Before I start in, I just wanted to ask if anyone wants to do a Favorite Books of 2023 list to run here on the blog? Glen already mentioned that he’s going to start working on his list. Of course, I’ll have a list. I’d love to have posts from others if you’d like to contribute. You don’t have to send book jackets. I’ll take care of that. If anyone would like to contribute, I know we all like to see others’ lists, and see suggestions as to what we might want to read.

I’m reading a May release right now, a debut. Although the publisher’s blurb for Nolan Chase’s A Lonesome Place for Dying says, “Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and William Kent Krueger”, I disagree. This seems much more like a book for fans of Craig Johnson’s Longmire or Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder.

Ethan Brand is the new police chief in Blaine, Washington, a town of 6,000 on the Canadian border. He’s a veteran of Afghanistan, and he’s worked for the department for fifteen years. In that time, there have been two murders in the town. On his first day, he receives a threatening letter, and a body is found at the railroad tracks in town. Brand is not a political animal, and he’s still finding his way as the new police chief, checking his relations with others on his team.

I like the voice. And, I like that this a police procedural, at least in the first third of the book. It really is a team effort, although Brand doesn’t know if he has the support of his whole team.

What about you? How are you this week? What are you reading? And, feel free to drop me a note or comment here saying you’d like to post a Favorite Books of 2023 list. (Lesa.Holstine@gmail.com)