Five top under-the-radar reads of 2014

Jeff Somers is the author of Lifers, the Avery Cates series from Orbit Books, Chum from Tyrus Books, and We Are Not Good People from Pocket/Gallery. He has published over thirty short stories as well.

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Somers tagged five great under-the-radar reads of 2014, including:

The Son, by Jo Nesbø

Jo Nesbø is one of the most consistent and interesting crime writers in the world, but he’s often lumped in with Stieg Larsson and others as one of a many-headed creature known as Nordic Noir. While his Harry Hole novels are excellent mysteries and thrillers, his standalone novels (including the phenomenal Headhunters) are usually more interesting and unexpected. So it is with The Son, a story about a young man voluntarily serving time in prison for crimes he didn’t commit; a very corrupt system of cops, lawyers, and officials; and a central mystery that threatens to bring it all tumbling down. It’s an ambitious book that seeks to break out of some of the conventions of crime fiction, while reveling in others, and is well worth your time.

Read about another book on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue