“'The Chill,' by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi, was both a wise and nervy choice to start the year: Starr's standalone novels, such as 'Hard Feelings' and 'The Follower,' sustain a mood not unlike the perpetual unscratchable itch on one's back, and go Highsmith-level deep into the sociopathic mind.”

Canadian journalist, editor, and crime fiction authority

Sarah Weinman is a Canadian journalist, editor, and crime fiction authority. She is known for her work on crime writing and for her book The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World. The book examines the kidnapping and captivity of 11-year-old Florence Sally Horner by a serial child molester, a case widely believed to have influenced Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. It drew attention in reviews from NPR, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.