Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors. I picked Gone Baby Gone as the best of the Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro novels but frankly, they're all good.

An absolute riot. Don't let the lame Demi Moore movie stop you from reading it, this novel is twisted fun.

Often immitated.... This is an excellent police procedural that is often copied. Must read for any crime fiction fan.

Tough call for a second Elmore Leonard pick but I settled on Get Shorty. The movie is great, but so is the book.

Tough call for the second spot, but I think this non-Bocsh novel is a great read.

Another great read from James Hall. All the elements of a South Florida crime novel: Quirky criminals, brutal violence, & twisted humour.

I'm a big fan of James Lee Burke. In paticular I like the moral ambiguity of his novels; the blurred lines between right and wrong. He's also one hell of a writer.

The best crime novel to come out in a long time. I complained a little about the sappy ending, but this is still a great novel.

A fast paced, race against the clock page turner, that is elevated by great characterization, sharp dialogue, and dark humor. A very entertaining and perceptive novel.

The best of the popular Prey series. Sandford gives us one of the most entertaining serial killers in crime fiction; the strikingly handsome, narcotic popping Dr. Michael Bekker.

Coben writes wildly convoluted, enormously entertaining thrillers but as entertaining as his novels are, they're pretty forgettable once you've read them. I'm pretty certain that Gone for Good is the best of the bunch, but I might have mixed it up with a different novel!

This is the second of three old fashioned who-dun-its written by James Anderson. Set in 1930's England, these novels poke gentle fun at the mystery novels of that era, while at the same time delivering a who-dun-it that would keep Dame Agatha guessing.

A little dated, but this ground breaking novel still stands up.