This time it was difficult for me to collect my TOP 10 books. In 2024, I still read a lot (68 books per year), but all the stories I came across turned out to be as average as possible over and over again. Therefore, instead of the top ten books, today we will have an eight and a few “worthy mentions.”
Also, (just like last time) Once again, I decided not to include “classic” novels or novels with cult status in my selection. You already know everything about The Witcher or Animal Farm without me. And I wanted to advise you on something new. Let’s get started, and then we’ll see what happens.
8th place. “A man with a great future.” Abir Mukherjee
A historical detective story about the struggle of the British against the Indians in Bengal at the beginning of the 20th century. A high-ranking official of the British administration was killed in the “black city” of Calcutta. He has a note written in Bengali in his mouth, demanding that the British get out of India. All ends lead to Indian terrorists, but this case is much more complicated than it seems at first glance.
My rating: 7 out of 10. The book is very good, but it is worth reading it not so much for the sake of the detective line, but for the sake of the historical atmosphere of Calcutta of those years. This is a story about racial segregation, about Indian Britons who spent their whole lives in Bengal and saw London only in pictures; and also about political intrigues and the subjugation of one nation by another. India in this book is like a slumbering monster, where 100,000 Britons are trying to keep 300 million Indians in line. But a storm is coming. In the meantime, everyone is surviving the way they can – in Calcutta in 1919, where absolutely everyone is unhappy in their own way.
You can scroll through the free excerpt of the book here.
7th place. Boris Akunin. “Pelagia and the black Monk”
Strange things are happening in the vicinity of the Novo-Ararat Monastery. At the local psychiatric hospital, people disappear first. And then it comes to the first deaths. In addition, the monks of the local monastery, one by one, see a mysterious ghost walking on the water on moonlit nights. The figure is enveloped in an otherworldly glow; a sharp claw draws mysterious crosses on the windows of rural houses, and at the same time gloomy omens are gathering over the remote town.
Pelagia, the most restless and charming nun of the Trans–Volga province, will have to figure out this strange fusion of faith and mysticism. The book is the second in a series of novels about this heroine. But, in my opinion, the most successful. Only the characters are associated with other parts of it, so it is quite possible to get acquainted with Pelagia from the central book of the trilogy. And then, if you like it, move on to the next parts. One book is one investigation.
My rating: 7 out of 10.
6th place. “The life of a boy.” Robert mccamon
The story of the childhood of a 12-year-old boy named Corey Mckinson, who lives in an unusual town called Zephyr. Here, the local Black community feeds an ancient monster that lives in the river. And a ghost car is racing along the city roads, whose owner was brutally murdered by a local gang of bandits. Here, a boy burned in a fire comes to visit a dog that was hit by a truck. And in the local circus you can see a real dinosaur and an angel embalmed in a jar.
This novel is usually compared to Stephen King’s “It”. But personally, it reminded me more of Twin Peaks. This story is about the city of Zephyr itself, inhabited by many very strange inhabitants. And the main character (as Agent Dale Cooper) becomes just a guide here.
In the center of the plot is a mysterious murder at the “bottomless” Lake Saxon (which again has a novel in common with Twin Peaks). Corey Mckinson, along with his father, delivers milk to various residents of the town – and suddenly sees a random car falling into the water at full speed. The protagonist’s father tries to help the driver, but the car sinks into a bottomless pool. And at the same time, the person tied to the steering wheel seems to disappear without a trace. No one saw him. And no one reported him missing. There are no signs of a crime. And the “legacy” of that morning is only strange dreams, which are simultaneously dreamed by the father of the main character and a black witch from the local Black community.
The dead man haunts the man and seems to drag him “to the other side.” Only his 12-year-old son, who takes over the investigation, can help the father. The killer is somewhere in the city. But who could it be?
My rating of the book is 8 out of 10. The novel is simply excellent – sometimes touching, and sometimes mysterious and chilling. But it has one important disadvantage – it is big and insanely stretched. Structurally, the story is more like a TV series, where in addition to the main line there are a dozen more secondary ones. That’s why I only read this book on my second attempt. In the first quarter of the book, the author puts up the guns, and they start shooting only later. The stories of the different residents of Zephyr are closely intertwined. And then you will really understand why this novel became a bestseller in many countries of the world and won the Bram Stoker Award as the best fantasy of 1991.
If I intrigue you, you can find a free excerpt of the book here.
5th place. “Bear Corner” by Fredrik Buckman
Probably the toughest and hardest novel in the career of a Swedish writer. In the center of the plot is the small town of Bjornstad, lost among forests and constant snow. Once there was a lot of life here, but now there is only drunkenness and hopelessness. The last hope of the residents is the local hockey team, which once raised an NHL player and is about to raise another one.
The local club is rushing to the junior league finals (with a new hockey arena and additional funding from Stockholm already looming). But right before the main matches, shocking news arrives – the daughter of the club’s athletic director has accused the team’s main star of rape. And from that moment on, the small town is divided in half. And with the external struggle comes the internal struggle.
I will leave this novel without evaluation. It’s a very good book, but if I had known in advance what it was about, I wouldn’t have read it. It’s about parents and children; about what loyalty means and what it’s like to be a real man. It’s also about a muscular society that always protects its own. About cruelty and inner strength, about the ability to fight and the ability to love.
Reading this novel is worth it:
- If you are not afraid of hard stories;
- And you’re ready to cry a little.
The ending of the story is very bright. But it wasn’t easy for me to get to him. Last year, I liked the kind and funny novel “Anxious People” by the same writer much more.
A free excerpt of the book can be found here.
4. “Smooth, love, praise. A non-boring guide to raising a dog.” Anastasia Bobkova, Nadia Pigareva, Ekaterina Pronina
The best non-fiction I’ve come across this year. It’s also just a light and funny book about how to build a harmonious relationship with your dog. If you already have your own “woolly Oksana” or your own “tailed Oleg” in your life, be sure to read this book. Firstly, to have a laugh. And secondly, to better understand what’s going on in his furry head.
My rating: 9 out of 10. Last year, I read Petranovskaya’s book “The Invisible Support” about relationships with children. So this is her “canine” counterpart, but only funnier and more meaningful.
A free excerpt can be found here.
3rd place. Jean-Christophe Granger. “Crimson rivers”
In a small French town called Sarzac, two minor offenses occur. Someone broke into the school archives and smashed a photo on an old tombstone. A young detective, Karim Abduf, takes over the case, but very soon it turns out that something more is hiding behind an ordinary incident.
The tracks lead to the university town of Guernon, where Parisian detective Pierre Nieman is investigating the death of a local librarian. The murdered man was tortured for a long time, and then hung from a sheer cliff, with fragments of ancient ice embedded in empty eye sockets. At some point, the two stories converge at the same point. And what started with a banal mess in the school archive turns into a confusing detective story, which will feature secret societies and sophisticated fascist philosophy aimed at creating a superman.
My rating: 9 out of 10. One of the best European detectives of recent times. The book has a good film adaptation starring Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. But there are a lot of differences between the stories (especially in the ending). Therefore, it is worth reading this book even if you have already watched the movie.
An introductory excerpt of the book is here.
2. “House of Lies”. David Ellis
Simon is a successful lawyer and law teacher; Vicky is a volunteer dedicated to fighting domestic violence. At first glance, they look like an ideal couple. But everything changes in an instant when Lauren Betancourt, Simon’s first love, who once broke his heart, appears in a quiet suburb of Chicago. 9 months later, she will be found dead, and Simon’s happy life with Vicki will crack.
It turns out that Vicky is a former prostitute. And Simon was once seriously suspected of murdering his father. It turns out that their family life hides dozens of hidden grievances and destructive secrets behind the facade. There will also be a $21 million trust fund (which can only be used after 10 years of marriage). And stormy affairs on the side. And a world where one lie hides another.
But who killed Lauren Betancourt? You will find out the answer by reading this sophisticated, intricate and very dynamic novel about love, obsession and revenge.
My rating: 9 out of 10. It was with great pleasure that I watched the familiar (at first glance) story take on new features with each chapter. How a romantic in love turns into a sick psychopath, fixated on old grievances. And the young wife turns into a cold and calculating killer, obsessed with big money.
Stylistically, “House of Lies” is very similar to Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and the recent HBO hit series “Big Little Lies.” If you liked them, be sure to read this book too.
A free excerpt of the book can be viewed here.
1st place. “The Age of madness.” Joe Abercrombie
A large-scale trilogy in the genre of dark fantasy, in places, very similar to the “Game of Thrones”. Huge northern troops are advancing on Ufris and England, forcing the lady governor Finry Dan Brock to retreat further and further. Only she is eager to fight (brave, but simple) His son, Leo– dreams of victory and glory. Help from the Union should arrive soon. But the capital has its own problems. Two revolutionary societies of Breakers and Burners (led by a mysterious Weaver) destroy machines in brand-new factories, trying to stop industrial progress and “strike for the common man.” However, the head of the Inquisition, the crippled Zanda dan Glokta, has other plans in this regard, so the heads of countless revolutionaries are flying indiscriminately. His daughter Savin cherishes dreams of becoming the crown of the Union, while simultaneously investing and building her industrial empire. Her lover– Crown Prince Orso, is soon to take the throne (although neither the local nobility nor the people love him, considering him a drunken and spoiled weakling). Prince Orso is not happy with himself either. But at some point, he suddenly realizes that it is on the brink of death that he finds an acute desire to live. With Savin’s money, he gathers a private army – the “Crown Prince’s Division” – and decides to go to the aid of the overseas protectorates of Ufa and England. However, fate, as always, has its own plans for the future. And former friends will become enemies very soon.
My rating: 11 out of 10. To be honest, the trilogy is very large (and consists of three huge books forming a single story). But (unlike “The Boy’s Childhood”) literally every page here is filled with action. I enjoyed watching the characters change dramatically under the pressure of circumstances, and how good intentions lead to monstrous results. If you like books with an abundance of intrigue and gray morality, be sure to read The Age of Madness. For me, this trilogy has become the best thing I’ve read in the last 2 years.
A free excerpt of the first book can be found here.
Worthy of mention
As a final chord, I’ll recommend you a couple more books. For example, I liked the science novel “Incredulous Minds” by psychologist Rob Brotherton.
The book is slowly rolling in (and it is not written in such a talented language as the one mentioned above about dogs). But the topic described in it is very interesting. «Incredulous minds” tell us why we believe in conspiracy theories. How does our brain trick us? And what distinguishes conspiracy theory from simple conviction? If you like books on psychology, you can give it a chance. But I emphasize that the most interesting part of it begins in the second third.
Another “worthy mention” is the fantasy anthology by the Korean writer Pom Yoo Jin – “Restaurant 06:06:06“. In the center of the plot is an unusual establishment where, having prepared a special recipe, you can swap lives with another person. Each chapter is a separate story about people driven by envy, vanity, or revenge. But someone else’s soul is dark. And once you’re in another person’s body, you may regret it very much.
That’s all for now. If you liked the article, you can still look through my previous collection. It was released in May. And there I talked about the 10 best books I read from mid-2023 to mid-2024. Also, write in the comments what books you like. I would love to read some kind of intricate detective story with a touch of mystery right now.
