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1 July 2012

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - a mid year perspective

During 2012 I've been collecting readers' Picks of the Month but these lists don't always include all your best reads.
In past years I have invited blog readers to submit "best crime fiction reads".
At the beginning of this year I wrote a summary post for these collections from 2008 to 2011.

In past years I posted my "best reads" at the end of March, June, September and the end of the year, and invited others to contribute theirs as comments or links. For some reason I didn't do that this year at the end of March.

However it is never too late.
So here is your invitation to look back over your crime fiction reading for 2012 and to tell me title and author of your best 10 reads.
They do not need to be recent publications, and you can choose to give me your list as a comment or write your own post and give me a link to it. If Blogger comment turns uncooperative send me the information at kerrie dot smith at esc dot net dot au
I hope that makes sense.

I will aggregate all the lists and turn them into reading recommendations in posts in a couple of weeks' time.

Your help in advertising this activity via Twitter or on your blog would be much appreciated.
I've put a copy of the logo in the right hand column to help people locate the post.

To start the ball rolling, here are mine. You'll notice right off that there are more than 10 on my list, because these are the titles I have given 4.8 or more to. Feel free to take liberties with the numbers too.

GONE, Mo Hayder (2010)
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT, Louise Penny(2011)
THE QUARRY, Johan Theorin (2011)
THE BROTHERHOOD, Y.A. Erskine(2011)
A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN, Sulari Gentill (2010)
THE CALLER, Karin Fossum (2011)
THE NOBODIES ALBUM, Carolyn Parkhurst(2010)
BEFORE THE POISON, Peter Robinson (2011)
SILENT FEAR, Katherine Howell (2012)
THE PRECIPICE, Virginia Duigan (2011)
CHELSEA MANSIONS, Barry Maitland (2011)
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Wendy James (2010)
THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE, Lena Kaarbol & Agnete Friis(2011)
1222, Anne Holt (2010)

After a suggestion from a contributor, could you add the year of publication to your list?
(I am aware this might be different for US and UK.)

14 comments:

  1. ASHES by Sergei Gakas
    THE NAMELESS DEAD by Brian McGillowray
    THE HOUR OF THE WOLF by Hakan Nesser
    THE UNLUCKY LOTTERY by Hakan Nesser
    THE BLACK PATH by Asa Larsson
    ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER LIFE by Leif Persson
    LIAR MOON by Ben Pastor
    PRAGUE FATALE by Philip Kerr
    THE INVISIBLE ONES by Steph Penney
    EYES OF LIRA KAZAN by Eva Joly

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll try to do this. It might be an idea to have the date of first publication alongside the title/author of the book, as for these "best of" lists I like to know which are new books & which have stood the test of time by some amount.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jose Ignacio said:
    THE BURNING SOUL (2011) by John Connolly
    MIXED BLOOD (2009) by Roger Smith
    A WALK IN THE DARK (2010) by Gianrico Carofiglio
    PHANTOM (2012) by Jo Nesbo
    THE CALLER (2011) by Karin Fossum
    HOUR OF THE WOLF (2012) by Hakan Nesser
    UNTIL THY WRATH BE PAST (2011) by Åsa Larsson
    THE RAGE (2012) by Gene Kerrigan
    THE DROP (2011) by Michael Connelly
    BLACK SKIES (2012) by Arnaldur Indridason

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't been impressed this year really so I won't have 10 but here are my few memorable choices.

    Department Thirteen by James Houston Turner (2011)

    Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen (2011)

    Where all the Dead Lie (2011)

    Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1979)

    I look forward to the lists.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Here are my top 12 for this year:
    1222 - Anne Holt
    Inspector and Silence - Hakan Nesser
    Hour of the Wolf - Hakan Nesser
    The Invisible Ones - Stef Penney
    Voice of the Violin - Andrea Camilleri
    Beastly Things - Donna Leon
    The Potter’s Field - Andrea Camilleri
    The Boundary - Nicole Watson
    I’ll See You in My Dreams - William Deverell
    The Drop - Michael Connelly
    The Rope - Nevada Barr
    The Devotion of Suspect X

    I read Until Thy Wrath Be Past and The Boy in the Suitcase last year or I'd have put them on the list.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is my list...

    The Cambridge Theorem (1989) by Tony Cape
    Believing the Lie (2012) by Elizabeth George
    Berlin Game (1983) by Len Deighton
    The Company of Strangers (2001) by Robert Wilson
    Bluffing Mr. Churchill (2001) by John Lawton
    The Redbreast (2006) by Jo Nesbo
    In the Woods (2007) by Tana French
    The Guards (2001) by Ken Bruen
    An Empty Death (2009) by Laura Wilson
    The Information Officer (2009) by Mark Mills

    I also posted the list on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've added my original publication dates.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I meant to add "Last Will" by Liza Marklund to my 2012 list.

    I would have added Indridason's "Outrage," but I read it at the end of 2011. Have loaned it to friends recently and it's gotten raves.

    ReplyDelete
  9. From Arthur
    THE BOOKS LISTED HAVE A PUBLICATION DATES EITHER 2010-2011
    AND RANKS LISTED.
    1. DEFENDING JACOB BY WILLIAM LANDAY 4.8
    2.THE DROWNING BY CAMILLA LUCKBURG 4.9
    3.THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST BY STUART NEVILLE 5.0
    4.MISSING BY JANE CASEY 5.0
    5.SNOW ANGELS BY JAMES THOMPSON 4.8
    6.FIFTY GRAND ADRIAN MCKINTY 4.8
    7.BURNED THOMAS ENGER 4.9
    8.HIDDEN RIVER ADRIAN MCKINTY 5.0
    9.AWAKENING S.J. BOLTON 4.7
    10. IF THE DEAD RISE NOT BY PHILIP KERR 4.8

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gillespie & I (Jane Harris, 2011)

    The Return of Captain John Emmett (Elizabeth Speller, 2010)

    The Innocence of Father Brown (G.K. Chesterton, 1911)

    I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Alan Bradley, 2011)

    The Moonstone (Wilkie Collins, 1868)

    ReplyDelete

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