Diane La Rue

I’m not sure what it is about the winter months that has publishers releasing so many mysteries and thrillers — maybe the cold and dark atmosphere of the days? Whatever it is, there are several books out recently that will please fans of those genres.

The new year looks to be a good one for readers, with many terrific books on the horizon. I began 2025 with two books with small town settings — one in Potsdam, New York, and one in a small Irish village of Faha set in 1962. Tracey Lange’s third novel, “What Happened to the McCray’s?” continues in her genre of writing wonderful novels about families navigating the travails of life.

Each year I set a goal to read 100 books. Out of those 100 books, the ones that stay in my mind — the ones with characters that I just can’t forget and want to know what they are doing now — make my list of the most compelling books, and here I share them with you. Beginning with "A," Anna Quindlen’s emotional “After Annie” was one of my first reads of the year, and I find myself still thinking about Annie, a thirty-something mother who dies in her kitchen in the beginning of the story.