Recently finished: SHANTARAM by Gregory David Roberts. I'm not in the habit of reading recent, 900+ page novels, in part because as AP Mike once said, I haven't even read War and Peace. In fact I don't even read novels that much, apart from crime fiction. But this was recommended by no less than The Hound on his blog (and it is in part a crime novel), and I found it spellbinding, compulsive reading throughout. It's apparently largely autobiographical, about an Australian bank robber who escapes from prison and moves to Mumbai as a fugitive from justice, slum doctor, crime gang member and, at one point, gun runner in the Afghan/Russian war. The prose is a little purple at times, but the book is incredibly colorful and filled with incident, and I'd still be reading it if it was twice as long.
Now: METHLAND: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF AN AMERICAN SMALL TOWN by Nick Reding. Reportage on the origins and trajectory of the meth phenomenon in the US, using a small Iowa town as a lens. Didn't buy it because of the Best Show, but it does help explain what Pastor Josh and SCUM Force are up against. The grislier anecdotes of addiction gone wrong make this a possible Mike pick.