Best Books of 2016: Carole E. Barrowman's picks
While refreshing myself on the mysteries I’ve read this year for this list of favorites, I was reminded of how lucky I am to make a living reading, writing and teaching about books. I may not be wealthy, but my head’s full of fabulous fiction, my shelves are bursting with words, and that makes me rich. Happy holidays and happy reading!
“Normal” (FSG Originals), by Warren Ellis. The main character in this prescient and compact novel (it’s 160 pages) is a “foresight strategist” who stared too long into the “abyss,” saw the future, and it broke him. This is a strange addictive mystery about madness wrapped in a twisted philosophical tale about the future. I predict if you like books that challenge normal you’ll love this one, too.
“I Let You Go” (Berkley), by Clare Mackintosh.The shocking narrative turn that happens midway in this literate psychological thriller is only one of the gripping elements in this brilliant book about forgiveness and redemption.
“Dark Matter” (Crown), by Blake Crouch. Crouch’s main character is not on “some drug-induced trip” nor is he “hallucinating” in this mind-bending trippy thriller. He’s forced into “something else entirely.” The reader is too.
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“South of Nowhere” (Minotaur), by Minerva Koenig. This second novel in Koenig’s terrific series has a determined female lead navigating a treacherous southwestern landscape where who she is and where she’s from are the keys to her survival.
“Heart Attack and Vine” (Prospect Parks Books), by Phoef Sutton. This slick mystery is peopled with quirky characters, steeped in movie and music references, and hit my noir sweet spot this year.
“Jane Steele” (Putnam), by Lindsey Faye. A clever witty homage to Charlotte Brontë and Edgar Allen Poe, this historical crime novel set in 19th-century England is narrated by Jane Steele who has penned a killer autobiography after she read “Jane Eyre.”
“The Queen’s Accomplice” (Bantam), by Susan Elia MacNeal. Maggie Hope is the person I’d like to be if I was living in the early 20th century and solving mysteries for crown (British, that is) and country. This feminist series is as engaging in its mysteries as it is true to its historical sensibilities.
“When The Music’s Over” (Morrow), by Peter Robinson. Inspector Alan Banks is a member of the league of extraordinary English detectives with the likes of Dalgliesh, Tenant, Lewis and Lynley, and in this evocative traditional mystery an investigation into the deaths of two women murdered decades apart challenges Banks in unexpected ways.
“Hard Light” (Minotaur), by Elizabeth Hand. Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll are the soundtrack for this crime story about love, lust and obsession with a heroine who’s part Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde looking for a priceless piece of art in all the wrong places.
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“Victim Without a Face” (Minotaur), by Stefan Ahnhem. This dense and detailed Scandinavian mystery about a detective who ignores protocol and procedure (his name is Risk) to pursue an innocent woman’s murder is riveting and un-put-downable.
Carole E. Barrowman is a professor of English at Alverno College and co-author of several novels, including the "Hollow Earth" trilogy. Info: www.barrowmanbooks.com.