Paul French’s Best Crime Novels of 2023

THE DETECTIVE UP LATE, Adrian McKinty
THE ENCHANTERS, James Ellroy
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE, Martin Cruz Smith
CITY OF DREAMS, Don Winslow
AGE OF VICE, Deepti Kapoor
THE SECRET HOURS, Mick Herron
CODE OF THE HILLS, Chris Offutt
PARADISE, Patricia Wolf
ALL THE SINNERS BLEED, S.A. Cosby
THE SECOND MURDERER, Denise Mina
MALIBU BURNING, Lee Goldberg
THE WHEEL OF DOLL, Jonathan Ames
NEEDLESS ALLEY, Natalie Marlow
THE LOCK-UP, John Banville
MOSCOW EXILE, John Lawton
THE DARKER THE NIGHT, Martin Patience
THE PARTISAN, Patrick Worrall

Comments: Excellent list — one of the best this year. I’ve read 8 of the titles and enjoyed them all. I’m half-way through THE SECOND MURDERER and should finish by the end of the year. I deleted a few titles that weren’t 2023 books. For full list.