My Favorites of 2012:

2012 was a good year for reading for me, mostly because I discovered some writers who wrote novels I really, really dug. Along with them, I also enjoyed novels from writers I had discovered over the last couple of years and have become a loyal fan of theirs. So without further delay.....

Best Novel I read in 2012: TOLLESBURY TIME FOREVER by Stuart Ayris

This one really made a huge impression on me and the author is a top notch gent. Find out more about Stuart, TTF, his other novels, and where you can purchase them at his blog HERE 

Most Entertaining Novel I read in 2012: LOST VEGAS by Steve Brewer

Discovered Steve Brewer via facebook, and he has become one of my favorite writers. Lost Vegas was tremendous. so much so I also read, and really enjoyed his novels, The  Big Wink, and Calabama. I will surely be reading more from Steve. You can learn more about him and his novels at his blog HERE

Great "5 Star"  Reads: 

THE COLD COLD GROUND by Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty has consistently delivered the goods with every one of his novels and TCCG is no exception. He is one of my favorite authors and you can too can find out more about him and his novels at his excellent blog HERE

COLLUSION by Stuart Neville

If I had to pick one novel that absolutely changed the type of novel I like to read, and influenced me in both the genre and style I aspired to write in, it would be Stuart Neville's THE GHOSTS of BELFAST. It was truly a game changer. COLLUSION is the follow up to TGoB and it was a great read. Loved it. Find out more about Stuart and his novels HERE

TUMBLIN' DICE by John McFetridge

Rock 'n Roll, motorcycle gangs, and crime equal all the ingredients I love in a story. Been a fan of John's for a while now, and like McKinty, Neville, and Brewer, he seems to always deliver and writes in a style I love. Check out John and his novels HERE

THE OBITUARIST by Paul Waters

I found out about Paul by following his excellent blog and when I read that he had published a novel and read the description, I was intrigued. I read the sample, it was great, and purchased it. I really enjoyed this very much, for the unique premise, story, and writing style. Check out Paul's blog HERE

SAVAGES by Don Winslow

WOW. This one blew me away, for the story, but ultimately, for the writing style. This was the definition of cool.  Consider me a huge fan of Winslow, but it will be hard to top this one. Check out Don's site HERE

So there you have it. These picks are subjective of course and follow my tastes in reading when it comes to story, style, and entertainment factor. Hope you might give the authors and their novels a try, and visit their blogs / websites! 

The Obituarist by Paul Waters

I have been a follower and fan of Paul Waters' BLACKWATERTOWN blog for some time now. It is very entertaining, he's a great host, and has some really interesting and loyal followers. The long, drawn out sickness and eventual death of my dad, had kept me out of the blogging loop for a good stretch, and I was very surprised and excited when I read yesterday that Paul had a new story available in eBook format. I downloaded it to my nook ($2.75) yesterday and finished last night, and glad I did. You can find out all the details via Paul's blog post HERE. Big-time congrats to Paul and best wishes his way.

I posted the below review on B&N, Amazon US & UK

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining Read! July 26, 2012

By Sean P. Reardon

The plot description piqued my interest (very original) and the sample pages sold me on this story. Really glad I read this and it rated very high on the entertainment meter. It was a quick read and I finished it in one day. Once I got into it, I had to keep reading to get to the end (always a good thing for me) This story is very well written and Paul Waters' s style of delivering this particular piece reminded me of Donald Westlake, and also Colin Bateman. Both are authors I really enjoy reading. Along with the good story, what really did it for me was the banter and relationship of the the two main characters, the personal thoughts and asides of the main character, and the humor (of which there is plenty. It was also a nice bonus to get an insiders view of the newspaper / media business, and to learn a bit more of WW2 from an English perspective. I highly recommend this story and look forward to future works from the author.