In no particular order...
Josh Bazell, Beat the Reaper – funniest book I’ve read in years.
Brett Battles (all three: The Cleaner, The Deceived, Shadows of Betrayal) – a terrific new series with a character who is like no one else that I’ve read.
Jess Walter, The Financial Lives of Poets – cynically comical look at modern life and financial catastrophe
Steig Larsson (all three: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire, The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest) – it is a crime and a shame that he died without having written 30 books, at least.
Mike Lawson, House Secrets – can’t get enough of DeMarco, Emma and the Speaker.
Jedediah Berry, Manual of Detection – strangest book of the year, but enchanting
George Pelecanos, The Turnaround – noir master, yes, but one of the rare white guys with soul.
Walter Mosley, The Night Falls – how can you not love a world-weary, middle-aged PI with 80,000 songs on his iPod?
Joe Gores, Spade & Archer- a perfect prequel to The Maltese Falcon, as if he channeled Hammett.
Philip Kerr, The One from the Other and A Quiet Flame – one of the great pleasures of the new Century is that there are new Berney Gunther novels.
Boston Teran, Creed of Violence – ruffians and killers with an oddly formal way of speaking! Great!
Cornelia Read, A Field of Darkness, The Crazy School, and Invisible Boy -- sorry I waited so long to read her, she’s a string of pearls in the rough.
Gillian Flynn, Dark Places – best of the year, good lord what a masterful piece of writing.
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