Best Genre Fiction 2005

-- Library Journal, 1/15/2006

Best Genre Fiction 2005

Mystery

Aubert, Rosemary. Red Mass: An Ellis Portal Mystery. Bridge Works. ISBN 1-882593-96-0. $23.95; pap. ISBN 1-882593-95-2. $15.95.

Aubert concludes the up-and-down career of series star Ellis Portal, a disgraced Toronto judge turned homeless sleuth turned reestablished lawyer, with more elegant twists and turns. A worthy finale to an excellent series. (LJ 6/1/05)

Fulmer, David. Jass: A Valentin St. Cyr Mystery. Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-101025-0 [ISBN 978-0-15-101025-7]. $23.

Fulmer's successful follow-up to his smashing debut, Chasing the Devil's Tail, captures the ragtime spirit of 1908 New Orleans in literate and readable prose as his Creole PI hunts the serial killer of local jazz musicians. (LJ 12/04)

Gaspar de Alba, Alicia. Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders. Arte Público. ISBN 1-55885-446-0 [ISBN 978-1-55885-446-8]. $23.95.

This incisive mystery featuring a Latina protagonist offers a powerful portrait of social injustice and serial murder along the U.S.–Mexico border. (LJ 3/1/05)

Geagley, Brad. Year of the Hyenas: A Novel of Murder in Ancient Egypt. S. & S. ISBN 0-7432-5080-X [ISBN 978-0-7432-5080-1]. $23.

Ancient Egyptian beliefs and detailed, exotic surrounds provide the setting for the timeless human traits that lead to murder. A lively historical debut starring a unique, energetic investigator. (LJ 1/05)

Levack, Simon. Demon of the Air: An Aztec Mystery. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin's. ISBN 0-312-34834-7 [ISBN 978-0-312-34834-2]. $23.95.

British author Levack's award-winning debut offers a wonderfully detailed re-creation of the Aztec civilization, juxtaposing its ancient beliefs with “modern” intrusions (in the form of Cortés and the “pale faces”). (LJ 9/1/05)

SF & Fantasy

Bisson, Terry. Numbers Don't Lie. Tachyon, dist. by Independent Pub. Group. ISBN 1-892391-32-5 [ISBN 978-1-892391-32-2]. pap. $14.95.

Three tales about the enigmatic, eclectic Wilson Wu, narrated by his friend Irving, explore an interdimensional doorway leading from a Brooklyn junkyard to the moon, a temporal pocket in Alabama that heralds the end of the universe, and an homage to the Butterfly Effect involving a wedding that almost doesn't happen. Bisson's fresh and original perspective makes him a leading writer of comic speculative fiction. (LJ 12/05)

Clarke, Arthur C. & Stephen Baxter. Sunstorm. Del Rey: Ballantine. (Time Odyssey, Bk. 2). ISBN 0-345-45250-X [ISBN 978-0-345-45250-4]. $25.95.

The best of disaster adventure fiction and hard sf combine in this compelling sequel to Time's Eye as British officer Bisesa Dutt and a group of specialists attempt to save Earth from a mammoth sunstorm threatening to destroy it in five years. (LJ 3/15/05)

Cross, Janine. Touched by Venom. ROC: NAL. (Dragon Temple Saga, Bk. 1). ISBN 0-451-46048-0 [ISBN 978-0-451-46048-6]. pap. $14.

An independent-minded young woman in a male-dominated society angers the Dragon Temple's dragonmasters, bringing disaster on her family and clan and setting the girl on an odyssey that will change her world. The jungle setting and tribal civilizations of this exciting debut novel vividly evoke the rain forests of Africa and South America. (LJ 11/15/05)

Eschbach, Andreas. The Carpet Makers. Tor. ISBN 0-7653-0593-3 [ISBN 978-0-7653-0593-0]. $24.95.

The carpet makers of Yahannochia spend their lives making carpets from the hair of their women relatives to adorn the emperor's palace beyond the stars. Disturbing rumors and a visitor from another world lead to an astonishing discovery about the carpets' true purpose. Brought to Tor's attention by sf writer Orson Scott Card, this 1996 German novel elegantly conveys the conflict between tradition and change. (LJ 3/15/05)

Palwick, Susan. The Necessary Beggar. Tor. ISBN 0-7653-1097-X [ISBN 978-0-7653-1097-2]. $24.95.

Found guilty of murder, Darroti is exiled, along with his family, from his idyllic homeworld to contemporary Earth, where they start their lives over as refugees. Palwick's first novel in a decade highlights the power of forgiveness and integrity. (LJ 10/15/05)

Romance

Goodman, Jo. A Season To Be Sinful. Zebra: Kensington. ISBN 0-8217-7775-0 [ISBN 978-0-8217-7775-6]. pap. $6.50.

A female footpad who saves the life of a nobleman finds love, as well as inevitable danger, when she and the three street urchins she “protects” end up in the care of the grateful viscount. Passion, humor, and memorable characters add warmth to a romance that delves into the Regency period's seamier aspects and the darker side of human nature. (LJ 8/05)

James, Eloisa. Kiss Me, Annabel. Avon. ISBN 0-06-073210-5 [ISBN 978-0-06-073210-3]. pap. $6.99.

A lovely young aristocrat sets out to find an appropriate husband—preferably rich, English, and pleasant—and ends up with an impoverished, take-charge Scotsman instead. This second volume in James's “Essex Sisters” series is an intelligent, beautifully written romance with a large cast of fascinating characters. (LJ 11/15/05)

Landis, Jill Marie. Heartbreak Hotel. Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-45330-1 [ISBN 978-0-345-45330-3]. $23.95.

In this heartwarming conclusion to Landis's “Twilight Cove” trilogy, a widow works to restore a derelict hotel along the California coast and happens upon a new life—and a new love—with the help of the resident ghost. (LJ 4/15/05)

Moore, Kate. Sexy Lexy. Love Spell: Dorchester. ISBN 0-505-52623-9 [ISBN 978-0-505-52623-6]. pap. $6.99.

A popular fitness guru seeks anonymity as an inn owner in a coastal town and discovers love with the local handyman (and famous architect)—until her sexy workout book blows her cover. This funny romance has a serious core and is historical writer Moore's first foray into the contemporary arena. (LJ 4/15/05)

Phillips, Susan Elizabeth. Match Me If You Can. Morrow. ISBN 0-06-079355-8. $24.95.

Phillips is in top form in a hilarious romp that mixes a heroine desperate to save her inherited matchmaking business and a superstar sports agent hero too busy to find his own bride, throws in a rival matchmaker for good measure, and lets the sparks fly. (LJ 6/1/05)

Christian Fiction

Alexander, Hannah. Last Resort. Steeple Hill. ISBN 0-373-78540-2 [ISBN 978-0-373-78540-7]. pap. $12.95.

Former nurse Noelle Cooper is again having premonitions that someone she loves is in danger. When she discovers that her 12-year-old cousin is missing, Noelle knows she must return to Hideaway, a place that represents pain and sorrow for her. Reminiscent of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, this intelligent mystery will keep readers engrossed. (LJ 6/1/05)

Austin, Lynn. All She Ever Wanted. Bethany. ISBN 0-7642-2889-7 [ISBN 978-0-7642-2889-6]. pap. $13.99.

Mother-daughter relationships are explored in this captivating tale about a dysfunctional family and one daughter's decision to confront her difficult past in an attempt to save her relationship with her own teenaged child. (LJ 11/1/05)

Cramer, W. Dale. Levi's Will. Bethany. ISBN 0-7642-2995-8 [ISBN 978-0-7642-2995-4]. pap. $13.99.

This 2005 Christy Award–winning author (Bad Ground) pens another first-rate yarn set in an Old Amish community in 1940s Ohio. Cramer's ability to create flawed but sympathetic male protagonists in complex story lines makes this a winner. (LJ 6/1/05)

Lewis, Beverly. The Preacher's Daughter. Bethany. (Annie's People, Bk. 1). ISBN 0-7642-0105-0 [ISBN 978-0-7642-0105-9]. pap. $13.99.

Lewis returns to Amish life in her absorbing new series, focusing on Annie Zook, whose passion for art conflicts with her Amish community's beliefs. Through her friendship with “Englisher” pen pal Louisa Stratford, Annie tries to decide which path she must take in life. (LJ 11/1/05)

Mazzarella, Nicole. This Heavy Silence. Paraclete. ISBN 1-55725-425-7 [ISBN 978-1-55725-425-2]. $21.95.

Dottie Connell's obsession to own the farmland her family has worked for her whole life forces her to make moral choices that will affect both herself and her ward, the child of her deceased best friend. This finalist in the Paraclete Press fiction contest is an understated literary gem.

Thrillers

Berry, Steve. The Third Secret. Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-47613-1 [ISBN 978-0-345-47613-5]. $24.95.

Best-selling author Berry moves from Russia (The Amber Room; The Romanov Prophecy) to the Vatican with this intriguing and timely look at the election of a new pope. Did Pope John Paul II reveal the full Fatima secret in 2000?

Child, Lee. One Shot: A Jack Reacher Novel. Delacorte. ISBN 0-385-33668-3 [ISBN 978-0-385-33668-0]. $25.

A man who despises Jack Reacher must rely on his help after he is accused of shooting five people. This superior thriller shows Child at the top of his game. (LJ 3/15/05)

Connelly, Michael. The Lincoln Lawyer. Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-73493-4 [ISBN 978-0-316-73493-6]. $26.95.

Connelly moves into John Grisham territory with his first legal thriller. Mickey Haller, whose office is in an automobile, defends a seemingly innocent client. (LJ 10/1/05)

Ellis, David. In the Company of Liars. Putnam. ISBN 0-399-15247-4. $24.95.

A legal thriller told in reverse so the story starts at the end and leads to a shocking opening, this is one roller-coaster ride of a read. (LJ 3/15/05)

Preston, Douglas. Tyrannosaur Canyon. Forge: Tor. ISBN 0-7653-1104-6 [ISBN 978-0-7653-1104-7]. $24.95.

The search for a rare fossil leads to death and a deadly secret. An absorbing science-based thriller that puts Michael Crichton to shame. (LJ 7/05)