The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

Join 1,707 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Breathless

Clare O'Beara Why did I love this book?

This suspense story takes an already deadly dangerous setting – one of the world’s highest peaks – and sets a female journalist and climber to identify and survive a murderer.

The author writes so well from her personal experience, that I can feel every frozen breath and learn every step needed to stay alive. All this spectacular scenery, well-developed characters, and a mystery to solve too. 

By Amy McCulloch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Breathless as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THIS YEAR'S MOST GRIPPING THRILLER AND SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
'A high-altitude, high-stakes thriller. I loved it' MATT HAIG
'Had me on the edge of my seat. A must read for 2022' SARAH PEARSE
'Suffocatingly tense, highly original and exhilarating' DAILY EXPRESS
'Tense, chilling and terrifying' CLAIRE DOUGLAS
'Chilling, vivid and entirely unique' ABIGAIL DEAN

SIX STRANGERS. ONE KILLER. AND NO ESCAPE . . .
________

Journalist Cecily Wong is offered the chance of a lifetime: to join an elite team on one of the world's tallest mountains.

But things quickly start to fall apart.

An unexplained…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of In the Shadow of the Bull

Clare O'Beara Why did I love this book?

I love this YA murder mystery in which we visit Ancient Crete.

The premise of having a young girl investigate her sister’s death on the day of her marriage, takes us around the everyday lives of the people, both the women-dominated society and travelling merchants.

The brilliant touch is making the sleuth a trainee bull-jumper, showing that young women, as well as men, carried out this spectacular sport and ritual. I learned a lot and lived the history. 

By Eleanor Kuhns,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In the Shadow of the Bull as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a world of Goddess worship, sacred snakes and sacrifice, human jealousy, resentment and betrayal still run wild . . .

Ancient Crete, 1450 BC.When her sister Arge drops to the floor in convulsions and then dies at her wedding, fifteen-year-old Martis, a young poet and bull leaper in training, is certain she was murdered.

The prime suspect is the groom, Saurus, a barbarian from the Greek mainland, but when Arge’s Shade visits Martis, swearing Saurus is not her murderer, Martis vows to uncover the truth.
As Martis begins asking questions, she discovers that while her sweet sister Arge may…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Damascus Station

Clare O'Beara Why did I love this book?

Set during the Syrian Civil War, this thriller focuses on a male CIA agent at the US Embassy in Damascus and a Syrian woman working for her government but desperate to stop the oppression of her people.

The story presents many characters to give a rounded view of the situation, so I learned a lot and can see a wider view of the Middle East. I also enjoyed the tradecraft exhibited, and the portrayal of a capable woman forced by circumstances into the position of being a spy. 

By David McCloskey,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Damascus Station as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

CIA case officer Sam Joseph is dispatched to Paris to recruit Syrian Palace official Mariam Haddad. The two fall into a forbidden relationship, which supercharges Haddad's recruitment and creates unspeakable danger when they enter Damascus to find the man responsible for the disappearance of an American spy.

But the cat and mouse chase for the killer soon leads to a trail of high-profile assassinations and the discovery of a dark secret at the heart of the Syrian regime, bringing the pair under the all-seeing eyes of Assad's spy catcher, Ali Hassan, and his brother Rustum, the head of the feared…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Murder at Irish Mensa

By Clare O'Beara,

Book cover of Murder at Irish Mensa

What is my book about?

Cara Cassidy, a Dublin tree surgeon, is having a tough May weekend. Her landlady has given her notice. Cara’s in the middle of organising an international convention for the high intelligence group Irish Mensa. Visiting American tobacco heiress Laurel Cabot – who has married a Dubliner with the paper title of the Baron of Ballymun – is murdered and her priceless diamond necklace stolen. Both the Gardai and Interpol believe that the killer is among the guests.

Amid visits to the National Stud and Trinity College, Cara, newly elected Chairman of Irish Mensa, does some investigating, with the aid of Mike Fraser, a Scottish guest. The Mensa members trust her, but some people would prefer their secrets to remain hidden….

Book cover of Breathless
Book cover of In the Shadow of the Bull
Book cover of Damascus Station

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