We're a little more than halfway through 2004, so it seemed like an appropriate time to look back at the books that have come out so far this year.

There have been quite a few very good ones that I've enjoyed. I don't think I've been really wowed by anything yet. Admittedly, it's gotten harder to knock my socks off with a book. But I have been highly entertained on many occasions.

Books I really liked:
Barry Eisler: Rain Storm
Willian Kent Krueger: Blood Hollow
Julia Spencer-Fleming: Out of the Deep I Cry
Chris Mooney: Remembering Sarah
David Liss: A Spectacle of Corruption
Laura Lippman: By a Spider's Thread
Robert Ferrigno: The Wake-Up
Jeffery Deaver: Garden of Beasts
Gayle Lynds: The Coil

For debuts, I liked:
J.A. Konrath: Whiskey Sour
Jack Kerley: The Hundredth Man
Harley Jane Kozak: Dating Dead Men
James O. Born: Walking Money
Raelynn Hillhouse: Rift Zone
Dylan Schaffer: Misdemeanor Man

So far a very good year. The crime fiction genre overall is quite strong right now. In addition to those listed above, we've seen good books from stalwarts like Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Larry Block, George Pelecanos (which I didn't really care for, but many others loved), Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Steve Hamilton...

Good stuff!