Next up with his top books of 2012, is Chris Ewan. 2012 has been quite a year for Chris. A change of genre from his earlier Good Thief Guide series of novels, has seen him rocket to the top of the Ebook charts with the outstanding thriller ‘Safe House’. Genuinely one of the nicest writers I’ve met in the past year, I couldn’t be more happy for him. It is much deserved success, for one of our best writers. Here, he chooses his favourite reads of the year…

Top 5 Books of 2012 by Chris Ewan

Not all of these books were published this year, but here are some of my favourite reads from 2012:

1. Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Fresh, stylish, bold and, as always, hugely inspiring. An intense noir tale set in the world of high school cheerleading, beautifully told.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Everyone is raving about this one, right? Daring, audacious and innovative, I loved it for its potent narrative voice, its swagger and its wicked sense of mischief.

3. A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez

A highly emotive and highly effective approach to the police procedural. Stunningly written, expertly crafted, with several powerful twists.

4. The American by Martin Booth (originally published as A Very Private Gentleman)

A real gem of a novel, written with a rare skill and precision that perfectly complement this story about an artisan gunsmith. The evocation of life in a remote Italian village is breathtaking, the sense of foreboding palpable.

5. Tom-All-Alone’s by Lynn Shepherd

Tricksy, smart, and gleefully dark, Shepherd’s exploration of the spaces left behind by Dickens’s Bleak House is also exhilarating and delivers a very satisfying mystery. The descriptions of 1850s London are brilliant and have stuck with me all year.

Chris Ewan is the critically acclaimed author of Safe House (published by Faber and Faber –

) and The Good Thief’s Guide mysteries (published by Simon & Schuster). His website is http://www.chrisewan.com and you can find him on twitter @chrisewan