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The Best Books of 2024

67ranked

16five-star

3.9avg rating

10genres

Every book I finished in 2024, ranked best to worst — final order, closed out at the end of 2024.

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The top ten at a glance

BEST OF 2024#1

60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Rob Harvilla

BEST OF 2024#10

Listen for the Lie

Amy Tintera

67 of 67 Updated Jul 26

Rank

Book

Rating

Genre

Lost Man's Lane

Scott CarsonBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

Set in 1999, a coming-of-age story about a high schooler who finds himself embroiled in a supernatural missing persons investigation.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

James

Percival EverettBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

More than a retelling of "Huck Finn" from the point of view of Jim, this is a brilliant treatise on race and slavery in 1860s America.

★★★★★

Literature & Fiction

All the Colors of the Dark

Chris WhitakerBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

Whitaker delivers another masterpiece of character development while tackling several tough topics -- a challenging but uplifting read

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller Literature & Fiction

The Mayor of Maxwell Street

Avery CunninghamBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

Skillful dialogue and prose adorn this debut that combines a love story with the search for a mysterious gangster in 1920s Chicago.

★★★★★

Literature & Fiction Mystery and Thriller

The Will of the Many

James IslingtonBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

A truly excellent start to a trilogy about an orphan who infiltrates an Academy for societal elites in order to uncover a conspiracy.

★★★★★

Fantasy

Open

Andre AgassiBEST OF2024Audiobook

★★★★★BEST OF2024Audiobook

Among the best autobiographies I have read, Andre Agassi shares an honest account in vivid detail of his life in tennis (and beyond).

★★★★★

Memoir

Iron Flame

Rebecca YarrosBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

Yarros gives us a rarity -- a sequel to a force-of-nature debut that's just as good as the original, and in some ways possibly better.

★★★★★

Romantasy Fantasy Romance

The God of the Woods

Liz MooreBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

Set in 1975, the search for a missing child acts as the foundation for Moore's tactful exploration of societal themes of the time.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Rob HarvillaBEST OF2024Audiobook

★★★★★BEST OF2024Audiobook

A nostalgia-inducing romp through the most impactful songs of the '90s, focusing on their meaning to the decade and to music overall.

Amy TinteraBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

A woman returns to the small town where she grew up, despite being the prime suspect in the 5-year-old murder of her best friend.

Alison EspachBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

A woman travels to a luxury hotel with plans to kill herself but instead gets wrapped up in the wedding festivities happening on site.

★★★★★

Literature & Fiction

#12

The Year of the Locust

Terry HayesBEST OF2024

★★★★★BEST OF2024

Another great spy thriller from Hayes after 10 long years. Despite some questionable supernatural plot choices, it's still a winner.

Christina LynchBEST OF2024Audiobook

★★★★★BEST OF2024Audiobook

Part mystery, part odyssey, the story follows a sardonic pony as he seeks to reunite with his human, on trial for a 25-year-old murder

A twisty plot-driven novel about a woman who manufactures a relationship, only to find she might be the one being played.

Dave Grohl -- former drummer for Nirvana, and founding member of the Foo Fighters -- shares stories of his life in rock in this memoir

★★★★★

Memoir

#16

The Relentless Legion

J. S. Dewes

★★★★★

A satisfying conclusion to one of the better sci-fi trilogies I have read, the Sentinels once again try to defy odds to save humanity.

★★★★★

Science Fiction

#17

The Boys of Riverside

Thomas FullerAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

The account of the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, and their football team's pursuit of a championship across two seasons.

Inspired by historical events, a midwife in 1789 finds herself in the middle of both a murder and a rape investigation in her town.

★★★★★

Historical Fiction Mystery and Thriller

Reminiscent of "The Shield", it's a split between a missing persons mystery and a dirty firefighting crew committing thefts in NYC.

A fresh take on the assassin genre, balancing globetrotting action with a main character truly trying to change via a 12-step program.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

#21

The Return of Ellie Black

Emiko JeanAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

A borderlined-5-star thriller that unveils what happened to Ellie Black, who went missing for more than two years but has now returned

French's sequel to The Searcher again slowly builds up the plot -- and the tension -- until a murder mystery dominates the second half

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

#23

The True Love Experiment

Christina LaurenAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

A funny and heartwarming romance novel in the style of Emily Henry about a woman who is cast as the lead on a reality dating show.

★★★★★

Romance

#24

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas

★★★★★

After a bit of a slow and clunky start, the story of a young human woman imprisoned in faerie lands barrels to an excellent climax.

★★★★★

Romantasy Fantasy Romance

#25

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Robert Dugoni

★★★★★

A book club darling of a novel about a boy born with ocular albinism (red eyes), whose life I found less extraordinary than expected.

★★★★★

Literature & Fiction

#26

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder

Kerryn Mayne

★★★★★

Lenny Marks lives a carefully crafted and ordered life for herself until her stepfather's parole sparks memories of childhood trauma.

A memoir that exposes the role of PR firms in our news cycle and the ways they manipulate information to support their wealthy clients

Desperate for a place to stay after her fiancé cheats on her, Daphne moves in with the ex of the woman who broke up her engagement.

★★★★★

Romance

#29

Revenge of the Tipping Point

Malcolm GladwellAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

Gladwell revisits how social epidemics take off with a new set of stories to illustrate variations of concepts from The Tipping Point.

★★★★★

Nonfiction

#30

The River We Remember

William Kent Krueger

★★★★★

While a murder mystery is at the heart of this novel, a cast of flawed characters enable the exploration of several weighty topics.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

#31

The Small and the Mighty

Sharon McMahonAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

An entertaining look at a few lesser-known influential people throughout U.S. history, presented in a conversational and engaging way.

Joshua Robinson and Jonathan CleggAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

Focused not just on the recent rise of F1 but its entire 75-year history, this is an entertaining look at the evolution of the sport.

Daniel James BrownAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

A thoroughly-researched and compelling account of the University of Washington rowing team's quest to win gold at the 1936 Olympics.

★★★★★

Nonfiction

#34

When the World Tips Over

Jandy Nelson

★★★★★

A story of love, growth, and second chances, the novel follows a set of siblings as they discover their family's complex history.

A memorable novella, inspired by Polish folklore, that follows a guilt-ridden hero's journey through the magical underbelly of Chicago

★★★★★

Fantasy

#36

Be Ready When the Luck Happens

Ina GartenAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

A glimpse into one of the more spontaneous people on the planet, who balances that spontaneity with a fierce determination and will.

A new setting and cast of characters, but the same humor, heart, and layered mystery that readers have come to expect from Osman.

Equal parts funny, heartwarming, and sad, the story of a gay uncle pressed into temporary custody of his niece and nephew for a summer

A young Iranian-American man muddles through life trying to find his purpose before eventually fixating on martyrdom as the answer.

A uniquely creative fantasy novel, it's ultimately a struggle between those in power and those powerful enough to overthrow them.

★★★★★

Fantasy

#41

Margo's Got Money Troubles

Rufi Thorpe

★★★★★

When a 19-year-old finds herself desperate for cash after having a child with her professor, she turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet.

In this action-packed and entertaining sequel, the world's greatest assassin must emerge from self-exile to stop a global terrorist.

An inventive concept suffers a bit when the inevitable potential plot holes that come with time travel emerge. Entertaining but flawed

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller Fantasy

#44

The Six Pack

Brad BalukjianAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

An in-depth look at six of the wrestlers (and the rise of wrestling in the 80s) based around the Iron Sheik becoming champion in 1983.

A mostly average offering from an author I normally enjoy, which follows the next generation of her "An Ember in the Ashes" heroes.

★★★★★

Fantasy

#46

The Night We Lost Him

Laura Dave

★★★★★

When a man falls from the cliffs adjacent to his seaside home, his son and daughter collaborate to uncover the truth behind his death.

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.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller Literature & Fiction

When online banter turns to real-life dating, Emma and Justin must overcome significant obstacles to make their relationship last.

Richly rendered characters living in a deteriorating society, Enger's novel merges bits of beauty into an overwhelmingly sad world.

McGuire's unparalleled creativity is again on display as she explores Lunar deities working to solve a murder of one of their own.

Freida McFaddenAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

A quick bubblegum thriller from the queen of the twist which will keep you guessing even when you know the misdirection is coming.

The first book in a series with plenty of potential, it establishes characters and foundation but fails to deliver a full story arc.

★★★★★

Fantasy

#53

The Eyes and the Impossible

Dave Eggers

★★★★★

The 2024 Newberry Medal winner is the story of Johannes, a free dog who monitors the activities of a large woodland park as "The Eyes"

Travis BaldreeAudiobook

★★★★★Audiobook

A sweet little story about friendship and starting over, focused on an orc who tries to leave violence behind and open a coffee shop.

★★★★★

Fantasy

#55

Don't Let the Devil Ride

Ace Atkins

★★★★★

A slightly-better-than-average southern noir thriller about a wife's search for her missing husband, who might not be who she thought.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

#56

The Last One at the Wedding

Jason Rekulak

★★★★★

An unfortunately average mystery about a father and his growing concerns that his daughter's fiancé could have a dark and sordid past.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

#57

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

TJ Klune

★★★★★

A continuation of the "Cerulean Chronicles", but lacking the sweetness, joy and novelty that made the first book delightful & special.

A rare ho-hum effort from an author I enjoy, Bardugo's novel of 16th century Spain struggles to blend history, fantasy, and romance.

★★★★★

Historical Fiction Fantasy Romance

A new set of characters and worlds from El-Arifi, but a book that is far more in the "romantasy" category than her previous novels.

The Danny Ryan trilogy coasts to a conclusion, wrapping up open plot points but mostly just checking the box in this mailed-in effort.

★★★★★

Literature & Fiction Mystery and Thriller

A series of loosely-related vignettes spanning 400 years show off Mason's literary prowess but fail to coalesce into something special

A frustrating thriller, packed with unlikable characters and plot holes I could drive a truck through. Significantly disappointing.

An alternative take on Stranger in a Strange Land; social commentary abounds as an 1847 explorer tries to acclimate to modern society.

★★★★★

Science Fiction Literature & Fiction

A whodunit about a murder on a private Greek island, recounted by a conversational narrator who had me wishing for a second murder.

An unfocused debut that combines elements of Minority Report with a grisly ghost story, an all-powerful being, and more. It's a mess.

A forensic linguistics student begins helping police solve crimes, while engaging in the most unrealistic dialogue I read all year.

★★★★★

Mystery and Thriller

#67

Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart: And Other Stories

GennaRose Nethercott

★★★★★

By the author of the excellent Thistlefoot, a collection of short stories written six years ago that should have remained unpublished.

★★★★★

Literature & Fiction Fantasy

How the ranking works

One list, every book, no ties. When I finish something it goes in against everything else I've read this year, which means the order shifts constantly — a book that sat at 12 in March can be at 20 by August without having gotten any worse. Star ratings and rank are related but not the same thing: among fourteen five-star books, someone still has to be fourteenth.

The next one, in your inbox.

One email on the first of every month with a summary and rating of each book reviewed over the past 30 days, and a look at where the year's ranking stands.