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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,633 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

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My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Last Devil to Die

Landis Wade Why did I love this book?

I loved this book and the previous three books in this series because Richard Osman’s ensemble cast of four retirees—a group of formidable UK pensioners, each with unique life skills and personalities helpful to solving murders—are so enjoyable to spend time with.

The storyline is good. The plot is twisty. The mystery is interesting. The dialogue is snappy. And the way the author uses point of view is masterful. But above all, it’s the characters. You will miss them as soon as you reach the last page. 

By Richard Osman,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Last Devil to Die as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman

You'd think you be allowed to relax over Christmas, but not in the world of the Thursday Murder Club.

On Boxing Day, a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. When it goes missing, chaos is unleashed. The body count starts to rise – including someone close to the Thursday Murder Club--as our gang face an impossible search, and their most deadly opponents yet.

With the clock ticking down and a killer heading to Cooper’s Chase, has their…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Longmire Defense

Landis Wade Why did I love this book?

I love this latest book in the Walt Longmire series because Craig Johnson explores dark secrets relating to Walt’s grandfather, a storyline we haven’t seen in the first eighteen novels, and it causes Walt to face his family’s past and the uncertain future that comes with his aging.

Like his other novels, the setting is breathtaking, the dialogue is crisp, and the characters are full of life. The book reminded me how much fun it is to spend time in the company of Walt and his ensemble cast.

By Craig Johnson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Walt Longmire faces one of his most challenging crime scenes as he tries to reckon with the revelations of his last case where he confronted the ghosts of his past and questioned the very nature of justice and mercy in the hard country of the West.

Deep in the heart of the Wyoming countryside, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Walt Longmire, is called to a crime scene like few others that he has seen.  This crime brings up issues that go back to Walt’s grandfather’s time in Wyoming, as the revelations he learns about his grandfather come back to offer clues…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Plinko Bounce

Landis Wade Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because the protagonist is a smart but vulnerable lawyer who must take on a difficult case in the courtroom and in life.

True to Martin Clark’s previous books, this book is more about the characters than the legal thriller itself, and yet, the thrill is there. And because Martin Clark was a judge, he knows the ins and outs of the law, and it comes through in the writing.

Witty banter, intelligent moves, twists and turns, and clever dialogue abound. No wonder the New York Times calls Martin Clark “not only the thinking man’s John Grisham, but maybe better, the drinking man’s John Grisham.”

By Martin Clark,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

For seventeen years, small-town public defender Andy Hughes has been underpaid to look after the poor, the addicted, and the unfortunate souls who constantly cycle through the courts, charged with petty crimes. Then, in the summer of 2020, he's assigned to a grotesque murder case that brings national media focus to rural Patrick County, Virginia-Alicia Benson, the wife of a wealthy businessman, is murdered in her home. The accused killer, Damian Bullins, is a cunning felon with a long history of violence, and he confesses to the police. He even admits his guilt to Andy. But a simple typographical error…


Plus, check out my book…

Deadly Declarations

By Landis Wade,

Book cover of Deadly Declarations

What is my book about?

An unlikely trio of retirees try to solve a man’s death, his strange will, and the 250-year-old colonial period mystery of the controversial and long-vanished First American Declaration of Independence, actions which–if successful–will change United States history. That is, if they don’t die trying.

Recipient of ten awards, including winner of the 2022 American Fiction Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards in the mystery categories, Deadly Declarations plunges readers into the world of history and retirement, where getting older is a combination of fear, doubt, humor, and new life. 

It then transports readers to the courtroom and the Virginia countryside to prove that age is just a number when searching for and finding the truth about the past.

My book recommendation list