Lou Berney is an accomplished writer, teacher, and liar. He has written feature screenplays and created TV pilots for, among others, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Focus Features, ABC, and Fox. He is the author of THE ROAD TO BOBBY JOE, a collection of stories, and his short fiction has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, New England Review, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. He has taught at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and in the MFA program at Saint Mary's College in California. GUTSHOT STRAIGHT, his first novel, was written during the 2007-2008 film and TV Writers Guild strike.
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Lou Berney recommends
Big Time (2024) Ben H Winters "Big Time is a wild and wonderful trip, a kaleidoscope of mind-bending science, metaphysics, and good old-fashioned thrills. And most engaging of all are the characters Ben Winters creates: a hugely appealing Everywoman sleuth, a young woman struggling with a harrowing dilemma, and one of the scariest antagonists in recent memory."
Hurt for Me (2024) Heather Levy "Hurt for Me is a sizzling, expertly constructed thriller that doesn't cool down for even a second. Best of all, Levy gives us a main character, Rae, who is wholly original, richly imagined, and hugely appealing."
Who to Believe (2024) Edwin Hill "An inventive and fiendishly-layered suspense novel. The characters are compelling, the setting rich, and the tension electric. A first-rate exploration of secrets dark and deep."
Necessary Deeds (2024) Mark Wish "Necessary Deeds is a tight, tense thriller that explores some of the darkest, twistiest workings of the human mind. Mark Wish asks the question: Who can you trust if you can't trust yourself?"
The Ascent (2024) Adam Plantinga "Damn! I had to hold onto this one for dear life. THE ASCENT is a ferociously propulsive thriller. Plantinga creates a haunted house of horrors that's utterly convincing, while at the same time keeping the focus on complex, layered, and engaging characters. An outstanding debut crime novel."
Right Between the Eyes (2023) Scott Loring Sanders "Right Between the Eyes is a riveting, twist-filled exploration of violence, memory, and family. With its richly complex characters and vivid sense of place, this is a novel that will stay with you long after you turn the last page."
Anywhere You Run (2022) Wanda M Morris "Anywhere You Run had me hooked from the first page... It's a novel both tender and ferocious - an absolute stunner."
All Good People Here (2022) Ashley Flowers "All Good People Here has enough twists and layers for three novels. Ashley Flowers has taken a premise familiar to true-crime fans and created a story that's compelling and psychologically rich, with an ending that's as unnerving as it is satisfying."
Two Nights in Lisbon (2022) Chris Pavone "Two Nights in Lisbon is such a richly satisfying novel in so many different ways: it is a tense, intricately plotted thriller; a nuanced and moving character study; a sharp-eyed social critique; an immersive tour of a fascinating city and culture. I finished this book and immediately wanted to read it again."
Metropolis (2022) B A Shapiro "A rich and gripping journey through intersecting lives, a nuanced exploration of characters who share nothing in common--but almost everything too. Inventive and immersive, it's a page-turner of novel that will also make you want to slow down and soak it all in."
Child Zero (2022) Chris Holm "CHILD ZERO gave me nightmares - in the best possible way. Chris Holm offers a terrifying and convincing glimpse into the future that may well await us, while at the same time telling a deeply compelling story full of heart and, despite all the odds, hope. I couldn't put this one down."
Shadows of Pecan Hollow (2022) Caroline Frost "Shadows of Pecan Hollow is a hugely satisfying slow burn of a novel that builds to a wrenching, unforgettable blaze. Frost explores the lives of her complex, arresting characters with nuance, compassion, and an unwavering gaze. Highly recommended."
Five Decembers (2021) James Kestrel "Five Decembers is absolutely terrific. I can’t remember the last novel I read that was so beautifully immersive. A joy to read."
When Ghosts Come Home (2021) Wiley Cash "When Ghosts Come Home is a gripping mystery as complex and layered as the characters who inhabit it. Set in 1984, Wiley Cash’s exploration of race, justice, and grief – of the fault lines that rip apart families and communities – could not be more timely."
A Man Named Doll (2021) (Happy Doll, book 1) Jonathan Ames "A MAN NAMED DOLL is so fun and propulsive I didn’t just read it in one sitting, I read it in what felt like a single breath. Happy Doll is a tremendously likable main character, and the Los Angeles he inhabits is vibrantly alive in every detail. I hope Jonathan Ames has many more adventures planned for the newest P.I. in town."
Every Last Fear (2021) Alex Finlay "A hugely ambitious novel that satisfies on so many different levels. It's a riveting mystery, a propulsive thriller, and a moving portrait of a family torn apart, and brought together, by tragedy."
The Low Desert (2021) Tod Goldberg "The Low Desert blew me away. It's an astonishingly rich collection of stories--harrowing and hopeful, gritty and funny, elegiac and electrifying, and always, always, deeply human. Tod Goldberg has written a book that's impossible to put down and impossible to forget."
What Waits for You (2021) (Tully Jarsdel, book 2) Joseph Schneider "Joseph Schneider is a major new talent in the world of crime fiction."
Tricky (2021) Josh Stallings "TRICKY blew me away. Josh Stallings has written a gritty, vibrant, riotously entertaining crime novel filled with unforgettable and deeply human characters."
Surrender the Dead (2021) John Burley "A riveting novel that engages both heart and mind. John Burley has an eye for detail, a feel for story, and a deep sympathy for his characters."
And Now She's Gone (2020) Rachel Howzell Hall "An entertainingly twisty plot, a rich and layered sense of place, and most of all a main character who pops off the page. Gray Sykes is hugely engaging and deeply complex, a descendant of Philip Marlowe and Easy Rawlings who is also definitely, absolutely her own woman."
Winter Counts (2020) David Heska Wanbli Weiden "Winter Counts is a terrific debut--tight and tense, hard-eyed and big-hearted. David Heska Wanbli Weiden's main character, Virgil Wounded Horse, is as compelling, complex, and sharply observed as the world he inhabits."
The Southland (2020) Johnny Shaw "THE SOUTHLAND is a terrific novel, both compelling and illuminating. Johnny Shaw writes with deep empathy for his characters and an unflinching eye for the dark side of the American Dream. Highly recommend."
Unspeakable Things (2020) Jess Lourey "Unspeakable Things is an absolutely riveting novel about the poisonous secrets buried deep in towns and families. Jess Lourey has created a story that will chill you to the bone and a main character who will break your heart wide open."
Your House Will Pay (2019) Steph Cha "Your House Will Pay is extraordinary, a deeply-felt and sharply-observed exploration of the ties the bind, and divide, family, community, and nation. It's moving, compelling, surprising, funny, explosive, and deeply human - an unforgettable novel."
Drowning with Others (2019) Linda Keir "Drowning with Others is a smart, engrossing mystery that explores how secrets from the past can bind a family together—or tear it apart forever."
The Hidden Things (2019) Jamie Mason "A smart and hugely entertainingly thriller, with so many sharp twists and hairpin turns that you'll need to hold on for dear life. But it's the compelling, nuanced characters--dark, light, and every shade in-between--who will stay with you long after the last page."
One Small Sacrifice (2019) (Shadows of New York, book 1) Hilary Davidson "One Small Sacrifice hooked me hard. Hilary Davidson has written a riveting and beautifully layered thriller that satisfies on every level. The characters surprise, the plot twists, and the pages turn themselves."
Pulse (2018) Michael Harvey "Pulse is the rare crime novel that makes you think and feel – deeply so on both counts. Harvey tells a gripping, richly-textured story that’s full of characters who jump off the page and stay with you long after the book is over."
Fatal Blow (2018) (Sean Richardson, book 3) James L Thane "Fatal Blow is a meticulous and engrossing procedural ."
Black Swan Rising (2018) Lisa Brackmann "Lisa Brackmann's Black Swan Rising is a savvy, riveting thriller that's also deeply human, with characters who are as authentic as they are compelling."
Little Girl Lost (2018) (Foundlings Trilogy, book 1) Wendy Corsi Staub "Wendy Corsi Staub hits every note perfectly in Little Girl Lost. It’s a riveting thriller, a moving exploration of loss and identity, a vivid snapshot of a fascinating time and place, and – always, every word of the way – an absolute page-turner."
Nail's Crossing (2017) (Bill Maytubby & Hannah Bond Mystery, book 1) Kris Lackey "Kris Lackey brings to vivid life a unique and fascinating part of the country. With two appealing main characters and a sinuously intriguing plot, Nail's Crossing marks a terrific debut."
The Finishing School (2017) Joanna Goodman "THE FINISHING SCHOOL pulls back the curtain to expose a fascinating world of desire, betrayal, and dangerous secrets."
Dangerous Ends (2017) (Pete Fernandez, book 3) Alex Segura "DANGEROUS ENDS is a tense, gripping exploration of what happens when a bloody past collides with a dangerous present."
IQ (2016) (IQ, book 1) Joe Ide "Joe Ide is a bad man: IQ is so hellaciously entertaining, deeply moving, and electrifyingly alive that you'll want to read it twice."
The Summer That Melted Everything (2016) Tiffany McDaniel "The Summer That Melted Everything is a blast of hellfire, humor, and heartbreak that’s part Flannery O’Connor, part Stephen King, and wholly original."
The Poison Artist (2016) Jonathan Moore "Jonathan Moore has written a wickedly smart, emotionally complex novel that will haunt you long after you turn the last page. Whether you find it seductively terrifying or terrifyingly seductive, in my mind, The Poison Artist is better than Hitchcock."
More recommendations
Awards
2020 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger : November Road
2019 Macavity Award for Best Novel : November Road
2019 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel : November Road
2019 Barry Award for Best Novel : November Road
2019 Anthony Award for Best Novel : November Road
2016 Macavity Award for Best Novel : The Long and Faraway Gone
2016 Edgar Award for Best Paperback original : The Long and Faraway Gone
2016 Barry Award for Best Paperback original : The Long and Faraway Gone
2016 Anthony Award for Best Paperback original : The Long and Faraway Gone
Award nominations
2024 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Dark Ride
2020 CWA Gold Dagger (shortlist) : November Road
2020 Barry Award for Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade (nominee) : November Road
2019 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel (nominee) : November Road
2016 Lefty Award for Best World Mystery (nominee) : The Long and Faraway Gone
2013 Anthony Award for Best Paperback original (nominee) : Whiplash River
2011 Barry Award for Best First Novel (nominee) : Gutshot Straight
