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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,624 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

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My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Naked in Death

John J. Jessop Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it is the first in my favorite series by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts). 

This series includes clever and captivating murder mysteries that take place in the near future (2058). The two main characters are Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD Homicide Division and her billionaire husband, Roarke.

They are two entirely different personalities with one common thread, a history of childhood abuse. They meet, fall in love, and form an unbreakable bond that transcends their many differences and gives them the combined strength to go up against even the most vicious of killers.

In Naked in Death, Lieutenant Dallas is tasked with catching the killer of an LC (licensed companion, aka legal prostitute) who is also the granddaughter of a Senator. Lieutenant Dallas’ strength and courage is most impressive, and Roarke would die to protect her. Together they appear to be unstoppable.

The characters are delightful, the action exciting, and the twists and turns kept me reading until the end. 

By J.D. Robb,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Naked in Death as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Crime and punishment is Lieutenant Eve Dallas's business. Murder her speciality. Named by the social worker who found her when she was a mere child roaming that city's streets, Eve Dallas is a New York police detective who lives for her job. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows her survival depends on her instincts. But she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, a charismatic Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's latest murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Capitol Gains

John J. Jessop Why did I love this book?

I loved the clever plot and subtle humor.

If you suspect that the federal government is broken, you will want to read this book. A lobbyist decides to try to climb to the top of his profession, and his imaginative and disturbing plan/scam kept me reading and laughing until the end. I enjoyed it immensely and am hoping Spees does it again.

By Rick Spees,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

RICHARD BREWSTER IS A FAST RISING WASHINGTON LOBBYIST in a large law firm with a bright future. But what if he wants to short-circuit the long climb to the top of the profession by creating a made-up client that has a phony problem? What if he uses that client to embarrass the president, to pass irrelevant legislation and arrange Congressional show hearings with professional wrestlers as witnesses? What if he charges the fictional clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees that the banks use to loan his law firm vast sums of money? Can he stay one step ahead…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Partner in Crime

John J. Jessop Why did I love this book?

I am a big fan of J.A. Jance novels. This is one of my favorites because in it the author brings together two of her best characters, Seattle investigator J.P. Beaumont and Arizona Sheriff Joanna Brady. 

Beaumont is a great character, flawed by a constant battle with alcoholism and bad choices. Sheriff Brady is a female law enforcement officer with family problems and a job generally dominated by men. Sheriff Brady is none too happy when the powers that be decide to send Beaumont to help this female sheriff investigate the murder of a talented artist who recently arrived in Brisbee, Arizona, from the West Coast.

I have read all of Jance’s Sheriff Brady and J.P. Beaumont novels. Individually these characters are very entertaining, and Jance does a brilliant job of bringing them together to solve this difficult case. 

By J.A. Jance,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

For the first time, critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling suspense master J.A. Jance brings together her two most beloved creations: Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle investigator J.P. Beaumont.

The dead woman on a cold slab in the Arizona morgue was a talented artist recently arrived from the West Coast. The Washington State Attorney General's office thinks this investigation is too big for a small-town female law officer to handle, so they're sending Sheriff Joanna Brady some unwanted help—a seasoned detective named Beaumont. Sheriff Brady resents his intrusion, and Bisbee, Arizona, with its ghosts and memories, is the last…


Plus, check out my book…

Murder by Road Trip

By John J. Jessop, Jacqueline J. Jessop,

Book cover of Murder by Road Trip

What is my book about?

This wacky mystery was inspired by a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country road trip John took with daughter Jackie in 2016. A bumbling FDA scientist/wannabe PI trapped in an RV with his nurse wife and three daughters. What could go wrong?

A biotech company wants to interview Dr. Jason Longfellow for a lucrative job in San Diego. As an incentive, they pay for a family road trip cross-country. Most nights, kids asleep, Jason takes his wife Chelsea to the top of the RV, where he... takes Chelsea. She doesn't hate it.

There’s a missing research monkey, a tiny jewel thief, and the great cheese caper. The real problem, someone wants to kill Jason and steal his teeth? They must solve this mystery, or Jason ends up a toothless FDA reviewer, or dead.