THE LIAR'S DIARY by Patry Francis

Patry Francis has written a terrific book in The Liar's Diary, a twisted tale of friendship gone awry. What would you do if your best friend was murdered, and your teenage son accused of the crime? This book explores how a close relationship can subtly redirect your moral compass and even twist your sense of reality. This book is loaded with secrets and feints that keep you guessing. By the time you've finished, you just might be looking at the relationships in your own life with a more critical (and paranoid) eye.

I've never met Patry, but I understand she will not be on an extensive book tour because she is battling cancer, so a number of fellow writers banded together to promote her new book for her today. Many thanks to the talented Laura Benedict for making me aware of Patry and her writing. You can read more about the blogging effort here, but most importantly, read this book.

THE FAULT TREE by Louise Ure

Louise Ure raises the bar with The Fault Tree, a suspenseful, nerve-wracking novel about a witness to a murder whose own life becomes threatened by what she knows. That premise alone has begun many great novels and films, only the witness in Ure's story happens to be blind. Cadence Moran lost her sight to a tragic car accident but still works as an auto mechanic, able to feel and hear the problems in an engine that other mechanics have long since abandoned. This character is terrific. Not a meek, cowering woman with a handicap, Cadence is a smart, resilient woman drawn in three dimensions by Ure's flawless prose.

Does the killer realize the witness is blind? Did Cadence hear something, and can she remember enough to be a threat to the killer? How can you catch a killer, let alone escape one, if you can't see them? This book sticks a knife in your gut in the very first chapter, and you'll feel it twist with every turn of the page.

Ure won the Shamus Award last year for her amazing debut Forcing Amarillyis, a gut-wrenching story of rape and murder in the arid landscape of Arizona. Her sense of place is terrific, the descriptions so evocative you'll start to sweat. Buy 'em both, you won't regret it.

THE CRAZY SCHOOL by Cornelia Read

The Crazy School by Cornelia Read is smart, funny, provocative, and powerful. (That's four adjectives in a row, and I usually only give books three at most, but this book rocks.)

Read is the author of A Field Of Darkness, a novel that was nominated for virtually every major award including the Edgar. That book introduced protagonist Madeline Dare, a recovering debutante with a penchant for conflict. Madeline returns in this novel, but Read has made The Crazy School its own book, so if you missed her debut you can read this one first.

Read has arguably the most original voice in crime fiction today, with equal parts wry observation and heartfelt characterizations. She also has a knack for seamlessly weaving together all the disparate influences and associations that shape our lives but are so rarely seen together in one work of fiction. From social commentary to history to philosophy to relationships, Read blends everything into a portrait that lingers in your mind's eye long after you stop reading.

And to make it even better, this book flies. I started it before boarding a plane and finished by the time I landed. The dialogue is pitch-perfect, the descriptions tightly drawn. No wasted words and a plot that twists more than a few times before coming to a surprisingly but very satisfying conclusion. This book is not to be missed.

QUEENPIN by Megan Abott

Queenpin is a novella-length masterpiece by the queenpin of noir, Megan Abbott. No one writes like Abbott, who has an ear for dialogue and eye for detail that make her books as visual and compelling as the finest noir films.

Queenpin is the story of a nice young girl with a taste for sin who becomes understudy to Gloria Denton, a classic moll who keeps company with the movers and shakers of the mob world. The relationship between the two women is so finely drawn that you can feel the growing tension in your gut as you turn the pages.

Queenpin is so well written that you'll find yourself slowing down just to savor the words. Once you've finished, check out The Song Is You, which is pure genius. Abbott was shortlisted for the Edgar Award last year for her debut Die A Little, and I believe she deserves to bring it home this year.