The Reading List: Best Genre Adult Fiction, 2011.

Established in 2007 by the CODES section of RUSA, the Reading List Council, consisting of librarians who are experts in readers’ advisory and collection development, selects an annual list of outstanding genre fiction. This list is made up of one title in eight different categories: Adrenaline (encompassing thrillers, suspense, and action/adventure); Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Horror; Mystery; Romance; Science Fiction; and Women’s Fiction. All titles were published in 2010.

Adrenaline

The Nearest Exit. By Olen Steinhauer. Minotaur, $25.99 (9780312622879).

Burned-out spy Milo Weaver confronts layers of deceit as his career collides with his desire to reclaim his family and his humanity. The labyrinthine intrigues enhance a building atmosphere of paranoia in this dark and emotionally charged classic espionage thriller. Read-alikes: Graham Greene’s The Quiet American, John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and Alan Furst’s Night Soldiers.

Shortlist: Caught, by Harlan Coben (Dutton); Crashers, by Dana Haynes (Minotaur); Deep Shadow, by Randy Wayne White (Putnam); They’re Watching, by Gregg Hurwitz (St. Martin’s).

Fantasy

Under Heaven. By Guy Gavriel Kay. Roc, $25.95 (9780451463302).

Haunted by the ghosts of fallen warriors, Shen Tai is forced into the political machinations of the emperor’s court when he receives a rare and valuable gift. Lyrical language and complex characterization draw readers into this elaborately unfolding epic set in a fantasy world that richly reimagines eighth-century Tang-dynasty China. Read-alikes: Jo Graham’s Black Ships, Conn Iggulden’s Genghis: Birth of an Empire, and Vonda N. McIntyre’s The Moon and the Sun.

Shortlist: Finch, by Jeff VanderMeer (Underland); The Half-Made World, by Felix Gilman (Tor); The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit); Nights of Villjamur, by Mark Charan Newton (Spectra).

Historical Fiction

The Invisible Bridge. By Julie Orringer. Knopf, $26.95 (9781400041169).

In this sweeping yet intimate portrait of a Hungarian Jewish family in Europe, two lovers become enmeshed in the turmoil of the Holocaust. With gorgeous prose and an exquisite evocation of Paris and Budapest, Orringer writes movingly of their strength and the bittersweet power of hope and love. Read-alikes: Louis De Bernieres’ Corelli’s Mandolin, Janice Y. K. Lee’s The Piano Teacher, and Mary Doria Russell’s A Thread of Grace.

Shortlist: A Battle Won, by S. Thomas Russell (Putnam); A Fierce Radiance, by Lauren Belfer (HarperCollins); The Golden Mean, by Annabel Lyon (Knopf); The Rebellion of Jane Clarke, by Sally Gunning (Morrow).

Horror

The Dead Path. By Stephen M. Irwin. Doubleday, $26 (9780385533430).

Guilt-ridden Nicholas Close retreats to his family home in Australia after the tragic death of his wife, only to encounter an ancient malevolence lurking in the nearby woods. Childhood nightmares and fairy-tale motifs combine in this emotionally powerful tale of implacable evil. Arachnophobes beware! Read-alikes: Stephen King’s It, Raymond Feist’s Faerie Tale: A Novel of Terror and Fantasy, and Brian Keene’s Dark Hollow.

Shortlist: The Caretaker of Lorne Field, by David Zeltserman (Overlook); The Frenzy Way, by Gregory Lamberson (Medallion); Horns, by Joe Hill (Morrow); So Cold the River, by Michael Koryta (Little, Brown).

Mystery

Bury Your Dead. By Louise Penny. Minotaur, $24.99 (9780312377045).

Troubled by past mistakes, Chief Inspector Gamache, in his sixth outing, retreats to snowy and insular Quebec City, where he becomes embroiled in intertwining investigations both old and new. Penny expertly delivers a layered story that is haunting, moody, and exquisitely drawn. Read-alikes: Charles Todd’s A Test of Wills, Erin Hart’s Haunted Ground, and Julia Spencer-Fleming’s In the Bleak Midwinter.

Shortlist: Faithful Place, by Tana French (Viking); The Taken, by Inger Ash Wolfe (Houghton); Think of a Number, by John Verdon (Crown); Vermilion Drift, by William Kent Krueger (Simon & Schuster).

Romance

A Matter of Class. By Mary Balogh. Vanguard, paper $15.99 (9781593155544).

A lady is ruined. A merchant’s son is trapped. Class differences loom large in this charming and playful take on the arranged marriage. Balogh’s Regency gem, where nothing is quite as it seems, is filled with affection and wit. Read-alikes: Georgette Heyer’s Faro’s Daughter, Rose Lerner’s In for a Penny, and Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me.

Shortlist: Barely a Lady, by Eileen Dreyer (Hachette/Forever); The Forbidden Rose, by Joanna Bourne (Berkley); The Iron Duke, by Meljean Brook (Berkley); Something about You, by Julie James (Berkley Sensation).

Science Fiction

The Dervish House. By Ian McDonald. Pyr, $26 (9781616142049).

A terrorist bomb sets off a chain of events that, over the next five days, entangles the lives of six characters. McDonald brilliantly imagines a world in which the ultramodern exists side by side with the ancient as he blends science and mysticism to embody the contradiction that is Istanbul in 2027. Read-alikes: William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition, George Alec Effinger’s When Gravity Fails, and Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl.

Shortlist: Ark, by Stephen Baxter (Roc); Blonde Bombshell, by Tom Holt (Orbit); Darkship Thieves, by Sarah Hoyt (Baen); The Lifecycle of Software Objects, by Ted Chiang (Subterranean).

Women’s Fiction

Solomon’s Oak. By Jo-Ann Mapson. Bloomsbury, $25 (9781608193301).

Recently widowed Glory Solomon collects stray animals and damaged souls. Facing bankruptcy, she creates a new life catering themed weddings. This deeply felt yet unsentimental novel explores grief, healing, and second chances. Read-alikes: Juliette Fay’s Shelter Me, Marsha Moyer’s The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch, and Katrina Kittle’s The Blessings of the Animals.

Shortlist: The Girl Who Chased the Moon, by Sarah Addison Allen (Bantam); The Language of Sand, by Ellen Block (Bantam); The Love Goddess’ Cooking School, by Melissa Senate (Gallery); Vintage Affair, by Isabel Wolff (Bantam).