Cartoon of the Day: Hallmark Christmas Movie Plot Generator

2019 BEST OF MYSTERY, CRIME FICTION, AND THRILLER READING LISTS

If you read my blog, you know I'm a LISTMAKER. So here we are at the end of the year, and the "Best Crime Fiction of 2019" lists are coming out. Time to do a round-up of these lists since you're probably ready to buy books for the holidays (and catch up on mysteries for yourself). The following links are culled from Best of Lists from newspapers, periodicals, bookstores, bloggers, and crime writers. Be sure and check back to this post over the next few weeks . Have a list of your own favorites? one yourself? Make a comment below with a link! Happy Reading!

Laura Wilson's Best Crime and Thrillers: The Guardian

Ian Rankin's Favourite Reads of 2019

Washington Post Best Thrillers and Mysteries of 2019 (by Washington Post reviewers)

19 Authors Pick the Best Crime Novels of 2019: Dead Good

 Kristopher Zgorski's Top Reads of 2019: BOLO Books

New York Public Library Best 100 Books of the Year:  (Mystery and Suspense included as category)

The 10 Best Crime Novels of 2019: CrimeReads

Best of 2019: Aunt Agatha's

NPR's Best Concierge 2019 Mysteries & Thrillers 

Amazon Best Mysteries & Thrillers of 2019 

Oline Cogdill's Best Mystery Books of 2019: SunSentinel 

Marilyn Stasio's Best Crime Novels of the Year: New York Times 

(Decade/not only 2019) Best Psychological Thrillers of the Decade: BookBub

LitReactor Staff Books: The Best Books of 2019 (lots of crime fiction on this list)

A Quartet of RapSheet Reviews: Our Favorite Crime Fiction of 2019 

GoodReads Best Mysteries & Thrillers 

Sarah Weinman's Best of 2019 Crime Fiction and Crime Non-Fiction: TheCrimeLady 

Tom Nolan's Best Mystery Books of 2019: Wall Street Journal 

Molly Odintz's The Best Books of 2019 International Crime Fiction: CrimeReads

Booktopia Best of 2019: Crime & Thrillers 

The Best Books of 2019: Espionage Fiction: CrimeReads 

The Best Books of 2019: CrimeReads Traditional Mysteries

ShotsMag Favourite Reads of 2019 

Cartoon of the Day: Spin the Bottle

Cartoon of the Day: NapBook Pro

WILLETTA HEISING, R.I.P.

Such sad news. Willetta Heising, mystery historian, list maker, and fan, passed away last April. Alas, I just learned of this. I always enjoyed chatting with Willetta at Malice, at Left Coast Crime, and at Bouchercon..but it's been many years. The information on her passing is scant, but the legacy she leaves to the mystery community is great. I am a list maker, so I've appreciated all her work on mystery author series lists. R.I.P., Willetta.

From the Querfeld Funeral Home site. I've added a bit.

On April 25, 2019, Willetta Louise Heising died at home in Dearborn,  Michigan. She was born in Coronado, CA on October 4, 1947 to the late Rev. Willetta B. Heising and late Capt. Kenneth W. Heising (USN, Ret.). She is survived by four siblings, Ken (Theresa) Heising, Jr of Fairfax Station, VA, Evelyn (Tom) Ford of Appomattox, VA, Ellen (David) Barlow of Charlottesville, VA and John (Jessica) Heising of Richmond, VA, nine nieces and nephews, five great nieces and nephews, an aunt Jewel Wagner of Kirkwood, MO, and twelve cousins.
Growing up in a Navy family, Willetta attended school in six states, Norway, and France. She earned her BA degree in geography and sociology from Valparaiso University and attended graduate school at Wayne State University. Willetta held jobs in the business world for a total of twenty years as a city planner for Detroit; site location analyst for Chatham Supermarkets; and facilities planning, market research and product management for National Bank of Detroit. 

Then following her love of reading, she became the author and publisher of reader’s guides  to mystery fiction, nominated for the Edgar, the Agatha,and the Macavity award. Her guides include:

Detecting Women
Detecting Men
Detective Women 2: Reader's Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Women
Detecting Women: A Reader's Guide and Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Women
Willetta's Guide to Private Eye Series

In addition to being a voracious reader, Willetta was a past president of the Detroit Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association, enjoyed moderating author panels and has spent countless hours researching family genealogy.

Read an interview with Willetta Heising in BookReporter. 

Cartoon of the Day: The Snooty Bookshop

From the amazing Tom Gauld: