Reading the Detectives discussion

OK, here goes with an individual challenge. As mentioned in the currently reading thread, as a frustrated armchair traveller I'm planning a virtual European reading tour - and am hoping to read a book set in each of the following countries/territories. This will probably take a long time to do, given my other reading commitments, but should hopefully be fun .

I've broken the UK down to each of its 4 countries (the vast majority of mysteries I've read are set in England!) and have also added Gibraltar and Northern Cyprus to the official list of countries. I might also add in a few islands if I come across good books set there - maybe the Faroe Islands?

I'm aiming to go for detective stories where possible, but realistically these are not available for quite a few of the countries, especially some of those in the former Soviet Union, so I will need to read other types of books for those. Editing halfway through the challenge to say that I've now broadened out to read some other types of book too, as the spirit takes me!

Any suggestions gratefully received... many thanks.

Albania Broken April by Ismael Kadare
Andorra Death Has a Thousand Doors by Patricia W. Grey
Armenia An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman
Austria I Was Jack Mortimer by Alexander Lernet-Holenia
Azerbaijan The Colonel's Mistake by Dan Mayland
Belarus Down Among The Fishes by Natalka Babina
Belgium War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
Chechnya
Croatia The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
Cyprus The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Czech Republic The Last Bell by Johannes Urzidil
Denmark The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Estonia
Finland Dark As My Heart by Antti Tuomainen
France Death in the Dordogne: The first Bruno, Chief of Police investigation by Martin Walker (Dordogne)
The Late Monsieur Gallet by Georges Simenon (Loire Valley)
Georgia Waiting for the Electricity by Christina Nichol
Germany The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach
Gibraltar The Rock by Robert Daws
Greece The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi
Hungary The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahloo
Iceland Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriðason
Ireland Death in the Quadrangle by Eilís Dillon
Italy The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (Sicily)
Almost Blue by Carlo Lucarelli (Bologna)
Kazakhstan
Kosovo The Rubbish-Picker's Wife; an unlikely friendship in Kosovo by Elizabeth Gowing
Latvia The Secret Box by Daina Tabūna.
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg The Candidate: Luxembourg Thriller by Daniel Pembrey.
Macedonia
Malta The Information Officer by Mark Mills.
Moldova
Monaco Prodigals of Monte Carlo by E. Phillips Oppenheim.
Montenegro The Black Mountain by Rex Stout.
Netherlands The Reunion by Simone van der Vlugt.
The Evenings: A Winter's Tale by Gerard Reve
Northern Cyprus
Norway The Human Flies by Hans Olav Lahlum
Poland The Ice Saints by Frank Tuohy
Portugal Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi
RomaniaThe Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness
Russia Into the Thickening Fog by Andrey Gelasimov (Siberia)
The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin (Moscow)
San Marino
Serbia: The Exiled by Kati Hiekkapelto
Slovakia Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin
Slovenia White and Red Cherries: A Slovenian Civil War Novel by Tanja Tuma.
Spain: The Summer of Dead Toys by Antonio Hill
Sweden Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahloo. (Stockholm, Lake Vättern)
The Heart Echoes by Helena von Zweigbergk (Stockholm, Fårö Island).
Switzerland The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain.
Turkey Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel
UK: England Serpents in Eden: Countryside Crimes
Scotland Escort to Adventure by Angus MacVicar.
Wales Evans Above by Rhys Bowen.
Northern Ireland Cal by Bernard MacLaverty.
Ukraine
Vatican City Conclave by Robert Harris.

Greece is probably a pretty easy one: I would suggest The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart. Not new, but a good one! She also wrote another Greek mystery-suspense novel that I don’t like as much but many people prefer it: This Rough Magic.

For Sweden, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and its successors.

For Wales, how about a Brother Cadfael mystery? The first being A Morbid Taste for Bones, I believe.

Thanks very much for the suggestions, Abigail. I'll bear them in mind.

Abigail wrote: "Greece is probably a pretty easy one: I would suggest The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart. Not new, but a good one! She also wrote another Greek mystery-suspense novel that I don’t lik..."

Mary Stewart has at least one other in Greece - My Brother Michael.

For Sicily/Italy, I really like the Inspector Montalbano books by Andrea Camilleri.

Not really a mystery, but The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax takes place (for a large part) in Albania.

The Dogs of Riga, Wallender, starts in Swede n but takes place in Latvia.

The Flatey Enigma is set in Iceland.

I enjoyed both mysteries.

What a great challenge!

A Coffin for Dimitros by Eric Ambler. Primarily in Turkey, I think. A great mystery.

Another Pollifax fan! Hurray! I find those books hold up very well when reread today.

Thanks, Leslie and Linda! Great to have all these suggestions.

I'm currently reading The Confessor which is set in the Vatican. The next book in the series is in Vienna for Austria.

Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen series also has a book set in the Vatican and can obviously give you more options for Italy.

Frank Tallis has a good, historical series set in Austria: Mortal Mischief is the first I think.

This link might give you some choices:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Thanks, Carolien - I'm extremely tempted by Zen in particular after enjoying the TV series.

Susan, thanks for posting that link - many great suggestions there. Thanks also for the Frank Tallis suggestion.

I think I'll start this pretty soon instead of waiting until next year!

Judy wrote: "Thanks, Carolien - I'm extremely tempted by Zen in particular after enjoying the TV series.."

I think it's the third one in the series Cabal. You can read it as a standalone.

This thread may be very useful you: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks, Carolien, that's a great thread.

Do you have a preference for the author to be from the country or is that not important to you? I just ask as it is a lot easier to find books set in some locations than to find authors from them!

In any case, for Iceland I recommend Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriðason - I like his whole series but they don't need to be read in order and this one is particularly good I think.

Good question! I
think it will end up being a mixture, but I'd like to include a lot of writers from the countries. Thanks for the Iceland suggestion!

http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2014...

I have included this link as it includes a book from Albania. I haven't read the book, by the way, so I can't recommend it!

http://www.thomasmogford.com/the-spik...

I also found this for Gibraltar, although, again, I haven't read it.

Susan wrote: "http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2014...

I have included this link as it includes a book from Albania. I haven't read the book, by the way, so I can'..."

Thanks, Susan - I'd seen a mention of this somewhere else and added it to my TBR, so seeing it mentioned again here has got me even more intrigued! Thanks also for the link for the Gibraltar book.

Do you think you will decide each book, country by country, or create a reading list first? I think personally I would opt for the first choice, as I tend to pick books and then not fancy reading them by the time I get around to actually reading them!

I think I'll decide each book as I go - it will be more fun that way. :)

I've just found a goodreads group (Around the World in 80 books)that has lists of books set in European countries that may give you a few more ideas of books to read. There were also lists from counties of England, Scotland and Wales that I can look through if I get stuck on any counties.

Jay-me, that looks like a good group to browse for ideas - some great lists of unusual books and ideas! Thanks for posting about it.

Just paid a visit to my local library in search of European crime, and I'm now starting my first book for this challenge - The Human Flies by Norwegian Hans Olav Lahlum, set in 1960s Oslo.

This is said to be a locked room mystery which pays homage to Agatha Christie, and is the first in the series featuring Detective Inspector Kolbjorn Kristiansen and his assistant Patricia.

For Italy, I've also picked up the first in the Inspector Montalbano series, The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, which is set in Sicily.

I have both those books on my kindle, Judy. Interested to hear what you think of them.

Judy wrote: "Just paid a visit to my local library in search of European crime, and I'm now starting my first book for this challenge - The Human Flies by Norwegian [author:Hans Olav Lahlum|4629..."

The Norwegian One sounds interesting, will check it out.

Edited to add....

Ha, just went onto Amazon to look at it and turns out I bought it on kindle in May.... One to read soon then I think!

It's easy to lose track of what we've bought on Kindle, isn't it! It's really good so far - very well written, witty and hard to put down.

The setting in 1960s Oslo is very interesting, as many of the characters are haunted by events which took place during the Nazi occupation.

Judy wrote: "It's easy to lose track of what we've bought on Kindle, isn't it! It's really good so far - very well written, witty and hard to put down.

The setting in 1960s Oslo is very interesting, as many of..."

Too easy! Hides the sin of too many books (not that I really think there is such a thing, just not enough book shelves...). Glad you are enjoying it, will have to bump it up the tbr list

Same here, Michelle :)

One problem with this challenge is that Goodreads is now bombarding me with recommendations in a wide selection of foreign languages! Some of these books might well be interesting, but they won't be much use to me unless they are translated into English...

:)

I've finished my first book for this challenge, The Human Flies by Hans Olav Lahlum. I enjoyed it and would like to read more from the series.

My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just started my second book for this challenge, Italian mystery The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, the first in the Inspector Montalbano series, which is set in Sicily.

So far there are few beautiful Italian landscapes in sight, as the beginning of the book centres on a group of rubbish collectors in a down-at-heel city - but I have a feeling it will be a gripping story.

Also, going off at a slight tangent, I've noticed a book about the literary heritage of Switzerland and all types of book set in the country - couldn't resist the sound of this so I've ordered it from the library:

The Gilded Chalet: Off-Piste in Literary Switzerland by Padraig Rooney



This will doubtless give me far too many ideas for a book set in Switzerland!

Looks good, Judy. I've read a few books about Shelley (what Mary saw in him I have no idea!). A wonderful poet, yes, but a dreadful husband/father. Death and the Maiden: The Death of Fanny Wollstonecraft is an excellent book if you are interested in this period.

Thanks for the book recommendation, Susan - I am indeed interested in the period, and in the Shelleys and Woolstonecrafts, so will look out for it.

There is also the Daisy Hay book, Young Romantics: The Tangled Lives of English Poetry's Greatest Generation, which I haven't read, but I adored, "Death and the Maiden," and found it a fascinating read. It does take a slightly unknown character - that of the sister left behind - but that just highlights the tragedy that Shelley's elopement left behind. I suspect 'Free Love,' was a more attractive prospect for men, than for women, in the days before family planning!

Thanks again, Susan, that one sounds interesting too - and Death and the Maiden sounds like a must.

I've just completed my second read for this challenge, the first Inspector Montalbano novel, The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri. It was grittier than the kind of crime novels I usually read, and its often grim portrayal of a poverty-stricken Sicily is certainly no Italian travelogue, but well-written and thought provoking.

I might also read something else from Italy during the challenge, as Sicily seems to be fairly separate. Of course, I also have Vatican City to cover...

Death in August is the first in an Italian crime series I am fond of. It is more about the characters and they are quite gentle mysteries, but I enjoy them. The novels are set in the 1960's so they have a historical flavour too.

That sounds great, Susan - the Norwegian book I've just read was set in the 60s too. More historical novels set within my lifetime! :)

The first is set in 1963, so just three years before I was born :)

hmm there are the Beate Boeker books set in Florence if you want a more contemporary murder mystery/cozy mystery. The first is Delayed Death

Not Golden Age but there are Donna Leon's series which are set in Venice.

I think Italy has some great crime writers. I read a nice series set in Spain, but I can't really remember the author now... I will think about it!

Ah, The Summer of Dead Toys was the first in the series. What did we do pre-internet?!

Thanks for all the great Italian suggestions! I've read some Donna Leon in the past but I think I read too many close together. .. could be time to try some more. I love the Venetian setting. Beate Boeker is a new name to me and sounds good.

Thanks also for the Spanish suggestion, Susan. I will see if my library has it.

I love Beate Boeker. If you like your mysteries slightly less gritty, she's perfect.

I think we are all going to find some great suggestions from this thread :)

I've now got hold of Silence of the Grave which Leslie recommended for Iceland.

From a peek at the start, it looks really good, and interestingly we are back at a children's party, the same sort of scene as the opening of our current group read, Hallowe'en Party ! Strange how different books always seem to have unexpected links between them.

I've read a few of his books - they are very good.