A few of My Favourite Crime Reads of 2025 by Poppy Gee

Choosing your favourite books is like choosing your favourite children. It's hard to do, and it depends on your mood. As the QLD convenor of Sisters in Crime, I'm excited about the books being produced by so many talented women writers, and here are some of my recent faves:

Learned Behaviours by Zeynab Gamieldien
Ultimo Press, 2025

The Sydney settings in this excellent novel – the Canterbury-Bankstown area, the business district of Martin Place, and the eastern and northern beach suburbs – collectively illuminate a collision of worlds that’s not frequently portrayed in crime fiction.
Barrister-in-training Zaid Saban grew up in a working class family in western Sydney and is struggling to fit into a top tier law firm. One day Amira, a woman he knows from high school, turns up at the office. She believes that an innocent man was blamed for the murder of a fellow student when they were teenagers and she needs his help. Zaid is an observant and compelling narrator, and combined with Amira’s sharp, heartfelt and funny perspective, Learned Behaviours is a great literary mystery, and a thoughtful commentary on race and class in contemporary Australia.   

We Saw What You Started by Carla Salmon
Pan Australia, 2025
This year I have been gifting this book to every child I know between the ages of 11 and 15. Californian boy Otto is struggling to fit into his new home in Red Sands, Australia. He makes friends with Milly at the surf club. Together they try to solve the mystery of who is lighting a series of fires in their close knit community. Gripping, smart, funny and heart warming, with a thrilling sinister undercurrent. It's a lot of fun.

Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin
HQ Fiction, 2025
Exquisite writing, gripping plot, and strong female characters, I adored this. Aboriginal policewoman Renee Taylor returns reluctantly to her childhood hometown and investigates a brutal murder. With poetic lyricism and thoughtful social commentary, Melaleuca tells the story of two eras, 1965 in a yumba (camp) on the outskirts of town, and in 2000 in the fictional small town of Goorunga. In rural crime fiction, we don't often see a tender, authentic, considered portrayal of First Nations characters, or an interrogation of how law enforcement intersects with their communities, or even how the past shapes the present for FN characters. Melaleuca is original, memorable and an important addition to Aussie rural noir. 

Hurt Mountain by Angela Crook
Lake Union Publishing, 2024
Several mysteries are interweaved in this atmospheric and haunting mystery about missing children, love, hope and despair. When a patrolman finds an injured girl in a strange situation on the road, it's his ex-wife who is the doctor on duty to care for the young, silent patient. Four years ago, this couple lost their own child. From the mysterious catalyst of the girl's arrival, a propulsive thriller plotline unfolds against the striking backdrop of the dramatic Colorado landscape. Hurt Mountain is a page-turning thriller that takes us into the disquieting outposts of Colorado you'll never see in any ski holiday brochure, and it's a really beautiful exploration of human endurance, grief, and forgiveness.

The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins
Angus and Robertson, 2025
The Bluff is about who murdered Dash Rogers, a charismatic cattle king found dead at the farm gate of his vast Clive River property. Everyone has a motive, many have the means…it’s up to amateur sleuth Ruth to peel back the layers of the close knit rural hinterland community and find out the truth. This is a standalone with protagonist Ruth, the gruff yet endearing city lawyer, who featured in Jo’s bestselling debut How To Kill A Client. The characters are relatable, authentic, flawed and lovable. The Bluff doesn’t shy away from the thorny issues relating to colonisation. In regional towns, the topic of land and legacies of wealth and inheritance are often kitchen table conversations. A compelling, riveting, intelligent mystery with a big heart. 

A reader's dozen, from Catriona

Except one is missing . . . read on

2025 has been, as Angela said on Monday, a never-ending cycle of hold-my-beer awfulness. Globally, nationally, publicly, and privately. Apart from the books. Thank God for the books (and Britbox, but that's for another day.)

It really has been a year of stellar reading for me and now, at the last gasp of the long slog to Christmas, I'm going to do what I always do and re-create the full list, then pick a book of the month for every month. Thus my top ten becomes twelve and I don't have to choose a favourite from among more than about ten. 

And how do I pick? I look back over the list to see which books are still resonating like tuning forks, the books I want to press into others' hands, the books I still want to email the authors to say thanks for. It goes without saying, that's there's never only one of these in each month. Some months are a real challenge to make a decision about. But here goes:  

Xmas Hols 24-25

ROMANTIC COMEDY, Curtis Sittenfield

THE DARK WIVES, Ann Cleeves

TIME'S UNDOING, Cheryl Head: you don't need me to tell you ... but Cheryl's heartfelt yet briliantly controlled novel takes a mystery plot and a thriller plot and plays with two timelines - the Klan-ridden 1920s and the days after George's Floyd's murder - to tell a tale of racism in America, shifting without ever changing and grinding without ever ending, but also without ever quite snuffing out the spirit or the fight of people like Robert in 1929 and Meghan in 2019. I loved it. Hated that it had to be written but loved it.    

KILLING TIME, Alan Bennett

THE FARMER'S WIFE, Helen Rebanks

MIDNIGHT AT THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP, Jenny Colgan

EVERYONE THIS CHRISTMAS HAS A SECRET, Benjamin Stevenson

THE PARTY, Tessa Hadley

JACOB'S ROOM IS FULL OF BOOKS, Susan Hill

FALLEN, Linda Castillo

 

January

WE SOLVE MURDERS, Richard Osman

ABSOLUTELY TRULY, Heather Vogel Frederick

THE BOOKSHOP MURDERS (ARC) Jennifer Gladwell

THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS, Sosuke Natsukawa

ANN AND HER MOTHER, O Douglas

A GUEST AT THE FEAST, Colm Toibin: I don't read a lot of non-fiction but I'd read Colm Toibin's shopping lists. This volume of essays is one third cancer journey (he's fine, him and his one remaining testicle), one third a trio of "complex and vexing" popes yes popes, and one third pandemic and writers and religion and general Toibinesque marvellousness. If' you're a writer, don't read him on a bad day, but every other day and everyone else - dive in. 

February

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS, Leslie Budewitz

HOW WE LEARN TO BE BRAVE, Mariann Edgar Budde

RABBIT HOLE, Kate Brody

FLAUBERT'S PARROT, Julian Barnes

DEAR EVEN HANSEN, Emmich et al.

THE UNTELLING, Tayari Jones

GONE MISSING, Linda Castillo

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES Malorie Blackman

COMMONWEALTH, Ann Patchett

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Robyn Gigl: I mean New Jersey can't really be as marinated in corruption at every level, from governor to dog catcher, as Robyn Gigl would have us believe in the Erin McCabe legal thrillers, right? Right? Ooh, but it's irresistible in a fictional setting where we know that evil-doers will get their come-uppance and virtue will eventually prevail. There's nothing like a courtroom scene written by a practising lawyer either. And you get romance and a family saga thrown into. The quartet of novels that this rounds off has been a proper treat.

 

March

PET, Catherine Chidgey: Another double timeline. Here it's the recent past and the present day in New Zealand, in a novel that reminded me a bit of Heavenly Creatures, a bit of Miss Jean Brodie (or that episode of Derry Girls with the non-nun English teacher), when a relentlessly inevitable disaster is born out of febrile adolescent relationships and toxic secrets. 

BEYOND THE CEMETERY GATES, Valerie Biel

DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK, Kate Atkinson

THE HIDDEN ONE, Linda Castillo

UNDER THE STORM, Christoffer Carlsson

THE MAKING OF A MARCHIONNESS, Frances Hodgson Burnett

 

April

SCORCHED GRACE, Margot Douaihy

SAME DIFFERENCE,  E J Copperman

OZARK DOGS, Eli Cranor

AN EVIL HEART, Linda Castillo

ECHO, Tracy Clark: Huh, I didn't notice the echo (no pun intended, or indeed achieved) at the time but Tracy's last but one Harriet Foster mystery (EDGE, the next one is eligible for this year's awards) concerns a wealthy student, an elite college, and an old secret, like last month's pick. Plus one very hard to intimidate with all your fancy malarky Chicago cop. I love her!  

THE ROSE AND THE YEW TREE, Agatha Christie (Mary Westmacott)

 

May

WRITING THE COZY MYSTERY, Phillis Betz

ALL THE QUEEN'S MEN, S J Bennett

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE, Kristen Arnett

BETWEEN A FLOCK AND A HARD PLACE, Donna Andrews

BIG F@!KING DEAL, Lawrence Allan: See what I did? The picture isn't of the book. But I read the book the picture is of in a month where I also read something else amazing, so I've cheated. Go F*$k Yourself, is the current book, eligible for the humorous Lefty at Left Coast Crime in February. And they're all fantastic. Jmmy Cooper is a washed-up former child star in LA, who's trying to become a PI. He's a disaster but his heart is in the right place and the depcition of the city - well, the freeways - is perfect. 

THERE'S NO MURDER LIKE SHOW MURDER, M S Greene

 

June

STORYBOOK ENDING, Moira Macdonald

THE CONJURE-MAN DIES, Rudolph Fisher

THE TREES, Percival Everett

THE STOLEN HOURS, Allen Eskens

EXPOSURE, Ramona Emerson

SHUTTER, Ramona Emerson: I'm cheating so hard now. But I read Ramona Emerson's debut and follow-up back to back and they're both just fab. Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer with the Albuquerque PD who lives part time with her grandnother on a Navajo reservation, where she - Rita - is a portal between the spirits of the dead and the living world. And man these are some high-engagement ghosts! Eager to have their murders solved (which is understandable) they hound Rita day and night. I'm making it sound humorous and I shouldn't be. The first case is a hit and run, the seocnd a serial killer and the toll taken on Rita is a heavy one. 

LITTLE WHITE LIES, Phillipa East

 

July

STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE, Lisa Gardner

BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED, Lisa Gardner

ONE STEP TOO FAR, Lisa Gardner

THE FAMILY BIZ, Alan Orloff

THE SEARCHER, Tana French

TRULY, DEEPLY, Heather Vogel Frederick

THE MYSTERY OF HENRI PICK, David Foenkinos: This month and next is mostly Lisa Gardner and Linda Castillo. I binged. I enjoyed it at the time but now I can't actually remember which terrific book is which. I'll reread them all in order one day. For now, the July pick is a translation of a satire about the publishing industry, set in provinical France. A little bit AJ Fikry, a wee tiny bit Yellowface, but as Mr Carson said in Downton Abbey once "They're very French, the French." They sure are. This little book is a gem, a one-off. Go on! You know you want to.

 

August

CRIME INK: ICONIC Copenhaver and West, eds

DOWN A DARK ROAD, Linda Castillo

GO F@!K YOURSELF, Lawrence Allan

KISS HER GOODBYE, Lisa Gardner

AMONG THE WICKED, Linda Castillo

TO DIE FOR, Lisa Grey

THE DEAD WILL TELL, Linda Castillo

WE'LL PRESCRIBE YOU A CAT, Syou Ishida: I'm all in on the recent run of shortish, urban-set Japanese novels. Some of them edge into too cute for me; the best of them are closer to the slightly odd and unsettling tone of The Memory Police or Where the Wild Ladies Are. Is it science fiction? Is it a ghost story? Is it an anthology or a novel? Who cares. It's a delicious literary bento box and I've read the sequel too. Highly recomnend.

OUTSIDER, Linda Castillo

HER LAST BREATH, Linda Castillo

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, E. Nesbitt

 

September

COOKING WITH FERNET BRANCA, James Hamilton-Paterson

THE HAUNTING OF HERO'S BAY, Amanda Block (June 2026)

RIGHT BEHIND YOU, Lisa Gardner

DARK RIDE, Lou Berney: Buckle up. This short novel about an aimless young man who takes on the problems of a pair of abused - or at least negelcted - children he happens to meet one day might break you, but you'll be happy to be broken. There's another background theme of found family running through, and I'm a sucker for a found family, even one as dysfunctional as this. And you know how you buckled up? Add another buckle for the ending.

A GATHERING OF SECRETS, Linda Castillo

ECHOES OF THE LOST, Cindy Brown (May 2026)

 

October

THE WEDDING DATE, Jasmine Guillory

THE FIRE NEXT TIME, James Baldwin

OTHER PEOPLE'S SECRETS, Meredith Hambrock

AS THE WICKED WATCH, Tamron Hall

SIRENS OF MEMORY, Puja Guha: Sorry about the picture. My copy of Puja's wonderful novel is trapped behind the cleared-away lamps and other stuff that have had to make room for the Christmas lights and Christmas stuff. I couldn't face mining all the way back for it. It's my third dual timeline novel on the list. One story takes place in a refugee camp after the invasion of Kuwait, the other amongst the resettled refufgees in present-day Texas. As the twenty-fifth anniversay of the war comes around, Kuwaitis gather to mark it at the embassy in DC, bringing all their secrets with them . . . Wowser! This is a tense read with a very rewarding ending. 

WHILE WE WERE DATING, Jasmine Guillory

AFTER THE STORM, Linda Castillo

 

November

HOKULOA ROAD, Elizabeth Hand

THE KILLER QUESTION, Janice Hallett

FRANKLY, Nicola Sturgeon: the former first minister of Scotland is basically me, if I wasn't such a flake and a bubble-head. She's from the same background but so focussed and serious; no swerves and false starts for Oor Nic. It's the first politcal memoir I've ever read, although Kamala Harris's is on my TBR file. I'll let you know. 

DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, Julie Schumacher

THE IRISH GOODBYE, Heather Aimee O'Neill

WE'LL PRESCRIBE YOU ANOTHER CAT, Syou Ishida

WATCH WHERE THEY HIDE, Tamron Hall

 

December

BROKEN LIGHT, Joanne Harris: It's a bit early to call it, but I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being book of the month. It's the story of a woman who had Carrie-esque powers before puberty but lost them. Now she's menopausal and they've come roaring back. As much fun as it sounds. Punch the air good! 

PERFECT LITTLE CHILDREN, Sophie Hannah

And that's that. Another year of crime fiction, general fiction, a light smattering of other books and absolutely no guilty pleasures. Guilt? About pleasure? Shehhh, right. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah with extra hugs, have a Killer Kwanza and here's hoping for a Cool Yule,

Cx

Favorite reads of 2025 by Eric Beetner

It’s that time of year when I realize I need to do a better job of keeping track of what I read in any given year. I can’t give you a specific number, but I read well over 100 books this year. Here are some favorites:

WHAT ABOUT THE BODIES - Ken Jaworowski

Probably my book of the year. Definitely the one that I knew almost nothing about and sat in awe as it blew me away with every page. I immediately went out and bought Jaworowski’s previous debut novel, Small Town Sins. This book is everything I love about crime fiction.

YOU WILL NEVER SEE ME - Jake Hinkson

I love Jake Hinkson’s writing like few other authors. This one took a few left turns I had no idea were coming. It’s dark, doesn’t care if you like the characters or not, and will surprise you at every turn. Trust me, you have no idea what this book really is.

THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING - Jon McGoran

Few writers create believable near-future worlds like Jon McGoran. In The Price Of Everything he wraps a breakneck thriller plot in just enough sci-fi and cyberpunk ornaments that you get something completely new. And none of it feels forced or like he has to do “world-building” because he’s writing about our world here and now, but with a few tiny augmentations to add to the thrills.

THE LENGTH OF DAYS - Lynn Kostoff

Like WHAT ABOUT THE BODIES, this novel balances multiple storylines that intersect in interesting ways. Any great book is all about characters, and this one has some great ones. Seeing how it all intertwines is a fascinating process and kept me glued to the pages. A stellar crime novel.

SAINT OF THE NARROWS STREET - William Boyle

Boyle is one of contemporary Noir’s best practitioners and his new novel is his epic. Again, character takes center stage along with location, as in all of Boyle’s work. Epic is code for long and it is a slow burn, but something about Boyle’s prose just goes down so easy for me. He makes you ache and long with the characters. He makes you smell and hear the Brooklyn on the page. When someone talks of “literary crime novels” this is what they mean.

THE GALLERY ASSISTANT - Kate Belli

I don't read a ton of traditional mysteries, but when I come across one that keeps my interest and is rooted in a world I find fascinating (in this case the high end art world) I can see the appeal. It's not new to have a character missing pieces of the night before, but Belli has crafted a main character who is deliciously flawed and increasingly annoyed at herself for being an unreliable narrator in her own life and the mystery she has unwillingly been thrust into as a result. This one is a winner for trad mystery fans.

GO F*CK YOURSELF - Lawrence Allan

The Jimmy Cooper series continues in this book 3 and Jimmy is just the funny, misanthropic, trainwreck of a P.I. you gotta love. Skewering Los Angeles and the entertainment biz while keeping the action and the chuckles come at you fast, Lawrence Allan's series is just the right pick when you want something fun to read. Ok, fine, it's less than cozy as the title might suggest, but even us tough guys need to laugh now and then.

It was a great for Westerns. I read some really great ones like:

LUCKY RED - Claudia Cravens

A revisionist western that is sumptuously written and features a main character I loved maybe more than any other this year. It’s forward and progressive, pushing the women to the front of an old west story, but doesn’t skimp on action, grit and the things that make us love westerns. Superb!

HIRED GUNS & NO HALLOWED GROUND - Steve Hockensmith

Hockensmith already earned his western bona fides with his Holmes On The Range series, and his launch of a new series kicks off in rollicking fashion with these two tales. His trademark wit is there in spades and the action comes fast and furious. A great entry into the western genre.

A SHORT ROPE FOR A TALL MAN & DEAD MAN’S TRAIL - Nate Morgan

Nate Morgan is a pen name for Victor Gischler, who has long been one of my favorite crime writers. These two novels are stellar western tales written with wit, pace and never skimping on a good plot turn. For some reason, the publisher mixed up the order of the two novels so I read book 2 first, but it didn’t make much difference. They’re both great in any order.

In other off-genre reading for me, I devoured five books from humorist Simon Rich, all on audio. Rich reads most of his own work, but John Mulaney read Glory Days and brought an extra something to it. Rich is so damn funny, but also an endlessly creative and inventive writer that these short stories (and one novel, Miracle Workers) are like candy filled with crack cocaine. I think there is no finer humor writer working today.

If you are new to his work, start with Glory Days or Man Seeking Woman. 

 

OFF-ROAD YEAR’S-END RECOMMENDATIONS

 

2025 was a year when the news cycle felt like a car alarm that wouldn’t shut up. During Covid and Trump 1.0, Murder, She Wrote offered refuge—Angela Lansbury restored moral order with a raised eyebrow. Trump 2.0 has been less cozy: Checks and Balances under strain, Far Right movements worldwide, and a lingering suspicion that something odd is in the drinking water.

The upside: it’s been my most productive year as a writer. I wrote to be constructive, not destructive. And along the way I found a handful of books and films that cut through the noise—crime fiction with teeth, nonfiction that reminds us history loves reruns, and movies whose literary roots make them doubly satisfying.

Think of these as clarity, escape, or—at the very least—a well-timed jolt to the system.

 

CRIME FICTION

 

1. Crimson Tide — Bruce Robert Coffin
A strong launch for a new series and a sharp contrast to Coffin’s Byron books. Book two arrives in January, book three next August—always a comforting thing to know.

2. Knave of Diamonds — Laurie R. King
The latest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novel introduces Mary’s Uncle Jake, whose past is a little… flexible. Watching him and Holmes circle each other, with Mary in the middle, is pure pleasure.

3. The Thursday Murder Club — Richard Osman
Retirees, cold cases, and wit sharp enough to leave a mark—proof that menace doesn’t retire. Now a Netflix film, making this a two-for-one recommendation.

4. Slow Horses — Mick Herron
The misfit spies of Slough House are equal parts tragic, hilarious, and terrifyingly plausible. Herron writes intelligence-world satire with a scalpel. Also an excellent Apple series.

5. The Silver Book — Olivia Laing

Queer love story, noir thriller set in Venice 1974, months before the murder of poet and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini. 

 

NONFICTION

 

5. The Age of Acrimony — Jon Grinspan
Nineteenth-century America was a carnival of political violence, election fraud, and institutional brinkmanship. Grinspan gently reminds us that history doesn’t repeat itself—but it does recognize familiar tricks.

6. The Outsider — Frederick Forsyth
Forsyth’s memoir proves the line between journalism, espionage, and crime fiction has always been thinner than we pretend. Read alongside le Carré’s The Pigeon Tunnel for a study in contrasts: le Carré broods; Forsyth shrugs, lights a cigarette, and keeps moving—passport already stamped.

7. A Resistance History of the United States — Tad Stoermer (June 2026)
From abolitionists to labor radicals to modern whistleblowers, Stoermer maps a lineage of resistance to abusive power. Not out yet, but worth saving to your Wish List.

 

FILMS INSPIRED BY BOOKS

(The two-for-one category: watch the movie, know the book)

 

8. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
Adapted from Eduardo Sacheri’s La pregunta de sus ojos. A noir romance spirals around justice, obsession, and wounds that outlive their explanations.

9. Killing Them Softly (2012)
From George V. Higgins’s Cogan’s Trade. A critique of capitalism delivered with Higgins’s trademark dialogue—no wasted words, no mercy.

10. Il conformista / The Conformist (1970)
From Alberto Moravia’s novel. A dazzling psychological thriller about the seduction of authoritarianism—gorgeously composed and disturbingly timeless.

 

BONUS HOLIDAY PICK

 

11. Spirit of Steamboat — Craig Johnson
A Christmas tale with a mystery engine: a blizzard, a WWII bomber, a desperate medical flight, and a story that earns its sentiment without a drop of sap. A perfect fireside read.

 

My Top 5 Reads of 2025

Tell us about your favorite reads of the year

 Well, I thought you’d never ask.

Here we are knocking on the door of 2026 and what a year it’s been. The news has been a horror show since January 2025, and sadly, unless my wee prayers are answered, 2026 looks to be much of the same. But through all the ugliness this timeline has spewed there have remained great books, and I for one am thankful for it.

It’s always been my habit to read when I find myself unable to write, and 2025, quite honestly, left me struggling to write more often than I care to think about. It could have been the new job, that turned out to be a far bigger job than I anticipated. It could have been the constant cycle of news that started as bad and somehow morphed into a never-ending cycle of hold my beer. I don’t know, but I am grateful to have had my constant besties right by my side, or rather in my book-bag, purse, or pocket, every step of the way. They did their job, keeping me sane, for the most part. I could probably list at least twelve books, one per month, fairly easily, but I’ll spare you all and stick with my top 5.

Number five was a new author for me, Faye Snowden, A Killing Rain. I picked this book up because I kept hearing it was good read. Turns out that was the understatement of the year. A former homicide detective with a serial killer father, returns home to a small Louisiana town after being fired, only to have her nephew kidnapped by a serial killer. I was hooked from the very first page. The descriptions were so well done, I could feel the humidity in the Louisiana air. I fell in love with the main character, Raven, and hated everyone who came for her. There were no slow parts. I gobbled this book up in less than a week and was so grateful that it is a series. This may have been my first read with this author but you can best believe, she’ll be a staple in my collection from now on.

 Number four was a story by my all-time favorite writer, Stephen King, Life of Chuck. It’s a story that I read in one day and have not been able to get out of my head since. Imagine if your whole life and everything around you were a product of your thoughts and experiences and when you die, it all goes with you. Whoa! Has old SK figured out the meaning of life and offered it up to us in the form of a novella? Maybe. Seems to make as much sense as anything else. It may take me another year to grasp the meaning of this story, or a lifetime. Something tells me I’ll be reading this one a few more times until my own lights go out.

 Number three on my list was Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts. This one had everything I love. An imperfect bad-ass heroine, like really bad-ass. She’s sexy, she’s smart, and takes no crap from anybody. But with so much heart you can’t help but to root for her every step of the way. I love a good whodunit, especially when you’re never really sure who the guilty party is. I won’t tell. But I will say, you have to use all your willpower to stop yourself from peeking at the end. Don’t! You wouldn’t want to ruin this ride. It’s a great mystery, with a great leading character with a group of misfit friends that I look forward to following.

 Number two was another one of those reads that my thoughts return to often, Cheryl Head’s, Time’s Undoing. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great storytelling, especially if you love history. A young reporter from Detroit, MI, decides to go down south to research the murder of her great-grandfather that occurred in 1929, Alabama. This story unfurled slowly, beautifully, like a movie in my head. Each character was so well developed they felt as real as a friend. I cried at their pain and celebrated their triumphs and grinned right along with them at each hint of success. This book had it all, love, loss, joy and pain. With each word I read, I found myself hoping for a different outcome even though I knew it wasn’t possible. The story itself was centered around tragedy, but the telling of it was all about strength, pride, and resilience. Oh, and there was even a little sprinkle of magic. I think we can all use that these days.

My favorite read of the year was an Indie read called What Would Rose Do, by Melissa Hintz. What would you do if the person you loved the most, your twin sister, had a life-threatening medical issue, but no means to seek treatment. Would you let her assume your identity to seek treatment and save her life? Yes? What if she dies leaving you trapped in her life? This is the premise for this story. And what a story it was. So many unexpected twists and turns and so much heart. I found myself laughing one minute and crying the next. Each character, good or bad will leave an imprint on your heart. And you’ll think of them long after you close the book. Maybe I’d still let my twin use my health insurance if it came to that, but boy would I think about it an extra second or two.

 All five of these books are available for purchase. If you’ve not read them, I am happily recommending you add them to your TBR list. Thanks to all the incredible authors, I’ll never finish my TBR list, but I’m happy to keep trying. Bring on 2026!

Some Great Books I’ve Read Recently from James W. Ziskin

Some Great Books I’ve Read Recently

Time to propose some great reads from the past year. Click on the book covers for the links. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments section. And go buy some books!

NON-FICTION — In alphabetical order by author

In what can only be described as a fortuitous coincidence, the first two books on my list were written by siblings. I’ve known brother and sister Jon and Tina for a long time. Tina for about sixty years, and Jon a couple fewer, since he was born later. Our two families were as close as could be, and I think of the Glucks as cousins more than simply friends. Anyway, here are their books, both of which came out this year. I strongly recommend both.

Jonathan Gluck, An Exercise in Uncertainty

Honest, informative, intelligent, emotional, and gripping. Humorous, at times, as well. An extremely human account of living with a terrifying disease.

Tina Henderson, Centered

A lot of wisdom in this wonderful little book. An antidote for self-doubt and negativity. Perfect advice for all, but especially for young people.

Stephen King, On Writing

I don’t really need to tell writers how important it is to read this book, do I? An entertaining master class for anyone who wants to—has to—write.

Keith Raffel, The Raffel Ticket

Keith Raffel is a super writer and a pretty smart guy. He’s a syndicated newspaper columnist and his latest book, THE RAFFEL TICKET, is a collection of essays on the state of the world and all its warts. But Keith also writes fabulous thrillers, which make great doorstops once you’ve finished reading them.

FICTION — In alphabetical order by author

Liz Nugent, The Truth About Ruby Cooper (coming in 2026)

Liz Nugent is an absolute go-to author for me. She writes with complexity, nuance, and disquieting depth. Relentless and uncompromising, The Truth About Ruby Cooper weaves thorny moral challenges into an irresistible story. Truly memorable. This powerful novel will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.

Wreck Your Heart, Lori Rader-Day

Another winner from one of my favorite authors, Lori Rader-Day. Wreck Your Heart is captivating from post to wire. A brilliantly painted portrait of a damaged soul trying to survive and make something of herself. But the past comes calling. A love letter to Chicago, with memorable characters galore and great music, this is a superior mystery novel. 

Fire in Boston,  Robert Rotstein (No pub date yet)

Can’t wait for this novel to come out. A fascinating reimagining of history that asks the question, “What if Babe Ruth stood trial for the murder of his former wife?” If you’d like to find out, look no further. a clever and always entertaining legal thriller, Fire in Boston is major league good!

Gabriel Valjan, Eyes to Deceit

A remarkable, fly-on-the-wall story of Cold War realpolitik, Gabriel Valjan’s Eyes to Deceit careers from Rockefeller Center to a Catskill resort to Rome and Teheran, giving readers a front-row seat to the plotting of the 1953 CIA and MI6 overthrow of the Iranian government. With noteworthy cameos from the famous, the powerful, and the ruthless, Eyes to Deceit is intelligent, high-stakes intrigue at its best.

Nancy G. West, Risky Pursuit

A gripping, page-turning mystery filled with tension and high emotional stakes. Proof that even young-adult heroes can have hidden heart and stores of great courage.

UP NEXT  — In alphabetical order by author

Edwin Hill, What Happened Next

Julie Mulhern, Murder in Manhattan

Hank Phillippi Ryan, All This Could Be Yours

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