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 The Drift

Richard Cosgrove Why did I love this book?

The Drift takes the classic trope of having what initially appear to be three very distinct and separate stories gradually converge on each other and delivers a masterclass on how to pull it off with style and aplomb.

The phrase ‘page-turner’ is often bandied about, but I genuinely found I couldn’t stop reading due to CJ Tudor’s effective use of short chapters and advancing each of the stories in a rapid-fire round-robin manner. Each chapter ends with a tantalizing hook that encourages you to push on until, finally, the pieces all fall into place in a series of powerful but logical revelations.

The Drift is only Tudor’s fifth book, but already, she has become one of only a handful of authors that I make a point of picking up on release day.

By C. J. Tudor,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Drift as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

PRE-ORDER THE HEART-POUNDING NEW NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CHALK MAN AND RICHARD & JUDY PICK THE BURNING GIRLS

'The wildest thriller of the year is three thrillers in one. Buckle up' LINWOOD BARCLAY

'An exceptional thriller that blew me away with its original, high-octane plot, jaw-dropping twists and characters I cared about. When I wasn't reading The Drift I was thinking about it. A writer at the top of her game' CLAIRE DOUGLAS

'A truly terrifying, ice-cold chiller from the master of macabre. C.J. Tudor should be on everyone's must-read list' CHRIS WHITAKER

'Taut, action-packed…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Exodus

Richard Cosgrove Why did I love this book?

I love it when I discover a new series that captures my imagination, as the original zombie apocalypse novel Autumn did back in 2001. I also love it when a beloved series comes to a satisfying conclusion, which Autumn did with the fifth novel in the series. 

So why do I love Autumn Exodus, then? Simple. David Moody was able to revisit the Autmn universe and breathe new life into it (yeah, I know, taxi!) with his London trilogy, of which Exodus is the thrilling and equally satisfying climax.

Whereas the original series developed on a book-by-book basis, Exodus is the finale of a tightly plotted three-book journey packed with believable characters being put through hell, and I closed it after its final unexpected sucker punch with a grin on my face. 

By David Moody,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

LONDON IS DEAD


A great fire has swept through the heart of the city, destroying everything in its path. The living, the dead, and the undead alike have been wiped out. And yet, protected by the impenetrable walls of the Tower of London, the remaining members of the Monument group have somehow survived. Now, they must strike out if they want to stay alive.


The final book in a new trilogy set in the nightmare world of David Moody's international best-selling AUTUMN series.


Praise for THE LONDON TRILOGY:

"Autumn: Dawn is an unabated, unforgiving onslaught of intensity... keeps you gasping…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Chasing the Boogeyman

Richard Cosgrove Why did I love this book?

They say a lie is best hidden between two truths, and with Chasing The Boogeyman, Richard Chizmar has created the literary equivalent by embedding a tale of how he became obsessed by a fictional killer in his old hometown into his own autobiographical childhood.

This reads like one of the many true crime books I devoured in my younger years, and Chizmar expertly draws the reader in until they believe that this all really happened with the skill and panache that you’d expect from one of the few writers who have collaborated with a certain Mr. S King, Esq.

Easily one of the most original literary publications I’ve read since S by JJ Abrams nearly a decade ago, and if that’s not high enough praise, then I don’t know what is! 

By Richard Chizmar,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Chasing the Boogeyman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The acclaimed New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel of small-town evil that “is genuinely chilling and something brand-new and exciting” (Stephen King) and “unforgettable” (Harlan Coben).

In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI, are certain that the…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

I Was a Teenage Rock Fan

By Richard Cosgrove,

Book cover of I Was a Teenage Rock Fan

What is my book about?

It’s 1985. Live Aid feeds the world, Marty McFly goes Back to the Future, and fifteen-year-old me makes a discovery that changes my life forever – rock music! Part memoir, part social history, join me on my quest to become a teenage guitar hero as we journey through the eighties rock scene, and its wider impact on society.

Along the way, we’ll take in early gigs by today’s biggest rock bands, fall foul of US border guards, narrowly avoid death in a Leicestershire field, and get caught up in a riot at Rock City.

We’ll also encounter acronyms like AIDS, MTV, and the PMRC and discover why they, and an Australian soap opera, had such an impact on the eighties rock scene.