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Not all of these were published in 2008, they are just the best reads (for me) of 2008. This year, most of those on the list were new authors. I’m still reading the tried and true, but not every book in every series is a standout.
Without further rambling, here are the best reads of 2008:
Science Fiction
One Jump Ahead (Jon & Lobo Series) – Mark Van Name A great little read–space opera mystery meets tough guy. This story includes a space ship with AI and a lot of personality. The characterization is particularly strong–not only for the two main characters, but side characters as well.
The Automatic Detective- A. Lee Martinez Just a wild, wacky tale of a futuristic robot with a heart–a hard-boiled detective on a mission, only he has the power to destroy more than mend. A funny mystery that uses sci/fi as a setting.
Fantasy
New Tricks (A Dog Days Novel) – John Levitt (his Dog Days, first in the series, quals for the top reads of 2007!) This was my favorite read of the year. A jazz player with a knack for improv–both magically and musically. This series is made quite special by Mason’s sidekick and trusty partner, a dog name Lou. He’s no ordinary dog though. Be prepared for tricks and twists!
Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) – Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire Series–YA) A good read–emotional teenage angst with vampires and other worries thrown in. The progtag is a young teenager quite out of her element. I think what I liked best was that while there were vampires and other paranormal elements, the protag is dealing mostly with normal insecurities, trying to fit in and worried about doing well in school. Some of the early college scenes sure brought back memories–and not necessarily good ones!
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) – Illona Andrews – An enjoyable urban fantasy with some very interesting characters–not just your standard werewolf here! Definitely one of the better urban fantasy series out there.
Jim Hines – Goblin War (Goblin Series) — Jig the Goblin is still an underdog, but he’s learning a few new tricks to survive. He’s going to need every one of them because he has to go…earthside in this adventure. Goblin War is the third and last book in the trilogy–and a very satisfying ending it was. I truly appreciate series that end with a reasonable number of books. I’m not much of a series reader to begin with, so it’s really great to come across a “complete” series that starts and ends so well.
I almost forgot to list Shadowmagic by John Lenahan. This book is probably only out in the UK, but most books can be bought via Bookdepository. ShadowMagic is a fast YA read with good characterization, great action scenes and my favorite element–humor! From the back of the book:
Conor thought he was an average 21st century teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and try to kill him.
Mystery
Cozy:
Late addition! Dead Woman’s Shoes by Kaye C. Hill. This wonderful cozy/mystery has a lot of suspense and great characters including Kinky the chihuahua, a missing cat, a vet, a policeman, an entire drama club, and of course, an amateur sleuth, Lexy, who must sort it all out even though she is on the run herself! There are twists and turns, capers–many threads woven into a completely captivating tale.
State of the Onion (White House Chef Mysteries, No. 1) – Julie Hyzy. I enjoyed this “chef at the White House” story. It was a nice, breezy read with some unusual, very light history thrown in (such as the fact that the tableware is changed out for each president).
Short Story
This year the pick was very, very easy:
Todd McAulty’s The Soldiers of Serenity in BlackGate, Issue 12. As I said in my review on my website at the time: The Soldiers of Serenity by McAulty read like a novel. In so many short stories, the payoff is quick, sometimes dirty. Just as you “get” the characters, the story is over. Not So Here. McAulty took his time. He introduced characters. He ran down corridors. He twisted a bit…he teased. It’s all ordinary, right? But you knew every character held a key, every detail mattered. I kept wanting to check to see how much story was left because I just KNEW the pay-off was a few pages away! I couldn’t read fast enough! WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, DAMMIT?????
Two late entries that deserve honorable mention:
Dead Men Don’t Cry by Nancy Fulda (I read via www.anthologybuilder.com)
and
A Buffalito of Mars by Lawrence M. Schoen (Also via www.anthologybuilder.com)
John Levitt
John Levitt – Dog Days (A Dog Days Novel) Urban fantasy/mystery. Mason, the hero, has a dog as a familiar and this caper is just a lot of fun!
The second one is even better than the first New Tricks (A Dog Days Novel)–I loved them both! VERY Highly recommended.
Ilona Andrews Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) – I loved this whole series! An enjoyable urban fantasy with some very interesting characters–not just your standard werewolf here! Definitely one of the better urban fantasy series out there.
Jim C. Hines
Goblin Quest is a series with a Goblin who doesn’t want to go on a quest, the true underdog that just might have a bit of hero in him. Very suitable for YA also.
Short stories only hold real appeal for me if they are all set in the same world using the same characters. Wistril comes through nicely by giving me separate stories all about the same wizard and his accomplice apprentice. It reads a bit like a novel with a terrific story at the end that really tops off the characterization and wraps things up very nicely.
Lisa Shearin
Magic Lost, Trouble Found This is her debut novel.
Katherine Kurtz She has more than one series; they are all good. Here’s a good one to start:
Elizabeth H. Boyer – excellent fantasy out-of-print. Hopefully they will be on Kindle someday soon. The Troll’s Grindstone
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey –Urban Fantasy before anyone called it that–female investigator with paranormal elements; just an excellent series. These are available for Kindle/Nook/Sony/etc via Baen directly. One of her fantasy series that I dearly loved was: Arrows of the Queen ( The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 1)
The early books Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set in the Sookie Stackhouse (vampire, urban fantasy type are very good.) I did not care for her “Grave” series at all.
Stephen R. Donaldson (The Wounded Land, Lord Foul’s Bane, White Gold Wielder)
J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings; The Hobbit)
Science Fiction
For a long time I didn’t even include this category because I don’t read a lot of science fiction. Mostly I don’t like the intricate details, the overly analytical suppositions about other life forms and just the too-obvious “what ifs.” I have finally found an author or two who write wonderful characters and tell wonderful stories.
Mark Van Name One Jump Ahead (Jon & Lobo Series) A great little read–space opera mystery meets tough guy. This story includes a space ship with AI and a lot of personality. The characterization is particularly strong–not only for the two main characters, but side characters as well.
A. Lee Martinez The Automatic Detective Just a wild, wacky tale of a futuristic robot with a heart–a hard-boiled detective on a mission, only he has the power to destroy more than mend. A funny mystery that uses sci/fi as a setting.
John Scalzi – Old Man’s War
A very good space story. There are, of course, discussions of jumping through space, but it is, after all, science fiction.
J.A. Konrath– writes a lot of horror–very avoidable especially “Rusty Nail” which was too…well, it had too many torture scenes for me. However, I read The List and it was funny, fast-paced and fun. (The List on Kindle is much more reasonably priced.)
Police Procedural
Carol O’Connell — (Mallory’s Oracle is the first in her more hard boiled series.)
New York police procedural. Main character was a street orphan and there’s some fascinating pieces of her past that get explored in a number of the novels. Most excellent! Her stand alone, The Judas Child, is a MUST READ.
Linda Fairstein
New York prosecutor police procedural. Final Jeopardy is the first in the series.
Kay Mitchell — UK setting; police procedural; great characterization; these can be hard to find because they are out of print.
Detective/Sleuth
Jan Burke
I like that her character solves mysteries–along the thriller line–no cozies here! and does so without constantly re-introducing conflict between the main character and her husband. In the books I’ve read the characters seem to have a realistic flow to their relationship without forced conflict.
Kaye C. Hill – Dead Woman’s Shoes.
Just a lot of fun and an excellent read. It’s got everything–a chihuahua, a woman on the run who must solve a crime to make enough money to eat, a cat, a vet, criminals everywhere…
I love a good cozy mystery and this caper has laughs, fun, romance and a pace that had me finishing it it one session. Barbara Marr starts off as your ordinary soccer mom with a mid-life crisis. When she gets involved with monkeys and murder, it’s going to take old romances, new romances and all the help she can find to keep herself out of trouble!
Anne George
Murder on a Girls’ Night Out is the first in the series about two sisters–in their sixties! The family fun in these books is what makes the story. You can see yourself, your relatives–the characters reach out and draw you in.
Evelyn Coleman
maybe this will come out in Kindle someday…Jouralistic sleuth, but no amateur stuff; thriller; suspense
Off the Beaten Path
Virginia Lanier
— Bloodhound tracking; Excellent, better than 10 stars! (Death in Bloodhound Red
is the first in the series.) These have remained all-time favorites over the years; thriller, suspense–mystery; the series has it all.
(Also writes the Egyptian historical setting Amelia Peabody series, all excellent.) I LOVE the contemporary setting, Vicky Bliss mysteries. She also writes darker, noir suspense as Barbara Michaels. (Vicky Bliss first in the series is: Borrower of the Night. Available in Kindle and paperback) The series in order:
Borrower of the Night
Street of the Five Moons
Silhouette in Scarlet
Trojan Gold
Night Train to Memphis
The Laughter of Dead Kings.
I’ve had this series on my TBR for a while (a looong while). Well, I finally got around to reading the first The Unexpected Mrs. PollifaxMystery Books) and I LOVED it!!!
This is sort of the American version of Amelia Peabody or the American version of Miss Marple. I’d categorize it as a cozy thriller. Yes, a cozy thriller. Perhaps a new category, but it’s very fast-paced and more dangerous than your average cozy. The international intrigue and tough guys make it a thriller. Most of the violence happens offstage but it does color outside the strict cozy lines.
Historical Mysteries
Elizabeth Peters —
Egyptian historical setting and other works, all excellent. I LOVE her Vicky Bliss series and she finally finished the series in August 2008. Awesome! (Vicky Bliss first in the series is: Borrower of the Night. Available in Kindle and paperback)
Indian and Gypsy Lore
Sandra West Prowell
Montana setting; light Indian lore; Absolutely superb stories. I’m hoping these come out in Kindle. One of the few books I have reread; they are just that good.
Kirk Mitchell
Excellent American Indian lore without being overdone or stuck on a reservation/reservation concepts. Both a male and female protagonist that play important parts and through the series develop individually and as partners.
Meredith Blevins– amateur sleuth; touches of gypsy lore. Out of print.
Romance
I don’t read a lot of romance, so I’m sure there are a lot more good authors out there.
Hollly Lisle Midnight Rain-excellent romantic suspense with a paranormal element. She avoids the tendency to have characters with long misunderstandings. Focuses more on the plot of solving whatever mystery/paranormal element exists.
J.D. Robb
Fun series! — futuristic romantic mysteries. Also on Kindle: Naked in Death
Amanda Quick (aka Jane Ann Krentz)
–I haven’t read Quick/Krentz in years, so the recommendation actually applies to her early works, but there was always a decent mystery to be solved; fun reads.
Fasten your seat belts, this one moves so fast the pages in a print book probably start on fire as you turn them! I loved this book; the characters are flawed, real, hurting and giving it their all. This one stayed with me for days after; I downloaded and read the second in the series within a week. It’s an adventure of good against evil; no preaching here, just action.
Yes, I still read young adult, and not just Harry Potter! Everything listed, while YA, is very adult-readable. I left out wonderful JF (things like Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, etc) and YA that I read when I was younger–things like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) and countless others simply because I don’t know if I would enjoy them as an adult. I truly enjoyed them when I was younger and wouldn’t hesistate to recommend them, it’s just a different list!
Fantasy
Rachel Caine Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) – Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire Series–YA) A good read–emotional teenage angst with vampires and other worries thrown in. The progtag is a young teenager quite out of her element. I think what I liked best was that while there were vampires and other paranormal elements, the protag is dealing mostly with normal insecurities, trying to fit in and worried about doing well in school. Some of the early college scenes sure brought back memories–and not necessarily good ones!
John Lenahan I almost forgot to list Shadowmagic ShadowMagic is a fast YA read with good characterization, great action scenes and my favorite element–humor! From the back of the book:
Conor thought he was an average 21st century teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and try to kill him.
Lion Boy: Zizou Corder
Fun series, especially the first two books.
-fantasy–I do not read her horror stuff. Or anyone else’s, at least not on purpose. She has several fantasy books that are a lot of fun: Dragon’s Bait and Never Trust a Dead Man
Megan Whalen Turner
“The Thief” is a little slow first half, but it’s well worth reading! Stick with it!
Who’s Your Caddy?
Rick Reilly (Grover Gardner narrator). Warning: Some adult content.
Put a Lid on It: Donald Westlake
(William Dufris–excellent narrator.) This book is AWESOME. One of Westlake’s best; maybe his best!
Christopher Graybill is another excellent narrator–I’d try an audio book just based on this narrator’s talent with voice and pacing. He did a great job with Two Minute Rule, The by Robert Crais.
Non-Fiction
Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract: For Authors, Publishers, Editors and Agents by Jonathan Kirsch. This should be required reading for any author. Even if you have an agent, this book will really help you understand how contracts work, how much you can expect to be paid and how “rights” work. A must read, although these days with e-books contracts are changing. It’s still a very good primer.
The Man Who Listens to Horses: Monty Roberts
A really great read. Helpful for any animal-lover; you learn about listening to animals and some hints on how they “speak.”
Adventure Capitalist: Jim Rogers
A really interesting an educational read. Note: See the BMB website for more recommended reading of non-fiction investment books.
Albert Einstein: Arthur Beckhard (out of print)
All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot
Wonderful book.
Who’s Your Caddy?
Rick Reilly (Grover Gardner narrator). Warning: Some adult content.
Put a Lid on It: Donald Westlake
(William Dufris–excellent narrator.) This book is AWESOME. One of Westlake’s best; maybe his best!
Christopher Graybill is another excellent narrator–I’d try an audio book just based on this narrator’s talent with voice and pacing. He did a great job with Two Minute Rule, The by Robert Crais.
John Levitt
John Levitt – Dog Days (A Dog Days Novel) Urban fantasy/mystery. Mason, the hero, has a dog as a familiar and this caper is just a lot of fun!
The second one is even better than the first New Tricks (A Dog Days Novel)–I loved them both! VERY Highly recommended.
Ilona Andrews Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) – I loved this whole series! An enjoyable urban fantasy with some very interesting characters–not just your standard werewolf here! Definitely one of the better urban fantasy series out there.
Jim C. Hines
Goblin Quest is a series with a Goblin who doesn’t want to go on a quest, the true underdog that just might have a bit of hero in him. Very suitable for YA also.
Short stories only hold real appeal for me if they are all set in the same world using the same characters. Wistril comes through nicely by giving me separate stories all about the same wizard and his accomplice apprentice. It reads a bit like a novel with a terrific story at the end that really tops off the characterization and wraps things up very nicely.
Lisa Shearin
Magic Lost, Trouble Found This is her debut novel.
Katherine Kurtz She has more than one series; they are all good. Here’s a good one to start:
Elizabeth H. Boyer – excellent fantasy out-of-print. Hopefully they will be on Kindle someday soon. The Troll’s Grindstone
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey –Urban Fantasy before anyone called it that–female investigator with paranormal elements; just an excellent series. These are available for Kindle/Nook/Sony/etc via Baen directly. One of her fantasy series that I dearly loved was: Arrows of the Queen ( The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 1)
The early books Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set in the Sookie Stackhouse (vampire, urban fantasy type were very good, but I admit I lost interest after the first three.) I did not care for her “Grave” series at all.
J.A. Konrath– writes a lot of horror–very avoidable especially “Rusty Nail” which was too…well, it had too many torture scenes for me. However, I read The List and it was funny, fast-paced and fun. (The List on Kindle is much more reasonably priced.)
Police Procedural
Carol O’Connell — (Mallory’s Oracle is the first in her more hard boiled series.)
New York police procedural. Main character was a street orphan and there’s some fascinating pieces of her past that get explored in a number of the novels. Most excellent! Her stand alone, The Judas Child, is a MUST READ.
Linda Fairstein
New York prosecutor police procedural. Final Jeopardy is the first in the series.
Kay Mitchell — UK setting; police procedural; great characterization; these can be hard to find because they are out of print.
Detective/Sleuth
Jan Burke
I like that her character solves mysteries–along the thriller line–no cozies here! and does so without constantly re-introducing conflict between the main character and her husband. In the books I’ve read the characters seem to have a realistic flow to their relationship without forced conflict.
Kaye C. Hill – Dead Woman’s Shoes.
Just a lot of fun and an excellent read. It’s got everything–a chihuahua, a woman on the run who must solve a crime to make enough money to eat, a cat, a vet, criminals everywhere…
I love a good cozy mystery and this caper has laughs, fun, romance and a pace that had me finishing it it one session. Barbara Marr starts off as your ordinary soccer mom with a mid-life crisis. When she gets involved with monkeys and murder, it’s going to take old romances, new romances and all the help she can find to keep herself out of trouble!
Anne George
Murder on a Girls’ Night Out is the first in the series about two sisters–in their sixties! The family fun in these books is what makes the story. You can see yourself, your relatives–the characters reach out and draw you in.
Evelyn Coleman
maybe this will come out in Kindle someday…Jouralistic sleuth, but no amateur stuff; thriller; suspense
Off the Beaten Path
Virginia Lanier
— Bloodhound tracking; Excellent, better than 10 stars! (Death in Bloodhound Red
is the first in the series.) These have remained all-time favorites over the years; thriller, suspense–mystery; the series has it all.
(Also writes the Egyptian historical setting Amelia Peabody series, all excellent.) I LOVE the contemporary setting, Vicky Bliss mysteries. She also writes darker, noir suspense as Barbara Michaels. (Vicky Bliss first in the series is: Borrower of the Night. Available in Kindle and paperback). Order of the series:
Borrower of the Night
Street of the Five Moons
Silhouette in Scarlet
Trojan Gold
Night Train to Memphis
The Laughter of Dead Kings
I’ve had this series on my TBR for a while (a looong while). Well, I finally got around to reading the first The Unexpected Mrs. PollifaxMystery Books) and I LOVED it!!!
This is sort of the American version of Amelia Peabody or the American version of Miss Marple. I’d categorize it as a cozy thriller. Yes, a cozy thriller. Perhaps a new category, but it’s very fast-paced and more dangerous than your average cozy. The international intrigue and tough guys make it a thriller. Most of the violence happens offstage but it does color outside the strict cozy lines.
Historical Mysteries
Elizabeth Peters —
Egyptian historical setting and other works, all excellent. I LOVE her Vicky Bliss series and she finally finished the series in August 2008. Awesome! (Vicky Bliss first in the series is: Borrower of the Night. Available in Kindle and paperback)
Indian and Gypsy Lore
Sandra West Prowell
Montana setting; light Indian lore; Absolutely superb stories. I’m hoping these come out in Kindle. One of the few books I have reread; they are just that good.
Kirk Mitchell
Excellent American Indian lore without being overdone or stuck on a reservation/reservation concepts. Both a male and female protagonist that play important parts and through the series develop individually and as partners.
Meredith Blevins– amateur sleuth; touches of gypsy lore. Out of print.
Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract: For Authors, Publishers, Editors and Agents by Jonathan Kirsch. This should be required reading for any author. Even if you have an agent, this book will really help you understand how contracts work, how much you can expect to be paid and how “rights” work. A must read, although these days with e-books contracts are changing. It’s still a very good primer.
The Man Who Listens to Horses: Monty Roberts
A really great read. Helpful for any animal-lover; you learn about listening to animals and some hints on how they “speak.”
Adventure Capitalist: Jim Rogers
A really interesting an educational read. Note: See the BMB website for more recommended reading of non-fiction investment books.
Albert Einstein: Arthur Beckhard (out of print)
All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot
Wonderful book.
I don’t read a lot of romance, so I’m sure there are a lot more good authors out there.
Hollly Lisle Midnight Rain-excellent romantic suspense with a paranormal element. She avoids the tendency to have characters with long misunderstandings. Focuses more on the plot of solving whatever mystery/paranormal element exists.
J.D. Robb
Fun series! — futuristic romantic mysteries. Also on Kindle: Naked in Death
Amanda Quick (aka Jane Ann Krentz)
–I haven’t read Quick/Krentz in years, so the recommendation actually applies to her early works, but there was always a decent mystery to be solved; fun reads.
For a long time I didn’t even include this category because I don’t read a lot of science fiction. Mostly I don’t like the intricate details, the overly analytical suppositions about other life forms and just the too-obvious “what ifs.” I have finally found an author or two who write wonderful characters and tell wonderful stories.
Mark Van Name One Jump Ahead (Jon & Lobo Series) A great little read–space opera mystery meets tough guy. This story includes a space ship with AI and a lot of personality. The characterization is particularly strong–not only for the two main characters, but side characters as well.
A. Lee Martinez The Automatic Detective Just a wild, wacky tale of a futuristic robot with a heart–a hard-boiled detective on a mission, only he has the power to destroy more than mend. A funny mystery that uses sci/fi as a setting.
John Scalzi – Old Man’s War
A very good space story. There are, of course, discussions of jumping through space, but it is, after all, science fiction.
Fasten your seat belts, this one moves so fast the pages in a print book probably start on fire as you turn them! I loved this book; the characters are flawed, real, hurting and giving it their all. This one stayed with me for days after; I downloaded and read the second in the series within a week. It’s an adventure of good against evil; no preaching here, just action.
Yes, I still read young adult, and not just Harry Potter! Everything listed, while YA, is very adult-readable. I left out wonderful JF (things like Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, etc) and YA that I read when I was younger–things like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) and countless others simply because I don’t know if I would enjoy them as an adult. I truly enjoyed them when I was younger and wouldn’t hesistate to recommend them, it’s just a different list!
Fantasy
Rachel Caine Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) – Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire Series–YA) A good read–emotional teenage angst with vampires and other worries thrown in. The progtag is a young teenager quite out of her element. I think what I liked best was that while there were vampires and other paranormal elements, the protag is dealing mostly with normal insecurities, trying to fit in and worried about doing well in school. Some of the early college scenes sure brought back memories–and not necessarily good ones!
John Lenahan I almost forgot to list Shadowmagic ShadowMagic is a fast YA read with good characterization, great action scenes and my favorite element–humor! From the back of the book:
Conor thought he was an average 21st century teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and try to kill him.
Lion Boy: Zizou Corder
Fun series, especially the first two books.
-fantasy–I do not read her horror stuff. Or anyone else’s, at least not on purpose. She has several fantasy books that are a lot of fun: Dragon’s Bait and Never Trust a Dead Man
Megan Whalen Turner
“The Thief” is a little slow first half, but it’s well worth reading! Stick with it!
I was recently fortunate enough to receive a review copy of The Heretic by Joseph Nassasi. I don’t accept many review copies these days; my reading time is almost nil and it has to be something special to catch my attention. Even after I get a copy, I never know if it will work out to be something I like. Well, let’s just say just say this was a real winner, and I’m thrilled to have had the chance to read it. Five stars, highly recommended–it makes my top book reads for 2010 EASILY.
The Heretic is a fast-paced supernatural thriller with wonderfully drawn characters. The book starts a bit like a report and I worried it might not grab me, but it quickly drew me into the world of the Knights Templar. These are not your ancient Knights either; it’s a contemporary set of heroes hoping to protect the world from evils seen and unseen.
It has more than one Point Of View (POV) but it all works extremely well. I don’t normally warm to multiple POV, but the characterization is so strong, I had no complaints.
The Heretic is a mix of “tough guy” literature with epic fantasy story. The only other series that I think I’ve read that is similar is The Adept by Katherine Kurtz.
The Heretic is Awesome Stuff; a total page-turner. My only possible complaint is that while the story wraps up nicely, it has many an open-end. I’m feeling pretty happy that the other books in the series are available already.
There’s a love story here, a lot of action, more danger than a body can reasonably live through and huge imagination. For my cozy blog readers–this one does have more battle and violence than a cozy, but nothing that put me off. It’s not all off-stage though so be warned if you are a strict cozy reader.
An excellent read. I’m greatly looking forward to the next one.
For a full list of authors I’ve found who now have backlist on Kindle see here.
There are a lot of authors bringing their out-of-print books back to Kindle. A series I love has shown up:
Elisabeth Cosin –Zen and The Art of Murder: A Zen Moses Mystery What a writer! I loved this book. I think she only wrote two books, but they are both very good and worth getting your hands on. They were out of print…but! They are now out for Kindle:
If you liked Sue Grafton, Marcia Mullner, Jan Burke–any of the top female sleuth writers, give these a look. Zen and the City of Angels: A Zen Moses Mystery
I know a third was in the works that never came to be. I hope that these showing up on Kindle means the author will put the third one up on her own!
John Levitt’s latest Dog Days book, Play Dead, is alllllmost here–Jan 25th is the magic date. The pre-order price for the Kindle is a dollar less than for the paperback. Sometimes when the book actually comes out, the price goes up. (Sometimes it doesn’t.) At any rate, the best news of all is that the book is almost out, which means I have some excellent reading ahead. Of course the book is also available for pre-order paperback: Play Dead (A Dog Days Novel).
More good news: I think the first three in the series is in the 4 for 3 deal on Amazon–you can get those three and throw in one more book for free. The latest isn’t in the four for three, but if you get all four, plus a freebie, you end up around the 25 dollar mark and qualify for free shipping. Such a deal.
Dog Days is the first in the series and is FINALLY available for e-readers. It’s about time! So if you haven’t read this series because the first wasn’t in e-book, you can finally get started!!! You’ve got some great reading ahead! Here is the link to the Paperback.
I’ve been a bit slackerly in getting this list together. Or maybe I’ve just been busy cleaning cat doors (see below.) At any rate, here are the best of the best books that I absolutely loved this year. There is a high number of urban fantasy, mainly because when I’m writing an urban fantasy, I rarely read it. Since I finished writing Under Witch Aura in September, I went on a bit of a binge reading jaunt. I think all of these books cross over extremely well into mystery territory and can be enjoyed by most cozy readers.
Cry Wolf Alpha and Omega – Patricia Briggs I probably like this series even better than Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series (Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)) and there’s nothing wrong with that series! The adventure and love story in this novel captured my heart. This book is one of the few books that I will re-read. It’s as perfect a book as Briggs’ When Demons Walk (Sianim), an all-time favorite of mine. Cry Wolf takes place in a contemporary setting. The characters were real, flawed and led me on such a great adventure, I couldn’t wait to read the second book, Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, Book 2). The secondary characters get the highest possible marks for side-kicks.
Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, Book 2) – Patricia Briggs. In this second adventure, there were more standard mystery tropes used, but it was a great mystery to be solved. Between the plot and the character growth I was glued to every page. I enjoyed this book and am greatly looking forward to the third: Fair Game.
On The Edge – Ilona Andrews. This book is perfect. It has a great believable setting, magic, mystery and romance. I loved it. The second book in the series did not captivate me like the first one, but it was a good read as well.
Play Dead – John Levitt This series is likely at an end, at least for now. This book, like the others, wanders down some fun roads. The side-world building is always interesting and the pace moves along nicely. A nice cross between fantasy and urban fantasy. Characters with heart, especially the dog, Lou
Magic Bleeds -Ilona Andrews – Book 4 in the Kate Daniels series. This is a rare ongoing series for me–although you’ll notice that all of the above are in that category. I took this year to catch up on my favorite series and they did not disappoint. Kate continues to grow and change, the romance follows a nice arc (not too much silly misunderstanding to prolong it longer than normal just to get another book out of it) and the heroine’s mysterious background plot is also proceeding apace. Good, solid adventures. Book 5 (Magic Slays) is already out, and I’m hoarding it for the perfect rainy day (rain optional and not necessary!)
In the more standard mystery/cozy realm, I’d like to highlight author Dorothy Gilman. I read several of her books this year and enjoyed them all. This one was my favorite:
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax I enjoy Dorothy Gilman’s writing style. She has extremely interesting and believable characters. She sends them off on the most unlikely adventures! The Mrs. Pollifax books are a series, but she has several stand-alone mysteries that are quite enjoyable. They are generally mysteries that lean toward cozy but are very fast-paced and do have some rather thriller parts to them.
One Jump Ahead (Jon & Lobo Series)
The Automatic Detective
New Tricks (A Dog Days Novel)
Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)
Jim Hines – Goblin War (Goblin Series)
I almost forgot to list Shadowmagic
Late addition! Dead Woman’s Shoes
State of the Onion (White House Chef Mysteries, No. 1)
Todd McAulty’s The Soldiers of Serenity in BlackGate, Issue 12. As I said in my review on my website at the time: The Soldiers of Serenity by McAulty read like a novel. In so many short stories, the payoff is quick, sometimes dirty. Just as you “get” the characters, the story is over. Not So Here. McAulty took his time. He introduced characters. He ran down corridors. He twisted a bit…he teased. It’s all ordinary, right? But you knew every character held a key, every detail mattered. I kept wanting to check to see how much story was left because I just KNEW the pay-off was a few pages away! I couldn’t read fast enough! WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, DAMMIT?????
Urban fantasy/mystery. Mason, the hero, has a dog as a familiar and this caper is just a lot of fun! 
, and 
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is her more current series and is contemporary urban fantasy–also a superb series.
are probably her most exceptional work.) 
in the Sookie Stackhouse (vampire, urban fantasy type are very good.) I did not care for her “Grave” series at all.
is my favorite. Some of her others haven’t won me over, but this is a very good one!!
is the first in the series)
and it was funny, fast-paced and fun. (
on Kindle is much more reasonably priced.)
, is a MUST READ. 
is the first in the series.
– cozy; mystery; romance
I loved, loved, loved this character. These were out of print for a long time, but are now available in Kindle. 
. Available in Kindle and paperback) The series in order:
and I LOVED it!!!
-excellent romantic suspense with a paranormal element. She avoids the tendency to have characters with long misunderstandings. Focuses more on the plot of solving whatever mystery/paranormal element exists.
by Joe Nassise – Tough guy; fantasy; thriller
. His series is good too: 
is the first.
and 
by Jonathan Kirsch. This should be required reading for any author. Even if you have an agent, this book will really help you understand how contracts work, how much you can expect to be paid and how “rights” work. A must read, although these days with e-books contracts are changing. It’s still a very good primer.
An excellent guide to making chocolate–it’s chocolate! Need I say more???
, is alllllmost here–Jan 25th is the magic date. The pre-order price for the Kindle is a dollar less than for the paperback. Sometimes when the book actually comes out, the price goes up. (Sometimes it doesn’t.) At any rate, the best news of all is that the book is almost out, which means I have some excellent reading ahead. Of course the book is also available for pre-order paperback: 
.
is the first in the series and is FINALLY available for e-readers. It’s about time! So if you haven’t read this series because the first wasn’t in e-book, you can finally get started!!! You’ve got some great reading ahead! Here is the link to the 
is the second in the series. Here is the 
is the third. 
.
) and there’s nothing wrong with that series! The adventure and love story in this novel captured my heart. This book is one of the few books that I will re-read. It’s as perfect a book as Briggs’ 
, an all-time favorite of mine. Cry Wolf takes place in a contemporary setting. The characters were real, flawed and led me on such a great adventure, I couldn’t wait to read the second book, 
. The secondary characters get the highest possible marks for side-kicks.
.
