Books I Enjoyed In 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, I figured it was time to reveal what books I enjoyed this past year.

Before that, though, I should recap what I did in 2023, at least writing-wise.

I released only one book, The Killing Room, published by Blackstone Publishing in August. Those who have read it seem to have really dug it — it’s one of my best reader-reviewed books so far, hands down — but as there was pretty much no bookstore distribution and zero trade reviews, the book pretty much flew under the radar.

Anyway, I spent this past year working on two projects — a new Avery Bishop novel, which Audible will publish sometime next year, and the follow-up to The Killing Room, which Blackstone will release in August.

I also wrote a short story, which I haven’t done in a long time, and between working on edits for both of the projects mentioned above, I also started working on a new Avery Bishop novel (about a third of the way through so far; I hope to finish it in the next few months, then write a new standalone thriller under my own name, and then, if I find the time, write a new Holly Lin thriller).

So yeah, I’ve been staying busy (though obviously I haven’t been updating this blog because I’m pretty sure nobody reads it anymore), and I’ve been reading and listening to audiobooks whenever possible. I’ve read and listened to a lot of books, and I’ve enjoyed most of them, but only a few did I really enjoy. And so, without further ado (and in no particular order except which they were read), here are the books I enjoyed very much in 2023, which I think others might enjoy too. But as is the case with everything, your mileage may vary.

Novels

• THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Paul Tremblay

• LUTHER: THE CALLING by Neil Cross

• THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden

• BLACK-EYED SUSANS by Julia Heaberlin

• AMERICAN CRIMINAL by Benjamin Percy

• COUNTDOWN by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois

• FOSTER by Claire Keegan

• EVERYBODY KNOWS by Jordan Harper

• CHILD OF GOD by Cormac McCarthy

• THE THIEF by Fuminori Nakamura, translated by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates

• 48 CLUES INTO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MY SISTER by Joyce Carol Oates

• THE QUIET TENANT by Clémence Michallon

• NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell

• LION & LAMB by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski

Audiobooks

• THE OVERNIGHT GUEST by Heather Gudenkauf, read by Brittany Pressley

• THE LAST ORPHAN by Gregg Hurwitz, read by Scott Brick

• TRUE BELIEVER by Jack Carr, read by Ray Porter

• HELLO, MOLLY! by Molly Shannon and Sean Wilsey, read by Molly Shannon

• NAMELESS: SEASON TWO by Dean Koontz, read by Edoardo Ballerini

• MY DARKEST PRAYER by S.A. Cosby, read by Adam Lazarre-White

• WHALEFALL by Daniel Kraus, read by Kirby Heyborne

• HOW CAN I HELP YOU by Laura Sims, read by Carlotta Brentan and Maggi-Meg Reed

• COME CLOSER by Sara Gran, read by Julie McKay

• HOUR OF THE ASSASSIN by Matthew Quirk, read by Will Damron

• THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen, read by Hillary Huber and Brittany Pressley

• ALL THE SINNERS BLEED by S. A. Cosby, read by Adam Lazarre-White

• CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 by Lisa Unger, read by Vivienne Leheny

Stories

• FEN by Daisy Johnson

• LOT by Bryan Washington

• NIGHT OF THE LIVING REZ by Morgan Talty

• LUSH AND OTHER TALES OF BOOZY MAYHEM by Duane Swierczynski

• THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES by Deesha Philyaw

• LOVE AND OTHER STORIES by Jordan Harper

• WALK THE BLUE FIELDS by Claire Keegan

Now, what about you? Any books you read (or listened to) this past year you really enjoyed?

Oh, Yeah, My New Book Came Out

Seriously, I am the worst at keeping up with this blog. The worst!

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So yeah, my newest thriller The Killing Room came out two weeks ago, and … I guess it’s going okay?

Typically when I release a book, I have access to immediate sales data — even my Amazon Publishing stuff has a real-time sales numbers dashboard — but not here.

Oh, trad publishing, you so silly.

A few days after The Killing Room was released, I was a guest on my local news’s daytime morning show to pimp the book and my signing at Midtown Scholar that took place that weekend.

Speaking of Midtown Scholar, if you’d still like to order a signed copy and get one of the very few remaining limited-edition prequel chapbooks, you can do so here.

The signing went as well as could be, and I even had a special guest show up!

Marshal Zeringue was kind enough to ask me some questions about The Killing Room and take the Page 69 Test.

Oh, and if you’re an audiobook fan, be sure to check out the audiobook which is narrated by the one and only Edoardo Ballerini.

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What else, what else …

Oh!

Barnes & Noble Press named The Killing Room as one of their top five favorite ebooks of the week!

And then even better, the ebook managed to get this special tag for a few days.

And for whatever crazy reason, today I learned that on Amazon (in the US at least) the hardcover and paperback are priced at 50% off, so now’s the best time to grab physical copies if you’d like — plus, it helps build my print sales track record, as I was told the reason Barnes & Noble decided not to place an order for the book was due to the fact my sales track record is primarily in digital sales.

Again: oh, trad publishing, you so crazy.

Finally, today The Big Thrill (the monthly magazine for the International Thriller Writers) had this very nice review of The Killing Room, in part which says “An ultra-fast-paced thriller, claustrophobic in its essence and as suspenseful as they come...possesses all the merits of a top-notch thriller destined to leave the readers reeling. Excitement guaranteed.”

Sweet!

And … I think that’s it for now.

Does anyone actually look at this thing?

If so, be a dear and leave a comment so I know I’m not wasting my time.

Blogs are so, like, 2015.

Two Months Away!

Almost two months away until Blackstone Publishing releases my newest thriller The Killing Room.

It’s the first book in a new series, and if you’re so inclined to preorder, that would be amazing.

Why?

Well, preorders show publishers, booksellers, algorithms, and more that there's enthusiasm for an author's work and they deserve more visibility. Based on the strength of preorders, a lot of things can happen or not happen for an author's career: book tours, advertising, media attention, etc.

And as this will be my very first novel widely available in bookstores, I want to promote the hell of it.

Which is why I wrote an exclusive prequel story that clocks in at just over 9,000 words. And if you preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, I'll send you the story as a limited edition chapbook. (More on that below.)

The Killing Room is being released in hardcover and trade paperback, as well as ebook and audio. Ebook links will be available at a later date, but below are the links for the hardcover.

I also teamed up with my local independent bookstore, Midtown Scholar, which is taking preorders for signed and personalized copies. You can preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, and they'll include the chapbook with the order. Easy peasy!

So as I mentioned, I wrote a special short story that's a prequel to the novel. I have no plans for it to be republished anywhere, so the only way to read it is to preorder The Killing Room.

Again, if you preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, you'll get a limited edition signed chapbook.

If you preorder the audiobook or ebook (again, ebook links coming at a later date), then you can still get the story, though only as an ebook.

Once again, if you preorder from Midtown Scholar, the chapbook will be included with the book. If you preorder elsewhere — Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, your own independent bookstore — we'll mail you the chapbook, along with a signed bookplate (a label with my signature that can be affixed to the inside of the book; I'll even personalize the bookplate if you'd like).

All you have to do when you preorder is forward the confirmation email to me at robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com along with your address. That's it.

In fact, even if you order directly from Midtown Scholar, please forward along the confirmation so that way we can keep track of how many chapbooks we'll need to print, as the print run will depend on the number of preorders.

Chapbooks and bookplates will be mailed out the first week of September. Which is ideal, because while Maniac is a prequel to the book, it's highly recommended you read the novel first as otherwise the story will spoil a major twist in the book.

Trust me, it'll all make sense in due time.

Preorder my new thriller THE KILLING ROOM — and receive a FREE chapbook!

I've got a new thriller coming out this August from Blackstone Publishing, the first book in a new series, and if you’re so inclined to preorder, that would be amazing.

Why?

Well, preorders show publishers, booksellers, algorithms, and more that there's enthusiasm for an author's work and they deserve more visibility. Based on the strength of preorders, a lot of things can happen or not happen for an author's career: book tours, advertising, media attention, etc.

And as this will be my very first novel widely available in bookstores, I want to promote the hell of it.

Which is why I wrote an exclusive prequel story that clocks in at just over 9,000 words. And if you preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, I'll send you the story as a limited edition chapbook. (More on that below.)

The Killing Room is being released in hardcover and trade paperback, as well as ebook and audio. Ebook links will be available at a later date, but below are the links for the hardcover.

I also teamed up with my local independent bookstore, Midtown Scholar, which is taking preorders for signed and personalized copies. You can preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, and they'll include the chapbook with the order. Easy peasy!

So as I mentioned, I wrote a special short story that's a prequel to the novel. I have no plans for it to be republished anywhere, so the only way to read it is to preorder The Killing Room.

Again, if you preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, you'll get a limited edition signed chapbook.

If you preorder the audiobook or ebook (again, ebook links coming at a later date), then you can still get the story, though only as an ebook.

Once again, if you preorder from Midtown Scholar, the chapbook will be included with the book. If you preorder elsewhere — Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, your own independent bookstore — we'll mail you the chapbook, along with a signed bookplate (a label with my signature that can be affixed to the inside of the book; I'll even personalize the bookplate if you'd like).

All you have to do when you preorder is forward the confirmation email to me at robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com along with your address. That's it.

In fact, even if you order directly from Midtown Scholar, please forward along the confirmation so that way we can keep track of how many chapbooks we'll need to print, as the print run will depend on the number of preorders.

Chapbooks and bookplates will be mailed out the first week of September. Which is ideal, because while Maniac is a prequel to the book, it's highly recommended you read the novel first as otherwise the story will spoil a major twist in the book.

Trust me, it'll all make sense in due time.

Upcoming chat with Mary SanGiovanni

This Thursday at 6 pm EST, I'll be chatting live on Facebook with author Mary SanGiovanni about her new ALIEN novel and more.

Check it out!