Traveling the World… Mysteriously

Dan Owens, Adult Services Librarian, Neill Public Library

One of the great pleasures of books is the ability to connect to stories about places and cultures different from your own. From geography to tourism to culture, politics, and much more, books can introduce you to entire new worlds- but sometimes foreign fiction can feel a little too foreign.

Mysteries, though, provide a structure through which the reader can explore different worlds while experiencing a familiar plot. There is always some sort of detective, usually of the world-weary variety, and some sort of intuitive whodunit storyline that makes the reader immediately comfortable. Neill Public Library has a variety of mysteries and crime fiction that appeal to all mystery lovers from all over the world.  One good example is Donna Leon’s series of mysteries featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, set in Venice. They evoke the rhythms and culture of the city while delivering endless satisfying plot lines.

Set in modern China, Qiu Xiaolong’s Inspector Chen series of mysteries detail unique Chinese political and cultural hurdles to crime-solving, not to mention including some wonderful poetry, a mystery rarity.  Martin Limon’s Sueno and Bascom series, set in South Korea, deliver outstanding mysteries as well as an in-depth look at some of the tensions caused by the long-standing  American military presence in that country.

Many of us are familiar with Stieg Larsson’s series featuring Lisbeth Salander, but there are many, many other fantastic Nordic mystery authors. One of the first was the husband and wife team of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, whose Martin Beck series started in 1965 and contains fascinating social commentary (along with some of the best police procedural mysteries ever). Other great Nordic mystery authors include Henning Mankell, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, and the recently discovered Ragnar Jonasson.

France provides us with some amazing crime fiction, with many considering Georges Simenon’s Maigret series as one of the greatest of all time. Currently, Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police series beautifully details life in rural, southern France, and serves up some instructive history lessons as well. And don’t forget the food aspect. Food is very, very important for Bruno.

Of course, many of our most beloved mystery series come from England- think Conan Doyle and Christie. Other fantastic English mystery authors include PD James (a master of the psychological character study) with her Adam Dalgliesh series. Also, be sure to check out Elizabeth George, who recently published her 20^th Inspector Lynley novel- and let’s not forget the BBC TV series. Speaking of great British television, don’t miss Ann Cleeves, who writes the Shetland Island and Vera Stanhope mysteries, both of which have made it to the screen.

Elsewhere in Great Britain, Ian Rankin has his hard-boiled detective John Rebus, who has been policing initially decrepit-but-now-gentrifying parts of Scotland for 30+ years. And in Northern Ireland, Adrian McKinty’s mysteries featuring Sean McDuffy gets to the heart of the “The Troubles” as well as any factual account.

This is just a short list- Neill Public Library has a treasure trove of mysteries from all over the world. Come on in and try them out today.