Malice by Keigo Higashino
Translated by Alexander O Smith — This year has been a good one for lovers of Japanese literature in translation. Across all genres, Japanese literature in English has flown off the shelves. In crime fiction in particular, the second half of 2014 has seen three…
The Iron Sickle by Martin Limon
Martin Limon served his country for 20 years, and over the course of nine novels (including this one) and one short story collection has chronicled the experiences of the 8th US Army in South Korea following the war there. Crucial to the series’ success has…
CIS: A guide to the Martin Beck series
Between 1965 and 75, the husband and wife team of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (above) wrote a series of 10 police procedurals set in Stockholm, all carrying the subtitle ‘The Story of a Crime’. Their work was distinct from other crime fiction at the…
Crossing the Line by Frédérique Molay
Translated by Anne Trager — If your tastes tend towards the gory and you enjoy your crime set in a foreign clime, then this could be the book for you. Molay is the holder of a slew of international crime fiction awards and has been…
Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indridason
Translated by Victoria Cribb — Following the teasing, ambiguous and melancholy end to Strange Shores – which is said to be the final novel in the Erlendur series – Reykjavik Nights doesn’t tell us what happened to our hero. Instead, it’s a prequel to the…
A Song from Dead Lips by William Shaw
Crime writers are occasionally given to complaining about how technology has made life harder when it comes to plotting. Many Golden Age authors would certainly have been scuppered by mobile phones or CCTV. So, in theory, the historical crime novel should make life simpler. However,…
The Meating Room by TF Muir
St Andrews is headquarters of the Royal and Ancient and the home of golf. Obviously, it is a sedate, peaceful place where the only sound to be heard is the smacking of golf balls and the occasional muttered curse from someone stuck in a bunker….