Read this post to see what this is all about. For more favorites, see here.
Laura Lippman, author of Hardly Knew Her
This list is different from one I did for the Toronto Globe and Mail, but that's intentional because "favorite" is a tough concept for me, changing day to day.
- Megan Abbott - Bury Me Deep. Due out next year, her best yet in my estimation.
- Mark Billingham - In the Dark
- A tie between Ann Hood - Comfort and Elizabeth McCracken - An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination.
James Rollins, author of The Last Oracle
- Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games. Stephen King's Running Man for the YA bunch.
- Steve Berry - The Charlemagne Pursuit. Because he made me list this and because it's true.
- Cormac McCarthy - The Road. Read it in one sitting, and it still disturbs me.
James O. Born, author of Burn Zone
- Ken Follet - Pillars of the Earth. Now I know why it sold 800 million copies.
- Tom Rob Smith - Child 44. Good period and location story.
- John Scalzi - Old Man's War. Good characters, imagination and story. Science fiction for everyone.
Michael A. Black, author of Random Victim
- Joseph Wambaugh - Hollywood Station. The master proved he's on top of his game with this return to the LAPD. The setting may be Los Angeles, California, but the sentiments and truths told in this novel will resonate with anyone who's ever worn the uniform.
- Ed Dee - 14 Peck Slip. Another police procedural novel by another ex-copper. This one isn't new, but it's totally enjoyable. I've read a few of Dee's books before, but this one was his first. It's a good one.
- James Dickey - Deliverance. I decided to reread this one and it was like revisiting an old friend. Although I'm not a hunter, this book sums up man's inherent savagery with prose that is both graceful and awesome. The first line echoes the theme of the entire book. Interestingly enough, at the end of his life Dickey stopped hunting altogether and renounced it, which is an undercurrent theme of this, his first novel.
Dick Adler, critic
Since I'm a Los Angeles Times judge this year, I must be very careful to separate my own three choices from the ones we finally list. Here goes:
- Nina Revoyr - The Age of Dreaming. Absolutely stunning book about a Japanese actor very much like Sessue Hayakawa, a silent film star who gets involved in the murder of a director.
- Steig Larrsen - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Need I say more? Can't wait for #2.
- Michael Koryta - Envy the Night. Beautifully written and crafted standalone by the author of three Lincoln Perry books.
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