When you read at least 250 books in the year, it is really hard to pick a favorite because every book read is a favorite at that moment. Unless of course the book becomes a DNF (did not finish) which was far and few this year.

This year I’ve expanded my reading repertoire with adding more thrillers and suspense to my cadre of reading entertainment. Back in the day I use to read thrillers and suspense but fell in love with traditional and cozy mysteries which is my preferred genre to read. When deciding what is my top favorite this year I struggled because some of the books straddle the fence between cozy and traditional, so I looped them together. I also wanted to list those thrillers and suspense titles that added to my reading pleasure. Books are listed in alphabetical order and please note that these are some of MY favorite – not a best of list. Just because your book didn’t make this list, doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less. Click on the title’s link for the full review and purchase link.

Traditional / Cozy Mysteries

Double Dog Dare by Gretchen Archer
“All this sets the stage for an immersion of laughter, calamity and downright fun times as Davis does what she does best and that is fix the problem without being thrown in the clinker. The narrative was visually descriptive putting me in the middle of this fast-paced, action-packed drama. How the author keeps this series fresh is a testament to her talent in telling a story that will keep you glued to the pages and in stitches.”

To Catch a Witch by Heather Blake
“The author did a great job in staging this whodunit that had me devouring everything from the murder to what ails Harper to the situation with both Vince and Glinda as well as trouble from one of the crafters that involved the Elder. I enjoy the author’s writing style and the way she makes the words appearing on the pages very comfortable in tone. This is the best one ever in this delightfully, endearing, and charming series.”

Lowcountry Bookshop by Susan M. Boyer
“The author does a great job setting the stage for this light-hearted drama with visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue that had me immersed in a book that I could not put down. The pacing was on par with how well this multi-plot tale captured the essence of southern hospitality while endearing me to the escapades of those involved, no matter how much mayhem it may have caused.”

Silenced by Sugar by Catherine Bruns
“The pacing of this multi-plot whodunit was on par with how well this story was told with a comfortable tone that made it easy to follow along with the various scenes. The author knows how to stage a mystery that kept me engaged and entertained, especially with Sal’s family – both her father and mother appearing in a new commercial, the wise wisdom of her grandmother and the presence of someone from Mike’s past. All in all, this was one of the best book in the series.”

Cry Wolf by Annette Dashofy
“The narrative was explicitly revealing with dialogue that kept me engrossed in all that was being said, with descriptors that had me following the interaction between the characters. The author did a very fine job in executing this mystery with a couple of red herrings, but it was the huge twist that the author spin that knocked me off my feet and boy what a commendable job that was. This is by far, the best book in this fantastic series.”

Hollywood Ending by Kellye Garrett
“There is no sophomore slump in Kellye Garrett’s domain with this delightfully entertaining addition in the “Detective by Day” series. An exciting fast-paced and well written drama that immediately grabbed my attention from the first page never letting go until the last page was read. I really enjoyed the relationship between Dayna and her friends and how they come to her aid as she goes sleuthing for her latest case.”

What Doesn’t Kill You by Aimee Hix
“The author did a great job in creating a flawed, gutsy, stubborn, pain in the butt protagonist and a narrative to support said heroine, that kept pulling me in deeper and deeper into this action-packed and suspenseful tale with each page turned. There were some tense moments that gave me pause, but once again, the author pulled it off with great aplomb. I enjoyed this tightly woven, multi-plot drama that had my adrenaline pumping and at the same time embracing the dynamics of Willa.”

Death And A Pot Of Chowder by Cornelia Kidd
“The author does a great job in staging this fresh whodunit with a mystery that kept me on my toes and I could not put down, quickly became a page turner as I had to know what the outcome would be in this multi-plot story line. The comfortable tone, the author’s writing style and the pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. The narrative was visually descriptive putting me in the middle of all the action.”

Class Reunions Are Murder by Libby Klein
“I love the tone and the writing style that set the pace of how well this story was being told from the first meeting of Poppy to Aunt Ginny to Sawyer and to the other residents of Cape May, and not to leave out Figaro. The mystery was nicely done keeping me intrigued in all aspects of the fast-paced drama. This book kept me immersed in all that was happening  with comedic antics as the women set about gathering clues that resulted in humorous play-by-play action.”

Scot Free by Catriona McPherson
“Written with great aplomb, the author took me on a hilarious ride where the demise of the victim and how it came to be kept the story moving along as step by step we got to explore the role each character played in the telling of this tale. The author did a great job in staging this mystery keeping me enthralled in all aspect of this fascinating story, but it was the engagingly jocularity dialogue and the various character’s interactions that kept me gloriously entertained.”

The Skeleton Makes a Friend by Leigh Perry
“The author did a great job in staging this mystery with enough intrigue that had me immersed in all aspect of this well-written drama. The characters are well-developed and the dialogue is engaging keeping me amused at the antics of Sid, Georgia and Madison. Is Sid a skeleton? He doesn’t feel like one and that is attributed to the author as she has created a believable character in Sid. Overall, this was one of the best book in this delightfully endearing series.”

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne
“What a tangled web that was weaved as the drama takes hold with a slew of suspects and clues left for this reader to uncover. The author did a great job in telling this lighthearted whodunit with great aplomb, creating a sequence of events that had me glued to the pages as I had to know how this was going to end. This was well-written and I liked how she developed the characters giving us just enough for a repeat visit to Atlanta, Georgia.”

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Suspense / Thrillers

Blessed Are The Merciful by Kristi Belcamino
“This well-written tale quickly became a page-turner as I had to know what happens next. What transpires is a fast-paced, riveting drama fueled by the desire to take this to a higher plane and the author accomplishes this with great aplomb. From the first page to the finale, we are on an emotional roller coaster ride where nothing is safe and actions by the parties involved transverse countries as my breath is held as to who is going to come out of this ahead.”

The Wife by Alafair Burke
“The hits keep rolling for Alafair Burke in this tour of circumstances that kept me riveted to the pages. Taking one from the headlines, Alafair weaves a tale of suspense that takes you beyond simply the accused, but how that one betrayal takes you down a road where if you step on the brakes, your life spins out of control. Alafair writes with great aplomb, pulling you in with a grippingly and engaging narrative that never let go even after the book was closed.”

She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell
“A non-stop action-packed drama that where the action of one twin sets the stage for the other in this suspenseful and gripping tale that had me all over the place. From the headmaster to his wife to Bel to Rose to Grandma to Warren, all played party to societal behavior of entitlement and the aftermath that resulted in the destruction of one’s soul. A complex tale that traveled down a dark road as each scene begat another.”

Broken Places by Tracy Clark
“Taking on her arch enemy, we watch Cass traverse the line between being an ex-cop having to tow the line and not having to tow the line and that’s where this riveting drama takes hold and I’m along for a grippingly wonderful ride that I did not want to get off. The author does a great job in the development of this multi-faceted tome and the main characters. She gives us just enough to set the stage in this well-written mystery with visually descriptive narrative that put me in the middle of all the action.”

Alter Ego by Brian Freeman
“With some dastardly dealings perpetrated on the page, this book takes off like a rocket ship, full speed ahead in a fast-paced and intoxicating drama. Well-executed and staged, the author does a great job in pulling me in and capturing the essence of the multi-plot story being told with visually descriptive narrative. The criminal element was front and center, but the crux of this riveting drama was gathering the means necessary to end it and that’s when everything exploded as the rush of the story cascaded to a frenetic pacing.”

Worth Killing For by Jane Haseldine
“The author has a way with the narrative visually putting me in the middle of all the action as I felt Julia’s trepidation of seeing her past, mainly her father, appears right in front of her eyes. Why is he here? What does he know about her brother’s disappearance. In this grippingly intriguing tale, we are taken on an emotional roller coaster ride that starts out slow but then packs a wallop when it all comes together.”

Little Comfort by Edwin Hill
“The author did a great job in presenting the various characters and the pivotal roles they would play in how well this story was being told. All had stakes that set the stage in this tale of intrigue and suspense that was both riveting and grippingly revealing. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was going on, taking this to a higher playing field that kept me immersed in every aspect. As the story moved forward, the more intense it became and the frenetic pacing increased as this explosive drama came down to wire.”

Sunburn by Laura Lippman
“Slowly pulling me in until I was consumed by every nuance that appeared on the pages. The author did a brilliant job in delivering an intriguing and suspenseful tale that had me immersed in the details that if you looked hard – told you everything you needed to know about the two main characters. There were several twists and turns that enhanced my reading pleasure and the finale.”

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier
“This fast-paced and intoxicating drama immediately grabbed my attention and I was immersed in all aspects from plot-line to character development to the dialogue to just about everything. The author knows how to keep this reader involved by creating a complex and determine yet flawed heroine who as one of the other characters in the book called her “word nerd,” uses that skill to disseminate the clues that were presented to her.”

Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan
“The author does a great job in strategically setting up this narrative with great aplomb. It is this nail-biting and riveting force of nature where we are left to trust our own judgment in this play-by-play, word-on-word drama where nothing is left to chance. Grippingly deceptive. Intoxicating inference. Verbally sparring. Side-splitting the truth. Is it no wonder, this psychological intensifying novel quickly became a page turner.”

Confound It by Maggie Toussaint
“Fast-paced and intensely intoxicating drama that had me completely enthralled. The natural pull of the scenery and the mystical world enveloped me in this gripping tale that pulled at every emotion imaginable as our heroine fought her own emotions in this multi-plot tome that became the catalyst in how this story was being told. Expertly written with engaging dialogue, the author kept me immersed in the realm of possibilities.”

Necessary Ends by Tina Whittle
“The writing style, the tone, the dialogue, the setting, the suspense, all wrapped up in an exhilarating package that thrilled me as I traversed this fast-paced and action-packed drama. The author did a great job in staging this story to keep me reading and absorbing all that I was privy to as the field of suspects and the role they played all culminated in a finale that boasted several twists and turns.”