Some of us read Andrew Welsh-Huggins’ January release, The Mailman. He’s also the author of the Andy Hayes PI novels, standalones, and short stories. Today, he’s sharing his ten favorite books read in 2024, in the order he read them. He said maybe half of these came out in 2024. Thank you, Andrew!
Guide Me Home, by Attica Locke.
The third and sadly final installation in Locke’s Highway 59 East Texas trilogy featuring Texas Ranger Darren Mathews. Literary crime fiction at its best.
The Best of the Best Horror of the Year (ed. Ellen Datlow).
Thought-provoking, moving, memorable and, oh, yeah, scary, this is one of the best short story anthologies I’ve read. Not a dud among the collection, which opened my eyes to the scope of the horror genre.
Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond, by Henry Winkler.
Winkler’s autobiography takes a hard look at the ridicule he experienced at the hands of his demanding father because of Winkler’s undiagnosed dyslexia, as well as the challenges he faced as an actor trying to move beyond his early, meteoric success on Happy Days.
The Last Story, by Meg Shaffer.
A fantasy novel that imagines a Narnia-like land reachable by a portal in the West Virginia mountains. Characters you want to stay with forever, an intriguing plot, and razor sharp and at times LOL dialogue. Reminiscent of Lev Grossman’s Magicians trilogy or Stephen King’s Fairy Tale.
This Is Why We Lied, by Karin Slaughter.
Just when I thought Slaughter couldn’t get any better or more creative, she produces her version of a puzzling locked-room mystery, featuring series characters Dr. Sara Linton and Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent. Not to fear, though: the themes and plot are vintage Slaughter, which is to say, soooo dark.
The 7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton.
A mind-bending combination of a traditional English mystery and a locked-room puzzle wrapped up with a supernatural element. SO MANY TWISTS.
I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy.
A dark and painful memoir with understated humor about the abuse McCurdy suffered, mostly at her mother’s hands, on her way to child stardom. Overtones of Education by Tara Westover and Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood.
Banyan Moon, by Thao Thai.
A multi-generational story of Vietnamese immigrants to the U.S. that moves backward and forward in time. Beautifully written, evocative characters, strong sense of place; for me reminiscent both of Min Jee Lee’s Pachinko and several Ann Patchett novels. Loved it.
*The New Couple in 5B, by Lisa Unger.
Another mind-bending Unger suspense thriller with overtones of Rosemary’s Baby. As always with an Unger outing, it’s impossible to know who to trust until the very end.
*Holly, by Stephen King.
The latest book featuring a new, ongoing King character, private eye Holly Gibney, with one of the darkest King conceits yet, all the more frightening because there’s not a hint of the supernatural in this novel.
Writer, reader, veteran pet feeder. Shamus, Derringer, and International Thriller Writers award-nominated. Find my work and sign up for my newsletter at https://www.andrewwelshhuggins.com/.
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Such an interesting list. Thanks. I have not read any of them. I’d like to try The Lost Story. And also to read the first book in the Attica Locke series. Not at all sure about the horror stories though!
Great list!
Thanks, Lesa and Andrew. Many of these books look just right for me. I’m a big fan of the Darren Mathews series. I thought the third one was excellent (as are all three), and I am sad to say goodbye to him. I’ve recently bought the first (first!) Will Trent to listen to; I’ll start there before getting to THIS IS WHY WE LIED. I’m eager to read HOLLY, which I already own, since I’ve read the two books that come before it.
Also looking forward to THE MAILMAN, which I own as an audiobook.
Nice list. Being old, I had never even heard of McCurdy, but her book sounds fascinating. I’m downloading that horror anthology from the library. And, of course, THE MAILMAN is on my list to read.
Thank you, Andrew! I loved The Mailman and have read two books on your list.
I’m most definitely not a reader of horror Mark, but you make all of these books sound so interesting.
I’d heard about the Jenette McCurdy book before but didn’t know the background (or indeed who she was) – I’m going to look for this one now. And Banyan Moon sounds good, though the one I really want to read is Being Henry, he just seems like an all-round good man.
Thanks for telling us about these books – the great thing about these lists is always their variety.
Great book list, the two books about the destructive parents made so glad that I had the parents that I did!
Wonderful! I’ve been holding back on Attica Locke’s Guide Me Home just because it’s the final in the trilogy. I was captivated by the first two.
An interesting list. Thanks for sharing.