This is great fun, a book with unexpected delights whether in subject or in style. It can be a first novel but more usually is from an established author with something fresh. Usually a US ed. Monthly.
2013
Jan.: Mason, Jamie. Three Graves Full
Feb.: Gardner, Lisa. Touch and Go
March: Hart, Erin. The Book of Killowen
April: Galbraith, Robert. The Cuckoo’s Calling
2012
Jan: Kovacs, Ed. Storm Damage
Feb.: Landay, William. Defending Jacob
March: Boyd, William. Waiting for Sunrise
April: Toyne, Simon. The Key
May: Norman, Michael. The Skeleton Picnic
June: Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl
July: Bingham, Harry. Talking to the Dead
Aug.: French, Tana. Broken Harbor
Sept.: Barclay, Linwood. Trust Your Eyes
2011
Jan.: Stabenow, Dana. Though Not Dead
Feb.: Boyle, TC. When the Killings Done
March: Ferris, Gordon. The Hanging Shed
April: Lutz/Hayward. Heads You Lose
May: Elkins, Aaron. The Worst Thing
June: West, Michael. Gone with a Handsomer Man
July: Hurwitz, Gregg. You’re Next
Aug.: Gerst, Angela. A Crack in Everything
Sept.: Kilmer, Nicholas. Paradise for Fools
Oct.: Carofiglio, Giancarlo. Temporary Positions
Nov.: Roberts, Les. The Strange Death of Father Candy
Dec.: Maron, Margaret. Three Day Town
2010
Burton, Milton T. Nights of the Red Moon
Coonts, Deborah. Wanna Get Lucky
Boyd, Noah. Bricklayer
Greer, Robert. First of State
Grossman, Paul. Sleepwalkers
Lawson, Mike. House Rules
‘Lowe, Tom. 24th Letter
Meyers, Randy. Murderer’s Daughters
Palumbo, Dennis. Mirror Image
Ridpath, Michael. Where the Shadows Lie
Tafoya, Dennis. Wolves of Fairmount Park
Trussoni, Danielle. Angelology
2009
Agarwal, Shilpa. Haunting Bombay
Armstrong, Lori. No Mercy
Atkinson, Michael. Hemingway’s Deadlights
Bass, Jefferson. Bones of Betrayal
Cleeves, Ann. Red Bones
Coggins, Mark. Big Wake Up
Doetsch, Richard. 13th Hour
Dryden, Alex. Red to Black
Hall, MR. The Coroner
Hitchcock, Jane Stanton. Mortal Mischief
Macauley, Tom. Warning Bell
Ryan, Andie. Shakedown
2008
Bell, James Scott; Try Darkness
Benioff, David; City of Thieves
Bolton, S J; Sacrifice
Burcell, Robin; Face of a Killer
Cassella, Carolyn; Oxygen
Charles, Paul; Beautiful Sound of Silence
DeCastrique, Mark; Blackmans Coffin
Edwards, Selden; Little Book
Greig, Andrew; Romanno Bridge
Grimes, Martha; Dakota
Lavender, Will; Obedience
Rennenbohm, Peter; Buried Lies
2007
Abu-Jaber, Diana; Origin
Clement, Blaize; Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund
Hurwitz, Gregg; The Crime Writer
Ignatius, David; Body of Lies
Nussbaum, Jay; A Monk Jumped over a Wall
Peace, David; Year Zero
Ramsay, Caro; Absolution
Robotham, Michael; Night Ferry
Stone, David; Echelon Vendetta
Swain, James; Midnight Rambler
Weissberger, Ruth; Cure for Remembering
2006
Beckett, Simon; The Chemistry of Death
Black, Benjamin; Christine Falls
Boyd, William; Restless
Crosby, Ellen; The Merlot Murders
De Castrique, Mark; Foolish Undertaking
Jackson, Steve; The Mentor
James, Peter; Looking Good Dead
Latham, Aaron; Riding John Wayne
May, Peter; Extraordinary People
McManus, Patrick; The Blight Way
Mosse, Kate; Labyrinth
Raichev, R T; The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette
2005
Broadbent, Tony; The Smoke
Cohen, Mark; Blue Tick Revenge
Gentry, Christine; Carnosaur Crimes
Jurjevics, Juris; The Trudeau Vector
Kisor, Henry; A Venture into Murder
Kozak, Harley Jane; Dating Is Murder
Langton, Jane; Steeplechase
Lawton, John; Flesh Wounds
Mathews, Adrian; The Apothecary’s House
Staeger, Will; Painkiller
Templeton, Aline; Cold in the Earth
Zigal, Tom; The White League
2004
Allyn, Doug; The Burning of Rachel Hayes
Cady, Dick; the Executioner’s Mask
Coleman, Reed; Redemption Street
Garrison, Paul; The Ripple Effect
Griffiths, Neil; Betrayal in Naples
Long, Jeff; The Reckoning
Nicholson, William; The Society of Others
Rickman, Phil; Prayer of the Night Shepherd
Schwandt, Stephen; Siren Song
Smiley, Patricia; False Profits
Smith, Mary-Anne Tirone; She Smiled Sweetly
Wesson, Marianne; The Chilling Effect
2003
Abrahams, Peter; Their Wildest Dreams
Blake, Michelle; The Book of Light
Bruen, Ken; The Guards
Fowler, Christopher; A Full Dark House
Freedman, J.F.; Fallen Idols
Geary, Joseph; Spiral
Hewson, David; Season for the Dead
Hightower, Lynn; Fortunes of the Dead
Klavan, Andrew; Dynamite Road
Klempner, Joseph; Fogbound
Liu, Aimee; Flash House
Smith, Sarah; Chasing Shakespeares
2002
Andrews, Robert; A Murder of Promise
Haines, Carolyn; Splintered Bones
Heffernan, William; Unholy Order
Kublicki, Nicolas; The Diamond Conspiracy
Lehrer, Jim; No Certain Rest
McClendon, Lise; Sweet and Lowdown
Mones, Nicole; A Cup of Light
Pawel, Rebecca; Death of a Nationalist (Edgar Award)
Silva, Daniel; The English Assassin
Wait, Lea; Shadows at the Fair
Watson, Sterling; Sweet Dream Baby
2001
Barton, Dan; The Heckler
Bowen, Michael; Screenscam
Chang, Leonard; Over the Shoulder
Colapinto, John; About the Author
Eversz, Robert; Killing Paparazzi
Fiffer, Sharon; Killer Stuff
Garcia, Eric; Casual Rex
Gunn, Elizabeth; Six Pound Walleye
Haddam, Jane; True Believers
Malone, Michael; First Lady
Massey, Sujata; The Bride’s Kimono
Smolens, John; Cold
2000
Blunt, Giles; Forty Words for Sorrow
Date, S.V.; Smokeout
Hayes, J.M.; Mad Dog and Englishman
Hoffman, William; Blood and Guile
Kahn, Michael; Bearing Witness