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58. All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris. This is the seventh book in the Southern Vampire series. By the seventh book in the Anita Blake series, things had already started to head rapidly downhill, so the fact that this series remains enjoyable speaks volumes about how much better a writer Harris is when compared to Hamilton. We do get plenty of sex (early on, in fact), tons of violence, and lots of political machinations, as Sookie gets dragged off to a vampire convention (the political kind, not the sci-fi kind). As always, Harris deftly balances many characters, ongoing plotlines, and multiple threats, leading to a fast-paced and enjoyable novel. I'm still not sure the series needs to be in hardcover, as the books are fast and disposable reads, but I still enjoy them. Recommended.

59. Crystal Rain, by Tobias Buckell. This is a hell of a debut novel (and one that seems to have fallen between the cracks of last year's releases, certainly not helped by the fact that 2006 was a hell of a good year for sci-fi). In the far future, man has not only colonized space, but has managed to lose some of those colonies as the result of what appears to have been an interspecies war (complete with EM pulse that ruined much of their technology). On one planet, the colonists, descended from Caribbean and Aztec ancestors, have lost their memories of colonization, but remember their ancient religious traditions. Along with some of the stranded aliens (treated as Loa and Teotl gods), they now alternate between attempting to live their lives, and warring with each other. Throw in a good use of Hero Archetype #3 (man with mysterious abilities and no memories of his past), and it's a damned fun and well-written novel. Recommended.

60. The Con Man, by Ed McBain. The fourth book in McBain's 87th Precinct series is just as well-written as the previous one. Steve Carella, again, gets the starring role, with Teddy Carella (in her best appearance yet), Burt Kling, and Arthur Brown getting most of the rest of the attention. McBain's constant riffing on the idea of the con -- from the minor confidence men out of a Damon Runyon story and the ladykiller running amok to the attempts by Kling to free his girlfriend from her college exams and the idea that authors themselves are the biggest con men around -- is a joy to read. I'm also amused by the author's note, which contains an excerpt from the original printing in which he goofed and had Teddy (who's deaf) "hearing" laundry machines at one point. Highly Recommended.