FIFTY GRAND by Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty has been a favorite since I read Dead I Well May Be, which I consider one of the best crime novels of the past decade. His latest, Fifty Grand, is another gem. Most of the rave reviews give a plot summary that I would surely botch, so suffice it to say McKinty is a poet, and this is one of the best books you'll read this year.

SAFER by Sean Doolittle

Sean Doolittle is one of the most compelling crime writers alive today. The amazing blurbs on his books reveal what everyone in the writing community knows, which is that Doolittle is redefining the crime novel one book at a time. With Safer he once again sets a new standard. He takes the tranquility of the suburbs and reveals what lies beneath, but not in the manner of a potboiler thriller that stretches credulity, rather with a disarming series of events that seem all too believable and close to home. This book is tense, claustrophobic, and compelling in a way that makes you think twice about what it really means to move to a safe neighborhood. Check it out.