Favorite Sons of 2013

Every year I tell you all what my favorite PI reads of the year were...
Well, here are my favorites again...

BEST PI NOVEL: Point Doom (JD Fiorella) by Dan Fante
BEST DEBUT: The Hard Bounce (Boo Malone) by Todd Robinson
BEST NEW PI: Mark Paris /The Professor (Subtraction) by Andrew Peters
BEST ACTION SCENES: One More Body (Moses McGuire) by Josh Stallings

Runners-up in various categories were:
Dirty Work (Gulliver Dowd) by Reed Farrel Coleman
Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me (Vic Valentine) by Will Viharo
A Small Sacrifice (Nick Forte) by Dana King

And an award should for WRITER WHO GETS BETTER EVERY YEAR should go to Steve Ulfelder for Shotgun Lullaby (Conway Sax).
And another one for WRITER WHO WORKS THE HARDEST should go to Nathan Gottlieb of the Frank Boff novels.

I also want to thank Keith Dixon and Sean Dexter for helping me bring out my own stuff.

Subtraction (The Professor) by Andrew Peters

This book is a hoot...
Mark Paris is an ex-boxer, ex-piano player and ex-math professor, hence the nickname The Professor. He works in sixties Las Vegas as a fixer / unlicensed PI in the sixties, time of Dean Martin and Sinatra. When a friend ends up with a dead hooker in his hotel room he enlists The Professor's help. When Paris investigates he runs afoul of a high-class bordello and dangerous mobsters.
Aside from the wonderful Mark Paris himself, who might have too big a background for some readers but I thought was a wonderful pulp hero, this one has another thing going for it... The writing style is very witty, almost like Paris talking to you. His voice is funny and original. I also see a lot of Robert B. Parker in the writing (especially when Paris is working out or talking to his girl) and in my book that is alway a wonderful thing.
One of the most original and enjoyable eyes of the last couple of years in a fun story.