Well, it's awards season again---time for the Oscars, Emmys, and all the various guild awards in the entertainment industry.
However, for those of us who write and read mysteries, it's also an awards season. Most notably, there's the Mystery Writers of America's annual Edgar Awards dinner, which is just around the corner.
I was thinking about what a great year 2009 was for mystery and crime novels when the latest issue of The Strand Magazine appeared at my office. Not only is the editor, Andrew Gulli, a man of erudition and taste (he published two of my short stories, "Blood Lines" and "A Theory of Murder," didn't he?), he really seems to have his finger on the pulse of what's happening in the crime-writing world.
In fact, in his editorial in this latest issue, Andrew listed his choices for the best 12 mysteries of 2009. Here they are:
1. A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory
2. A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart
3. The Fury by Jason Pinter
4. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Roadside Crosses by Jeffrey Deaver
6. Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
7. 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
8. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
9. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
10. Dexter By Design by Jeff Lindsay
11. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
12. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Pretty impressive list, I'd say. But what do you think? Any novels you loved this past year that belong on a "Best Of" list?
Let me know and we'll add your choices to the list. And here's to more great crime (fictional, of course!) in 2010.
