Patrick O'Brian and Robert Harris were the highlights of my reading year :) Along with Ian Rankin's Rebus. Must stop identifying so much with all these cynical alcoholic characters, lol.

If you like detective books and sci-fi, have you ever read Michael Marshall Smith's 'Only Forward'? He writes crime noir books as Michael Marshall (which are also very good), but that one is crime noir sci-fi with a big side order of surreal dark comedy. And plenty of cats :)