Category: Top X List

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

First of all, his debut novel is one of the best things I’ve read in years—it’s intentionally controversial, will push buttons for every reader (not necessarily the same ones)—both those you want pushed and those you don’t—painstakingly researched, and incredibly entertaining.

He was almost certainly going to be on this list just from the work, but then I attended a “conversation with” the author and a reading—and the amount of work he put into the book (even if he was exaggerating for effect occasionally), blew me away. I’m not saying “he worked really hard so I like him.” It was the way he described the work, his approach to the craft that added to my appreciation of the results. Also, his ability in person to be silly and serious in a brief period of time was great. I liked both him (even if we’d disagree on many things—not that I’d care to debate him, he’d wipe the floor with me without trying) and his work.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here.

Mark Billingham

I’ve heard I don’t know how many interviews with Billingham on various podcasts—both those where he was a guest and those where he was a host—but it wasn’t until this new series that I finally got around to actually reading him. It took me no time at all to see why people kept putting a microphone in front of him. His work is distinctive, careful, and all-around great. He knows how to tell a story, how to draw you in, and populates the work with characters drawn so sharply that they’ll linger in your mind for a long time. I was pretty sure I was missing out before, now I know.

Bruce Borgos

Borgos reads like a guy who’s been pumping out thrillers and mysteries for years (and who knows, maybe he has without bothering to publish them). His debut is so confident that you have to take notice. He’s able to immerse you in two complex plots and make you root for people who ought to be “the bad guy.” His debut was FX’s The Americans + Johnson’s Walt Longmire books—leaving you with a great sense of place and a better understanding of under-reported history wrapped up in an entertaining ride—anyone who can pull that off is someone to keep an eye on.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here.

I hadn’t played RPGs in years (okay, fine, decades), but Ewington made me want to again with his celebration and send-up of character types, tropes, settings, etc. But it’s also a crafty little novel that sneaks a plot and character development in without you noticing because you’re too busy giggling. The Hero Interviews was an atypical novel from a clearly atypical mind—and one I look forward to encountering again.

Being a friendly and generous guy—and you’ve seen some of his generosity in his participation with various things here last year—doesn’t hurt, either.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here.

Adam Holcombe

There’s no way you look at the title and/or cover of Holcombe’s debut novella and think “ho-hum, this again.” You also probably get curious about the contents—which turn out to be as cozy and warm as they are dark. A neat trick to pull off—between his magic system, his protagonists, and his style, Holcombe quickly became an author I’m stalking*.

* in the nicest, most respectful, least creepy way.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the works that put him on this list, click here.

Ausma Zehanat Khan

Khan’s new series (and I really should go plunder her backlist) takes on our cultural discussion of policing (over and under) and shoves it into a police procedural that would be worth the read even without the socio-political commentary (that’s delivered in a way that even some who are skeptical can enjoy). When you combine the commentary and the storylines? It’s a fantastic combination and the skill shown in balancing the two—plus some personal storylines for the lead characters—tells me that Khan is someone that I’ll be reading for years to come.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put her on this list, click here

Quenby Olson

I both read and listened to Olson’s Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) and somehow haven’t written a post about it. It boggles my mind that it’s possible. Her style—forget whatever story she’s telling—is the kind that I can read or listen to for hours without wanting to stop. It’s comfortable, strange, universal, and charming—she never uses one word when she can find a dozen to use instead—and it (almost) never makes me impatient. In the hands of practically any other author that I can think of, that would result in a quick DNF with prejudice from me. But Olson draws me in instead. I’ll save the discussion of the book (sure, now I start to think of ways to talk about it) and leave it there—I want more of her style. Thankfully, it’s available.

H.B. O’Neill

Something tells me that O’Neill’s approach to writing (down to the syllable) is very similar to Adjei-Brenyah’s, and the results are similarly outstanding. The number of things this man made me feel in a few pages…I can’t even begin to tell you. The voice of his first novel, the characters, even the premise…all of these tell you that you’re not reading your typical novelist (definitely not someone the big publisher would want to touch)—but it’s the way he delivers these, the prose style, the pacing, the poetry of the whole kit and kaboodle, that really makes you stand up and pay attention to him.

I’d love to point you to what I said about the book that put him on this list, but you can’t until Friday. You should click here then for that.

Amy Maren Rice

Rice’s MG/younger-YA novel hits all the points that the 10-13-year-old in me wants to see. You’ve got mystery, tension, some heartwarming family moments (and understandable sibling conflict), and magic—plus silly humor, a healthy amount of which is flatulence-based. I really can’t think of a book better designed for that age group. The execution is pretty solid, too. How this doesn’t make fans out of anyone in the target audience, habitual reader or not is beyond me.

Also, she’s one of the nicest people you could meet. I walked away from meeting her at a local event excited to see what kind of book someone like her would produce—and I was pretty close to being right. It was playful, imaginative, and silly in all the right ways—while heartfelt and compelling. I’ve run into her a couple of times since then, and look forward to doing so again almost as much as I do for the sequel to her book.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the books that put her on this list, click here.

Jesse Q. Sutanto

If you take a quick glance at Sutanto’s backlist, you’ll think “not for HC.” At least, I did—even if they looked promising. But the premise of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers—heck, just the title—pulled me in. Like Olson, her narrative voice alone is enough to keep me going. But it’s her characters, the way she brings them to life—particularly the titular Vera—that put her on this list. Seriously, I’d read just a mealtime conversation with some/all of the core characters in this book, I really don’t need a plot (incidentally, Ms. Sutanto, there’s a quick way to pull in some Patreon dollars—one of those a month would get you a healthy number of subscriptions).

In case you’re curious about what I said about his work that put her on this list, click here.

Humanity faces extinction. Ten-kiloton monsters are rising from the depths of the Pacific, levelling entire cities in frenzies of destruction. Earth's heroes have been decimated. The survivors put their hope in one last, desperate plan: find Hyperion, Earth's most powerful hero, and ask him to return from exile to save them.

What they don't know is that Hyperion is dead.

The Griffin spent ten years fighting wars across the sector as a weapon of mass destruction for the il'Drach Empire. His victories made his name a curse on a dozen worlds and a nightmare on scores more. He retired to the peaceful station Wistful and discovered that leaving his name behind didn't clear his sins, his debts, or his conscience.

Earth's peril may give him a chance for redemption, if he can only find a way to stop the monsters without turning into one. Without becoming The Griffin again.

I fully expected to have read this no later than Feb. 1, 2023. So for me to hope to get to it before Feb. 1, 2024 is just strange. It’s coming up on my list soon, though. (and the rest will follow shortly).

The fate of the Cinder Spires may be decided by crossed swords in the next exhilarating fantasy adventure from the author of the Dresden Files, in this New York Times bestselling series of noble families, swordplay, and airships.

For centuries the Cinder Spires have safeguarded humanity, rising far above the deadly surface world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses rule, developing scientific marvels and building fleets of airships for defense and trade.

Now, the Spires hover on the brink of open war.

Everyone knows it's coming. The guns of the great airship fleets that control the skies between the last bastions of humanity will soon speak in anger, and Spire Albion stands alone against the overwhelming might of Spire Aurora's Armada and its new secret weapon--one capable of destroying the populations of entire Spires.

A trading summit at Spire Olympia provides an opportunity for the Spirearch, Lord Albion, to secure alliances that will shape the outcomes of the war, and to that end he dispatches privateer Captain Francis Madison Grimm and the crew of the AMS Predator to bolster the Spirearch's diplomatic agents.

It will take daring, skill, and no small amount of showmanship to convince the world to stand with Spire Albion--assuming that it is not already too late.

A lack of time and end-of-year economics are the only factors that kept me from diving in then. A Butcher novel I haven’t read is a thing that shouldn’t exist (especially after my re-read of Windlass and Warriorborn).

Sometimes to find yourself, you have to go back to where you came from.

You just might not like what you find.

After failing in his new life, Luke decides to go home, back to the one place where he’d once felt he belonged. But that was a long time ago and now he has to face the life that he chose to run away from: The Combine. The gang that his uncle now leads, but which his father still runs from prison. Brutal, unforgiving . . . family.

Reunited with his childhood friend Callie and tagging along on jobs with her and her boyfriend Pretty Baby, Luke soon discovers that he might have a place back home after all. When another gang try to encroach on their turf, The Combine and Luke must go to war to save all that they know.

But in trying to be someone you’re not, can you ever find out who you really are?

Family is everything and blood is love. 

I’ve heard nothing but raves about this, and after She Rides Shotgun, I believe it. Ditto for his second book of the year.

When Detective Anjelica Henley is called to investigate the murder of a popular preacher in his own church, she discovers a second victim, tortured and tied to a bed in an upstairs room. He is alive, but barely, and his body shows signs of a dark religious ritual.

With a revolving list of suspects and the media spotlight firmly on her, Henley is left with more questions than answers as she attempts to untangle both crimes. But when another body appears, the case takes on a new urgency. Unless she can apprehend the killer, the next victim may just be Henley herself.

Both fans of The Jigsaw Man and readers coming to Matheson's work for the first time will get swept away in this heart-pounding thriller. Drawing on her experiences as a criminal attorney, Nadine Matheson deftly explores issues of race, class and justice through an action-packed story that will hold you captive until the last terrifying page.

I can’t believe I didn’t read this last year. It boggles my mind. Her first novel was so good, I can’t imagine this isn’t going to be similarly gripping.

 When friend of the family and multi-billionaire Roger Ferris comes to Joe with an assignment, he's got no choice but to accept, even if the case is a tough one to stomach. White nationalist Alfred Xavier Quiller has been accused of murder and the sale of sensitive information to the Russians. Ferris has reason to believe Quiller's been set up and he needs King to see if the charges hold.

This linear assignment becomes a winding quest to uncover the extent of Quiller's dealings, to understand Ferris' skin in the game, and to get to the bottom of who is working for whom. Even with the help of bodyguard and mercenary Oliya Ruez--no regular girl Friday--the machine King's up against proves relentless and unsparing. As King gets closer to exposing the truth, he and his loved ones barrel towards grave danger.

The first novel featuring King Oliver had so much promise, I just have to see how Mosely follows it up.

True-crime podcaster Jess Keeler has returned to Deeton County, North Carolina, to pick up where her grandfather left off. Sheriff's Deputy Big Jim Ballard, her grandfather, was a respected detective--until it all came crashing down during a 1972 murder investigation.

For Jim, solving the murders of two teens should have been the highlight of his already storied career. Instead, he battled his own mind, unsure where his hunches ended and the truth began.

Working from her grandfather's disjointed notes, Jess is sure that she can finally put the cold case--and her family's shame--to rest. Enlisting the help of disgraced reporter Dan Decker, Jess soon discovers ugly truths about the first investigation, which was shaped by corruption, egos, and a family secret that may be the key to the crime.

Told in a dual timeline that covers both investigations, Something Bad Wrong explores human folly, hubris, and how sometimes, to solve a crime, you have to find out who's covering it up.

I’ve had a couple of people suggest this one to me over the last year or so. I need to get on it.

"He's gone..."

When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.

Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.

He wasn't the best father - the job always came first - but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective?

As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast - and a small town with big secrets - he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find...

It’s the next Rebus, it’s been too long since I read one. It’s just that simple.

#1 New York Times-bestselling phenomenon Patrick Rothfuss returns to the wildly popular Kingkiller Chronicle universe with a stunning reimagining of "The Lightning Tree." Expanded to twice its previous length and lavishly illustrated by Nate Taylor, this touching stand-alone story is sure to please new readers and veteran Rothfuss fans alike.

Bast knows how to bargain. The give-and-take of a negotiation is as familiar to him as the in-and-out of breathing; to watch him trade is to watch an artist at work. But even a master's brush can slip. When he accepts a gift, taking something for nothing, Bast's whole world is knocked askew, for he knows how to bargain--but not how to owe.

From dawn to midnight over the course of a single day, follow the Kingkiller Chronicle's most charming fae as he schemes and sneaks, dancing into trouble and back out again with uncanny grace.

The Narrow Road Between Desires is Bast's story. In it he traces the old ways of making and breaking, following his heart even when doing so goes against his better judgement.

After all, what good is caution if it keeps him from danger and delight?

I’m not that interested in Bast, to be honest. But I have to read this. I forgot to pre-order this, believe it or not. So that’s probably why I didn’t read it already. I just need to get my act together.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission--and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery--and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian--while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

I bought this on release day, and it’s been collecting dust on my shelves since (well, my wife read it and then it collected dust). I cannot explain it—I loved The Martian and thought Artemis was a lot of fun. So…why is this ignored? No idea.

Two criminal empires together control all of New England.

Until a beautiful woman comes between the Irish and the Italians, launching a war that will see them kill each other, destroy an alliance, and set a city on fire.

Danny Ryan yearns for a more "legit" life and a place in the sun. But as the bloody conflict stacks body on body and brother turns against brother, Danny has to rise above himself. To save the friends he loves like family and the family he has sworn to protect, he becomes a leader, a ruthless strategist, and a master of a treacherous game in which the winners live and the losers die.

From the gritty streets of Providence to the glittering screens of Hollywood to the golden casinos of Las Vegas, two rival crime families ignite a war that will leave only one standing. The winner will forge a dynasty.

Exploring the classic themes of loyalty, betrayal, and honor, City on Fire is a contemporary masterpiece in the tradition of The Godfather, Casino, and Goodfellas--a thrilling saga from Don Winslow, "America's greatest living crime writer" (Jon Land, Providence Journal).

Winslow’s swan song just looks epic. I’m a little afraid to immerse myself into it—it’s going to be a major time commitment, but with the finale just around the corner, I’d better get going.

JCM Berne

In my initial post about the book, I said I wanted to be Berne’s new friend. I still do. Wistful Ascending ticked just about every box I have—and created a couple of new ones. Space Opera, Superheroes, comedy, drama, a dash of romance, and some characters I could not get enough of would be enough to make me a fan. But more than anything…his voice, I couldn’t get enough of it.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here.

Eli Cranor

I’d been hearing raves for Cranor’s novel for months before I got my hands on it—and it took very little time to realize that raves were justified. As great as the story and the characters were, it was Cranor’s lean prose that hooked me. There’s not a wasted syllable in those pages—the writing is beautiful, visceral, empathetic, and honest. I’m counting the days until his next novel.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here

Sean Gibson

I don’t think one author made me laugh more than Sean Gibson did last year. Some of his humor was subtle—but a lot of it wasn’t. And no matter where they fell on the spectrum, his jokes landed successfully. His comedic take on fantasy adventurers in general and the various adventurers (and those they interacted with) in this novel in particular are just the right mixture of mockery of the genre and tribute to it. All in all, it made for a very satisfying read.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here

Peter Hartog

Oh, man, Hartog’s mix of SF, Urban Fantasy, and Police Procedural hit the spot. I’d like little more than to sit down with him for a couple of hours and have him explain some of his choices in the design of this world/series. That’s not to suggest that the plots and characters of the first two novels in his series aren’t equally (if not more) interesting—but the setting of the novel is just so well done that I want to know more about it.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put him on this list, click here

Mur Lafferty

I could repeat a lot of what I said about Hartog here—but I won’t. I read Lafferty’s most recent book this year, and listened to a fairly recent novella (or something shorter, it’s hard to tell). Both were breaths of fresh air—whether it was a murder mystery on a sentient space station populated primarily by aliens or a novel about a dystopian America, organized dissenters, and a children’s TV mascot—Lafferty combined stories, genres, and tropes in a reliably entertaining fashion that kept the surprises coming. These were funny books—without being comedies—but that was never the focus (but if you can ramp up the tension while giving the reader a laugh, why not do it?). Lafferty’s a name I’ve seen a time or six before, but it wasn’t until last year that I’d done more than glance at the name. That’s over, and I’ll be pouncing on anything I see her name on.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the works that put her on this list, click here and here

Gigi Pandian

Pandian’s Under Lock & Skeleton Key might be the most charming book I encountered last year. Sure, there’s a murder mystery, some personal tragedy, and other hardships to deal with. But Pandian infuses the whole work with a warmth—both in her characters, their relationships, and the narrative—that makes the book reassuring and comfortable. The food she describes goes a long way to establishing that, too (warning: can lead to you ordering too much—disable DoorDash, etc. before picking it up).

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put her on this list, click here

Kate Racculia

It was Racculia’s eccentric characters and the way they interacted with each other that stuck with me more than anything else (but most of the rest was worthy of note). The conversations, the very strange wit, and the unusual outlooks on life were just great, like I said in my initial post, they were “characters I want to spend more time with—I really don’t need a story, maybe just see them sitting around a table talking about what’s going on in their lives.” Anytime someone gives me that, I’m very glad to have discovered them.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put her on this list, click here

Peng Shepherd

The Cartographers is one of the most atypical thrillers I can think of—and one of the most compelling. Shepherd’s approach to plot, worldbuilding, character, and tone worked so well—and seemed to be swimming against the stream for the kind of book it was. This just means that the result was unconventional and all the more striking. Definitely an author I’m going to return to.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book that put her on this list, click here

Dennis E. Taylor

Taylor writes like a lifelong SF fan who finally figured out a way to let it all loose for fun and (hopefully) profit. He’s not afraid to be funny or to let other emotions flow freely, either. His first series is a semi-ridiculous concept that ends up seeming plausible and makes for a much better series than you’d expect (see also Butcher’s Codex Alera). I’ve already got a stockpile of his works to go through—I just need to catch up on my writing stack so I can let myself listen to them.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the books that put him on this list, click here

Matt Witten

My first exposure to Witten came in a short story anthology where he provided something I described as “exactly what I wanted to read today.” His second novel was a murder mystery with a reporter protagonist that broke all of my preconceptions about what those novels would be and ended up saying a lot about the state of journalism, those who can make it in the profession, and the cost for everyone involved (those who make the news, are subjects of the news, read/watch the news, and possibly the idea of Truth). Without being pretentious or preachy. Not bad, not bad at all.

In case you’re curious about what I said about his work that put him on this list, click here and here (this is just a line or two)