As an unpublished author, awards are dreams beyond the dream. And award winners are also opportunities to learn. In January, the Edgar nominees were announced, and since then my reading has been focused on these. I’ve now finished all five nominees for the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and (unsurprisingly) they are all great. Here are my reviews (in the order I read them), and my pick for the Edgar.
The Venice Sketchbook – Rhys Bowen – This beautifully drawn historical drama is set primarily in Venice near the start of World War II. Nazism and Fascism cloud the future, while impossible love burns both brightly and painfully. The mystery (which you might not find very mysterious) unfolds via the perspectives of both the period protagonist and a modern relative trying to piece things together.
How Lucky – Will Leitch – Quirky, funny, engaging story with an unconventional protagonist—a disabled . The inevitability of our demise is omnipresent, but life’s strident will. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing life (and death) through the eyes of this protagonist with a severe, debilitating disability who is also so very able, so alive, and so real.
No One Will Miss Her – Kat Rosenfield – City meets Country in this tale of murder with some interesting twists. It’s sometimes hard to know who to root for in this mixup, but it’s an entertaining blend.
Razorblade Tears – S.A. Crosby – This is a tale of two ex-cons, one Black and one White (the former enterprising and successful, the latter living in squalor) whose married gay sons are murdered, and of the colliding inevitability of their path. But it’s also a story of loss, of learning, of growth, of friendship found in unexpected places, of acceptance, love, and hate, all told in a compelling narrative. It’s worthy of the accolades it has received, and I look forward to reading more from S.A. Crosby.
Five Decembers – James Kestrel Don’t be fooled by the pulp fiction cover of this book (it really does the book a disservice). Though it starts with the slow burn of a seemingly conventional noir tale, the story that unfolds is an epic quest that spans the five Decembers of the title. The initial investigation into a bizarre and gruesome murder, set a few days before the attack on Pearl Harbor (and with that impending attack looming in our minds) leads to a series of events that I’m sure most readers won’t anticipate. I’m tempted to say more about the story and what it tells us, but I won’t—just read it.
And the winner is…
All five nominees are worthy, but two stand out above the others to me. I won’t be surprised if Razorblade Tears wins, and I’ll even go so far as to say it probably will. But Five Decembers drew me in the deepest, kept me guessing, and ultimately was the nominee that I was most glad to have read.
My prediction: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby
My pick: Five Decembers by James Kestrel