A post that may have been more relevant/topical 3 and a half months ago, but my blog, my rules so there. I'm running late!I read over 100 books of varying quality last year, about a dozen short of my target, but big deal. I'll just have to read more this year.
Scrolling back through the list there were a few highlights and contenders for my favourite book of the year.
Dietrich Kalteis - The Deadbeat Club (2015)
Nicholas Searle - The Good Liar (2015)
Garry Disher - The Heat (2015)Max Allan Collins - Quarry's List (1976)
Malcolm Mackay - The Sudden Arrival of Violence (2014)
Douglas Skelton - Open Wounds (2016)
Robin Yocum - A Brilliant Death (2016)
Douglas Skelton - Blood City (2013)
Frederic Dard - Bird in a Cage (1961)Nick Triplow - Frank's Wild Years (2012)
Jim Fusilli - Road to Nowhere (The Good Samaritan Book 1) (2011)
Parnell Hall - Detective (1987)
A dirty dozen - 3 from Scotland, 2 from England, 1 French, 1 Canadian, 1 Australian and 4 from the US of A.
A novel about drugs and gangs, a conman, a couple of professional heisters, a Glaswegian hitman, a couple of college kids dabbling in the disappearance of a parent, two books with a tired mid-level Scottish enforcer, a French farce with a far from comedic outcome for our protagonist, a retired has-been or never-was still breathing and raising his head out of the bottle for one last fight, a Jack Reacher loner type sticking his nose in and a PI finally investigating a case.All great books, all recommended, all books I'd happily re-read again. And seeing as I still have to pen a few thoughts on four of them I may have to!
No overall selection for a single book of the year - they're all winning reads!
PS - Nice to see that arranging multiple pictures on Blogger is so simple!
Max Allan Collins, definitely.
ReplyDeletePrashant, I need to get back into his Quarry books, I'm not to sure why I stopped mid-series.
DeleteI love that you're sticking to your own rules Col.
ReplyDeleteHaven't read any of those...and not likely to given they don't seem to be in that little overlapping bit of the venn diagram that represents crime fiction you like and crime fiction I like...but glad you found many books to like last year
Bernadette thanks. Hopefully in 2017, our reading paths may cross more frequently, but I shan't hold my breath. We like what we like!
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed a lot of what you read this past year, Col. And I keep hearing good things about the Skelton - must try that. And as for the timing? I like the way you think!
ReplyDeleteMargot, cheers. I hope you find time to try some of Douglas Skelton's work. I've really enjoyed the two of his I've read so far.
DeleteI still haven't gotten to Malcolm Mackey and I would like to read something by Dard. Also, if I can ever find a Wyatt book by Garry Disher, more specifically the first one, I would try that series too. I look forward to your review of Detective. Bernadette might like that one.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read something else by Mackay soon, but I'm rationing them. I have a couple more from Dard to read soon, what I particularly like about them is the length - they are concise and to the point. I had trouble finding the early Wyatt books from Disher and probably paid more than was sensible for them, maybe they will be published in e-format at some point. I think Bernadette would possibly enjoy the Hall book, though if I was to recommend her one it would be Robin Yocum's A Brilliant Death.
DeleteI really liked the Good Liar, and I also enjoyed the Yocum book, which you kindly donated to me, though I don't seem to have got round to blogging on it... Nice collection of titles there.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Searle has a new one out which also looks interesting - A Traitor in the Family. Ditto Yocum - A Welcome Murder. I ought to read them soon seeing as these two rocked.
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