Reading is a writer’s homework, and in 2021 I pulled a massive all-nighter (all-yearer?). I read 51 books (listed below)—far more than I ever have in a year. There’s a lot of mystery/thriller content here, along with what turned out to be some romance-leaning mystery/thrillers, but not everything falls into those categories. There are some series (one notable one that I read end-to-end), and a lot of standalones. I don’t think I made a concerted effort to read more Black authors, but I ended up doing so and these were among the best I read this year.
I’ve provided some notes on the books I found most memorable, but there are many others I’m happy I read. A few I enjoyed reading, but when putting together this list I had to go back and check whether I’d really read them because they just didn’t stand out. Just one book didn’t make this list because I abandoned it early on (which is a pretty good run rate, I think).
Note: I’ve provided goodreads or Amazon links because they are easy and because I read most of these in the Kindle app on my phone, but I do not benefit in any way if you follow these or any other links on mcx.page.
Most Memorable
Open Water — Caleb Azumah Nelson – This is a novel of vulnerability and pain, of need and desire, of love and heartbreak. I will never truly know what it’s like to be young and Black in London, but this book pulled me through a window into that life for just a little while. But that’s just me becoming less naive—it’s Nelson’s mastery of the words, the language, the poetry of Nelson’s prose that I’ll remember and go back to.
The Good Lord Bird: A Novel – James McBride – Told from the perspective of a young black boy who pretends to be a girl to stay alive, this National Book Award-winning historical novel is populated with larger-than-life, crazy characters, and impossible situations—most of which are based on real people and events. All told so believably and with enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages.
Klara and the Sun: A novel – Kazuo Ishiguro – Somehow I’d never read any of Nobel-prize winner Ishiguro’s novels, but this one I found as an audiobook recommendation, so I listened to it while driving, walking the dog, cooking, etc. Sura Siu gave Klara a voice and diction that have stuck with me even six months later. Like the two above this one, highly recommended. As you can see in the next section, I subsequently read Never Let Me Go (which also moved me) and The Buried Giant. I’ll definitely read more Ishiguro in the future, but Klara is a singular character that I will remember and re-read.
Lonesome Dove — Larry McMurtry – Not sure why I picked up this old book. I’d never read it nor seen the mini-series, and I had the impression that it was some kind of romance/soap opera (I suppose from the name). It is not. McMurtry’s characters are alive on the page, and I could taste the dust, feel the heat (and cold), and smell the whiskey. It’s a portrait of a violent time and place, so not for everyone, but the characters ring true.
The Chaos Kind — Barry Eisler – Speaking of violence… I picked this up on a whim and found myself drawn into Eisler’s world where (some of) the assassins are the “good guys” (not all guys), and all the characters have depth, flaws, and endearing traits. I really enjoyed this book and then went back and started from the beginning with Eisler’s John Rain series (which have all been renamed at least once, I think—his website has a definitive chronology).
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) — Lisa Cron – I’m still working my way through this one, but it is already helping me build my characters more realistically and interestingly. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to tell me whether it’s working or not some time soon(ish).
Best American Mystery And Suspense 2021 — Anthology – This series has been rebooted with a new Series Editor (Steph Cha, who chose 50 stories) and Editor (Alafair Burke, who narrowed the field to 20), with an eye toward finding talent in a more diverse areas and subjects. All the stories were great, and yes, a little different. The last (and longest) story (Let Her Be, by Lisa Unger) was particularly engaging. If you prefer a more traditional mystery anthology, Otto Penzler, the previous Series Editor, now edits the Mysterious Bookshop version of the Best Mystery Stories of the Year, which you can find in my “didn’t get to yet” section below.
The Trees: A Novel — Percival Everett – This funny, disturbing, and thought-provoking story of what I can only call a revenge serial killer movement also sheds light on the atrocious, tragic, and inexcusable history of lynchings in America. Did I mention it’s told with humor? And yet… and yet… so many innocent people senselessly (but very intentionally and systematically) killed—with impunity. The kind of book that can make one laugh one moment, cry the next, but never forget.
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse Book 1) — James S. A. Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse Book 9) – James S. A. Corey
The bookends for my reading year. The first eight books of the series were the first eight I read in 2020, and the ninth (which came out late in the year) was the last. This series is interesting in a speculative, science fiction way, and was meticulously researched so it is scientifically accurate as far as the pre-speculative stuff goes, but that’s not what makes it great. It’s the characters, what they do, and why that makes it so worth reading. These are novels of big questions: of ethics, morals, and politics as much as they are of intrigue, suspense, and mystery (and they are very much books of intrigue, suspense, and mystery). The authors (James S. A. Corey is a pseudonym for two people) created worlds—a universe—that I won’t soon forget.
The rest, in approximate reading order
Caliban’s War (The Expanse Book 2) — James S. A. Corey
Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse Book 3) — James S. A. Corey
Cibola Burn: (The Expanse Book 4) — James S. A. Corey
Nemesis Games (The Expanse Book 5) — James S. A. Corey
Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse Book 6) — James S. A. Corey
Persepolis Rising (The Expanse Book 7) — James S. A. Corey
Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse Book 8) — James S. A. Corey
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Buried Giant: A novel – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Girl Who Lived — Christopher Grayson
Troubled Blood (A Cormoran Strike Novel Book 5) — Robert Galbraith
Her Last Breath – Hilary Davidson
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell — Robert Dugoni
Stillhouse Lake — Rachel Caine
Killman Creek (Stillhouse Lake Book 2) — Rachel Caine
Say You’re Sorry — Melinda Leigh
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need — Jessica Brody
The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme Book 1) — Jeffery Deaver
The Coffin Dancer (Lincoln Rhyme Book 2) — Jeffery Deaver
The Empty Chair (Lincoln Rhyme Book 3) — Jeffery Deaver
Beneath Devil’s Bridge — Loreth Anne White
The Dark Bones — Loretta Anne White
Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross Book 1) — James Patterson
Past Crimes: A Van Shaw Novel — Glen Erik Hamilton
Crime on the Fens: DI Nikki Galena, Book 1 — Joy Ellis
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue)) — Steven King
Mr. Mercedes: A Novel (The Bill Hodges Trilogy Book 1) – Steven King
The God’s Eye View — Barry Eisler
A Clean Kill in Tokyo — Barry Eisler
A Lonely Resurrection — Barry Eisler
Redemption Games — Barry Eisler
Winner Take All — Barry Eisler
The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel — Laura Dave
On my list, but didn’t get to them, yet…
Holy cow, I need to stop buying/borrowing books for a while.
In no particular order:
Station Eleven: A novel — Emily St. John Mandel (completed January 2, 2022, so just missed the list above)
The Last Thing She Ever Did — Gregg Olsen (reading now)
And Now She’s Gone: A Novel — Rachel Howzell Hall
No One Knows You’re Here — Rachel Howzell Hall
A Deadly Influence (Abby Mullen Thrillers Book 1) — Mike Omer
Welcome to Cooper — Tariq Ashkanani
Her Name Is Knight (Nena Knight Book 1) – Yasmin Angie
Norwegian Wood — Haruki Murakami
The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021 — Anthology
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club
A Deadly Influence — Mike Omer
A Stranger at the Door (A Rachel Marin Thriller Book 2) — Jason Pinter
No One Knows You’re Here — Rachel Howzell Hall
The Writer (San Juan Islands Mystery Book 1) — D.W. Ulsterman
Girl Jacked — Christopher Greyson
Follow Her Home (Juniper Song Mysteries Book 1) — Steph Cha
The Sand Sea – Michael McClellan
The Great Alone: A Novel — Kristin Hannah
The Last Protector (Clayton White Book 1) — Simon Gervais
Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, Book 1) — Lee Child
