ODT picks THE SILENT GIRL as 'Crime Thriller of the Year'

Over the past few weeks there have been plenty of 'best of'' types of articles, reviews, and posts on blogs, newspapers and websites (online and in print). Of course, it is that time of year when we look back at what has passed, and try to distil all that has been read, said, and done into pithy comments and lists. Not that there is anything wrong with that - it's always good to pause and reflect, and the end of the year/start of the new year certainly provides an opportune time. While I haven't created any such lists or shared my thoughts about my 2011 crime fictionr reading (yet) here on Crime Watch, I've certainly pondered what I liked, loved, disliked and was indifferent to or underwhelmed by in terms of the 100 books I read in 2011.

It's also fascinating to see how other people felt about the books that we've read ourselves (in previous years one of my 'most underwhelming' books of the year has gone on to win a UK crime writing prize, for instance). One book that I read and enjoyed in 2011 has just got a big rap from a New Zealand newspaper; THE SILENT GIRL by Tess Gerritsen has been named 'best crime thriller of the year' by the Otago Daily Times' specialist reviewer Geoff Adams. You can read Adams' thoughts on the book here.

While it wasn't my personal 'thriller of the year', I did very much enjoyed reading THE SILENT GIRL, and certainly preferred it to the previous Gerritsen book I'd read, THE KILLING PLACE.

I gave THE SILENT GIRL 4 out of 5 stars in a review for Good Reading magazine in Australia, saying:

"The Silent Girl is Gerritsen’s first novel (of 23) to address her own Asian-American heritage in any way, and it’s all the better for it. An intriguing, layered setting, bewitching new characters, and insights into the lives of immigrants and minorities all add extra interest to the usual page-turning mystery plots and compelling heroines we’ve come to expect ..."

I also had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing Gerritsen about writing the novel for the New Zealand Herald (read article here), and meeting the author while she was touring New Zealand in August last year (see picture, right).

Have you read THE SILENT GIRL? What did you think? What was your favourite thriller of 2011?