Great Mysteries, Thrillers, and Crime Novels I've Read This Year
Click on Title for Full Review
The Queene's Christmas and The Queen's Governess by Karen Harper.Harper has written nine in the series about Kat Ashley, governess to the young Elizabeth and part of her entourage as queen. These mysteries are engaging, fun, fact-filled page-turners about the Tudors, and a wonderful supplement to the C.J. Sansom Shardlake mysteries, set during the reign of Henry VIII. The Queen's Governess tells the riveting history of Elizabeth's early years, from the courting of Anne Boleyn and ousting of Catherine of Aragon through to Elizabeth's coronation, and presents the history of Kat Ashley, a real historical figure, as well.
Judas Horse by April Smith. I love the Ana Grey mysteries, from the first Good Morning Killer, through North of Montana, and now with Judas Horse. Ana goes deep undercover admidst the wackos, government-haters, and law-breakers that live on the fringe of the tolerance in the wilds of Oregon to find the murderer of an ex-lover and fellow FBI agent. The deeper undercover she goes, the more she realizes she is not the only FBI agent angling
to settle scores -- and it is not long before Darcy/Ana starts
following her own agenda in the battle against corruption.
The Long Fallby Walter Mosley introduces Leonid McGill, a private investigator that has done too many things he is not proud of and at age fifty-plus, is trying to turn over a new leaf. Circumstances conspire against him, however, putting McGill in the center of an evil plot of revenge, and making him both the cause of three murders and the intended victim of one more. There are degrees of evil and goodness in his life, in this book, and in reality: Mosley captures the diversity of life's possibilities and pitfalls, and the dignity of a man trying to make the most of the former while avoiding the latter. The dark underside of New York comes across with power, but the light is not ignored: goodness can prevail over evil, and sometimes, it is just enough to try.
The Sting of Justiceby Cora Harrison. This gem of a mystery has every of its facets glittering and sharp and clear. The plot is complex and intelligently woven; the characters are diverse, compelling, and believable; and the landscape of the west coast of Ireland in autumn is breathtakingly portrayed, as tantalizing as the best travel writing. The heroine and sleuth Mara is a wise lawyer dedicated to the teaching of her very young charges with the nature and application of Irish law. She has a marvelous dog, a splendid horse, great clothes, an adoring lover, and a wonderful cook. Living her life through reading the book is a pleasure. The subtlety and intelligence of her thoughts raise the pleasure to a level of intellectual satisfaction.
I-5 by Summer Brenner. A grim and gripping noir thriller about the sex slave trade, Brenner writes boldly and with seething clarity. She hooks us first with her characters, both the victims and the perpetrators of the trade in bodies, and others living on the fringe of morality. She reels us in with a plot fluid with movement and heady with suspense, heavy with portents and light on hope. I-5 is a page-turning, unpredictable, and chilling thriller.
The Council of the Cursedby Peter Tremayne. Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mysteries are simply wonderful. Set in Ireland of the seventh century, the novels offer historical proof that in the Dark Ages Ireland shown a light of relative tolerance and respect for all humanity (as well as good hygiene, good food, and high scholarship); Sister Fidelma, the fictional sleuth/lawyer/religiuese/sister of a king, offers proof of the the intelligence, wit, religious forebearance, and empathy present in her times. This latest of the Sister Fidelma mysteries, set in Autun at a meeting of Christian leaders from throughout the (yet to be) British isles and France, succeeds on all counts with a great plot, interesting characters, and satisfying conclusion.
Crusader's Crossby James Lee Burke. The writing of Burke is strong and true, and very addicting: I could not put this book down. I was pulled in by Burke's love affair with Louisiana and never turned away by his harsh assessment of the state of her soul; I was caught up by Burke's hero, Dave Robicheaux, the alcoholic, strong-willed, big-hearted, foolish but lucky, persistent, romantic, and philosophizing homicide detective who has been there, done that, but keeps on right on going. Crusader's Cross was my first but it will not be my last and I will join the hordes calling for more and more: give us more Robicheaux!
Poisonville by Massimo Carlotto and Marco Videtta. This gripping novel packs a punch, moving past the noir genre to hit hard not only in the gut, but also in the heart. The tangled plot, marvelously imagined characters, and brutally grim atmosphere combine to provide a thrill of read. The pieces of the novel swirl around and around, settling into place and then -- boom! -- they are shaken up like the glass particles in a kaleidoscope, and suddenly everything looks different all over again. But what is so wonderful -- so very satisfying -- about Carlotto and Videtta is that by the end of the wild ride that is their novel, everything is explained and there are no loose ends. The pleasure of seeing it all come together is matched only by the excitement of trying to keep up with the fast spin of the plot as it revolves around and around, narrowing in on its focus and its jaw-dropping completion.
Her Deadly Mischief
by Beverle Graves Myers. It is an
incredibly clever gambit, fully worthy of the backdrop of 18th century
Venice, to employ a castrato as the sleuth in a murder mystery, and it works. Myers brings a vibrant period from Venetian history to most vivid life,
a time of rising tourism and
entertainment -- the debauched era of Venice --, and Venice's period as
artistic leader in Baroque music, architecture, and painting, creating the perfect place for the murder of a
courtesan and the heroics of an artistic, intelligent, and
richly-outfitted castrato.
Something Nasty In The Woodshedby Kyril Bonfiglioli. I am recommending this book for its refreshing undercutting of social niceties, its portrayal of English education and wealth in all its glory, and most of all for its almost constant pitch of one-liners, long declamations, and spot-on observations, all hysterically funny and accurate and true, but I warn you that the plot is repulsive and the tone is very politically incorrect.
Death Rites by Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett. Set In Barcelona, this marvelous crime novel combines a plot of sexual repression, family abandonment, and moral strictures and structures, with a thoroughly compelling existential exploration of self-determination. The way the two very different detectives set out to solve the crime of a bizarre serial rapist go about their investigation, spend their free time, and strive to map out their individual and shared futures, is interesting and unpredictable, wholly realistic, and completely engrossing and entertaining.
The Public Prosecutor by Jef Geeraerts. Set in Belgium and written by the popular Flemish writer, this rigorously crafted novel welds together nasty characters, fervid sex, cunning greed, snaking corruption, disintegrating morality, and Machiavellian machinations to create a high-impact story of one man's sure and certain demise. A great crime novel and a fascinating read about really contemptuous people living vacant, indulgent lives and, for the most part, getting away with it all.
The Spoke by Friedrich Glauser. Glausser's creation, the crime and mystery-investigating Sergeant Studer, sets the standard for all the cranky, morally-incorruptible, cigar-smoking, and promotion-avoiding (demotions taken) police detectives in crime fiction. He is irascible, fed-up, impatient with everyone and everything but his case and his process of fitting of all the details into place until the solution appears -- voila! -- and suddenly everything is perfectly clear. Glausser is an artist with his detective, the supporting characters, the setting of a provincial town in the Swiss canton of Arbon, and the unraveling of the mystery worked like Swiss clockwork, precise and right on time.
The Deer Leapby Martha Grimes. Grimes ranks at the very top of mystery writers: her Richard Jury mysteries are so engrossing that when the last page is reached, every single time I sigh and wish for more, then go back and re-read just for the pleasure of her writing. Her writing subtly probes and reveals the inner workings of her characters, exposing the evil doers and demonstrating gentle mercy for those affected by the evil. Yet even in her mercy, Grimes is not interested in happy endings: she is interested in exploring the steps that evil can take and the victims it claims along its rampage of greed, avarice, and selfishness, and in examining what duty is owed by those of relative strength to those who are vulnerable and alone.
One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash. This beautifully written and compelling novel tells the story of a murder from different perspectives: the investigating sheriff, the accused, the wife of the accused, the son of the murdered man, and the sheriff's deputy. The looming theme -- and the name of the Valley in which most of the action takes place - - is "lost." The characters are lost, pulled from their moorings of love, marriage, church, ancestry, and history. They are wandering in search of the path back to Eden, back to innocence and changelessness and faith. The words in this novel are perfectly crafted, evoking the different dialects of the south, portraying desperate lives, lost hopes, and deep longings, and immersing us in the history of this Valley of the Lost. The characters are striving to anchor themselves. If the cost is one human life, so be it: the perpetrators know they will have to pay one day and when that day comes, they submit. Nobody Move by Denis Johnson. When a gambling barbershop chorus singer meets up with a double-crossed wife and secretary, the thrills begin and with a wild supporting cast, a plot that sizzles and burns and then blows up, this thriller keeps on thrilling well and thoroughly. I did not put this novel down from start to finish and I did not want it to end. I want to see more of everybody in this book, even the corpses and near-corpses who prove just as unpredictable as the live wires that kept me crackling all the way through. Sequel, please?
River of Darkness by Rennie Airth. A police procedural set in England between the wars, this was a great read. It had everything: a well-set historical context, edge of the seat plot with enough twists, close calls, near misses, and danger to keep you panting to the finish, a very evil bad guy, vulnerable potential victims, a strong and well-developed male lead and a wonderful female lead, plus a great ending with all the ends tied up to make a not necessarily pretty package but a very satisfying package. Scotland Yard Inspector John Madden is on a case of an entire family slaughtered in their home in the quiet countryside and the clues point to an ex-solider, well-trained in bayonet use, dug-out building and survival, having been involved. But why? Madden, an ex-soldier himself trying to forget his experiences in the War has confront the war, and travel back farther back to a childhood trauma, and even farther, into the deepest recesses of the mind of an obsessed murderer.
In the Woodsby Tana French. Adam Ryan goes off with his three friends on a summer expedition into the woods;
he survived but his two friends are lost forever. Ryan grows up to become an inspector with the Murder Squad and when another child, a slight girl of twelve, is found dead in those same woods, Ryan takes on the case and is pulled back into his past. Will he find out the truth of what happened to his friends in those woods? Will he find out the truth of what happened to this little girl? Ryan begins a spiraling journey downwards into a case of dead ends, abundant lies, constant manipulations, and fear. This stunning book is a must-read, a sorrowful and moving account of
memory, manipulation, friendship, and regret, deep, deep regret.
Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett. One of a series of mysteries set in contemporary Thailand and starring Soncahi Jitpleecheep, a devout Buddhist and incorruptible but wholly human police detective. Burdett's books combine fast-paced, lurid, and sometimes just chillingly gross action (the plot of Bangkok Haunts turns on a snuff film) with sequences of calm indulgences (massages, walks through crowded bazaars, incredible meals in hovel-like surroundings) and thoughtful introspection by Jitpleecheep on reincarnation, karma, love, life, death, and the differences between West and East.
Revelation by C.J. Sansom. All of Sansom's historical mysteries are great, based on historically accurate incidents from which he creates truly compelling stories of political and religious intrigue and, always, murder. In Revelation, a serial killer is on the loose, a murderous maniac obsessed with the explicit and violent prophecies from the Book of Revelation. Sansom's first novel, Dissolution, was set at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, orchestrated and led by Cromwell. Dark Fire revolves around a plot involving alchemists, a secret chemical weapon, and the slipping fate of Cromwell. Sovereign was incredibly gripping with its plot line of hidden papers revealing the true genealogy of Henry VIII (the blood was not blue) and set amidst the Henry VIII's grand march to York. All great reads, thrilling to the end.
The Lost Prophecies by Bernard Knight, Ian Morson, Michael Jecks, Susanna Gregory, and Philip Gooden; and C.J. Sansom. This book is fabulous: to quote a character from The Last Prophecies, "A combination of history, religion, and mysticism was like manna from heaven" to me. The trouble all starts with a small black book, laid out in enigmatic and beautifully lettered Latin containing the ravings of a possessed orphan in sixth century Ireland. Easily twisted around true events, the prophecies of the little black book seem to hold truth as history happens and we get six mysteries of intrigue and treason, rebellion and death occurring over two millennia (the sixth mystery reaches into the future). The power of the written word realized through murder and mayhem.
Drink to Yesterday and A Toast to Tomorrow by Manning Coles. Two in a series of twenty-two spy thrillers written between 1939 and 1959 by a real-life British spy. The series stars the very English, very brave, and quite laconic yet brilliantly resourceful British secret service agent Tommy Hambledon. Hambledon and his crew of spies are very good at what they do, like infiltrating the German intelligence agency and sabotaging German war strategies, but they are not super heroes: they make mistakes, innocent people die, and war goes marching on, leaving those still standing scarred inside and out. Gripping and sometimes funny, always interesting.
Murder on the Calais Coach by Agatha Christie. Christie is always a delight to read, so easy to devour and the food she provides is good and hearty brain meal: great plot, fascinating characters, cool locales, and tons of clues both obvious and tricky. Christie is also very funny: there is a hysterical scene in Murder on the Calais Coach when three men ponder the case, side by side but off in their own worlds. Only Poirot's brain (that superior gray matter) stays focused on the murder. Of the other two, one is soon dreaming pornographically (and not of his wife) and the other is lost in his usual prejudiced and narrow views of the world and his place in it. A wonderful portrait of the minds of man!
Wilful Misbehaviour by Donna Leon. Leon writes wonderful dark mysteries. There is rarely a happy ending, and only occasionally is justice adequately rendered for the crime committed. The crimes in Leon's mysteries usually involve violent death and its connection to an ugly history that hero Commissario Brunetti must uncover. In this novel the history of Venice during World War Two is brought out, a time when certain Venetians profited from the sufferings of others, in particular from the selling off of art works owned by families fleeing persecution and death. Questions of morality and responsibility are always present in Leon's novels, including in this one, and we are treated to Brunetti's intense inner thoughts and discussions about trust among friends and family, family duty versus duty to mankind, the role of religion in providing moral guidance, and its failure too often to do so. Best Light Mysteries: I have a new favorite in the light, fun, and engaging mystery category: Cleo Coyle, whose Coffeehouse series is greatly entertaining. Other favorites in this category are M.C. Beaton (the very funny Agatha Raisin series and the charming Hamish Macbeth series); Aaron Elkins (the Gideon Oliver, Bone Detective, mysteries which are GREAT), and Aaron Elkins with his wife Charlotte (thoroughly entertaining golf mysteries featuring young golf pro and sleuth Lee Oftsted); and Nancy Atherton (the Aunt Dimity Series).
Have Comments? Write to me at sankovitch@readallday.org. Site and content wholly written, created, and owned by Nina Sankovitch and cannot be used without the express consent of Nina Sankovitch. Some books reviewed on www.readallday.org were review copies supplied by the publishers. As of October 6, 2009, per FTC rules, I will note when a book I've read was a review copy received from the publisher.