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, John Le Carre- audio
14. 4.7, HEADHUNTERS, Jo Nesbo- Kindle - translated from Norwegian
15. 4.6, THE MOST DANGEROUS THING, Laura Lippman- library book
16. 4.5, THE END OF EVERYTHING, Megan Abbott- Kindle

Crime Fiction 2012

This year I am running a monthly meme called Pick of the Month.

If you are a crime fiction reader, I invite you go to the link each month to find out what fellow readers are recommending.

If you are a blogger then it would be great if you would take part in the meme each month.

So much choice....

I was struck this week at the amount of crime fiction there is to choose from.
In the Best Crime Fiction Reads of 2011, 35 contributors mainly suggesting their best 10 reads suggested 364 titles.

Some focussed on books published in 2010 and 2011, some mentioned books published earlier than that.
In any case the 10 books from each is just the tip of the iceberg.
And yet many of us can agree on what is "quality". Titles that will make it into other people's top 10 will be near the top of my list and in the top 20 or so.

Last year I read 160 crime fiction titles, which is quite a lot by most readers' standards. And yet I was nowhere near the number of "best reads" individual titles suggested by just 35 contributors.

That's what makes these reading lists so valuable. Find reviewers whose judgement you trust, whose crime fiction tastes coincide with yours, read their reviews carefully, and then decide whether you will put that book on your lists.
I do know some people won't read the reviews before they read the book - sometimes the fact that a title is getting mentioned by a number of reviewers is enough to have you put it on your list.

If you look at my reading lists for the past 4 years (see the links in the header to this page), you will see that the vast majority have got a rating from me of 4 and above. What is happening is that my choices have already been through a sort of pre-selection process. Even though a number of the titles are the work of new-to-me authors (last year 60 of the 160 were written by new-to-me authors), I still think about whether I am likely to like the book or not.

My overall impression is that while many of the authors I enjoy have become quite prolific, many of them producing a new title annually, so there are new writers joining those ranks, as well as translations of work by international writers already popular in their own country. The end result is an ever expanding  smorgasbord which ensures that I am never lost for something to read.

If you are looking for some bloggers who write about crime fiction check out Crime Fiction Journeys which features the home pages of about 100 crime fiction readers.

Best Crime Fiction Reads 2008 -2011

I have collected best crime fiction reads for the past 4 years now from a range of participants.
In that time  154 contributors have suggested 1521 titles

2008, 40 contributors 396 titles
2009, 56 contributors 541 titles
2010, 23 contributors 220 titles
2011, 35 contributors 364 titles

If you'd like to check previous years, here they are. Just click on the image.

2008

I've chosen the top reads from each year and aggregated them. There are 24 books on the list.
The number at the end of the line is the number of votes the book got.
Stieg Larsson was not mentioned by 2011 contributors, there is no doubt in my mind he would still be there if he was alive and writing.
I'm pleased to see some Australian authors making it into this list too. ***
Interesting too to see some names other than Larsson repeated: Johan Theorin, Megan Abbott, Arnaldur Indridason.
Translated titles abound too ++ (nearly half the list)

So what have you missed out on reading? - as you can see I have 3 to go.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson    16 ++
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Stieg Larsson    15 ++
GUNSHOT ROAD by Adrian Hyland    9 ***
HYPOTHERMIA by Arnaldur Indridason    9 ++
CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin    7
SHATTER by Michael Robotham    7 ***
KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES  (aka MERCY) by Jussi Adler-Olsen    7 ++
THE DARKEST ROOM  by Johan Theorin    6 ++
THE END OF EVERYTHING  by Megan Abbott    6
WHERE WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? by Kate Atkinson    6
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT by Louise Penny    5
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by    S.J. Watson    5
FIELD GRAY by Philip Kerr    5
THE COLD DISH by Craig Johnson    5
THE END OF THE WASP SEASON  by Denise Mina    5
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE by Malla Nunn     4 ***
ARCTIC CHILL by Arnaldur Indridason     4 ++
BURY ME DEEP by Megan Abbott     4
ECHOES FROM THE DEAD by Johann Theorin     4 ++
SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanna Raybourn     4
SKELETON HILL by Peter Lovesey     4
TRUTH by Peter Temple    4 ***
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST by Stieg Larsson    3 ++
THIRTEEN HOURS by Deon Meyer    3 ++

My best reads for 2011

Not all of these were published in 2011 and I read so many good books in 2011, that the choice was really difficult. In the end the book had to be rated at 5 or 4.9 to get onto my list.

5.0, BURY YOUR DEAD, Louise Penny
5.0, THE WRECKAGE, Michael Robotham
5.0, A THOUSAND CUTS, Simon Lelic
5.0, BLUE LIGHTNING, Ann Cleeves 
5.0, THE RULE BOOK, Rob Kitchin
5.0, DEAD TOMORROW, Peter James
5.0, THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, Denise Mina
5.0, STAGESTRUCK, Peter Lovesey 
4.9, THE BRUTAL TELLING, Louise Penny
4.9, BAD INTENTIONS, Karin Fossum

The list above differed a little from my picks on the month, the outstanding book from each month's read:

• January      5.0, THE RULE BOOK, Rob Kitchin
• February    5.0, BURY YOUR DEAD, Louise Penny
• March        4.8, CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER, Tom Franklin
• April          5.0,  A THOUSAND CUTS (aka RUPTURE), Simon Lelic
• May          5.0, THE WRECKAGE, Michael Robotham
• June          5.0, DEAD TOMORROW, Peter James
• July           4.8, THE DIGGERS REST HOTEL, Geoffrey McGeachin
• August       5.0, BLUE LIGHTNING, Ann Cleeves
• September  5.0, THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, Denise Mina 
• October      5.0, STAGESTRUCK, Peter Lovesey
• November   4.8, WHISPERING DEATH, Garry Disher
• December   4.7, ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo

My best reads for December 2011

December 2011 was a good month for reading despite the festive activities.
There were 3 contenders for pick of the month and in the end I chose the oldest, a book that revolutionised crime fiction writing.

Pick of the month

1. 4.6, BAD BOY, Peter Robinson
2. 4.2, MURDER IN THE SECOND ROW, Bev Robitai - New Zealand
3. 4.2, EDGE, Jeffery Deaver
4. 4.7, WINTERLAND, Alan Glynn
5. 4.6, ECHOES OF THE DEAD, Sally Spencer 
6. 4.5, THE WEED THAT STRINGS THE HANGMAN'S BAG, Alan Bradley 
7. 4.7, THE BLACKHOUSE, Peter May
8. 4.4, THE UNDER DOG, Agatha Christie 
9. 4.3, BOLD BLOOD, Lindy Kelly - New Zealand
10. 4.6, WATCH THE WORLD BURN, Leah Giarratano - Australian
11. 4.5, CELL 8, Roslund & Hellstrom
12. 4.7, ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - pick of the month
13. 4.3, THE LIKENESS, Tana French

Collecting your best reads for 2011

It is just a tad early to make pronouncements I think - who knows, the killer-read for the year might be just around the corner, but I know many of us in crime fiction land are beginning to think about our top 5, or 10, or even 20 reads for the year.


So this blog post is just to let you know I will be "collecting" titles again this year and then aggregating them, and publishing lists, early in 2012.

I've decided that I will collect in two ways:

• If you write a post on your own blog that lists your best crime fiction reads, then you can simply add the URL to the Mr Linky below and I will visit your site and collect the titles.
• Your alternative is to add your list as a comment to this post (or the reminder posts that I'll create later in the month)

The books you choose need not have been published in 2011, but need to come under the category of crime fiction. 

You choose how many titles are in your list - I'll accept any number of titles up to 20. (you might like to decide a cut off point in your ratings - mine might have to have a rating of 4.9 or above, but I need to have a serious think about that)

Please feel free to use this icon on your blog post, to advertise the meme, and encourage others to add their contributions to this page.

Remember, the Mr Linky below is for the URL of your blog post, not the titles themselves.
If you don't have a blog post just list the titles and authors in a comment.

"Collecting" will close on January 7.

Important: how to find this post when you are ready to add your list - look for the icon in the right hand margin.

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