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Red Harvest, By: Dashiell Hammett
RED HARVEST is an acknowledged classic, starting the trend of the hard-boiled detective novel that still endures today. As a new mystery reader, I’m trying to read some of the earlier detective fiction written by writers who set the standard for storytelling with their sparse and straight forward prose style and dialogue that has influenced [...]
Trackers, By: Deon Meyer and translated by K.L. Seegers
TRACKERS (2011), Deon Meyers latest thriller translated from Afrikaans by K.L. Seegers, reads like an action movie set in Cape Town, featuring Muslim extremists plotting terrorist activities in South Africa. All of this taking place amid government cut backs with agencies trying to stay relevant and fighting off being merged into one centralized intelligence agency. [...]
Alaska State Trooper, Liam Campbell Returns in Dana Stabenow’s “Restless in the Grave”
Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak series seems to be going strong after eighteen books. She’s about to release book #19 on Valentine’s Day, RESTLESS IN THE GRAVE (2012), set in Alaska. Unfortunately for me, I started off with her Liam Campbell series that hasn’t seen a new release since BETTER TO REST in 2002. A series [...]
Booked To Die, By: John Dunning
BOOKED TO DIE was John Dunning’s debut novel in 1992. The author introduced Cliff Janeway, a Denver police officer turned book man who investigates the death of a book scout found dead in an alley. No witnesses. That should be fun. That’s the basic premise. To summarize my feelings: I found the mystery and the [...]
The Cold, Cold Ground, By: Adrian McKinty
THE COLD, COLD GROUND (2012) written by Adrian McKinty introduces Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy, a Catholic police officer working for the Carrickfergus RUC in Ulster. The story is set in Northern Ireland, namely, Belfast, during the height of the Troubles. This is the first book in a proposed trilogy and I am looking forward to [...]
Film Review: A Simple Plan
A SIMPLE PLAN (1998) a film directed by Sam Raimi and stars Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda based on the novel with the same name by Scott B. Smith. The film has a freshness rating of 90% at the Rotten Tomatoes site. Somehow I missed this movie when it first appeared. I [...]
Translated Crime Fiction Novels
Until Thy Wrath Be Past, By: Åsa Larsson and translated by Laurie Thompson
UNTIL THY WRATH BE PAST (2011), wastes no time pulling you into the story. This is the fourth book in the series set in Sweden to feature district attorney Rebecka Martinsson. This is the best written book in the series that started with SUN STORM (2006). This is a tightly plotted story that is well [...]
The Black Path, By: Åsa Larsson and translated by Marlaine Delargy
I am on an Åsa Larsson reading spree. Her novels, described by others, are said to be more traditional crime thrillers than police procedurals and how she structures her story, told in third person narrative, works very well for me. Some of the themes in her novels have been interesting too. The novels are all [...]
Professor Andersen’s Night by Dag Solstad with translation by Agnes Scott Langeland
Professor Andersen’s Night is an unsettling yet highly entertaining novel of apathy, rebellion and morality. In flinty prose, Solstad presents an uncomfortable question: would we, like his cerebral protagonist, do nothing? While Professor Andersen is drinking his cognac and letting the “Christmas spirit fill my mind”, he peeks out his window and sees a woman [...]
The Blood Split by Åsa Larsson and translated by Marlaine Delargy
The Blood Split (2008) by Åsa Larsson with translation by Marlaine Delargy is the second book featuring tax attorney Rebecka Martinsson. She first appeared in Sun Storm, a riveting story that focused on religious zealotry. Both books are set in North Sweden where the subarctic climate is characterized by unusually long and freezing winters. The [...]
The Draining Lake written by Arnaldur Indridason
The Draining Lake (2007,336 pages) is the fourth book in the series translated by Bernard Scudder that follows Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson in Reykjavik, Iceland. Erlendur was first introduced in the US translated novel Jar City in 2004 (also known as Tainted Blood). I stayed up late and read every chance I got until I finished [...]
Voices: A Thriller, written by Arnaldur Indridason
So, I decided to go back to Iceland and back to Arnaldur Indridason well written Reykjavik series featuring Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson. The series thus far has been solidly written. Voices (2003), translated by the late Bernard Scudder, is the third book in the series and is told in third person narrative. The story begins with [...]
Review: The Indian Bride, by Karin Fossum
In The Indian Bride (2007) also known as Calling Out For You in the UK, is translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund. A woman is found beaten to death in a meadow in the tiny village of Elvestad. It’s a quiet community with a total population of two thousand people. The local cafe serves [...]
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