best of 2019: fiction

As 2019 approaches the finish line, it's time to start posting my "best of" lists!  A few notes before I begin:

• The first book on this list was definitely my favorite of the year, but the rest are in random order.
• Not all of these were first published in 2019, but since that's when I read them, they're going on this list.
• If I read anything between now and the end of December that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.
• These are all female authors, which was not by design but is still pretty cool.
• And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. The Need by Helen Phillips:  Molly is confronted by a mysterious intruder in her home.  Do they have anything to do with the fossil dig where Molly found several mysterious and anachronistic items?  An excellent and creepy read; one part freaked me out so badly I double checked the front door. 

2. Freefall by Jessica Barry:  After surviving a private plane crash in the Colorado Rockies, Allison has to fight her way through the wilderness.  Meanwhile, her estranged mother Maggie, believing Allison is dead, is determined to find out what her daughter had been up to during the two years they hadn't spoken.  An exciting read that I tore through in one day.

3. Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi: While working the overnight shift at a bodega, Pablo strikes up a conversation with a cute customer and is shocked when he finally recognizes her as a celebrity.  They form a relationship, but her fame complicates matters.  Sharp and funny; it even made me cry.

4. Lights All Night Long by Lydia Fitzpatrick:  A Russian exchange student copes with the unfamiliarity of America and tries to find out the truth behind his brother's incarceration back home.  An unusual, beautifully written take on the classic "fish out of water" trope.

5. The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh: After Sadie's brother dies unexpectedly, she wants to know the truth. Then the skull of a long-missing local girl is found in the woods, and Sadie's search for answers becomes even more urgent.  Both a gripping mystery and a searing look at how the opioid crisis has devastated small-town America.

6. Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand:  Pin is a young girl posing as a boy in 1915, hanging out at the amusement park where her mother works as a fortune teller.  When a murderer begins stalking the park looking for new victims, Pin teams up with a strange man named Henry Darger (based on the real outsider artist who wrote and illustrated a 15,000 page book) to catch him.  Atmospheric and engrossing.

7. The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood: When Zee's sister, a prison volunteer, is kidnapped by two escapees, Zee turns to the last person she would have expected to ask for help: Gentry, her stalker and a literal knight in shining armor.  No, seriously; he even speaks in Middle English (which admittedly does take some getting used to).  A very unusual but touching love story.

8. In at the Deep End by Kate Davies:  Julia has always considered herself (mostly) straight, so she's surprised when she finds herself attracted to another woman.  She and Sam begin having a steamy affair that everyone but Julia can tell is toxic.  It's often quite funny, but just as an FYI: it's very sexually explicit, so take that as either an endorsement or a warning.

9. The Grace Year by Kim Liggett:  When girls turn 16, their skin begins to emit an aphrodisiac, so they're banished into the wild while their magic "burns off".  But the wilderness is dangerous, and full of poachers who kill the girls to use their body parts in lucrative elixirs.  Extremely dark and beautifully written.

10. The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter:  When Sara Linton is kidnapped after a domestic terrorism incident, Will Trent will stop at nothing to find her.  I REALLY disliked Slaughter's last book, so I'm happy to report she's back in fine form, and I was glad to see Sara and Will back too.