PERSON OF INTEREST by Theresa Schwegel

Nobody handles cops better than Theresa Schwegel. Person Of Interest was deservedly named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books Of The Year and has garnered rave reviews since it was first released.

There are plenty of cop novels, many of them first-rate and written by undisputed masters of the genre, but Schwegel has a contemporary voice that is utterly unique. Her prose delivers a gut punch weighted with empathy, a visceral kick to the heart that makes you actually care about the characters in a way that is extremely rare. These books stay with you, and as a reader, I sincerely hope Schwegel is writing as fast as she can.

Schwegel won the Edgar for her first novel, Officer Down, which is also superb. If you see her name on the cover of a book, buy it immediately. You won't regret it.

BEOWULF translated by Seamus Heaney

Let me preface this post by saying I am not someone who reads books that everyone says I should read, as opposed to books I want to read. Most of the so-called classics are given to students at the wrong age, and many of the books selected are turgid and irrelevant, clearly chosen with the malicious intent of steering an enthusiastic child away from reading towards a life of crime, video game addiction and dissolution.

Not that there's anything wrong with video games. I am currently suffering from multiple wrist and shoulder injuries sustained while playing Wii.

Beowulf is different because it is the source material for so many incredible tales that have followed since it was first written hundreds of years ago. The monsters, dragons and sword play of any classic work of fantasy, let alone any video game or movie, can be tied directly back to this epic poem.

I bought this edition after watching the animated movie that was released last year. The movie had an ingenious adaptation and screenplay by Neil Gaiman, but the film itself didn't work for me. I am a big fan of animation, but the Polar Express style of graphics hasn't nailed human beings yet. There are subtle yet critical details of skin and eyes that are lost, an effect which creates an emotional distance from the characters. So while you can get plenty of emotion from a cartoon character like Shrek or even Looney Tunes, when you transform Anthony Hopkins into animation the character somehow becomes wooden and dispassionate despite the great acting.

But watching the film got me interested in revisiting Beowulf. Like the hero who battles Grendel and then slays the dragon, Seamus Heaney has done what others thought impossible. He managed to translate this poem with enough grace and contemporary language that it reads beautifully while still remaining faithful to the cadence of the original poem. The story comes through without any need for footnotes, and some of the passages are amazing, the kind you cut out and paste on your wall.

Ray Bradbury said in his book on writing that writers should read poetry, but rare is the poem that stirs the blood like a thriller or mystery novel. Beowulf is grand adventure in a distant time and place, and it's great fun. Skip the movie or watch it only after picking up this translation and you'll have a new appreciation for a story that ranks with the Odyssey for timelessness.

YELLOW MEDICINE by Anthony Neil Smith

I've been immersed in edits on my latest book and haven't been reading as much as I normally would, but I made the mistake of picking up a copy of Yellow Medicine and wasn't able to put the damn thing down. Consequently I am running a bit late on turning in my latest manuscript, but it was worth it. This book is phenomenal.

Anthony Neil Smith is the brains behind Plots With Guns, the infamous online crimezine, but he's also a brilliant writer. His characters are perfectly realized and horribly flawed, so real and compelling that you almost feel like you're watching them instead of reading about them. Rarely have I so vividly visualized an author's characters.

Smith tells the story of Deputy Billy Lafitte, a lawman who prefers to bend the rules rather than abide by them, and his entanglement with Drew, a local girl whose no-good boyfriend has gotten in way over his head with something that just might involve terrorists. The story is lightning fast and the writing incredibly visceral.

Yellow Medicine is published by Bleak House Books, one of the finest mystery publishers out there. Buy it now but read it only when you're prepared to drop everything else.

EXPLETIVE DELETED edited by Jen Jordan

I've written for short story anthologies before, and they tend to have a central theme that ties all the stories together in some way, so that no matter how eclectic the writers, subject matter or style of the individual tales, it all hangs together. Common themes include relationships, a specific geography, or a particular slice of crime fiction like legal thrillers, PI stories, and so on.

Well, fuck all that.

Jen Jordan of Crimespree Magazine and the smart folks at Bleak House Books have published an anthology that taps into the power of the one word that gives us all a common language, everyone's favorite expletive, that four-letter cuss word starting with "F" and ending in "K".

Now, you might be asking yourself, "What the fuck?" And that's exactly the point of these stories, to get you to question the boundaries we impose on ourselves as we move through so-called civilized society. These are tales of sex, violence, betrayal and redemption in a collection that doesn't take itself too seriously but still manages to make a serious point or two along the way.

The story contributors are a who's-who of today's most innovative crime writers, including Laura Lippman, Ken Bruen, Anthony Neil Smith, Jason Starr and Reed Farrel Coleman, to name a few. So if you want to sample several great voices in one sitting, read this. It's fuckin' great.

POISON BLONDE by Loren Estleman

Loren Estleman has been part of the mystery scene for some time (this is his 50th book) yet he remains one of the freshest writers around. His dialogue is remarkable, and the balance of humor, tension and social commentary perfect.

Poison Blonde is the 17th book to feature Amos Walker, easily one of the best PI characters ever written. Like all of Estleman's books, this can be read as a stand-alone, and I came to it long after its initial release. Somehow Estleman strikes a tone that is simulatenously classic hardboiled and very contemporary, with a fedora-wearing shamus hip enough to blend in anywhere.

If you haven't read anything by Loren Estleman you're missing out. He is one of the few authors besides Elmore Leonard to ever attempt yet alone succeed at writing both mysteries and westerns. Grab one of his books, any of them, and start reading.

The New Annotated SHERLOCK HOLMES by Arthur Conan Doyle, edited by Leslie S. Klinger

You might be thinking, but I've already read Sherlock Holmes stories; tell us about a new book, something I haven't read before. I promise that will occur next week, if not sooner, but this post is dedicated to encouraging anyone interested in crime fiction to read the definitive Sherlock Holmes collection, edited and annotated by Leslie Klinger, one of the foremost Sherlockians of our time.

Others heaped praise upon this collection when it was first released for good reason. Klinger has lovingly brought these stories into a new light, with annotations that conjure the Victorian age beautifully. Illustrations abound, and somehow Klinger manages to weave even the most obscure reference into a seamless parallel narrative that accompanies each story.

Sherlock Holmes is known for good reason as the first private detective, and these stories not only influenced other writers but fundamentally changed how criminal investigations were regarded. It is fair to say we wouldn't have a CSI, let alone the science of forensics, if Arthur Conan Doyle had not altered the way we all view a crime scene.

But the main reason to rediscover these stories is that they are adventure stories. There is good reason why the early collection of stories was called The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes. We might remember the science of observation, the agile mind of the detective, his stalwart companion Watson, but what about the venomous snake, the severed ears, the exotic brown powder that could drive a man mad with fear? These stories are the precursor to the pulp adventures of the thirties and forties, not to mention the modern thriller.

Klinger has done an extraordinary job adding new texture to stories that are as compelling today as when they first appeared. To really appreciate the stories that brought mystery to the forefront of popular imagination for more than a century, curl up in an armchair, grab a pipe, and read these books.

THE LIAR'S DIARY by Patry Francis

Patry Francis has written a terrific book in The Liar's Diary, a twisted tale of friendship gone awry. What would you do if your best friend was murdered, and your teenage son accused of the crime? This book explores how a close relationship can subtly redirect your moral compass and even twist your sense of reality. This book is loaded with secrets and feints that keep you guessing. By the time you've finished, you just might be looking at the relationships in your own life with a more critical (and paranoid) eye.

I've never met Patry, but I understand she will not be on an extensive book tour because she is battling cancer, so a number of fellow writers banded together to promote her new book for her today. Many thanks to the talented Laura Benedict for making me aware of Patry and her writing. You can read more about the blogging effort here, but most importantly, read this book.

THE FAULT TREE by Louise Ure

Louise Ure raises the bar with The Fault Tree, a suspenseful, nerve-wracking novel about a witness to a murder whose own life becomes threatened by what she knows. That premise alone has begun many great novels and films, only the witness in Ure's story happens to be blind. Cadence Moran lost her sight to a tragic car accident but still works as an auto mechanic, able to feel and hear the problems in an engine that other mechanics have long since abandoned. This character is terrific. Not a meek, cowering woman with a handicap, Cadence is a smart, resilient woman drawn in three dimensions by Ure's flawless prose.

Does the killer realize the witness is blind? Did Cadence hear something, and can she remember enough to be a threat to the killer? How can you catch a killer, let alone escape one, if you can't see them? This book sticks a knife in your gut in the very first chapter, and you'll feel it twist with every turn of the page.

Ure won the Shamus Award last year for her amazing debut Forcing Amarillyis, a gut-wrenching story of rape and murder in the arid landscape of Arizona. Her sense of place is terrific, the descriptions so evocative you'll start to sweat. Buy 'em both, you won't regret it.

THE CRAZY SCHOOL by Cornelia Read

The Crazy School by Cornelia Read is smart, funny, provocative, and powerful. (That's four adjectives in a row, and I usually only give books three at most, but this book rocks.)

Read is the author of A Field Of Darkness, a novel that was nominated for virtually every major award including the Edgar. That book introduced protagonist Madeline Dare, a recovering debutante with a penchant for conflict. Madeline returns in this novel, but Read has made The Crazy School its own book, so if you missed her debut you can read this one first.

Read has arguably the most original voice in crime fiction today, with equal parts wry observation and heartfelt characterizations. She also has a knack for seamlessly weaving together all the disparate influences and associations that shape our lives but are so rarely seen together in one work of fiction. From social commentary to history to philosophy to relationships, Read blends everything into a portrait that lingers in your mind's eye long after you stop reading.

And to make it even better, this book flies. I started it before boarding a plane and finished by the time I landed. The dialogue is pitch-perfect, the descriptions tightly drawn. No wasted words and a plot that twists more than a few times before coming to a surprisingly but very satisfying conclusion. This book is not to be missed.

QUEENPIN by Megan Abott

Queenpin is a novella-length masterpiece by the queenpin of noir, Megan Abbott. No one writes like Abbott, who has an ear for dialogue and eye for detail that make her books as visual and compelling as the finest noir films.

Queenpin is the story of a nice young girl with a taste for sin who becomes understudy to Gloria Denton, a classic moll who keeps company with the movers and shakers of the mob world. The relationship between the two women is so finely drawn that you can feel the growing tension in your gut as you turn the pages.

Queenpin is so well written that you'll find yourself slowing down just to savor the words. Once you've finished, check out The Song Is You, which is pure genius. Abbott was shortlisted for the Edgar Award last year for her debut Die A Little, and I believe she deserves to bring it home this year.