The Plot-Twisty Novel That Will Leave You Breathless (Plus 5 Other Page-Turners)

The year is 1943—it's a time of war both overseas and within the crime world of Tampa, Florida. High roller Joe Coughlin, once a notorious gangster, is now a successful businessman, philanthropist and single dad whose life includes things from throwing a fundraising party where the upper crust rub elbows with hard guys to managing everyday conflicts on the homefront. Thanks to Dennis Lehane's writing, every scene is rendered with wit and brio. ("Joe Coughlin's son, Tomás, was almost 10 years old and didn't lie. It was an embarrassing trait he certainly hadn't inherited from his father.") Although the setup of the story is familiar—somebody wants to kill Joe and Joe has only days to find out who it is—the complex, fully-realized characters, the palpable evocation of a long-gone time and place and the nuanced truths he examines make World Gone By a standout.