Top Ten Books -- The Lists Arrive!

Today's New York Times included in the Holiday Gift Guide several great lists of "top ten books" by subject or reviewer. I jumped up and down in excitement when I saw two of my favorite 2010 mysteries/crime fiction on reviewer Janet Maslin's list: Tana French's stirring FAITHFUL PLACE (Irish noir, worth reading multiple times) and the newest Lee Child/Jack Reacher title, 61 HOURS.

My own list (if I could decide!) would definitely also include Stuart Neville's COLLUSION (his second, and I do recommend reading its predecessor, The Ghosts of Belfast, first for maximum enjoyment) and Lisa Brackmann's very modern, sometimes funny, and often gripping suspense set in today's China, ROCK PAPER TIGER.

I'm in the midst of reading R. A. Harold's remarkable HERON ISLAND -- a Vermont book that turns out to be a tightly plotted mystery. More on that, tomorrow. Considering how excited I am at the halfway point this evening, this is another I might add to my "best of 2010" list ... as well as an armful of the international mysteries from Soho Crime, and the latest Donna Leon (the comfort food of crime fiction), the weird wonders by Dave Zeltserman, my discovery fof how very good indeed Carla Neggers and Charlaine Harris are on the "other side" of the mystery genre (the romantic side), and several espionage titles. I'll be posting the nicely refined 10-item lists of many other writers and reviewers as we move toward the end of 2010. What a great year for good books!