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JANUARY 2011
 Sheldon Siegel, PERFECT ALIBI
MacAdam/Cage, $26.00 (signed first edition)
Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez, former spouses and current law partners, take on a case that's much too personal: their 16–year–old daughter's boyfriend is accused of murdering his own father, a Superior Court judge. Grace, Mike and Rosie's daughter, is her boyfriend's only alibi. Digging up the truth will require an uncomfortable investigation into a San Francisco scandal that somebody's willing to kill to protect. Laced with humor, Sheldon Siegel's novels are well–crafted, realistic, and satisfying. Tremendously enjoyable, and one of my favorite series.
NOVEMBER 2010
 Michael Connelly, THE REVERSAL. Little, Brown, $27.99 (signed first edition). Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller agrees to switch sides and prosecute an accused child murderer in a high–profile retrial. Although new DNA evidence seems to exonerate the accused, Jason Jessup, Haller is convinced the man is guilty. He agrees to prosecute the case on one condition: that he can choose his own investigator. That investigator is veteran LAPD detective Harry Bosch, Haller's half–brother, and the two men fight the odds against them in their pursuit of justice. It is a pleasure to ride along with Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller; they are compelling characters and a great team in this blend of police procedural and legal thriller. Another stellar entry from a wonderful author.
OCTOBER 2010
 William Kent Krueger, VERMILION DRIFT
Atria, $25.00
Private investigator (and former Sheriff) Cork O'Connor signs on as a security consultant to the Department of Energy in the wake of protests over a plan to turn an underground iron mine into a nuclear waste facility. Investigating the mine on his first day on the job, O'Connor finds a secret room that holds six dead bodies. Five of them are decades old, dating back to a period known as "The Vanishings" in 1964, when O'Connor's father was the local sheriff. One body, however, is fresh – and was killed with O'Connor's own gun. This series is one of my very favorites, and for good reason. Krueger brings the heartland alive; the sense of place he creates is vivid and stunning, and it a major player in a superbly crafted story. I always look forward to each new entry, and I am never disappointed.
SEPTEMBER 2010
 R.J. Ellory, THE ANNIVERSARY MAN.
Overlook, $24.95 (unsigned first U.S. edition).
Twenty years ago, John Costello survived a brutal attack that killed his girlfriend. The murderer, who called himself "the Hammer of God," attacked young couples in an effort to "save their souls." Costello never fully recovered, but works as a researcher for a major newspaper. When a new series of murders begins in New Jersey, he realizes that they have some important things in common with the Hammer of God's work. Written by one of my favorite UK authors, THE ANNIVERSARY MAN is an excellent police procedural and a heart–hammering read that kept me glued until the wee hours of the morning.
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 Tana French, FAITHFUL PLACE
Viking, $25.95 (first U.S. edition with tipped–in signature page)
French's third novel focuses on Dublin Detective Frank Mackey, a minor character in her previous two books. In 1985, Mackey planned to run off to London with his girlfriend, Rosie Daly, but she never showed up on the night they planned to leave, and he assumed she'd dumped him. Twenty–two years later, Rosie's suitcase is found in a derelict building in Frank's old neighborhood, and Frank will do anything to find out what happened to his lost love. FAITHFUL PLACE has something to please everyone: a great whodunit driven by a quirky cast of characters; plenty of dysfunctional family drama, and dialogue that is sharp, poignant and wickedly funny. Another brilliant novel from a very gifted author.
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 John Shannon, THE NICKEL
Severn House, $28.95
The events of Shannon's last Jack Liffey novel, PALOS VERDES BLUE, left the PI mute and paraplegic, unable to use his vocal cords or his legs. While Liffey waits to see whether these disabilities are permanent, his teenaged daughter Maeve agrees (on his behalf) to take on the case of an old friend's missing son. Conor, 16, had last been seen "on the Nickel" – that is, living on L.A.'s Skid Row. When Maeve tracks him down, they're both pulled into a dangerous tug–of–war among developers and longtime tenants of the area. I am a big fan of this series, and I thought PALOS VERDES BLUE was one of Shannon's best. But ON THE NICKEL is something special. The characters are realistically drawn, and a compelling narrative is underscored with the author's sharp insights into what it means to be homeless in L.A. As long as John Shannon writes Jack Liffey novels, I'll gladly keep reading them.
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 Olen Steinhauer, THE NEAREST EXIT
Minotaur, $25.99 (signed first edition)
Years after the events of THE TOURIST, former CIA black–ops agent Milo Weaver prepares to return to the only work he knows. Before his former bosses let him back into the top-secret Department of Tourism, though, they test his loyalty in terrible ways – and revive the part of Milo's soul he's tried hardest to kill.
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 Jo Nesbo, THE DEVIL'S STAR
Harper, $25.99 (signed first edition).
Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett. Oslo police detective Harry Hole hunts for a serial killer who leaves identical five pointed diamonds at the scene of each crime. Harry's partner on the case is Tom Waaler, a man Harry neither likes nor trusts – and whom Harry believes may even have been responsible for the murder of Harry's last partner. Nesbo and his fictional detective, Harry, have quickly become huge favorites of mine. This is an excellent series, finely crafted, with plenty of edge–of–your–seat action.
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