are finally rolling out for public consumption. Today’s offerings include a mammoth, two-part selection of more than three dozen top-quality works of crime and mystery fiction published in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain during the last 12 months. The first half can be found here, with the second installment to be posted later in the day. Among this year’s crime-fiction winners:• The Age of Dreaming, by Nina Revoyr
• The Black Tower, by Louis Bayard
• Chasing Darkness, by Robert Crais
• Dancing for the Hangman, by Martin Edwards
• The Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow
• Empty Ever After, by Reed Farrel Coleman
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
• The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics, edited by Paul Gravett
• Pavel & I, by Daniel Vyleta
• A Quiet Flame, by Philip Kerr
• Salvation Boulevard, by Larry Beinhart
• The Snake Stone, by Jason Goodwin
• Swan Peak, by James Lee Burke
• Toros & Torsos, by Craig McDonald
After you’ve had a chance to read through all of the choices, let us know if you think any gems have been overlooked.
UPDATE: The second half of January’s crime-fiction-related “best of 2008” list can now be found here.
11 comments:
All guys except Nina???
Ahem
Linda L. Richards is a man? That'll be news to her.
Seriously, we don't do these lists with certainl quota's in mind.
Yes I see that, 90% of your best books list were written by representatives of less than 40% of the population approximately, and eliminating children, Australians, Irish, Canadian, and South East Asians, Eastern Europeans, and many more.
It's fair list. And at least it includes one New Yorker and one Swede (posthumously).
Good job guys.
Kathy Durkin said:
What is this? Only one woman in this list? Are women authors not being read at all or what?
If included Irish writers, Tana French's "The Likeness" is superb.
This is dismaying to women writers and readers.
No Laura Wilson? that's a shame.
No Charles Cumming? that too, is a shame.
Greetings all:
There seems to be some confusion as to the difference between a “best books of the year” list and a representative sampler of what has been published over a 12-month period.
January Magazine’s crime-fiction critics were asked to submit write-ups about their five (or fewer) favorite works in the genre from 2008. They were not asked to balance their lists between male and female writers, or to make sure all nationalities and ethnic groups were represented. The choices made demonstrate biases toward exceptional writing and storytelling, not anything else. We did not seek to be comprehensive or representative, but instead discriminatory.
January’s crime-fiction critics have individual preferences in what sorts of books they read within the genre; some prefer hard-boiled stories, others lean toward historicals; some like more violent stories than their fellows; some read more men than women, others vice-versa. Those preferences can often be discerned simply by looking over the choices made by an individual critic. January’s critics are “hired” (I say that loosely, since there is no money involved in this venture) for their discernment of writing quality and their willingness to voice opinions about published works.
A “best books of the year” list would not be honest, if it were to be weighted to ensure that every category within the genre was represented. Sure, there are undoubtedly books we would have added to our rundown, had we lengthened the crime-fiction list. But given its present length--which is already much longer than most lists of this kind--I think this year’s contributors have fulfilled their tasks admirably.
All readers of this blog are invited to suggest specific books they think were the “best” of 2008. (Please don't just mention authors' names.) Not everyone agrees on what is "best," and that’s great. Complaining, though, that January or any other journalistic product didn’t seek balance in what could never honestly be a balanced “best of the year” list is a perennial exercise, but pointless nonetheless.
Cheers,
Jeff
Good explanation Jeff, nothing like a bit of controversy to stir a discussion. But you have to remember, authors take their shots from critics and reviewers, be prepared to take your shots from readers when you post any kind of "best of" or our favourites were, etc.
I myself enjoy books written by both genders, but being a man, I will admit that I tend to be biased toward books written male writers for my first choice of reading material. For example I am reading Dead Man's Footsteps by Peter James which for me is the absolute best Thriller/Police Procedural written in 2008.
Brilliantly plotted and expertly crafted set against the backdrop of 9/11, which is used as a flashback throughout the novel.
I also have read Bernhard Schlenk's The Reader. Not a crime novel in the genre sense, but he wrote crime novels before he wrote this novel, and it unfolds exactly like a mystery novel. Brilliant.
Since Maureen is steeped in WWll research for her new series, I am drawn to books set with the backdrop of WWll.
So the best novel I have read by a female writer this year is one that you will be able to read in about a year and it is entitled A Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings. It is unlike any WW2 book you will have read as it appears to be a police procedural set during 1941 in Shropshire, where a Land Army Girl is murdered. Alas, we discover that there is more to the motive of the murderer, and we are suddenly deep into a tail of espionage. I will say no more for now.
Happy New Year
I was glad to see your explanation Jeff. A best of the year list should not be some political correct listing showing a certain percentage of women and minority writers. It should be a listing of the best, period. If they are mostly women, so be it. If mostly men, fine also. I don't care about gender or quotas. I just try to read the best mystery fiction I can find.
A list of "best" books is, nevertheless, subjective. It's not objective; it's individual judgment and taste. We all have our "best" books' lists. By looking at this list, are we to think no women or people of color wrote superb books this year?
I read mainly women authors, although I read male authors, too,
and have enjoyed many books by both genders.
Perhaps those who are doing the recommending need to be a more representational group or need to open up their eyes to more authors' works.
The most superb book I've read all year is "The Likeness" by Tana French, of Dublin.
I agree about Tana French's "The Likeness". And even more criminal to overlook Sean Churcover's "Trigger City" - by far the most meaningful and moving read of the year, for me.
-Margaret Anderson
Actually, Chercover's Trigger City is already on January's "best of 2008" list. Go to:
http://januarymagazine.com/2008/12/best-books-of-2008-
crime-fiction-part.html
Cheers,
Jeff
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