Some Really Great Reads 2020 (from James W. Ziskin)

It’s becoming a tradition for me to put together an end-of-the-year list of books I recommend. This is not a best-of list. I’m not a fan of those since there’s no way people can read everything. So how can they declare some books the best? Not that I don’t admire the books that make those lists. I do. It’s simply that those big names and big successes get plenty of ink elsewhere, so I try to shine a light on excellent books and fine authors I enjoy instead. They may not be household names yet, and their books might not be on the New York Times bestsellers list—yet—but these are wonderful novels. I highly recommend them. Go on. Give them a chance.

Happy holidays!

First, my dear friend Lynne Raimondo passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. I’m heartbroken over her loss. But I cherish her memory and her books. You can’t go wrong with this fiercely complex and intelligent series, featuring blind psychiatrist Mark Angelotti.

And here are some great books I’ve read in the past year. You can’t go wrong with these. I loved them all. Click on the covers for links to buy.

Alice Henderson’s A Solitude of Wolverines

Daco Auffenorde’s Cover Your Tracks

Liz Milliron’s The Enemy We Don’t Know

Alexia Gordon’s Execution in E

Keenan Powell’s Hell and High Water

Erica Miner’s Staged for Murder

Mark Pryor’s The French Widow

Steve Goble’s Pieces of Eight

Brian Thornton’s Suicide Blonde

And, of course, here are the latest books from my fellow 7 Criminal Minds. I’m so proud to be one of them.

Cathy Ace’s Corpse with The Crystal Skull (Cait Morgan)

Brenda Chapman’s Closing Time

Dietrich Kalteis’s Cradle of the Deep

Paul D. Marks’s The Blues Don’t Care

Catriona McPherson’s The Turning Tide (Dandy Gilver #14)

Abir Mukherjee’s Death in the East

 

Terry Shames’s A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary (Samuel Craddock)

 

Susan C. Shea’s Dressed for Death in Burgundy

Frank Zafiro and Colin Conway’s Code Four