Robin Agnew
As Thanksgiving draws closer,everyone starts thinking about their "top 10" list, I think, and it's nice to have a holiday shopping or reading guide in any case. This year I had eleven picks, and my honorable mention list was a long one - lots of good reading this year. I've already read an ARC of a book due in March that will almost definitely be on this list NEXT year. That's the way to start a year of reading! In alphabetical order, this year's picks:
Bury Me Deep, Megan Abbott. As far as I'm concerned, a Megan Abbott book is an event - the originality of her writing and the way she puts a spell on you as you read are impossible things to miss. This year's entry focuses on the real life "Trunk Murderess", Winnie Ruth Judd, with Abbott positing her own solution to the crime. She's the definition of modern noir.
Awakening, S. J. Bolton. My book club LOVED her first novel, Sacrifice, and this one is even better - it's tighter and more smoothly written. This is an amazingly original book about a tiny british village overrun by snakes. Using folklore and superstition to help form her story, Bolton also puts one of my favorite characters of the year at the center of things, disfigured vet Clara, a recluse, and as it happens, reptile expert, who has to come out of hiding more or less to help figure out what's going on. Belive me when I tell you that Clara might figure things out but you'll have no idea what's going to happen, and what's better than that?
The Last Child, John Hart. This is one of those early in the year reads that I remembered and loved at the end of the year. Hart's novel about 13 year old Johnny Merrimon, who is looking all over town for his missing sister on his beat up bike, is haunting. Johnny is a wonderful character, and Hart's prose and use of metaphor give the book real resonance. A wonderful read.
Heaven's Keep, William Kent Krueger. Krueger's elegy for Cork's missing and presumed dead wife, Jo, is of a piece with all the rest of the series, and seems to complete an emotional arc for Cork, who tries in vain to find Jo with his now thirteen year old son Stephen. As always Krueger's lovely writing and emotionally complex characters are spectacular. While it's not essential to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this one, you'll get more form it if you have.
The Brutal Telling, Louise Penny. It's almost unfair - Penny produced not one, but two, terrific books this year. This one takes Gamache back to the tiny village of Three Pines to try and discover who left a body in the Bistro, and more importantly, who that body belongs to. The great thing about Louise Penny's books is that while she uses to great effect all the tricks of the traditional mystery, she's added depth of character and resonance of place to make her books totally memorable. I can't tell you how many customers have told me they wish they could live in Three Pines. Me too.
The Shanghai Moon, S.J. Rozan. This is a fabulous book - the story set in the present and in the past has Lydia looking for some long missing jewels in the present. Meanwhile she's reading the long ago letters of Rosalie Gilder, a Jewish refugee who fled to Shanghai with her brother during WWII, one of two places on the planet where Jews were free to go. Rosalie was one of my favorite characters of the year - she's a heartbreaker - and Rozan is able to tell a complicated story and make it look easy. What a master.
Last Known Address, Theresa Schwegel. As far as I'm concerned, Theresa Schwegel just keeps getting better, and this first person, present tense story of a Chicago cop looking for a serial rapist is absolutely chilling. Schwegel is far from a sentimental writer but if this story doesn't get you in some emotional place while you're reading, there's something wrong. This is the definition of a good police book, and Schwegel seems to have a gift for telling stories about the way people can hurt each other, emotionally and otherwise. Not to be missed.
Murder of a Royal Pain, Denise Swanson. I've always enjoyed Denise Swanson's books and have read every one of them - she's also a frequent visitor to the store. What was great about this book was that she's eleven books into her series, and to me it was her best book yet. School psycholgist Skye Dennison comes up against two adversaries: the school's prom committee, and a new assistant who seems too good to be true. Swanson makes this light balance of humor, character and a great story all look easy.
A Duty to the Dead, Charles Todd. While this may seem a little familiar - Bess Crawford is a WWI nurse - the Todds, masters of both the "hook" and of character development - are so good that this story could be set in almost any time period and be just as compelling, because at the end it's all about character. The dysfunctional family in this one is hard to forget, and when you finish you'll definitely want to read more about Bess.
Liars Anonymous, Louise Ure. As I read this novel in ARC form, I dog eared so many pages because of the beautiful and memorable language that I went back when I was finished to read certain sentances a second time. Here's a favorite: "I missed my friend Catherine like she was a country I could no longer visit." The story is good too - recently released from prison, Jessie Dancing works for an OnStar type company, and she overhears a far away crime, which she then reluctantly solves. This is a talented and original writer, not to be missed.
The last book falls into the "discovery" category, because while I liked it, what I liked even more was that it was set in Michigan.
Starvation Lake, Bryan Gruley. This look at small town politics, journalism, hockey and buried secrets is a potent and memorable mix. The hockey scenes are believably brutal, the prose is lovely, and the story is complicated and memorably creepy. A terrific debut novel.
And our "honorable mention" list: All the Colors of Darkness, Peter Robinson; The Way Home, George Pelacanos; The Forgery of Venus, Michael Gruber (not released this year but i LOVED it); Tears of Pearl, Tasha Alexander; and Scary Stuff, Sharon Fiffer.
Get reading - and Happy Thanksgiving!
