The Best Mysteries of '05: Connelly, Burke are year's tops

If 2005 was anything, it was an excellent year for mystery readers.

Naturally, among the nearly 1,500 mystery novels printed last year, there were bound to be more than a few duds, some that were just plain dumb and some novels that made me wonder more than once, "How in the world did that get published?"

But let's not dwell on the negative since far more solid, engrossing novels made it to the bookstores. I know because in compiling my best of 2005, it was hard to narrow the list just to 20. At least 10 more novels were on my honorable mention list.

Among the strong mysteries this year, two especially stood out. Since each was just a hair away from taking the No. 1 slot solo, I am awarding Best Mystery of the Year to two authors - Jan Burke for ``Bloodlines'' and Michael Connelly for ``Lincoln Lawyer.'' Here's why:

Jan Burke's series about reporter Irene Kelly has been one of the most consistently well-plotted since it debuted with ``Goodnight, Irene'' in 1993. Burke's 10 novels (including one stand-alone thriller) have covered politics, crime scene techniques (before the public heard of ``CSI'') and the California landscape. The Irene Kelly mysteries are especially perceptive in portraying the devastating effects of crime, seen through the prism of an insightful, ethical journalist. Along the way, Burke has won an Edgar Award (for ``Bones,'' 1999), several awards for her short stories and a slew of nominations.

Burke's storytelling skills reach up to another level with ``Bloodlines.'' While Irene Kelly plays a part in ``Bloodlines,'' the novel is more than just her story. Set in 1958, 1978 and 2000, ``Bloodlines'' expertly captures the atmosphere of each of those eras while delivering an engrossing story of family ties, the depth friendship can reach, the changing newsroom culture and the effects crime inflicts on generations.

In a different vein, few authors are as consistent as Michael Connelly, who won an Edgar with his first novel, ``The Black Echo'' (1992). Whether he's writing about his series hero, LAPD detective Harry Bosch, or one of his stand-alone thrillers, Connelly doesn't follow a pattern - unless you count excellence in storytelling and pitch-perfect character studies. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the multi-award-winning Connelly excels in his first legal thriller, ``The Lincoln Lawyer.'' He doesn't reinvent the genre, but his fresh approach is invigorating as he delves into the psyche of a money-hungry lawyer who's defending a wealthy playboy accused of molesting a woman.

Here's the complete list:

(1) ``The Lincoln Lawyer.'' Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. A lawyer blinded by dollar signs is forced to scrutinize his inadequacies and his moral code. While avoiding cliches - notably the ending - Connelly's study of the legal system, depicts its flaws as well as its rectitude.

(1) ``Bloodlines.'' Jan Burke. Simon & Schuster. The disappearance of a wealthy family in 1958 has far-reaching effects on their community and on the reporters who cover the story over the next 40 years. The Edgar-winning Burke effectively captures the nuances of the eras and communicates the changing dynamics of newsrooms.

(3) ``Fleshmarket Alley.'' Ian Rankin. Little, Brown. Prejudice receives a 21st century spin as Edinburgh police detective John Rebus encounters a large, diverse immigrant community who are the perfect prey for criminals.

(4) ``Strange Affair.'' Peter Robinson. Morrow. Yorkshire police detective Alan Banks learns he never really knew his brother when the sibling vanishes from his London apartment. Once again, Robinson shows he's a master at weaving life issues of relationships, identity and self-knowledge into the British police procedural.

(5) ``The Forgotten Man.'' Robert Crais. Doubleday. The search for a long-lost father becomes an emotional trip to discover the power of forgiveness. Hard-boiled novels aren't supposed to bring a tear, as this occasionally does, while delivering a rip-roarin' story full of villains more terrifying because of their seemingly ordinariness.

(6) ``Forests of the Night.'' James W. Hall. St. Martin's Press. A Florida setting and the author's usual stable of characters are missing, but Hall's finesse at storytelling is in fine form. This wonderfully complex look at Indian lore and hatred that doesn't just survive the ages but thrives is a rousing metaphor for bigotry, war and terrorism.

(7) ``Drama City.'' George Pelecanos. Little, Brown. From a fairly straightforward plot of two people rebuilding their lives - one a dogcatcher, the other a parole officer - the author sculpts a layered, suspenseful look at a neighborhood, then nature of friendship, fresh starts and ordinary people trying to rise above their own foibles.

(8) ``The Closers.'' Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. Yes, Connelly had two novels out this year and both belong on this list. Connelly's main hero, Harry Bosch, is back on the L.A. police force, assigned to the cold-case department. Racism and a police conspiracy are strong enough themes to carry ``The Closers,'' but Connelly goes a step further to explore "the ripples" of a 17-year murder.

(9) ``To the Power of Three.'' Laura Lippman. Morrow. A powerful testament to the strength and destructiveness of friendship, unchecked emotions and secrets illustrates the kind of violence that can fester in teenage girls.

(10) ``Half Broken Things.'' Morag Joss. Delacorte Press. A lonely elderly woman on the verge of a mental collapse, a con man and a pregnant teenager living in an isolated British mansion undergo more changes than those in Stephen King's ``The Shining.''

(11) ``Pardonable Lies.'' Jacqueline Winspear. Henry Holt. The fate of an aristocrat's son spurs the latest installment of this genteel series that captures the atmosphere of rebuilding, the pervading sense of grief and loss and societal changes in England during the decade following World War I.

(12) ``The Death Collectors.'' Jack Kerley. Dutton. Two Alabama police detectives provide the moral center of this grisly, fascinating mystery set in the lurid world of macabre collectors of serial-killer memorabilia.

(13) ``Blood of Angels.'' Reed Arvin. HarperCollins. The standard plot of a man wrongly accused of a crime is spun into an absorbing tale of racism, xenophobia, capital punishment and politics in Nashville.

(14) ``The Innocent.'' Harlan Coben. Dutton. A young man convicted of manslaughter for accidentally killing another student provides the plot, but the larger theme is unconditional love, the joys of ordinary lives and the chance to reinvent ourselves. Even when the plot grows outlandish, Coben keeps our interest.

(15) ``Company Man.'' Joseph Finder. St. Martin's Press. This maybe the fastest 500-plus pages you'll ever read as Finder rejuvenates the business thriller by emphasizing sharply created characters instead of eye-glazing business minutiae.

(16) ``Drive.'' James Sallis. Poisoned Pen Press. The slim novel underscores what power this author commands with spare, gem-like prose, brisk action and a Camus-like hero - a stunt driver for the movies by day, a getaway driver for criminals on nights and weekends.

DEBUTS

``Immoral.'' Brian Freeman. St. Martin's Minotaur. This is the debut of the year - a near pitch-perfect novel that soars with believable characters, crisp dialogue and a plot that is as realistic and chilling as its Minnesota background. It's not just that the villain is Immoral - he is - but so is the victim.

``Tilt A Whirl.'' Chris Grabenstein. Carroll & Graf. Two cops' investigation into a billionaire's murder perfectly blends action with a poignant, hard-hitting and quite funny plot. Ultimately, it is about people traumatized by violence, whether on the battlefield or at home.

``Eight of Swords.'' David Skibbins. St. Martin's Press. A tarot card reader on the streets of Berkeley, Calif., hides his real identity - a former student activist on the run for more than 30 years. This kind of setup screams "gimmick," but instead it's a look at a man whose life as a fugitive has made him cut himself off from emotional entanglements.

``Most Wanted.'' Michele Martinez. Morrow. The constant friction of professional life vs. personal life, of career infringing on family and the challenge of being ambitious but keeping your integrity form the foundation of Most Wanted.

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(c) 2005 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.