Best books...chosen by Adam Sternbergh
The culture editor of The New York Times Magazine recommends six crime titles that deliver a little extra.
In his novel, Shovel Ready, the culture editor of The New York Times Magazine unfurls a hollowed-out Manhattan in which a garbage collector turns hit man just to survive. Below, Sternbergh recommends six crime titles that deliver a little extra.
The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead (Anchor, $15). Alternate realities, conspiracies and cover-ups, and elevator repair: What more could you want from a novel? Whitehead’s debut is the fantastic (and fantastical) story of Lila Mae Watson, a young black elevator repairwoman whose quest to unravel a mysterious crash doubles as a soaring allegory about race.
Nobody Move by Denis Johnson (Picador, $14). A crackling caper from an author better known for the seminal short story collection Jesus’ Son and the National Book Award winner Tree of Smoke. Nobody Move is loaded with familiar noir figures, each given a delirious twist. A gambling barbershop-quartet member, a dangerous debt-collector, a booze-brined bombshell—all are loosed in a lyric poem of sour despair that’s also laugh-out-loud funny.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, $15). McCarthy’s bleak, calamitous story about an ill-gotten bag of cash and the trouble it brings doubles as a rueful treatise on fate.
Dare Me by Megan Abbott (Reagan Arthur, $15). Abbott transplants the treachery of classic noir to a high school cheerleading squad. Equal parts shadowy malevolence and raging teenage hormones, Dare Me plays out like Spring Breakers meets Carrie meets All About Eve.
Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell (Back Bay, $14). Woodrell is building a solid case for himself as the Faulkner of the Ozarks and started that work with this wounded tale of a tenacious young girl struggling to find her missing father. The movie made Jennifer Lawrence famous, and Woodrell more than deserves the same fate.
The Zero by Jess Walter (Harper Perennial, $15). In a slightly different version of New York City than the one in Shovel Ready, a slightly different terrorist tragedy: “the Zero,” a 9/11-style attack. One survivor is our protagonist: a hero-cop with a self-inflicted head wound who’s constantly waking up in the middle of situations with no idea how he got there. The Zero is Catch-22 crossed with Memento, and the anti-investigation novel for our time.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Try 6 free issues of The Week Junior
Spark your child's curiosity with The Week Junior - the award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14s.
By The Week Published
-
Daniel Wallace's 5 favorite books that should not be forgotten
Feature The author recommends works by Italo Calvino, Evan S. Connell, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rowan Beaird recommends 6 compelling books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Stephen Graham Jones' 6 scary books with deeper meanings
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Sara Gran, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Lauren Oyler's favorite collection of essays that will leave you deep in thought
Feature The author recommends works by Elif Batuman, Mark Greif, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published