Greg Barlin
The Best Books of 2024 So Far: Live!
A running list of my "Best Books of the Year", updated as I finish each book.
top of page
Greg Barlin
- Sep 3
- 4 min
Assassins Anonymous
★★★★★ A fresh take on the assassin genre, balancing globetrotting action with a main character truly trying to change via a 12-step program.
70
Greg Barlin
- Aug 19
- 2 min
Don't Let the Devil Ride
★★★★☆ A slightly-better-than-average southern noir thriller about a wife's search for her missing husband, who might not be who she thought.
60
Greg Barlin
- Aug 7
- 3 min
The God of the Woods
★★★★★ Set in 1975, the search for a missing child acts as the foundation for Moore's tactful exploration of societal themes of the time.
350
Greg Barlin
- Jun 23
- 3 min
Devil's Kitchen
★★★★★ Reminiscent of "The Shield", it's a split between a missing persons mystery and a dirty firefighting crew committing thefts in NYC.
150
Greg Barlin
- Jun 17
- 4 min
Lost Man's Lane
★★★★★ Set in 1999, a coming-of-age story about high schooler who finds himself embroiled in a supernatural missing persons investigation.
320
Greg Barlin
- May 6
- 3 min
The River We Remember
★★★★☆ While a murder mystery is at the heart of this novel, a cast of flawed characters enable the exploration of several weighty topics.
100
Greg Barlin
- Apr 6
- 4 min
The Frozen River
★★★★★ Inspired by historical events, a midwife in 1789 finds herself in the middle of both a murder and a rape investigation in her town.
210
Greg Barlin
- Mar 17
- 3 min
The Hunter
★★★★☆ French's sequel to The Searcher again slowly builds up the plot -- and the tension -- until a murder mystery dominates the second half
70
Greg Barlin
- Mar 11
- 3 min
The Book of Doors
★★★★☆ An inventive concept suffers a bit when the inevitable potential plot holes that come with time travel emerge. Entertaining but flawed
100
Greg Barlin
- Mar 8
- 2 min
City in Ruins
★★★☆☆ The Danny Ryan trilogy coasts to a conclusion, wrapping up open plot points but mostly just checking the box in this mailed-in effort.
130
Greg Barlin
- Feb 21
- 4 min
The Year of the Locust
★★★★★ Another great spy thriller from Hayes after 10 long years. Despite some questionable supernatural plot choices, it's still a winner.
150
Greg Barlin
- Feb 14
- 4 min
Bright Young Women
★★★★☆ A reimagining of the events leading up to and surrounding the crimes of Ted Bundy, with a focus on the victims rather than the killer.
60
Greg Barlin
- Feb 12
- 5 min
All the Colors of the Dark
★★★★★ Whitaker delivers another masterpiece of character development while tackling several tough topics -- a challenging but uplifting read
580
Greg Barlin
- Jan 29
- 4 min
First Lie Wins
★★★★★ A twisty plot-driven novel about a woman who manufactures a relationship, only to find she might be the one being played.
370
Greg Barlin
- Jan 15
- 5 min
The Mayor of Maxwell Street
★★★★★ Skillful dialogue and prose adorn this debut that combines a love story with the search for a mysterious gangster in 1920s Chicago.
450
Greg Barlin
- Dec 23, 2023
- 14 min
The Best Books of 2023
A running tally of my "Best Books of 2023", updated each time I finish a book throughout the year.
5200
Greg Barlin
- Dec 22, 2023
- 4 min
All the Sinners Bleed (#1 of 2023)
★★★★★ Another tightly crafted Southern Noir novel from Cosby packed with social commentary and memorable characters. Possibly his best yet.
1100
Subscribe
Subscribe here to get my latest posts
© 2023 by Barlin's Books.
bottom of page