Karen at Euro Crime is running a feature on the Euro Crime Reviewers 5 favourite reads of 2013.
My own five favourite books of 2013 were:
The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas translator Sian Reynolds
This book was joint winner of the CWA International Dagger as Vargas intrigues and teases the reader with more Gallic quirkiness.
An Officer and A Spy by Robert Harris
A superb novel retelling the true story of the Dreyfus Affair from the perspective of Georges Picquart. The truth proves to be more astonishing than any fictional plot dreamt up by an author.
Norwegian By Night by Derek B. Miller
A brilliant novel about loss and ageing that made me both laugh and cry. Definitely one not to be missed and on many people’s best of year lists.
Summertime All The Cats Are Bored by Phillipe Georget translated by Steven Rendall–
My discovery of the year, and hopefully this debut novel will be the start of a fine police procedural series set in Perpignan.
Linda, As In The Linda Murder by Leif G.W.Persson translated by Neil Smith
The first in the Evert Backstrom trilogy featuring an obnoxious character you won’t easily forget.
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There were several fine books that after some thought and a lot of prevarication just failed to make that top five.
These included:
Blessed Are Those That Thirst by Anne Holt trans Anne Bruce-The second book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series
Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes- A psychological thriller that gripped this reader.
Black Bear by Aly Monroe- The return of Peter Cotton in a spy story set in post war America.
Police by Jo Nesbo trans Don Bartlett- A fine come back by Jo Nesbo after a couple of novels that were in my opinion not up to his usual standard.
Alex by Pierre LeMaitre trans Frank Wynne- A French police procedural with a clever twist and the joint winner of the CWA International Dagger.
The Strangler’s Honeymoon by Hakan Nesser trans Laurie Thompson- The Van Veeteren series is consistently satisfying with one of the most interesting team of detectives ever created.
Moving on to new publications in 2014.
Thanks to the hardworking Karen at Euro Crime for producing a lengthy list of the new releases in 2014. I am particularly looking forward to reading:
Deon Meyer, Cobra
Asa Larsson, The Second Deadly Sin
Hakan Nesser, The G File
Leif G.W. Persson, Falling Freely As If In A Dream
Liza Marklund, Borderline
Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman, Winter Siege
CRIME SCRAPS REVIEW 
Norman – Oh, those all do sound like good reads for this year. I’m looking forward to reading the Nesser and the Larsson in particular, but they all promise good reading.
Glad to see that two of the books I really enjoyed (the French ones) made it on your list. I haven’t read Norwegian by Night yet, but it’s downloaded and ready for action. And Robert Harris is always reliably good at providing alternative explanations or twists to history which are astonishing in their creativity and plausibility.
Marina- I do like the quirkiness of the French books, Alex was a close contender as well. What I like is originality and not the same old stuff being rehashed. Norwegian By Night is superb I do hope you will enjoy it.
Margot-I have the Asa Larsson on my TBR pile and am itching to get to it.
Loved Norwegian by Night and Ordebec. Want to read Cats. Spy sounds interesting, but obnoxious cops aren’t my thing.
Kathy, I think you might find some parts of An Officer and a Spy upsetting, but I kept reminding myself that Alfred Dreyfus outlived them all and was the only participant in the story to have fought for France in the Great War.
That’s four on my to-read pile (two from the runners up – I’ve heard great things about Alex!). The last couple have put me off Nesbrø a bit, good to know he’s back on form – might just give Harry Hole another go!