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Best of...
Best of 2004
Best of the Year
Indelible, Karin Slaughter, William Morrow, $24.95.
I had a disagreement with an author about this being the best novel of the year - he felt that the dual narrative
wasn't compelling. I felt like we were having a recent political dialogue - no room for disagreement! I thought this novel,
the fourth in a very strong series, was the best of the lot, with the character development really shining here as well as
a gripping plot that's set half in the past - explaining how the characters have gotten to be the way they are - and half
in the present, at a hostage situation involving all the major characters. Since Slaughter's main characters - Sara Linton
and Jeffery Tolliver are two of the best in recent crime fiction - flawed, human, frustratingly behaving like your errant
cousin or next door neighbor, this book just can't be beat. It's not even necessary to have ready any of the other books in
the series. And keep in mind, like the above mentioned author and I, there are two schools of thought on Slaughter - either
you love her or you hate her. To me, that just indicates the kind of passionate writing that can't be faked. (Robin)
Out of the Deep I Cry, Julia Spencer-Fleming, St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne
Books, $23.95.
I guess it's no surprise to any readers of this newsletter (or any Aunt Agatha's visitor) that this is one of my favorite
books of the year - Spencer-Fleming is one of the more remarkable recent arrivals on the mystery scene. What's really
remarkable is that the books keep getting better - this is my favorite of the three, which is saying A LOT. This
book, set half in the past and half in the present, involves children's vaccinations and a leaky church roof (Spencer-Fleming's
main character is an Episcopal priest). Doesn't that sound completely dull? Yet, this book was so moving that near the end
I had to put it aside before I could finish it. And this highlights my other favorite thing about this series - wonderful
characters. The female priest is half in love with the married police chief and the tension is killing the readers as well
as the characters. The writing is angelic and the setting is vivid. What more, really, could you ask for? (Robin)
The Damascened Blade, Barbara Cleverly. Carroll & Graf, $25.00.
With good reason, many of my customers don't buy hardbacks - they're expensive and they can't be read in the tub or lying
down in bed, for three big reasons. But this book is SO worth it - the plot, the characters, the setting - all
delicious. This series is set in 1920's India - the end of the British Raj - and all feature Scotland Yard Inspector Joe
Sandilands, a WWI vet who just happens to keep stumbling over cases in India. He's trying to go back to England, he just
hasn't gotten there, now three books in. This one is set on the Afghanistan border and seems to have a special timeliness -
the setting is part of the plot, and not much has changed in that area since 1920. Cleverly's use of vivid characterization
and wildly clever plotting (she's aptly named) as well as a rich historical setting just can't be beat. If you like
historicals, this is a new author to try. This is also an author to try if you are a fan of the classic locked room mystery
- it's still being done, remarkably well. (Robin)
Tijuana Straits, Kem Nunn, Scribner, $25.00.
Kem Nunn is America's most underappreciated writer, but, thankfully, rather than letting it get him down, he just keeps
writing great books. Tijuana Straits is his latest, and it has everything - well rounded characters, memorable settings,
white knuckle suspense, and beautiful prose. Although his main character Sam "The Gull" Fahey is a familiar Nunn trope, the
washed up ex-surfer with a last chance at redemption, it's Magdalena, the social activist he joins forces with, and, even
more astoundingly, Armando Santoya, the toxic villain, whose powerful characterizations power the book to true excellence.
All Nunn's novels are wonderful and this is one of the best, but read it only if you aren't afraid to become part of his
cult! (Jamie)
Last Lullaby, Denise Hamilton, Scribner, $25.00.
This is an author I read by chance, wrote to tell her how much I enjoyed her books, and she ended up visiting Aunt Agatha's
to sign Last Lullaby. I'm noticing a theme in my recommendations here - many of these authors are three or four books in to
their series, and are really hitting their stride. Hamilton is no exception - this is her third novel featuring reporter
Eve Diamond. The reporting background gives Hamilton a good reason to cast her net wide, and with a setting like LA, there's
no absence of material. Here her story begins at LAX where Eve is covering security when a shooting breaks out, and a tiny
Chinese girl disappears. Eve ends up on the missing child story, and like her predecessor, Sara Paretsky's V.I Warshawksi,
her quest takes her into many dark corners of LA society, all of which are examined from every angle. Hamilton was a reporter
herself before becoming a writer, and she's transferred lots of those skills to this fine series. Start with the first, the
Edgar nominated The Jasmine Trade, or begin with her best, Last Lullaby. It's up to you, but either way
missing out on Eve Diamond would be a definite mistake. (Robin)
An Intimate Ghost, Ellen Hart, St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95.
Ellen Hart also visited the store this year, and admitted that this was, in fact, one of her favorites of her own novels.
Breaking the trend here, Hart is a veteran who has many books and two different series characters under her belt, the most
successful being this one, featuring lesbian restaurant owner Jane Lawless. Set in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Hart makes good use
of her setting, but her real forte is PLOT. Her main character, Jane, is a solid, decent sort of person, and she has
a flamboyant foil, Cordelia. The story opens with a powerful vignette of a kidnaping of a little girl on a long ago (1972)
Halloween night. Fast forward to the present, and Jane is being tormented by a case of magic mushrooms planted in her food
at a catered wedding reception. The story involves the tampered food, the arrival of Cordelia's niece on her doorstep, and
of course the missing little girl from 1972. I guarantee you that not only will you not figure out the ending, you will be
moved by the characters and the resolution. This was one of the more satisfactory reads of the year. (Robin)
Last Seen in Aberdeen, M.G. Kincaid, Pocket, $6.50.
Coming in under the wire (November release) Kincaid embroiders on her successful first effort, The Last Victim in Glen Ross,
to write an even more compelling and disturbing narrative this time around. Set in Scotland, these are police procedurals
of the first order - her main character, Seth Mornay, is an ex Marine, who has some demons in his past, many of which are
explored in this fine book. But like the best practitioners of this particular sub genre - Jo Bannister, Jane Bolitho,
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and Peter Turnbull, to name a few - this isn't a writer who messes around. There may be an emotional
subtext but the police investigation is the thing. In this novel, the case opens around the disappearance of a 10 year old
boy, but the story also involves smuggling (and what is smuggled is a secret until the end of the book), an 18 year old
Lady of the Manor who wants to raise her exotic sheep in peace, and the turmoil of a woman Seth may or may not have
impregnated who lies in the hospital, deathly ill. This novel is emotionally richer, more ruthless, and more believable than
the first. If you are a fan of the British police novel, don't miss this one. The mystery is how the writer of this series
happens not to live in Scotland, but in Northern Michigan. (Robin)
Mansions of the Dead, Sarah Stewart Taylor, St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95.
 Nothing's nicer than finding a new author to love, and when I read Sarah
Stewart Taylor's first novel, O' Artful Death, I was hooked; the second one is even better. Stewart Taylor's heroine,
Sweeney St. George, is an art historian with a specialty in gravestones. Is that a perfect job for a mystery heroine, or
what? In this second novel, Stewart Taylor deepens Sweeney's character by delving into her family background and adds a
possible new character, a Boston cop with a wife suffering from post-partum depression. The mystery centers around a dead
student of Sweeney's and Victorian mourning jewelry, which was made of the hair of the departed. (Google Victorian Hairwork
Jewelry and have a look for yourself). Sweeney's academic expertise is thus believably required, and the sleuthing seems to
flow naturally from that. The writing here is evocative, polished and atmospheric. If you love your mysteries smart, fun,
and lively, this is one for you. (Robin)
Blood Hollow, William Kent Krueger, Atria Books, $24.00.
I guess someday William Kent Krueger will write a bad book that I won't want to include on my top 10 list, but it hasn't
happened yet. Blood Hollow is another wonderful variation in the Cork O'Connor story arc. In this novel, Cork is
once again the sheriff of tiny Aurora, Minnesota, and the opening scene - where Cork is searching for a missing teenager in
a snowstorm, highlights all the things that are wonderful about Krueger's writing. The beauty and cruelty of the Northern
winter, the sense of the spiritual nature of the landscape, and Cork's essential decency are all the elements that make
this series, and this scene in particular, so memorable. The entire book, in fact, wrestles with spirituality on many levels.
I've heard Kent say that he wants to someday write a "serious" novel - but he shouldn't kid himself: he already has. And don't
be put off - this is also an energetic, well told and memorable novel that can be enjoyed for the story elements alone. If
you haven't yet read Krueger, start with Iron Lake; if you have, don't miss Blood Hollow. (Robin)
By a Spider's Thread, Laura Lippman, William Morrow, $24.95.
Last year's remarkable Every Secret Thing seems to have freed Lippman from the more traditional constraints of the
PI genre, and in this one she happily messes around with different points of view as many of the actors in the story tell
what's going on through their own lenses. Most remarkable is the viewpoint of a very memorable and vivid 9 year old boy,
who has disappeared with his mother and sister. His father, surprised and hurt by their disappearance, finds no help from
the police, and he turns to Tess Monaghan for help. The portrayal of the man - an orthodox Jewish businessman - is vivid as
well, and Lippman also brings a lot of humor to the novel, which includes Tess's trials as a bridesmaid (think about that
one for a minute). Lippman may owe a huge debt to authors like Paretsky, Grafton, and Muller, but she's taking the P.I.
novel a little further down the path. This is a great story with a lot to say about the consequences of ill thought out
actions and their ramifications on the lives of other people. And if you haven't read last year's great Every Secret
Thing, it's now out in paperback, and there's no excuse to skip it. (Robin)
In a Dark House, Deborah Crombie, William Morrow, $23.95.
This is another wonderful novel from Deborah Crombie, who never ceases to push the limits within her chosen genre, the
psychological British police procedural. Her main characters, Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, are being tormented in this
book by the possible loss of custody of Kincaid's son, Kit. The novel itself centers both around a series of fires that
echo famous fires throughout London history, and the disappearances of five very different women (one of them actually a
movingly drawn ten year old girl). One of them was killed in one of the fires, and tracking down which of them that was
leads to the discovery of the mysteries in all the different women's lives. My mother thought there were too many characters
in this book, but I think Crombie handles the variety with incredible deftness and manages to flesh out the personalities
of all the characters, major and otherwise. This is another bravura effort from one of the very best writers working at
the moment, and it's always interesting to see who writes the better book in a given year, Crombie or Elizabeth George.
This year Crombie wins the race hands down. (Robin)
Favorite Discovery: David Ellis
I'm not including David Ellis' latest book on my top 10 list because I haven't
read this year's entry yet. I've only read his first, Line of Vision, and
an advance copy of his novel that will be out in April,
In the Company of
Liars (which will probably be on next year's top 10). All I can tell you is
that if you are a fan of Scott Turow's classic Presumed Innocent, but are
frustrated by his more recent work, then give David Ellis a try. His narrative
drive is just as strong as Turow's, his legal background is as solid, and
the complex moral dilemmas he chooses to explore don't detract from the story,
they add to it. These books are also set in a thinly veiled Chicago - maybe
Ellis and Turow even know each other, I'm not sure. If that's true, Turow
may be giving Ellis a nervous glance out of the corner of his eye; he's that
good.
Additional Recommendations
Fortunes of the Dead, Lynn Hightower, Pocket Star, $7.50.
This is
a fast moving, well drawn, terrific P.I. novel, featuring the return of Hightower's
Shamus winning character, Lena Padgett.
Dying to Call You, Elaine Viets, Signet, $5.99.
This is the funniest of Viets' novels about Helen, who works dead end jobs
off the books for cash to avoid being found by her deadbeat ex.
Haunted Ground, Erin Hart, Pocket Star, $7.50. Irish peat bogs have
never sounded so mysterious or beautiful in Hart's debut set in Ireland. A
head of a woman is found in a bog; lovely writing and rich characterizations
follow.
Staff & Customer Recommendations
Marty, Ace Assistant: Rain Fall, Barry Eisler; any Barbara Hambly or Henning
Mankell; Resurrection Men, Ian Rankin; and The Voice of the Violin, Andrea
Camarelli.
Lisa, Ann Arbor: Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear.
Maria, North Carolina (listed in order of preference): Playing with Fire,
Peter Robinson; Disordered Minds, Minette Walters (this will be out shortly
in the U.S.); Scaredy Cat, Mark Billingham; The Last Witness and Alone at
Night, K.J. Erickson; Grift Sense, James Swain; and Death's Jest Book, Reginald
Hill.
Fab Librarian Patti Cheney, Troy, Mich: Absent Friends, S.J. Rozan; Haunted
Ground, Erin Hart; Murder is a Collector's Item, Elizabeth Dean (1939); Breach
of Duty, J.A. Jance; and Chasing the Dime, Michael Connelly.
Jane, Ann Arbor: Charm City, Laura Lippman; Last Witness, K.J. Erickson; Out
of the Deep I Cry, Julia Spencer-Fleming; all of Denise Mina.
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