Books I Enjoyed in 2025

So it’s that time of year again, when I spend half an hour trying to remember the password to this blog so I can log in to list what books I enjoyed in 2025. In fact, most of the year I forget this blog exists, which is sad, because I used to blog all the time.

Anyway, before I get to the main event, I should note a few things that happened this past year.

First, I released a new novel, The Chateau, written under my pen name Avery Bishop and published by Audible as an Audible Original, which spent four weeks on AP’s Top Audiobooks List, hitting #3. Which is kinda wild, seeing as the book is essentially a free download for Audible Plus members, but who am I to quibble?

And yes, there will be an ebook and paperback released later in 2026, for those who are not audiobook fans.

I had nothing new released under my own name this year, but back in March I had the great honor of being one of the guests of honor at AuthorCon V.

As is usually the case at these types of events, I hardly took any pictures, so I don’t have much photographic evidence of the convention.

I did have a blast hanging out with a bunch of writer friends, but the highlight of the weekend, hands down, was shortly after arriving late Thursday night I received an email from my entertainment lawyer that read, “Look out for DocuSign in next 30 min or so, thanks,” and then, thirty or so minutes later, I received said DocuSign, so I rushed up to my room to grab my laptop and, well, I took a selfie because I figured why not.

Anyway, I can’t really say much, but I will say a very well-respected TV network optioned The Killing Room. In fact, the offer came in on May 29th of LAST YEAR. Blake Crouch had told me the process would take forever, and he wasn’t kidding, as after all the back-and-forth between my reps and the network, nearly ten months passed before I actually signed a contract.

And while I’m absolutely thrilled at the prospect of the series being turned into a TV show, I’m also keeping my expectations very low, as the truth is 99.9% of stuff that gets optioned never gets made — and even some of the stuff that does get made, like into a pilot, is never seen by the world.

Still, fingers crossed.

Speaking of The Killing Room, I still get asked if there will be a third book, and the honest answer is … hopefully someday, but it won’t be happening any time soon.

As I noted last year, the longevity of a book series all comes down to sales, and the truth is the sales for the series have been atrocious. In fact, I’d be shocked if I ever manage to sell a book to a publisher again, as a writer’s sales record follows them like a nasty fart.

Which is a shame, really, because I absolutely love The Killing Room and am very proud of the book. But, well, when it came out, it was pretty much DOA — zero trade reviews and no bookstore distribution, so right out of the gate the writing was on the wall. That made the fact the book ended up winning the ITW Thriller Award and being optioned for film/TV all the more sweeter — not to mention validating — because at least it proved it wasn’t just all in my head.

Finally, I signed a contract with Bookouture for two new Avery Bishop titles, so you have that to look forward to in 2026.

There are a few other things in the works that I can’t talk about right now, but as is always the case, when I can, I will … though probably not on this blog until the end of next year, so be sure to follow me on social media.

Now, without any further ado …

This past year I read 76 books, between novels, graphic novels, and audiobooks (yes, audiobooks count as reading!), and these are the ones that I really enjoyed and think others might enjoy too (in no particular order other than when they were read):

NOVELS

• THE BIG EMPTY by Robert Crais

• BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson

• JAMES by Percival Everett

• LONG BRIGHT RIVER by Liz Moore

• CAPE FEAR by John D. MacDonald

• THE NIGHT OF THE BABA YAGA by Akira Otani, translated by Sam Bett

• FEVER DREAM by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell

• THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda

• THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING by Jason Rekulak

• ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK by Chris Whitaker

• LINE OF VISION by David Ellis

• LOOK CLOSER by David Ellis

• CHINA LAKE by Meg Gardiner

• I BECOME HER by Joe Hart

• ONE OF US by Dan Chaon

• THE GRAVE ARTIST by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

• CROOKS by Lou Berney

• QUEEN MACBETH by Val McDermid

• PICKET LINE by Elmore Leonard

AUDIOBOOKS

• THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah, read by Julia Whelan

• THE ANGEL OF ROME by Jess Walter and Edoardo Ballerini, read by Edoardo Ballerini

• PERSUADER by Lee Child, read by Dick Hill

• WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING by Alyssa Cole, read by Susan Dalian and Jay Aaseng

• WILLIAM by Mason Coile, read by Honey St. Dennis

• THE AMATEUR by Robert Littell, read by Scott Brick

• THE LYING GAME by Ruth Ware, read by Imogen Church

• HEROINE by Mindy McGinnis, read by Brittany Pressley

• THE PARIS WIDOW by Kimberly Belle, read by Marni Penning and Patrick Zeller

• INFLUENCER by Adam Cesare, read by Isabela Merced, Christopher Briney, and Brittany Pressley

• LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera, read by January LaVoy and Will Damron

• THE BITTER PAST by Bruce Borgos, read by James Babson

• SHADES OF MERCY by Bruce Borgos, read by James Babson

• A FLICKER IN THE DARK by Stacy Willingham, read by Karissa Vacker

• FATAL INTRUSION by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado, read by Aida Reluzco and Andre Santana

• THE FAVORITES by Layne Fargo, read by Christine Lakin, Louisa Zhu, Amy Landon, Elena Rey, Valerie Rose Lohman, Suzanne Toren, Graham Halstead, Julia Emelin, Layne Fargo, Eric Yang, and Johnny Weir

• ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid, read by Kristen DiMercurio and Julia Whelan

• THE ROOM NEXT DOOR by Wendy Walker, read by Julia Whelan, Elizabeth Evans, Bebe Wood, and full cast

COLLECTIONS

• THE AWKWARD BLACK MAN by Walter Mosley

• 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A FAT GIRL by Mona Awad

• AMONG THE MISSING by Dan Chaon

STORIES

• THE HUMAN BULLET by Benjamin Percy

• JACKRABBIT SKIN by Ivy Pochoda

• BYSTANDERS by Benjamin Percy

• THE CODE by Gregg Hurwitz

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• DEVIL’S HIGHWAY, Vol 1 by Benjamin Percy, Brent Schoonover, and Nick Filardi

And there you have it. Now, what about you? Any books you read (or listened to) this past year you really enjoyed?

Books I Enjoyed In 2024

Jeez, another year down, huh?

I dusted off this ol’ blog to write about the books I enjoyed this year and was surprised to see I hadn’t bothered to post about anything in the past year.

Which is pretty crazy, really, because back in June I won the Thriller Award for my novel The Killing Room.

That award ceremony took place at ThrillerFest in New York City. Other winners included S.A. Cosby, Gregg Hurwitz, I.S. Berry, Luke Dumas, Lisa Unger, and Elizabeth Wein, so I was in good company.

Then, in August, the second book in the Killing Room series, Enemy of the State, came out.

The book received nice reviews from both Best Thriller Books and The Big Thrill — though I don’t recommend looking at those reviews if you haven’t read The Killing Room yet, as it’ll give away some major spoilers.

Now, the question some readers have asked: Will there be a third book?

The answer: Maybe.

It all depends, really, on how well the first two books in the series do.

If they sell enough copies, the publisher will decide to publish more books.

If they don’t sell enough copies, the publisher will decide to cut its losses and say no thanks to any future books.

That’s publishing for you.

So then what’s in store for 2025?

I’ve got a new Avery Bishop novel that’ll be released as an Audible Original (I thought it would come out this year, but stuff happens, ya know?).

And … that’s all I can really talk about at the moment. But some cool stuff is in the works, and I can’t wait to share it all when the time comes.

Anyway, I’ve read and listened to a lot of books this year, and while I’ve enjoyed most of them, 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 2024, which I think others might enjoy too. But as is the case with everything, your mileage may vary.

NOVELS

• CALIFORNIA BEAR by Duane Swierczynski

• CHAIN GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

• SING HER DOWN by Ivy Pochoda

• ANOTHER BROOKLYN by Jacqueline Woodson

• HOW CAN I HELP YOU by Laura Sims

• HIDDEN PICTURES by Jason Rekulak

• CATCHPENNY by Charlie Huston

• EILEEN by Ottessa Moshfegh

• WE THE ANIMALS by Justin Torres

• SHE RIDES SHOTGUN by Jordan Harper

• THE LAST KING OF CALIFORNIA by Jordan Harper

• SHELL GAMES by Bonnie Kistler

• THE LONG AND FARAWAY GONE by Lou Berney

AUDIOBOOKS

• FUN & GAMES by Duane Swierczynski, read by Pete Larkin

• FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston, read by Saskia Maarleveld

• LONE WOLF by Gregg Hurwitz, read by Scott Brick

• THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS by Jason Rekulak, read by Griffin Newman

• WHAT LIES BENEATH by Joe Hart, read by Kate Rudd

• NEVER COME BACK by Joe Hart, read by Kate Rudd

• LESLIE F*CKING JONES by Leslie Jones, read by Leslie Jones

• PLAYING WITH FIRE by Tess Gerritsen, read by Julia Whelan and Will Damron

• THINK TWICE by Harlan Coben, read by Steven Weber

• REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt, read by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie

• LOCAL WOMAN MISSING by Mary Kubica, read by Brittany Pressley, Jennifer Jill Araya, Gary Tiedemann, Jesse Vilinsky

• COLD IN JULY by Joe R. Lansdale, read by Brian Hutchison

• SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan, read by Aidan Kelly

• THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY: AMERICAN EVANGELICALS IN AN AGE OF EXTREMISM by Tim Alberta, read by Tim Alberta

• BROKEN by Don Winslow, read by Ray Porter and Kaleo Griffith

• CONCLAVE by Robert Harris, read by Roy McMillan

COLLECTIONS

• THE BEASTS YOU ARE by Paul Tremblay

• ROMAN STORIES by Jhumpa Lahiri

• YOU LIKE IT DARKER by Stephen King

• SAFE ENOUGH AND OTHER STORIES by Lee Child

STORIES

• STORIES STOCKHOLM by Catherine Steadman

• HUNTER/GATHERER by Benjamin Percy

• THE CHRISTMAS GUEST by Peter Swanson

POEMS

• UNSHUTTERED by Patricia Smith

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• BREAKNECK by Duane Swierczynski, Simone Guglielmini, Raffaele Semeraro, Lovern Kindzierski, and Chris Chuckry

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

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.