Best 5 books read in 2013

I managed to get in a good bit of reading last year and I thought I'd share brief reviews of books/ works that I liked most. So here goes, first the list, not in order of preference, though. They were all so good:

1) Simon Kernick- The Business of Dying

2) Ian Rankin- Knots & Crosses

3) Shakespeare- Coriolanus

4) Robert Goddard- Dying To Tell

5) Pete McCarthy- McCarthy's Bar

Simon Kernick's The Business of Dying: Simon is a British thriller/ crime writer. The Business of Dying is his first novel published way back in 2002 but I read it only last year. It's a wonderfully edgy and humourous novel that introduces a complex hero, Dennis Milne, a cop that moonlights as a hitman. Things turn awry for him when, during a particular hit, his targets turn out to be customs officers and an accountant, not mobsters like he'd been told. Great plot, witty dialogue, a must read.

Here's an excerpt: 'An ominous sensation crept up my back as partially buried thoughts suddenly unearthed themselves like zombies in a graveyard.'

Kernick's other big successes include Relentless, Stay Alive and many others.

Ian Rankin's Knots & Crosses: This one was a re-read. Just realized that this, too, was his first Rebus novel published in 1987. I was so sad about Rankin having retired Rebus that I wanted to revisit the beginning. Once more I was struck by Rankin's amazing characterization. John Rebus is the divorced, hard drinking Scottish copper who's willing to bend rules to get the bad guy. Knots & Crosses is pure joy with a complicated plot, cryptic messages, Rebus's messed up personal life, his drug-dealing brother Michael, and so on. Grab it whenever you can.

Shakespeare's Coriolanus: Another re-read. For the uninitiated, this tragedy is one of the Bard's later works, written between 1605-08 and it's based on a legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. As always, Shakespeare's mastery in presenting great openings grabs the reader (or audience's) attention from the very first scene. We're thrust into a conflict as the play opens with a riot and the people of Rome are up in arms against the hero, Coriolanus. His arrogance, bravery and enigmatic personality are powerfully brought out right at the start and, of course, this continues all through. The play also has a powerful female character in Volumnia, Caius's mother. Consider her declaration about Caius in battle:

'Had I a dozen sons, I had rather had eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptuously surfeit out of action'. Charming, wasn't she?

Coriolanus has been adapted for television and the movies many times and I especially like the 2011 version directed by the hugely talented (and very handsome) Ralph Fiennes, who also plays the lead role. If that isn't enough to grab eyeballs, there's Gerard Butler playing Coriolanus's arch rival Aufidius. Don't miss it.

Robert Goddard's Dying to Tell: This is an early gem (pub 2001) from the British writer who's known as the master of the clever twist. Goddard's novels feature regular guys who get caught up in tricky, dangerous situations. This one has a mind-blowing ending (I'm struggling hard to not reveal it!). The plot revolves round a guy called Lance Bradley who's whiling away his time in Somerset when he gets a call from his friend Rupert's sister, saying that ol' Rupe has gone missing; can he help? Typically, Bradley is soon caught up in a life and death situation and he's propelled by circumstances to get deeper and deeper into it...You can also check out Goddard's website: robertgoddardbooks.co.uk. He describes his work as having 'unprincipled chicanery; unsolved crimes; unforgotten betrayals...' How can you resist?

Pete McCarthy's McCarthy's Bar: one of the funniest books I have ever read. Pete McCarthy was a British TV travel writer, sadly no more (passed away in 2004 in his early fifties). McCarthy writes about his travels though Ireland. The narrative is so humourous and well-observed that it'll leave you gasping in awe at the guy's talent. Sample this:

'I've never understood how cars work, beyond a long-standing conviction that petrol is crucial'.

He describes meeting two American GIs in Germany who declared they were planning to visit England 'because it would be neat to see where John Lennon and Elvis grew up.' He says they also wanted to know if they could use dollars and would the street signs be in English?

The one common thread in all these works is the sheer joy of storytelling that shines through. These guys were writing because they wanted to. Period. That's what sets them apart.

How about sharing the best five books you read in 2013 with me?