After a short break for Christmas (in which I’m still recovering from cooking for 11 people and drinking a bottle of Baileys…never had it before, so it’s suddenly my favourite tipple), it’s the return of the remaining top 5 reads of 2013 series. Up today is Steve Weddle, an exceptional writer, who has gained mass critical acclaim for his novel ‘Country Hardball’. Destined for big things, here Weddle shares his top 5 reads of 2013…

Top 5 Books by Steve Weddle

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

I was a big fan of Karen Russell’s St. Lucy’s collection, so I had high hopes for this one. I wasn’t disappointed. The strangeness of the title track isn’t just in its concept, but in its delivery. Russell has a way of pulling you in and not letting go, even if you’re not exactly sure why you’re so compelled. Vampiric hypnosis, perhaps. Also, dead presidents as horses? Giddy up.

Big Reap by Chris F. Holm

I’d been waiting a long time for this one. Chris and I are kinda pals, so I’d read the first two pre-pub. I read the third one like the rest of the unwashed masses, and it fulfilled everything I’d been waiting for. The way it tied up the Sam storyline so cleanly in an all-new story was mesmerizing. I think this one is the best written of the trilogy, which is saying something. Can’t recommend this one highly enough.

Silent City by Alex Segura

I just recently finished this one, but I’m sure it will be sticking with me for a long time. In a way I was reminded a little of Dave White’s Jackson Donne, with an edgy Scudder twist, but Pete Fernandez is his own character. The story opens as his life is falling apart, and things just get better from there. For the reader, at least. Pete doesn’t always fare so well. This book was a fantastic read in the mystery genre, and I’m thrilled Pete Fernandez has his own series. Looking forward to more from Segura.

Evil in All Its Disguises by Hilary Davidson

The third of Hilary Davidson’s Lily Moore books that I’ve read, this one seemed to up the stakes in terms of urgency and character. One of the best things about this series is how detailed the international settings are, how lovely they seem, while terrible things are happening to perfectly nice people – like an opera of brutal violence sung with lovely voices. This is probably the spookiest, creepiest of the Lily Moore series.

Runaway Town by Jay Stringer

As with Chris Holm’s trilogy, I read the first two of Jay’s series pre-pub and the final one along with everyone else. Here’s the thing these Eoin Miller books do that other books don’t – they show me the politics of an area I know nothing about. In a sense, this series makes you smarter about the plight of marginalized people in the UK while hiding that truth in an amazing caper novel. It’s darn near miraculous what happens in this book, how the reader is carried along on this crime fiction trip while simultaneously being shown this world, these people, these stories of a community under siege. When people talk about a series with “real heart,” this is what they’re talking about.