Is There No End to This Guidance?

In the mood for yet another “favorite crime fiction of 2023” list? Take a gander at Gordon McGhie’s 10 choices in Grab This Book:

• Paris Requiem, by Chris Lloyd (Orion)
• The Last Line, by Stephen Ronson (Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Darkest Sin, by D.V. Bishop (Pan Macmillan)
• The Sun Down Motel, by Simone St. James (Penguin)
• The Institution, by Helen Fields (HarperCollins)
• The Devil You Know, by Neil Lancaster (HarperCollins)
• The Hotel, by Louise Mumford (HarperCollins)
• Murdle, by G.T. Karber (Profile)
• The Silent Man, by David Fennell (Bonnier)
• The Stranger Times, by C.K. McDonnell (Penguin)

OK, not all of these are novels fall within the bounds of this genre, and at least one of them didn’t debut this year, but I have come to appreciate McGhie’s taste. So give these works a shot.

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Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine editor George Easter, who’s been my ally in scouring the Web for these sorts of end-of-the-year selections, now offers up his own “Best of 2023” selections. Their number is greater than I wish to report, but you can see them all here. Below are just his crime novel preferences.

• Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane (Harper)
• Resurrection Walk, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
• Everybody Knows, by Jordan Harper (Mulholland)
• Holly, by Stephen King (Scribner)
• Lying Beside You, by Michael Robotham (Scribner)
• Red Queen, by Juan Gómez-Jurado (Minotaur)
• The Detective Up Late, by Adrian McKinty (Blackstone)
• The River We Remember, by William Kent Krueger (Atria)
• Expectant, by Vanda Symon (Orenda)
• The Running Grave, by Robert Galbraith (Mulholland)
• Murder in the Family, by Cara Hunter (Morrow)

I continue to be astounded by George’s reading records. He says his goal for 2023 “was to read 120 mysteries, crime novels, and thrillers. Today the count stands at 121 read. So my goal was reached.” Sheesh! He’s already devoured a good 40 more books than I have this year, and mine haven’t all been crime or mystery fiction. Maybe my mistake is in not setting a challenging goal for my annual reading; perhaps if I committed myself so, I would have something to shoot for, rather than striking a more leisurely pace. It’s worth considering.