BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> 10 That Were Great in 2008

1. SMALL CRIMES by Dave Zeltserman – Nothing like the bleakest ending of the year to top my list of great crime reads. This book is one gut punch after another and never lets up, which is why I’ve got nothing but high hopes for what Zeltserman comes up with next.

2. CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith – A book that started off the year really strong for crime fiction, this is definitely the one title that crosses genre lines with its literate tale of a Russian serial killer and the system that tries to stop him.

3. TRIGGER CITY by Sean Chercover – The follow-up to BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD picks right up in the world of Ray Dudgeon. Just like THE DARK KNIGHT, the sequel is even better then the original. Chercover is a rising talent upon whom I can’t lavish enough praise.

4. THE COLD SPOT by Tom Piccirilli – This novel seems to be an alternate history for Richard Stark’s Parker series, where we see Parker become a father whose son is taking up the family business. What is even better is that for people just finding out about this one, the sequel comes out in February.

5. HARDCORE HARDBOILED edited by Todd Robinson — Currently, this is the greatest collection of short fiction out there. Nothing comes close to these pieces. I really hope the next one is as good.

6. TWELVE TREES by J.D. Carpenter — This is one that probably slipped through the cracks of other lists, but let me show my support to this self-examination of life while betting on horses. Not for everyone, but also one that should be given wider exposure.

7. RAW RUMBLES: THE HAL ELLSON OMNIBUS by Hal Ellson — Three great juvenile-delinquent tales are reissued in one collection, so don’t bother paying out-of-control prices for the originals. Grab this set and use the rest of the money on other books on this list.

8. THE BRENNER ASSIGNMENT: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MOST DARING SPY MISSION OF WORLD WAR II – This is the best spy book of 2008! And it’s all real!

9. BLACK OUT by Gianluca Morozzi — Three people are trapped on an elevator, each with their own secrets and lies. Tense and unflinching, but whatever you do, don’t rent the movie version.

10. ANGEL IN THE FULL MOON by Don Easton – The third Jack Taggert book is probably the darkest, since Easton delves into his own family’s past and further blurs the line between author and character. Again, let me state: one of the coolest Canadians ever.

Honorable Mentions
Okay, so these two books came close to making the top 10 but were edged out. Still, it’s only fitting to mention both.

SPACE VULTURE by Gary K. Wolf and Archbishop John J. Myers – The most fun I had reading all year, this was a total throwback to the old science fiction of my youth. It’s truly a book that can be shared with everyone in the family.

THE NEW DESTROYER: KILLER RATINGS by Warren Murphy and Jim Mullaney – Did you really think I was going to leave off what looks like the last Remo Williams adventure? It’s bittersweet that things did not work out for Tor’s revamp of the series, but this episode pulled out all the stops and delivered in spades. I so hope that Murphy and Mullaney get to write more of these, since the four they came up with bring back the glory days of the series. —Bruce Grossman

Buy them at Amazon.