The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I am greatly interested in mystery/suspense/thriller novels set in other Countries. I like to learn about the foods, cultures and lands. I troll this Groups' UN Challenge for such books. One of the Moderators reminded us this is an international group. SO let's promote One's Country's novels.

I just noticed this thread, Wendy. Sorry for not responding sooner. I'm from Canada. Some excellent mystery writers here;

Rosemary Aubert (Ellis Portal mysteries)
Giles Blunt (John Cardinal mysteries)
Gail Bowen (Joanne Kilbourn mysteries)
Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce mysteries)
Deryn Collier (Bern Fortin mysteries)
Howard Engel (Bennie Cooperman mysteries)
Lyn Hamilton (Lara McClintoch archeological mysteries)
C.C. Humphreys (The French Executioner)
Karen Irving (Katy Klein mysteries)
Maureen Jennings (Inspector Murdoch mysteries)
Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache mysteries)
David Rotenberg (Zhong Fong mysteries)
L.R. Wright (Karl Alberg and Edwina Henderson mysteries)

Definitely not all - inclusive and not all the stories are situated in Canada. I've read books by most of the list, some are new to my bookshelf. I especially liked LR Wright's stories and was very sorry when she passed away. But all are excellent and provide a nice variety of styles, locations and mystery types.

Bill wrote: "I just noticed this thread, Wendy. Sorry for not responding sooner. I'm from Canada. Some excellent mystery writers here;

Rosemary Aubert (Ellis Portal mysteries)
[author:Giles Blu..."

Thanks for responding. Thanks to this Group, I have discovered Canada's Lyn Hamilton, Gail Bowen, and likely others.What I also like about reading international novels is the different perspectives of crime and punishment.

I like that too, Wendy. I think certain countries have a specific feel to them. I notice that especially watching mysteries and other shows on the television. Whether it's British, American, Canadian or Australian, for example, each has its own unique qualities.

Bill, I enjoyed the US State Challenge immensely! I am disappointed that no one else is doing the UN Challenge...

I've been doing the UN challenge as well as the 50 state challenge. It's been going very slowly.

Well I'm from Germany and whilst we do have really good mystery and crime thrillers, a lot of them don't get translated, partly because like some of my favourites rely heavily on the nuances of local cultures and dialects. I'm Bavarian living in England and one of the ways of keeping in touch with my "home culture" are books like Volker Kluepfler/Michael Kobr's Kluftinger books, which are really funny, full of the culture and quirks of the Allgaeu and I guess it doesn't translate well. The solution of the crime usually also relies on a mixture of Kluftinger's knowledge of "his" people but also the "new" influences on them. Other Bavarian Authors are Rita Falk and Andreas Foehr, again funny and full of Bavaria.

If you want to get closer to the very different cultural heritage of the North, a good try are Klaus-Peter Wolf's Ann-Kathrin Klaasen's crime novels. Even the names speak of the wide cultural gap between them, but I love them both.

In the middle you have Andrea's Franz's Julia Durant's mysteries (Frankfurt), Alexander Hartung (Berlin), Rainer Loeffler (Stuttgart, Nele Neuhaus (Schwaben) and many, many more.

I love the books written by Andrea Maria Schenkel. They're very dark, and while they involve crimes, they focus much more on human nature. Her The Murder Farm is one of my all-time favorites.

There are also Oliver Pötzsch Hangman's Daughter historical mystery series.

Olivia wrote: "I've been doing the UN challenge as well as the 50 state challenge. It's been going very slowly."

I've been doing the UN challenge in another group. I should start it here maybe...

Thanks for all the suggestions and interesting info!!

Olivia wrote: "I've been doing the UN challenge as well as the 50 state challenge. It's been going very slowly."

Olivia, it took me two years to complete the US Challenge

Nancy wrote: "I love the books written by Andrea Maria Schenkel. They're very dark, and while they involve crimes, they focus much more on human nature. Her The Murder Farm is one of my all-time ..."

Forgot about her. I read Tannoed, which was great

bump

I'm from Scotland and believe that my country has a wealth of great crime writers. Some of my favourites:

All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye

Cold Granite (set in Aberdeen, where I live)

Berlin Noir: March Violets / The Pale Criminal / A German Requiem

The Mermaids Singing

Field Of Blood

Let It Bleed

Two-Way Split

Every Night I Dream of Hell

Wendy wrote: "Thanks for all the suggestions and interesting info!!"

Wendy and Olivia I am doing US/UN challenge also.

Gram wrote: "I'm from Scotland and believe that my country has a wealth of great crime writers. Some of my favourites:

All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye

Cold Granite (..."

I loved Cold Granite and have continued with the series. Stuart MacBride is great. So irreverent and paints such a dark picture of Aberdeen. Hopefully, it is not really that bleak.

Bill, several of those authors are on my tbr list.
Gram, I have read 21 of Rankin's books, including Let it Bleed.
MacBride is on my tbr list.

Gram what's it like reading a book set in your hometown? Do you recognize landmarks?

Wendy wrote: "Gram what's it like reading a book set in your hometown? Do you recognize landmarks?"

Wendy - It's fun knowing that some of the areas of the city are dens of crime and vice - along with various bars in the city centre as well as the less salubrious areas of the city where I've spent more than a few evenings. I like that MacBride has included the "other side of the tracks" as well as the more upmarket parts of Aberdeen.

Added to that, one of the main characters is a journalist with the city's morning paper, where I worked as a reporter for 10 years or so and I can identify with that and the city's police HQ which I visited many times when covering crime stories.

Thomas wrote: "Bill, several of those authors are on my tbr list.
Gram, I have read 21 of Rankin's books, including Let it Bleed.
MacBride is on my tbr list."

Thomas - In my opinion, Rankin can do no wrong. One of the world's best ever crime writers.

Jan C wrote: "Gram wrote: "I'm from Scotland and believe that my country has a wealth of great crime writers. Some of my favourites:

All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye

[book:Cold Grani..."

Jan C - I agree with you about MacBride's "irreverence". In one of his earlier books, he did say that he realised that when he wrote about Aberdeen it was grey and always raining and he promised to have better weather for the city in future stories.

To be fair, many of the city centre's buildings are made of granite, so - on dull days - things do look pretty grim. But we do have fine days too!

Hi all, I missed this topic when I joined the group, I'm from Yorkshire originally, but I live in Somerset now, via a circuitous route around the United Kingdom and some other countries.
Hey Gram, it's been a lifetime since I last visted Aberdeen, I was engaged to a lass from there, she was from the Woodside area, and we used to frequent a couple of bars just off Union Street (they probably aren't there now, and I don't remember their names).
I will have to read some of Stuart MacBrides stuff now, just to refresh my memory of the old days, it wasn't always gloomy up there, I even swam in the sea off Aberdeen Beech once :D