It’s that time of year again… the time when the staff of The Mystery Bookstore chooses our favorites of the past year. Some of these books may still be available as signed first editions from us, but all of them are worth tracking down – if not as first editions, then as paperbacks, when they become available next year.

Michael Gruber, VALLEY OF BONES. William Morrow, $24.95.

James Lee Burke, CRUSADER’S CROSS. Simon & Schuster, $25.95.

Don Winslow, THE POWER OF THE DOG. Knopf, $25.95.

Michael Connelly, THE LINCOLN LAWYER. Little, Brown, $26.95.

Kent Harrington, RED JUNGLE. Dennis McMillan, $30.00.

Craig Johnson, THE COLD DISH. Viking, $23.95.

Harley Jane Kozak, DATING IS MURDER. Doubleday, $19.95.

Eric Stone, THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD. Forge, $22.95.

William Kent Krueger, MERCY FALLS. Atria, $24.00.

Denise Mina, FIELD OF BLOOD. Little, Brown, $24.95.