~ by Selby G.
One of the many great things about reading a book is that it can take you anywhere. Can’t squeeze in a vacation to China? Read a book and follow the characters down alleyways in Shanghai or to a temple in Beijing. Combine those foreign landscapes with a good mystery and you get a fully immersive experience! Here are a few mysteries that will whisk you away to an exotic location.
Take your pick from books set in India, Turkey or Israel. Not only will The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tamil Hall immerse you in Indian culture, it also includes recipes. In Body Count by Barbara Nadel, we follow two detectives trying to track down a serial killer in the narrow streets of Istanbul. In Murder in Jerusalem by Batya Gur, superintendent Ohayon must track a killer through Israel’s official television station.
Paris is a beautiful city with a dark underside in Murder Below Montparnasse by Cara Black. I love reading Ian Rankin novels such as Saints of the Shadow Bible because he makes me remember all the places I use to go in the historic city of Edinburgh. For a mystery set in southern Europe try Death in Sardinia by Marco Vichi.
If Africa is more your cup of tea then there are many options. A mystery with strong political overtones, A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn is set in 1952 Apartheid South Africa. In Deadly Harvest by Michael Stanley, girls are going missing in Botswana- possibly taken to make a witch doctor’s potion. Cop killing and a cold case feature in the book Seven Days by Deon Meyer.
For mysteries set farther afield try one of these novels set in Asia. Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett is set in the crime ridden underbelly of Thailand’s biggest city. In Mandarin Gate by Eliot Pattison we get a glimpse into life in a small Tibetan township where a triple murder has taken place. Death of a Red Heroine by Xiaolong Qiu mixes politics and justice in Shanghai.
These are just a few suggestions to start your worldwide mystery tour. Download and print out the checklist here to read along with our winter Mystery Challenge!
Leave a Comment