Thank you everyone for your patience while I crashed for the last couple weeks. I’m on my way home today, and have four days, plus our Thursday posting, so I should have plenty of time to read a couple books and review them again beginning on Saturday. I enjoyed every minute with my Mom, but it’s time to get back to books.

This is my annual Favorites post. I always stress this is not a “Best Books” of 2024 list, just the books I enjoyed most during the year. And, I have to admit I didn’t even find a book that really grabbed me until May or June. My personal opinion? 2024 wasn’t up to par for MY reading tastes. Other people may have found books they loved. I already read a couple 2025 releases that were terrific.

Here are my favorite books read in f2024, beginning with adult fiction.

I discovered James Byrne’s Dez Limerick thrillers this year when I read the third in the series for a Library Journal review. I went back to The Gatekeeper, the first in the series, a 2022 release. Although the third book is my favorite, I really enjoyed the first one that introduces Dez, a retired mercenary and a musician who now lives in Southern California. Dez intervenes when a team tries to kidnap the legal counsel for Triton Expeditions, who is also the daughter of the military contracting company. Then, he agrees to help her with another problem. Someone has embezzled more than a billion dollars from the company. Dez is not only skilled at opening doors, physical and online, he has skilled allies. These are violent, current books, but I love Dez and his sense of humor.

Emily Henry’s romantic comedies do not always make my lists, but I enjoyed Funny Story as much as I did Beach Read. Daphne followed her fiance Peter to his hometown of Warning Bay, Michigan, but when he dumped her for his childhood best friend, Petra, she realized she had no friends there. The child’s librarian moved in with Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. The two roommates avoided each other, until Miles proposed to show her the charms of the town, and they started spending time together. It was an uncomfortable meeting with Peter and Petra that led them to start posting pictures of their time together. And, who knows where that will lead? It’s fun and charmimg.

I really could have picked any of Cara Hunter’s DI Fawley books for this list, but the sixth one, Hope to Die, was the one I read for LJ, the one that introduced me to Fawley and his team. I can’t praise Cara Hunter’s this crime novel enough. Hope to Die is everything a police procedural should be, with a solid team of police officers, a thoughtful lead, and a complex case that contains twists even up until the last chapter. The bestselling series is a smash in England, and the production rights have been purchased for TV. Fans of Ann Cleeves’ Vera series should hope this series makes it to BBC, BritBox or Acorn.

Here’s the blurb. Midnight. A grisly murder scene at isolated farm on the outskirts of Oxford. A man lies dead in the kitchen—shot point blank. The farm’s elderly owners claim the shooting was self-defense against a burglar. But something about the crime scene doesn’t sit right with DI Adam Fawley, whose gut tells him there’s more to their story. If the victim came to rob the house, why wasn’t he wearing gloves or carrying tools? Why didn’t the owner of the house call the police right after the shooting? Why did his wife wash his blood splattered clothes immediately. Digging deeper, the police realize this is no ordinary burglary gone wrong. There’s an unmistakable link to an infamous case from years earlier involving a child’s murder and an alleged miscarriage of justice. When the news leaks out, the press goes wild.

Madeline Martin, author of The Booklover’s Library, knows how to tell an emotional story of family, found family, and the love of books and reading, all set in years of turmoil, World War II in England. But, Martin doesn’t focus on London during the Blitz. She sets her story in Nottingham. Emma Taylor is feeling desperate. As a widow in 1939, she’s unable to get a job due to the marriage bars. Once a woman was married, she had to leave her job, and most places would not hire her, even if she was a widow with a daughter. But, Emma was in Boots, the chemist’s, just in time to see a woman leave her job because she was getting married. She was honest with the hiring manager at the Booklover’s Library, a subscription library on the second floor of Boots’. She needed the job, and she needed it even more with her daughter, Olivia, to raise. They agreed she could train for the job as “Miss Taylor”. At times, The Booklover’s Library is a heartbreaking story of families torn apart during war, of women desperate to work who didn’t marry because of those marriage bars. But, it’s also a book that offers the encouragement of found family, of a community brought together by the trials of war. The Booklover’s Library is the story of a community pulling together during wartime told through the eyes of one widow with a young daughter. 

Paula Munier’s Mercy Carr mysteries are some of my favorites. The Night Woods is the sixth in the series, but it can stand alone. It’s a complex story with literary themes woven into it. This time, Munier includes The Odyssey, perfect for soldiers returning for war who suffer from PTSD. Mercy and her search-and-rescue dog, Elvis, were two of those, but family and love helped restore their balance and lives. Despite pleas from Mercy’s husband, Troy, and her mother, Mercy can’t sit idle although she’s eight months pregnant. When she intends to visit a new friend, a hermit and former classics professor, Homer Grant, she ends up at his cabin, only to find a dead man with an ax in his chest. Homer’s missing, and so is his bloodhound, Argos. There are four different storylines to bring together, not counting the pregnancy one. Munier is a master at handling all the threads of a story, finding the common denominator in various incidents. This time, The Odyssey, a story of soldiers returning home from battle, runs throughout the book.

Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club was the first book that made my list this year. On Thanksgiving, 1954, Briarwood House in Washington D.C. holds two bodies and seventeen suspects. The house itself is worried about the stories that will be told to the police. It’s a scary time to be involved with the police during the McCarthy era. And, every woman at Briarwood House has a secret. The Briar Club is a story of women’s friendship set against the frightening backdrop of McCarthyism. Despite the number of people living in Briarwood House, each one has a distinct personality. Backgrounds are perfect to offer a variety of lifestyles and opinions during this difficult time. Quinn’s format offers each woman the chance to step into the spotlight, to share their voice. By the conclusion, when they have the chance to speak up, the reader waits with bated breath to see how their personalities will be reflected at a time of crisis.

Nora Roberts’ The Mirror is the follow-up to her book, The Inheritance, in the Lost Brides Trilogy. Roberts gives us strong characters, family support, romance, and that evil that permeates the books. If you’re one of the many readers that loved Inheritance, the first in Nora Roberts’ Lost Brides Trilogy, you’re going to fall right into the second book, The Mirror. Since I’m a fan of Roberts’ trilogies, I was caught up in this one right from the beginning. Roberts gives us strong characters, family support, romance, and that evil that permeates the books. Sonya MacTavish inherited the Poole family mansion in Maine, although she knew nothing about her father’s connection to the family. Now, she’s happily ensconced in the manor with her best friend, Cleo, an artist, living and working on the third floor. Sonya is building her one-person graphic arts business, and has found a supportive lover, lawyer Trey Doyle. Her previously unknown cousin, Owen Poole, is also there to assist Sonya and Cleo with problems with the haunted manor. Hester Dobbs, an angry witch who wants to own the manor, has been haunting it since 1806. In fact, Hester has cursed the Poole family. Seven Poole brides have died on their wedding days or soon after, and Hester has stolen their wedding rings. The Mirror serves as the set-up for the dramatic conclusion of the series.  It teases the reader along, with celebrations, meals and family, but ends on a dramatic note to lead to the final book in the series. If you’re looking for a peaceful book in between the two dramatic books in a series, you’ll want to read The Mirror. 

With The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson, Terry Shames brings Jarrett Creek Police Chief Samuel Craddock back in a mystery that’s stronger and more relevant than ever. Samuel Craddock was surprised when he received a phone call from Eileen Currey in San Antonio, saying she was worried about her sister, Maddy Benson. Craddock hadn’t heard of Maddy, and he knew of most of the people in the area. Unfortunately, when Craddock and his Deputy Maria Trevino went to the area where Maddy disappeared, they found her body. She had been shot, probably from a distance by a rifle. Craddock and Trevino have support from the Texas Department of Public Safety, but most of the investigation is up to them. And, they’re starting from scratch with a woman neither of them know. As they dig deeper, they discover Maddy had secrets, and was very involved in political activism. Was it her family life or her activism that got her killed? Shames does a masterful job in handling hot subjects related to the political climate in Texas and other states. But, what impresses me the most is her ability to examine the effect of Texas’ rigorous new laws on communities and law enforcement.

I’ll admit this book isn’t for everyone. Three authors walk into a bar. That’s how The Author’s Guide to Murder really begins, although it’s not the opening sentence of this clever satire of the writing community with its jokes, puns, send up of mystery and romance tropes, and, of course, murder. The Authors Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White is fun, but you do have to read it as satire to appreciate it. Cassie Pringle is a cozy mystery writer, mother of six, who juggles multiple series including one about a crime-solving cat, and one about a bake shop. Kat de Noir is the author of erotic fantasy and romance. Emma Endicott writes historical portraits of forgotten women. After their discussion, they end up at Kinloch Castle on a remote island in Scotland where bestselling author Brett Saffron Presley is running a writers’ retreat. Naturally, on an island where all the people are interrelated and know each other, when Presley ends up dead the night of the Kinloch dance celebration, the ceilidh, the three American authors are the prime suspects. As Detective Chief Inspector Euan Macintosh interviews them, he learns the stories the women tell as to how they met and why they’re at Kinloch don’t add up. Brett Saffron Presley wasn’t exactly a stranger to any of the women. Williams, Willig and White know how to keep secrets and tell a funny story that will appeal to readers who understand mystery conventions and all the tropes of the mystery and romance genres. There are romantic hunks, and women who sexualize the men in the story. There’s even a dramatic rescue by helicopter. If you’re ready for a send up of the publishing industry, try The Author’s Guide to Murder.

I have one nonfiction book to add to the list, Come From Away: Welcome to the Rock: An Inside Look at the Hit Musical. This wonderful book about the musical includes “Book, Music, and Lyrics” by Irene Sankoff and Dvaid Hein; Text by Laurence Maslon, and Foreward by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The book covers the entire aspect of the show, from the time Sankoff ad Hein had the original thought for the show and went to Newfoundland for the tenth anniversary of 9/11 to talk with residents of the area. We watch the development of the production and the shows around the country as they developed the musical before eventually reaching Broadway. Although Come From Away came out in 2019, I read it this year, and it deserves to be on my list.

Kate DiCamillo’s Orris and Timble: The Beginning, is the juvenile book on my list this year. I love Carmen Mok’s artwork for Kate DiCamillo’s new children’s book, Orris and Timble: The Beginning. It’s the first in a trilogy, but it stands alone. Designed for ages 4-8, this is definitely a book some adults will appreciate as well. Orris is a rat who lives in an abandoned barn. He’s papered his little nest with pages from discarded books, and he has his treasures, a red velvet slipper, a marble, and, most important to the story, a sardine can with the words, “Make the good and noble choice!” One evening, Orris hears a screech in the barn, and sneaks out of his nest to find a young owl caught in a mousetrap. Knowing owls eat rats, Orris returns to his nest. But, he can’t sleep. His sardine can reminds him, “Make the good and noble choice!” And, Orris sneaks out, and finds the little owl, Timble, asking for help. What’s a rat to do? This is one of the most beautiful books I read this year, with an unlikely hero.

There are my Favorite Books of 2024. I hope you have your own list. On upcoming Fridays, I’ll be sharing lists from some of our Thursday readers. Rosemary Kaye, MM Jones, and Glen Davis will lead off. Feel free to send me your own lists if you’d like to be included! We’d love to see them.