This was a great year for crime fiction, so perhaps it would be better to call these my favorites, rather than the best. Or maybe I should just say that of the ones I’ve read, these are the ten I liked best–because, of course, I haven’t read everything.
In any case, here’s the list.
Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran
When the Thrill is Gone by Walter Mosley
Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
The Cut by George Pelecanos
The Quest for Anna Klein by Thomas H. Cook
The Devil She Knows by Bill Loehfelm
The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
Back of Beyond by CJ Box
Trespasser by Paul Doiron
That’s my top ten, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t also recommend:
Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton
The Sentry by Robert Crais
A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block
The Ranger by Ace Atkins
Ghost Heroes by S.J. Rozan
Bruce DeSilva's Rogue Island 
Great list, Bruce – and now I have about half a dozen books to add to my reading list…
I’ll add several of the titles you mention to that towering stack of books to read. I liked Cumming’s “The Trinity Six” and, especially, P. C. Sturges’ “Shortcut Man.” Sturges is son of director-writer Preston Sturges and this thriller proves again that the apples fall smack under the tree. It’s often hilarious and ultimately touching — just like his dad’s great screwball comedies. Like all too many good and great books, this one came out and went into the Bermuda Triangle of overlooked gems.
Thanks! Are these in rank order or in order read?
I tried to list them in order of preference, but I had a hard time ranking them.
Great list. I’ve read about a third of them so I’d best get busy and read a few more!