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Bookreporter Reviewers' Favorite Books of 2023

Reviewer Picks

Bookreporter Reviewers' Favorite Books of 2023

Recently we asked our reviewers to provide us with a list of their favorite books from 2023. Included is a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles, all published for the first time this year. Take a moment to read these varied lists of titles and see if you agree with any of their selections! Please note that due to personal and professional commitments, some reviewers were not able to participate in this feature.

 

Kate Ayers

 

Megan Elliott

 

Pauline Finch

 

Harvey Freedenberg

 

Ron Kaplan

 

Pamela Kramer

  • CROW MARY by Kathleen Grissom
    A masterfully written work of historical fiction based on a real woman's life. Crow Mary's descendants gave their blessing to this wonderful novel. Kathleen Grissom's writing is almost mystical when she gets her "vibes."
     
  • THE WOMAN WITH THE CURE by Lynn Cullen
    A brilliant novel about the race to prevent polio and the truth about the women who were really behind the vaccine.
     
  • A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL by Julia Kelly
    A historical murder mystery that's the first in a new series set in WWII England.
     
  • THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA by Patti Callahan Henry
    A touching story of family and connections.
     
  • TWO WARS AND A WEDDING by Lauren Willig
    A historical novel about little-known wars and their effect on the Americans who got involved.
     
  • CODE NAME SAPPHIRE by Pam Jenoff
    A twisty novel about espionage and survival set during WWII.
     
  • THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen
    A lovely first entry in a series about retired CIA spies who must get back into the field.
     
  • THE SQUARE OF SEVENS by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
    A beautifully narrated historical novel with a lovely twist at the end.
     
  • THE WHITE LADY by Jacqueline Winspear
    A beautifully written historical novel about corruption and politics and the families we find.
     
  • THE ENEMY BESIDE ME by Naomi Ragen
    A heartbreaking story about Lithuania during WWII and what has been hidden since then with two unlikely protagonists.
     
  • BARBARA ISN'T DYING written by Alina Bronsky, translated by Tim Mohr
    This short novel, really a novella, manages to be both touching and humorous about a man who won't believe his wife is dying.
     
  • MRS. PLANSKY'S REVENGE by Spencer Quinn
    A brilliant story about an older woman who is swindled out of all her retirement money and is determined to get it back.
     
  • THE WIFE APP by Carolyn Mackler
    A humorous novel that is quite serious about what, exactly, a "woman's" job entails.
     
  • THE ENDLESS VESSEL by Charles Soule
    A superb narrative that encompasses historical characters and fantasy with spectacular results.
     
  • GOING ZERO by Anthony McCarten
    A surprisingly good novel about trying to outwit technology with a great twist at the end.
     
  • LIE TO HER by Melinda Leigh
    The latest in a lovely murder mystery series about a female sheriff in rural upstate New York.
     
  • KILLER STORY by Matt Witten
    A deep dive into journalistic ethics along with a great story.
     
  • THE SWEET SPOT by Amy Poeppel
    A touching story of family and friendship.
     
  • CODE SIX by James Grippando
    A thrilling, action-filled novel about technology.
     
  • THE SCANDALOUS LADIES OF LONDON: THE COUNTESS by Sophie Jordan
    A light Regency romance with (gasp!) a woman of a certain age as the love interest.
     

 

Bronwyn Miller

 

Rebecca Munro

 

L. Dean Murphy

Dean's List

  • RUMOR OF EVIL by Gary Braver
    RUMOR OF EVIL is an iconic police procedural. Readers want to see Kirk and Mandy solve more cases. Soon! Please, Mr. Braver?

  • ODYSSEY’S END: A Rick Cahill Novel by Matt Coyle
    Astute readers may interpret the title to mean an end of private investigation in San Diego. Don’t let your readers down, Mr. Coyle. Rick has become a friend. We need to know what’s in store for our buddy.

  • DEATH WRITES: An Inishowen Mystery by Andrea Carter
    Death, she writes. Contemporary Agatha Christie reincarnate Andrea Carter, that is. It’s kismet that these two famed mystery authors share identical initials. A dozen individuals with motive and means populate the pages.

  • GUMSHOE ON THE RUN: A Mortimer Angel Mystery by Rob Leininger  
    Complicated hairpin turns baffle the most sophisticated cartographer in GUMSHOE ON THE RUN. A whiz-bang dénouement leaves readers agape, catapulting Rob Leininger into the Superstar PI Hall of Fame.

  • NIGHT CANDY: A Colleen Hayes Mystery by Max Tomlinson  
    Rarely is a mystery so richly entrenched in forensics, police procedure, investigative techniques and a novice investigator who tirelessly pursues the truth.
     
  • FACE OF GREED by James L’Etoile
    Each link in the proverbial chain gang is attached to another. James L’Etoile weaves these plot threads into a satisfying police procedural tapestry.
  • INCENTIVE FOR DEATH by James Spoonhour
    More than a finely honed detective procedural plump with investigative forensics, James Spoonhour's INCENTIVE FOR DEATH delves into the lives of law enforcement personnel: what makes them tick, the overwhelming desire to take the bad guys --- and gals --- off the street.
     
  • BONES UNDER THE ICE: A Jhonni Laurent Mystery by Mary Ann Miller  
    Halfway through, this spectacular police procedural becomes more of a whydunit than a whodunit. Readers learn the perpetrator’s identity before Laurent does.
     
  • BURNING DISTANCE by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman  
    This intriguing novel is a mystery solved by an audacious young lady’s wit and cunning. It has overtones somewhat comparable to a cross-cultural rendition of the Bard’s classic, ROMEO AND JULIET.
     
  • SAVING MYLES by Carl Vonderau  
    SAVING MYLES is a stunning thriller that will attract a wide spectrum of readers.
     
  • CULTURED: A Jake Longly Thriller by D.P. Lyle  
    Readers who can get past troubling events in this novel --- events that happen in real life --- will find it an enjoyable read. And perhaps become more aware of cults and those who consider people expendable “merchandise.”
     
  • A LONESOME BLOOD-RED SUN: A Bone Detective Novel by David Putnam
    Overused terms like ratchet, rollercoaster, gripping and action-packed all fail to adequately describe this phenomenal thriller. Those seeking an over-the-top police procedural will find it in A LONESOME BLOOD-RED SUN.
     
  • LIQUID SHADES OF BLUE by James Polkinghorn  
    A surprise dénouement floored me. Trivial mentions of characters, boating and life in Miami for power-people are all subtle clues, trademarks of a seasoned author.
     
  • THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS AND TRAITORS: A Max Geller Spy Thriller by James A. Scott  
    Packing the punch of an RPG, THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS AND TRAITORS takes readers to Germany, Russia, Cyprus and Estonia, a former Soviet Union Baltic country that Russia wants to reclaim.
     

 

Eileen Zimmerman Nicol

 

Ray Palen

 

Norah Piehl

 

Barbara Bamberger Scott

 

Stuart Shiffman

Creating a list of best books for the year is a difficult task. It is a journey from January to December that requires maintaining a list and checking sources across the year. It also demands that I recall details about books that were read far too many months ago. But here is my list for 2023, another year of memorable reading.

  • SPILLANE: King of Pulp Fiction by Max Allan Collins and James L. Traylor
    My review (linked above) noted that “[g]reat biographies must capture the individual portrayed --- his spirit, his accomplishments, and the times in which he lived and worked. SPILLANE does all of this so expertly that it reads almost as well as a Spillane novel.” A truly entertaining biography.
     
  • KING: A Life by Jonathan Eig
    Jonathan Eig is earning a reputation as one of America’s accomplished historians. His latest book adds new current research to previous studies on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. This is a balanced portrayal that includes King’s strengths and weaknesses and reminds readers that many of the consequential issues of the 1950s and '60s remain with us today.
     
  • LARRY McMURTRY: A Life by Tracy Daugherty
    Larry McMurtry completed many novels in a lengthy writing career. His books focused on his home state of Texas with settings in both contemporary and historical times. One of his writing goals was to deglamorize the West when appropriate. His books became memorable award-winning movies and television productions. They included HUD, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and LONESOME DOVE. Tracy Daugherty’s biography is vivid and entertaining. Any reader of McMurtry’s works will find it to be great reading.
     
  • THE UPSTAIRS DELICATESSEN: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading, by Dwight Garner
    Dwight Garner reviews books for the New York Times. His own book is a discussion about food and reading. As you read it, you may find yourself adding to your personal list of books you might explore. The chapters are titled "Breakfast," "Lunch," "Dinner," "Shopping" and "Drinking," which is a good clue for where the book will take you. I found it so enjoyable that I passed it along to friends and gave it as a gift to a member of my family.
     
  • WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL: A History in 50 Moments by Joe Posnanski
    A remarkable compilation of great moments in baseball history, some unforgettable and some that barely registered. But they all serve to remind us why baseball remains part of the life of almost every sports fan. This is a book to read and share with someone in your life who plays or loves the game.
     
  • THE STOLEN COAST by Dwyer Murphy
    This is Dwyer Murphy’s second book featuring Jack (no last name), an attorney whose legal practice is more fixer than litigator. Murphy has written an old-fashioned mystery. You might envision Humphrey Bogart on the pages of this novel.
     
  • THE PUZZLE MASTER by Danielle Trussoni
    It is interesting to read a novel that has the potential to become a series. This mystery introduces readers to Mike Brink, the victim of a football injury that left him with acquired savant syndrome, which allows him to solve puzzles and other mysteries. He uses this skill to solve crimes, and he does so in an entertaining and enjoyable manner with very little blazing shootouts or gratuitous violence.
     

 

Katherine B. Weissman

  • CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
    A grim, brilliant dystopia that cuts close to the bone when it comes to unmasking the American prison system. On all the “best” lists of 2023, and deservedly so.
     
  • THE PLINKO BOUNCE by Martin Clark
    I love a good legal thriller à la Grisham and Turow. This guy is a happy discovery (discovery…get it?). I’m going to seek out his earlier work.
     
  • WE MUST NOT THINK OF OURSELVES by Lauren Grodstein
    Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, trapped and starving, resolve to keep a record of their thwarted lives. Both luminous and heartbreaking.
     
  • THE VASTER WILDS by Lauren Groff
    A survival tale, harsh and beautiful: A nameless and abused servant girl escapes from a disease-ridden colonial settlement and makes her way in the untamed countryside.
     
  • THE HALF MOON by Mary Beth Keane
    A troubled marriage and a failing bar: Toggling between past and present, Mary Beth Keane builds an intimate, unflashy portrait of small-town life.
     
  • TAKE WHAT YOU NEED by Idra Novey
    In my opinion, stepmothers --- I’m one --- aren’t written about enough. An eccentric sculptor and her estranged stepdaughter are the dual narrators of this complex, thoughtful novel whose best moments evoke the idiosyncratic process of making art.
     
  • TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett
    During a pandemic-driven homecoming, three daughters learn about their mother’s long-ago affair with a famous actor (they --- and you --- also learn a lot about cherry orchards and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town).
     
  • IN MEMORIAM by Alice Winn
    The secret love of two young English soldiers in World War I England. So well researched and beautifully written that it’s hard to believe this is Alice Winn’s literary debut.
     
  • THE MAN IN THE CORDUROY SUIT by James Wolff
    For those of us who simply can’t accept that John le Carré is no more, this clever, subtle novel helps to fill the espionage gap.
     
  • LAND OF MILK AND HONEY by C Pam Zhang
    A stellar chef is hired to work in an elite enclave while the rest of the planet is dying. A brutal-yet-sensuous dystopia you could read for the food descriptions alone.

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