January Magazine’s Best of 2004

Once again, the venerable online magazine puts together a doorstopper of a crime fiction list, highlighting the usual suspects and many lesser-known books that deserve a chance at the spotlight. To help you along, I’ll break the choices down by reviewer, in alphabetical order:

David Abrams: THE FINAL SOLUTION, Michael Chabon.

Yvette Banek:  RED TIDE, G.M. Ford; HARD, HARD CITY, Jim Fusilli; MISDEMEANOR MAN, Dylan Schaffer; LIVE BAIT, P.J. Tracy.

Cindy Chow: BY A SPIDER’S THREAD, Laura Lippman.

Caroline Cummins: THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR, Steven Saylor.

Jennifer Jordan: BURNING PRECINCT PUERTO RICO, Steven Torres.

Ali Karim: THE BURNING GIRL, Mark Billingham; THE DRAMATIST, Ken Bruen; DEAD SIGHT, Glenn Chandler; THE NARROWS, Michael Connelly; PHOENIX, John Connor; TOKYO, Mo Hayder; THE MADMAN’S TALE, John Katzenbach; THE CRIME TRADE, Simon Kernick; REMEMBERING SARAH, Chris Mooney; THE INTELLIGENCER, Leslie Silbert.

Tom Nolan: BAD MOVE, Linwood Barclay; ANYTHING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU, Laurie Lynn Drummond; UNFAITHFUL SERVANT, Timothy Harris; CALIFORNIA GIRL, T. Jefferson Parker; ABSENT FRIENDS, S.J. Rozan; WHILE I DISAPPEAR, Edward Wright.

J. Kingston Pierce: THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE, Rennie Airth; ROAD TO PURGATORY, Max Allan Collins; A SPECTACLE OF CORRUPTION, David Liss; WOLVES EAT DOGS, Martin Cruz Smith; THE SILENT AND THE DAMNED, Robert Wilson.

Anthony Rainone: SEMIAUTOMATIC, Rob Reuland; THE LAST KING, Nichelle Tramble.

Kevin Burton Smith: IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES, James Lee Burke; LITTLE SCARLET, Walter Mosley; DOUBLE PLAY, Robert B. Parker; HARD REVOLUTION, George Pelecanos; NOBODY RUNS FOREVER, Richard Stark.

Sarah Weinman:  THE WARLORD’S SON, Dan Fesperman; DAY AFTER DAY, Carlo Lucarelli; THE GOLDEN SILENCE, Paul Johnston; THE BORDER GUARDS, Mark Sinnett.

The fiction list is very impressive as well, and Edward Champion contributes reviews of two notable works, Philip Roth’s THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA and David Mitchell’s CLOUD ATLAS.