Nine

Jan Burke steps away from her Irene Kelly series for this standalone thriller, and she swings for something darker and more ambitious. L.A. detective Alex Brandon investigates a vigilante group of privileged men eliminating criminals from the FBI's Most Wanted list, while also protecting a thirteen-year-old boy named Spooky who holds key information. The structural framing in Greek myth parallels gives the book more intellectual texture than the average crime novel, and the pacing earned it both the Macavity and Gumshoe awards for Best Mystery Novel in 2003. Be direct about the content, though: graphic violence, torture, child abuse references, and adult sexual material are present throughout. The young character in the story does not make this appropriate for young readers — the surrounding material is firmly adult. Recommended for crime fiction fans who can handle the dark terrain.