Back in late July, I told you about my favorite
books of 2020 thru June. I gave you six
reading suggestions for the first six months and did so here.
That means you need at least six more of my favorite reading suggestions for
the back half of the year. They are….
A coyote found the body first as it lay at the base
of a pagoda in Thailand Plaza. Driven by the fires that had consumed Griffith
Park moving her natural food sources away, the scrawny coyote took off a chunk
of thigh before the flashing lights and sirens of the first officers to arrive
on scene sent her scurrying off elsewhere this new day. The rest of my review
of One Day You’ll Burn: A Novel by Joseph Schneider can be found here
in this post from late July. I also now have the sequel, What Waits For
You by way of the publisher. Publication day is 1/5/2021 and I do not
think I will make that.
“She was lucky to have escaped with her life when
the intruders came for her that cold and snowy night. She had been ready and
had a plan, but as often happens with plans, things went sideways from the
point her door crashed inward. She fled into the night and by sheer luck
survived and got to the vicinity of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. There is one person
there she knew long ago that might help her now: Kate Burkholder.” The rest of
my late July review of
Outsider: A Novel of Suspense by Linda
Castillo can be found
here.
“It is late June 1898 as Sooner Than Gold by J.R.
Lindermuth begins. Hiram Mariner is the local doctor and he has come to fetch
Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman in his newfangled horseless carriage as they both
are wanted down at a mine just outside of town. Nathan Zimmerman, owner of the
mine just outside of Arahpot, Pennsylvania wants both men pronto. Since
Zimmerman is technically his boss, the good sheriff has to go as fast as
possible and that means his own horse is out.” The rest of my review of Sooner
Than Gold by J. R. Lindermuth can be found here
from last August. Sadly, this is out of print right now.
“
Never Look Back In Texas by Russ Hall begins
innocently enough with Al Quinn long since retired being asked by Sheriff
Clayton to do a little mentoring. He has the experience and despite the
grumbling, is ready to help out. He just was not ready to see on his way home
hours later, Fergie in deep conservation with a man who clearly is very special
to Fergie.” Also from August comes my review of
Never Look Back In Texas:
An Al Quin Novel by Russ Hall. I have long said you can not go wrong
with a Russ Hall book and this series is absolutely great. I recommend reading
in order, but you are a grown adult and will do what you do. The review of the
sixth book in the series can be found
here.
“It is the middle of May 2018 as
The Lantern
Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths begins and a lot has
changed in recent months. Kate is now nine. Dr. Ruth Galloway now teaches at
Cambridge and lives with Frank. She is no longer the North Norfolk police’s
resident forensic archeologist and is far from her beloved cottage on the
Saltmarsh. While she will always have a connection to DCI Henry Nelson because
of Kate, she is trying her best to close that door of her life and move forward
with Frank and her new job duties.” The rest of my early September review of
The
Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths can be found
here. This is another favorite series of mine, book in and book out, and
most definitely should be read in order.
“Badge Heavy is the third book in the Charlie 316
series and picks up shortly after Never The Crime ended. The Anti-Crime Team is
up and running and working the streets of Spokane hard. Officer Gary Stone is
on ACT along with Tyler Garrett as well as well with rookie Jun Yang and
veteran officer Ray Zielinski. While the four officers are on the team and, in
theory, working together, they are fragmented and have settled into a
Stone/Garett and Yang/Zielinski pairing. Despite their internal issues, they
are generating results in their pursuit of HPOs--High Profile Offenders.” My
late September review of
Badge Heavy: A Charlie-316 Novel Frank
Zafiro and Colin Conway is
here.
This is another series that must be read in order. My November review of what
is currently billed as the final installment,
Code Four, can be
found
here.
“
A Private Cathedral: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
is a book of two times. Set a couple of decades ago, it has numerous references
to the here and now concerning the fight for social justice, the current occupant
of the White House, and more. As one always expects in a Dave Robicheaux novel,
aspects of the paranormal are front and center. Sometimes those aspects are
subtle. At other times, like in this read, those aspects are major – if not the
major character of the book.” My October review of
A Private Cathedral: A
Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke can be found
here.
“Sunshine Vicram is back in Del Sol, New Mexico,
with her teenage daughter, Aurora, better known as Auri. She is also less than
thrilled about living in the small tourist town of Del Sol again. Even if it is
home for her parents and she and Auri are in the guest house about fifty feet
from their backdoor. She is also not thrilled about being the newly elected
sheriff. Especially when she wasn’t even running for sheriff far as she knew.”
The rest of my October review of
A Bad Day For Sunshine: A Novel by
Darynda Jones can be found
here.
“It is the middle of January as
Beyond the Truth: A Detective Byron Mystery by Bruce Robert
Coffin begins. As expected Portland, Maine, is bitterly cold and there is
ice and snow the ground with a major snowstorm on the way. That snowstorm is
going to make things even more complicated when investigating an officer
involved shooting.” My early December review of
Beyond the Truth: A
Detective Byron Mystery by Bruce Robert Coffin can be found
here.
Earlier this week, I reviewed the fourth book in this series,
Within
Plain Sight: A Detective Byron Mystery here.
There were other books that I enjoyed, but hit me
very hard and I chose not to review them. I was reminded of that when I read
Lesa Holstine’s roundup of 2020 books which
included Craig Johnson’s Next To Last Stand. A really good read,
but one I found incredibly depressing. It stirred up a lot of grief in me in regards to Sandi so I chose not to try
and write a review of the book.
There you have it…. nine more personal favorites from
the back half of the year. Eleven if you count the two that follow for a couple
of these series. Throw in the half dozen books plus I recommended from the first half
of the year and you have some solidly
good reading suggested for you. Not saying these are the best books. I Am saying
they were my personal favorites.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
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