120 Books to Die For

Although I hate the bullet-trajectory speed of summer passing by, here's something to look forward to in the fall: Books to Die For, a new anthology edited by John Connolly and Declan Burke. It includes personal essays from 120 (that's not a typo - 120!) of the world's top crime writers on the mysteries and thrillers they admire the most. The project also has the objective of helping readers to learn about the classics of the genre and find hidden gems.

Tana French writes about The Secret History by Donna Tartt; Jo Nesbø chooses Jim Thompson's Pop. 1280; Kathy Reichs discusses her admiration for The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris; Michael Connelly picks Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister; Charlaine Harris shares her love of Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male; Mark Billingham opines on Hammett's The Maltese Falcon; and Ian Rankin chooses the lesser-known I Was Dora Suarez by Derek Raymond, plus much more.

Look for it in stores on October 2nd, just in time for Bouchercon. In the meantime, check out the website for the book, which includes all the contributors, upcoming events, and some bonus materials, too, such as additional books that almost made the cut.