My Favorite Books of 2012

A thriller, two psychological mysteries, and a couple of debut novels highlight the list of the books I most enjoyed in 2012.

In alphabetical order by author:

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay

One of Barclay's best--interesting characters and a plot that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Even though the book is over 450 pages, nothing is extraneous.  A pitch-perfect psychological mystery.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

This first book in the Galileo series was published in 2011, but I didn't read it until 2012 (probably because I was put off by the Japanese setting).  I'm so glad I gave it a try.  A wonderful puzzle with a wallop of an ending.

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I really loved this one. Family relationships, old wealth and jealousy combine to form a novel that's hard to put down.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

A debut novel with a fascinating premise: what would happen if the earth started to rotate more slowly?  Having read this book almost a year ago, I still vividly remember the journey I took with teenage Julia when this event happened in her life.