What Stood Out This Year?

Trying to stay on top of “best books of the year” selections becomes increasingly difficult, as we near the end of 2024 and they are released in greater profusion. Among the latest offerings is The New York Times’ “100 Notable Books of 2024” list, which includes the following crime, mystery, and thriller titles:

• Black River, by Nilanjana Roy (Pushkin Vertigo)
• Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner (Scribner)
• The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore (Riverhead)
• The Hunter, by Tana French (Viking)
• The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, by Janice Hallett (Atria)
• The Sequel, by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Celadon)
• Smoke Kings, by Jahmal Mayfield (Melville House)
• Wild Houses, by Colin Barrett (Grove Press)

As Deadly Pleasures editor George Easter observes, these choices represent just the beginning of the Times’ end-of-year assessments in this genre. “In early December,” he writes, “we should see a Best Mysteries list from Sarah Weinman and a Best Thrillers list from Sarah Lyall.” I shall count the days until both appear.

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Meanwhile, National Public Radio has posted its 2024 “Books We Love” choices in the Mysteries & Thrillers field. Fifty-two works are mentioned, including Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders (Pamela Dorman), Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club (Morrow), Francis Spufford’s Cahokia Jazz (Scribner), Attica Locke’s Guide Me Home (Viper), Eric Rickstad’s Lilith (Blackstone), and The Murder of Mr. Ma, by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan (Soho Crime).

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Last but not least, voting is now underway in the She Reads Best of 2024 Awards contest. There are 18 categories of contestants, with the following dozen jockeying for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense honors:

• Black River, by Nilanjana Roy (Pushkin Vertigo)
• Darling Girls, by Sally Hepworth (St. Martin’s Press)
• First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston (Pamela Dorman)
• Kill for Me, Kill for You, by Steve Cavanagh (Atria)
• Listen for the Lie, by Amy Tintera (Celadon)
• Nightwatching, by Tracy Sierra (Pamela Dorman)
• The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore (Riverhead)
• The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley (Morrow)
• The Return of Ellie Black, by Emiko Jean (Simon & Schuster)
• Watch Where They Hide, by Tamron Hall (Morrow)
• What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (Morrow)
• What You Leave Behind, by Wanda M. Morris (Morrow)

Go here to cast your ballot. I don’t see any information on the site regarding the deadline for making your opinions known, so it’s probably smartest to act with dispatch.