In 2020 Kaye Wilkinson Barley asked a group of women who love to read to list the books they most enjoyed in 2020. The query has continued every year since then. Following are the responses to the 2024 data call.

-Aubrey Nye Hamilton

Here’s how Kaye described this feature when it started:

I asked a few of my women friends who I know to be discerning readers, and who are well known in the mystery community, if they would share some of their favorite reads.

But not just mysteries.

We decided not to limit the books in any way. Just some favorites we’d like to share with others.

And, with that we ended up with a wonderfully fun mix of fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, crime fiction, romance, fantasy, photo books, young adult, etc etc etc.

Nor did we stick with books published in 2020 which made it fun to see some old classics along with a few books to look forward to in 2021.

Most of you who read Meanderings and Muses know some, if not all, these women. And what an amazing group they are; readers, book advocates, librarians, teachers, reviewers, publicists, webmasters, bloggers who support authors – male AND female – and the world of books.

Consider this list of holiday recommendations our gift to you.

Previous years’ lists: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Kaye Wilkinson Barley

Retiree and Happy Traveler

Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone by Randy Susan Meyers
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
he House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
The Mirror by Nora Roberts

Marlyn Beebe

Retired librarian who lives in Southern California.

My favorite books of 2024, alphabetically by author.

Andrews, Donna.  Rockin’ Around the Chickadee (Meg Langslow #36)
Birkelund, Elizabeth.  A Northern Light in Provence
Buckley, Julia.  Death Through a Dark Green Glass
Burr, Samuel.  The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Carter, Ally.  The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
Durst, Sarah Beth.  The Spellshop
Fawcett, Heather.  Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2)
Fortune, Carly.  This Summer Will Be Different 
Henry, April.  Stay Dead
Labuskes, Brianna.  The Lost Book of Bonn
Linden, Rachel. Recipe for a Charmed Life
MacNeal, Susan Elia.  The Last Hope (Maggie Hope #11)
Miller, Kirsten.  Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books
Patterson, James.   Holmes, Marple, & Poe
Thorne, Rebecca.  A Pirate’s Life for Tea (Tomes and Tea #2)

M’Lou Greene

Retired – not retired — will be for real, very soon! “My grandmother taught me to read at age 3, and I’ve never stopped!”

The list here are the books I’ve read in 2024 which rated B+ or above

Jess Lourey, The Taken Ones, 2023
James McBride, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, 2023
Amy Schneider, In the Form of a Question, 2023
Brianna Labuskes, The Lies You Wrote, 2023
Jasper Fforde, Red Side Story, 2024
Lynda Rutledge, Mockingbird Summer, 2024
Margaret Renkl, The Comfort of Crows, 2023
Mary Liza Hartong, Love and Hot Chicken, 2024
Lori Rader-Day, The Death of Us, 2023
Lisa Unger, The New Couple in 5B, 2024
Rachel Kapelke-Dale, The Fortune Seller, 2024
Nicole Harrison, Hotel Laguna, 2023
Margaret Renkl, Late Migrations, 2019
Cornelia Read, Valley of Ashes, 2012
Laura Pearson, The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, 2023
Joe Wilkins, The Entire Sky, 2024
Victoria Mas, The Mad Women’s Ball, 2021
Amy Tintora, Listen for the Lie, 2024 
Griffin Dunne, The Friday Afternoon Club, 2024
Janes Patterson, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, 2024

Aubrey Hamilton

Former librarian, lifelong reader, book reviewer.

Deadlock by James Byrne (2023)
Witness 8 by Steven Cavanaugh (UK 2024, US 2025)
Think Twice by Harlan Coben (2024)
Blind to Midnight by Reed Farrel Coleman (2024)
Death Has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert (1951)
Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg (2023)
Perfect Opportunity by Steven Havill (2024)
Keep It Quiet by Richard Hull (1935)
Deus X by Stephen Mack Jones (2023)
Part for a Poisoner by E. C. R. Lorac (1948)
The Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair (2024)
The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore (2024)
Mr. Campion’s Christmas by Mike Ripley (2024)
The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef by Tom Straw (2024)

Bev Hankins

Works with the graduate program in English at Indiana University. She has also been moonlighting for the last fourteen years as a book blogger and reviewer at My Reader’s Block. She’ll read anything with words on it that will stand still long enough…but prefers vintage mysteries. Here’s my list of 4+ star rated books this year (with links to reviews).

The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth
Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac
Heberden’s Seat by Douglas Clark
The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
Murder by the Book by Martin Edwards, ed
The Final Days of Abbot Montrose by Sven Elvestad
Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer 
A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith
Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood
When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris
The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald
Dance of Death by Helen McCloy
Bodies from the Library 3 by Tony Medawar, ed
Still Life by Louise Penny
 McKee of Centre Street by Helen Reilly
The Owl in the Cellar by Margaret Scherf
Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge
The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan
Wicked Uncle by Patricia Wentworth

Lesa Holstine

Has been a happy retiree for over a year now, after a career as a public librarian.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Hope to Die by Cara Hunter
The Booklover’s Library by Madeleine Martin
The Night Woods by Paula Munier
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
The Mirror by Nora Roberts
The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson by Terry Shames
The Authors’ Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Nonfiction: Come From Away: Welcome to the Rock: An Inside Look at the Hit Musical

Juvenile book: Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo

Maddee James

Constant reader, author website designer, dog lover and new grandmother!

Remarkably Bright Creatures / Shelby Van Pelt (my favorite of the year)
The Comfort of Ghosts / Jacqueline Winspear (the final Maisie — so good)
Thursday Night Murder Club books (all) / Richard Osman
Winter Solstice / Rosamunde Pilcher (such a comfort read)
The Wedding People / Alison Espach
What You Don’t See / Tracy Clark
Okay For Now / Gary D. Schmidt
The Life We Bury / Allen Eskens
Wonder / RJ Palacio
The Maid / Nita Prose
All Hat / Brad Smith
Busted Flush / Brad Smith
The White Hare / Jane Johnson

Dru Ann Love

Is an award-winning mystery blogger at dru’s book musings. She is also an Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-winning author for Best Short Story for her first short story “Ticket To Ride” that she co-wrote with Kristopher Zgorski.

COZY MYSTERY

When the Carnival Came by Kathleen Bailey
Dead Without a Hitch by Kat Bellemore
A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke
Crimes and Confections by Catherine Bruns
A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns
A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron
Olive You to Death by Lynn Cahoon
 What Comes Around by Annette Dashofy
 A Matter of Life and Depths by K.B. Jackson
 Peril in Pink by Sydney Leigh
Resort to Murder by Annie McEwen
Scotzilla by Catriona McPherson
Elizabeth Sails by Kristin Owens
Dominoes, Danzón, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes
Sorry, Knot Sorry by Lois Winston

NON-COZY

The Burning by Linda Castillo
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard
Echo by Tracy Clark
The General’s Gold by LynDee Walker & Bruce Robert Coffin
Who To Believe by Edwin Hill
Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow by Mary Keliikoa
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
Saving The Guilty by Liz Milliron
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
The Night Woods by Paula Munier
The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann
Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler
Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts
All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen
Crooked Ways by Tina Whittle

Erin Mitchell

Reader who is lucky enough to get to work for authors and publishers.

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger (2025)
Departure 37 by Scott Carson (2025)
What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan (2024)
Storm Child by Michael Robotham (2024)
Bad Boy Beat by Clea Simon (2024)
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (2024)
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (2024)
Dangerous Play by Elise Hart Kipness (2024)
The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Karen White, and Lauren Willig (2024)
Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh (2025)
The Short-Order Detective by Liza Cody (2024)

Maryglenn M. Warnock

Is a book publicist who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and native of Munfordville, Kentucky, Maryglenn is a passionate animal advocate who serves on the board of Nashville Humane Association and Pet Community Center.  

Margaret Fenton’s LITTLE BOY BLUE is an outstanding entry to the Little series.  Featuring social worker Claire Conover, Little Boy Blue is set in Birmingham and an exquisite mystery that kept me turning pages. Margaret is a phenomenal writer, and Little Boy Blue—at least IMHO—is her best yet.

Baron Birtcher’s KNIFE RIVER is nothing short of swoon-worthy. Set in the 70s in rural Oregon and featuring protagonist Ty Dawson, Knife River is unputdownable.  Baron Birtcher writes with unparalleled style, grace, and wit—and Knife River is a book that is at once authentic, atmospheric, and elegant.  I cannot recommend this, and Baron Birtcher’s other works, highly enough.

Margaret Mizushima’s GATHERING MIST is not to be missed. Part of Margaret’s Timber Creek K-9 series, GATHERING MIST may be the best entry yet. I’ve been invested in this series since book one and it just keeps getting better…and better….and better.

J. Luke Bennecke’s WATERBORNE is a helluva thrill ride.  I love Bennecke’s protagonist, Jake Bendel, the Superman of engineering, and the book has a fabulous, briskly paced plotline that keep the pages turning. Super smart, super engaging, and super thrilling.

One of my favorite summer reads is THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore.  So beautifully written and so engaging.  I would be lying if I said this one didn’t bring me to tears poolside.  An absolutely splendid book.

And finally, I found an absolute gem in Kirk Ward Robinson’s RIDLEY SPEAKS.  Ridley Speaks is a beautifully-written tale with an unforgettable protagonist, Ridley Speaks. I dare you not to fall in love with Ridley and this extraordinary book.  Robinson’s writing had me hooked from the first line—and this is an exceptional story, exceedingly well told.

Sara Weiss 

High school teacher/College professor, avid reader and part time reviewer. 

Here are my top ten in no particular order. Most are not new releases, although some are. They are all different genres.  I included a series because it really is one story. I read quite a few full series this year, this one stood out. The first five books are the first arc, the rest are all intertwined, but not the same story. 

The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabriel Zevin
The Rule of Threes by Jeffrey Deaver
How to Become a Darklord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg (Get the audio, she is fantastic reading her own story!)
A Very Bad Thing by JT Ellison
The Fever Series (books 1-5; Darkfever is first) by Karen Marie Moning
Sugar on the Bones by Joe Lansdale