Hello and welcome to my final post of 2023, my top ten(ish!) books of the year. ‘Ish’ because, as in previous years, I hope you can’t count 😂. It’s been another great year for books with some absolute corkers published in the last twelve months. My blogging mojo took up and left me in early Spring and didn’t really return until September so I’m afraid I haven’t been as present here as I have in previous years. As a result, some of my top books of the year haven’t actually been reviewed on damppebbles. Yet! I also still have a #20booksofsummer23 review to share with you, which just goes to show how far behind I am despite reading more and, more recently, writing more! This is something I am determined to change in 2024 with a set schedule of two reviews and one WWW Wednesday post a week. There. I’ve said it and it’s set in stone now, hoorah! 😉

Anyway, enough wittering on — let’s go straight to the books. The following list is in no particular order. I’ve thought about my ‘book of the year’ so much over the last week or so and I can’t for the life of me pin it down to ‘just one book’ so I’m not going to select an overall favourite. How can I when I have so much love for these ten(ish) books??

The Drift by C.J. Tudor
It’s a chilling, atmospheric read where the author has once again excelled at drawing the reader in and immersing them in a thoroughly riveting, nigh impossible-to-put-down thriller. With well placed touches of horror throughout, sky high tension and thrills aplenty, The Drift will no doubt become a bestseller. And deservedly so!
My Review of The Drift

Exiles by Jane Harper
Harper’s writing is exquisite, her characters are a masterpiece and the way she tells a story is captivating from the first word to the last. The mystery unfolds at a gentle pace, tension building throughout the book until you reach the startling conclusion. A highly entertaining, thoroughly immersive read which I devoured with utter glee.
My Review of Exiles

The Island by Catherine Cooper
I LOVED The Island with its stunning setting and well-written sense of place, its cast of mainly unlikeable characters who create some lovely tension just by ‘being’, and a great, twisty plot that drew me into the characters’ rather privileged world. If you’re looking for a spot of escapism in your next book and you’re a fan of the psychological thriller then this is an absolute ‘must read’.
My Review of The Island

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding
This is the first of two books I’m including in my list where I haven’t actually written the review (I will review it on the blog, I just haven’t had a chance yet!). Just know that I loved this dark feminist thriller where a group of seven very different women congregate around one man’s severed head in a seedy hotel room. No one knows who committed the crime. Everyone is a suspect. They all have their own reasons for wanting him dead. Now they need to stay one step ahead of the police to make sure the truth never comes out.

The Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis
Such a well-written, engrossing book with superb characters and an intriguing storyline which drew me in from the start. I’m a huge fan of horror fiction and in particular slashers, so this crime/horror/slasher crossover was firmly on my radar to read. I loved the music and movie references which are scattered throughout the story. There are shocks and surprises along the way which were all very much appreciated. One towards the end really shook me up but I’ll get over it eventually, I’m sure 😂. It was everything I hoped it would be, plus a little bit more!
My Review of The Graveyard Shift

The Twenty by Sam Holland
I loved everything about The Twenty. The dark and twisted concept, and the excellent delivery far outweigh others in the crime fiction genre. The plot is well paced with lots of exciting, edge of your seat moments mixed perfectly with the slower, operational, ‘police procedurally type’ scenes. It’s a highly compelling book which gets under the readers skin and doesn’t let go. Holland is a very talented writer and if you have the stomach for a little blood-shed, then you MUST get yourself a copy of this book.
My Review of The Twenty

Murder Town by Shelley Burr
This is the second book to feature on my list this year where I haven’t managed to review it on the blog yet! Wake, Burr’s debut, was my book of the year in 2022 and this latest instalment in the PI Lane Holland series is just as good! Rainier, a close-knit Australian town, was the site of the Ripper’s reign of terror seventeen years ago. He murdered three innocent people before being caught and sentenced to life in prison. When a  dark tourism operator approaches the residents and suggests using the town’s notoriety for financial gain, the townsfolk are torn. That is until the tour operator is found dead in the fountain and he’s been murdered in the same way the last Rainier Ripper victim was…

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
On the Savage Side is a dark, highly affecting story which draws the reader into the lives of two unforgettable characters. If you’re looking for an experience, if you’re looking for a book that has the author’s heart and soul poured into it, then you must read On the Savage Side. I have never read a book like this before and I doubt I will ever find another to match it. Stunning.
My Review of On the Savage Side

The Last Dance by Mark Billingham
A bright start to what promises to be a new favourite series. I cannot wait to read the second book when it publishes next year. A hugely gripping, wonderfully written mystery by a master storyteller. Full of tension, and with the most engaging lead character I’ve met in a long time. I loved The Last Dance.
My Review of The Last Dance

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh
I absolutely loved everything about A Game of Lies from the intriguing storyline, the beautifully written characters (and that includes the smaller, secondary characters too), the propulsive plot which kept me fully immersed in the story, to the glorious Welsh setting, which Mackintosh builds upon with each book. If you’re a fan of the police procedural then this is one of the best series out there at the moment. Addictive, thoroughly entertaining and a firm favourite of 2023.
My Review of A Game of Lies

The Good Daughter by Laure Van Rensburg
A stunning piece of psychological fiction. I was blown away by how utterly convincing, how truly immersive and how insanely addictive this book was. Van Rensburg’s prose is once again lyrical in tone and a thing of literary beauty. With two interweaving timelines at play, this assured follow-up marks the author as ‘one to watch’, without a doubt. Beautifully written, utterly captivating and hugely addictive. Full of foreboding, tension, uncertainty and mistrust.
My Review of The Good Daughter

So there you have it. Lashings and lashings of gorgeousness in one glorious post (even if I do say so myself 🤣). It’s a darn fine looking bunch of books, I think you’ll agree. Ten (😳) truly amazing books which you should do everything in your power to get hold of.

Have a peaceful and safe New Year, bookish lovelies, and I will see you on the other side. Providing I can remove myself from my post Christmas cheese induced haze I will be sharing my first review of the New Year with you on Tuesday. Thank you for your support over the last year. You are AMAZING! Stay safe, stay bookish and keep reading. Lots of love, Emma @damppebbles x

Fancy purchasing one of the books on my top ten(ish!) of the year? Then please check out my bookshop.org and amazon shop (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop |