Pick of the Month [January 2018]

I read 18 books in January in what was a great start to the new year. Highlights included a couple of new crime fiction releases by A.J. Finn (The Woman in the Window) and Craig Robertson (The Photographer), a re-read of an old favorite by James Sallis (The Long-Legged Fly) and a couple of pulps by Carter Brown and James Hadley Chase (more on those below). 

However, the pick of the month (and my semi-theme of the month) was It by Stephen King, this, among other books firmly rooted in that nightmare-inducing genre were a lot of fun to read, Relics by Tim Lebbon was also a top January read. 

Each month I'm discovering new authors and new books to read. Andy Raush is a great example of taking a chance on a new author. His collection of 3 Elmore Leonard-like crime novellas in the collection Riding Shotgun and Other American Cruelties was easily a 5 star read. Additionally, Marshall Karp's collab with James Patterson in Kill Me If You Can was high octane thrills in typical Patterson punchy chapters - I thought the audio edition was great. 

Here are the notables: 

Riding Shotgun and Other American Cruelties by Andy Rauch - a collection of 3 blood-soaked crime novellas

The Girl From Outer Space by Carter Brown - a fun pulp featuring Hollywood Private Eye Rick Holman

The Soft Centre by James Hadley Chase - a timeless crime mystery, published in the 1960's which still reads well among today's modern crime mysteries.