Mystery Book Club met September 20, 2020 to discuss selected mysteries translated from different languages into English. This list features our top picks!
• A mystery is a story about a crime and the investigation and discovery of who did it. • Translated mysteries depict different cultures and methods of investigation & detection; settings are usually international. The sleuth may be an amateur or an expert. * Some mysteries are gentle cozy reads while others are gritty with brutal details, hardboiled or noir.
Books are sorted alphabetically by author.
Complex police procedural with parallel narratives. 1st in trilogy, brooding with local legends and mythology woven into the plot and a strong sense of pl...Show more
Complex police procedural with parallel narratives. 1st in trilogy, brooding with local legends and mythology woven into the plot and a strong sense of place, set in the Basque Provinces (autonomous part of northern Spain), translated from the Spanish, female author, (508 pgs), Kirkus Reviews: “…flashbacks move the complex backstory forward and into clearer focus. A work of impressive scope and depth, compellingly written.”
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Complex police procedural with parallel narratives. 1st in trilogy, brooding with local legends and mythology woven into the plot and a strong sense of pl...Show more
Complex police procedural with parallel narratives. 1st in trilogy, brooding with local legends and mythology woven into the plot and a strong sense of place, set in the Basque Provinces (autonomous part of northern Spain), translated from the Spanish, female author, (508 pgs), Kirkus Reviews: “…flashbacks move the complex backstory forward and into clearer focus. A work of impressive scope and depth, compellingly written.”
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Lovely humor and a mystery to keep you guessing; intuition is important for the heroine. And some attention to social classes. Police procedural, Petra De...Show more
Lovely humor and a mystery to keep you guessing; intuition is important for the heroine. And some attention to social classes. Police procedural, Petra Delicado series, set in Barcelona, Spain, translated from the Spanish, female author, (299 pgs), NoveList: "A high-profile case-the murder inquiry into a much reviled gossip columnist, Ernestos Valdes-after the investigators originally assigned to it are pulled off to tackle a politically more sensitive assignment."
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Lovely humor and a mystery to keep you guessing; intuition is important for the heroine. And some attention to social classes. Police procedural, Petra De...Show more
Lovely humor and a mystery to keep you guessing; intuition is important for the heroine. And some attention to social classes. Police procedural, Petra Delicado series, set in Barcelona, Spain, translated from the Spanish, female author, (299 pgs), NoveList: "A high-profile case-the murder inquiry into a much reviled gossip columnist, Ernestos Valdes-after the investigators originally assigned to it are pulled off to tackle a politically more sensitive assignment."
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Humor and strong social justice focus for diverse abilities, racism, immigration and xenophobia. Scandinavian (bleak noir), 10th in series, police procedu...Show more
Humor and strong social justice focus for diverse abilities, racism, immigration and xenophobia. Scandinavian (bleak noir), 10th in series, police procedural, set in Oslo, Norway, author & heroine both identify as lesbian, translated into English from Norwegian, (307 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "... convincing complex characters, all suffering comes down to the “good old sins”: money, sex, and revenge."
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Humor and strong social justice focus for diverse abilities, racism, immigration and xenophobia. Scandinavian (bleak noir), 10th in series, police procedu...Show more
Humor and strong social justice focus for diverse abilities, racism, immigration and xenophobia. Scandinavian (bleak noir), 10th in series, police procedural, set in Oslo, Norway, author & heroine both identify as lesbian, translated into English from Norwegian, (307 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "... convincing complex characters, all suffering comes down to the “good old sins”: money, sex, and revenge."
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Gothic & cinematic with an amateur sleuth. Complex, literary historical mystery, strong sense of place (Barcelona) with some magical realism, male aut...Show more
Gothic & cinematic with an amateur sleuth. Complex, literary historical mystery, strong sense of place (Barcelona) with some magical realism, male author, translated from the Spanish, (486 pgs or eAudio or eBook via Libby Overdrive), NoveList: "A boy named Daniel selects a novel from a library of rare books, enjoying it so much that he searches for the rest of the author's works, only to discover that someone is destroying every book the author has ever written."
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Gothic & cinematic with an amateur sleuth. Complex, literary historical mystery, strong sense of place (Barcelona) with some magical realism, male aut...Show more
Gothic & cinematic with an amateur sleuth. Complex, literary historical mystery, strong sense of place (Barcelona) with some magical realism, male author, translated from the Spanish, (486 pgs or eAudio or eBook via Libby Overdrive), NoveList: "A boy named Daniel selects a novel from a library of rare books, enjoying it so much that he searches for the rest of the author's works, only to discover that someone is destroying every book the author has ever written."
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Whimsical satire, a nod to golden age mysteries, and deliberately overdone or stilted in tone. Cozy, witty & wry historical mystery, 1st in series wit...Show more
Whimsical satire, a nod to golden age mysteries, and deliberately overdone or stilted in tone. Cozy, witty & wry historical mystery, 1st in series with an amateur sleuth inspired by Agatha Christie in year 1893 Kraków, Poland, translated from the Polish, co-authors are married gay male duo using pen name, (349 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "The preface offers helpful context on place and period, while the translation showcases the novel’s deliciously ironic voice."
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Whimsical satire, a nod to golden age mysteries, and deliberately overdone or stilted in tone. Cozy, witty & wry historical mystery, 1st in series wit...Show more
Whimsical satire, a nod to golden age mysteries, and deliberately overdone or stilted in tone. Cozy, witty & wry historical mystery, 1st in series with an amateur sleuth inspired by Agatha Christie in year 1893 Kraków, Poland, translated from the Polish, co-authors are married gay male duo using pen name, (349 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "The preface offers helpful context on place and period, while the translation showcases the novel’s deliciously ironic voice."
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Eccentric, suspenseful & humorous story with an amateur detective, set in a remote Polish village on the Czech border, highly recommended by Library D...Show more
Eccentric, suspenseful & humorous story with an amateur detective, set in a remote Polish village on the Czech border, highly recommended by Library Director Brad Allen -- he noted a great twist at the end! Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, female author, translated from the Polish, (274 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "...succeeds as both a suspenseful murder mystery and a powerful and profound meditation on human existence and how a life fits into the world around it. Novels this thrilling don’t come along very often."
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Eccentric, suspenseful & humorous story with an amateur detective, set in a remote Polish village on the Czech border, highly recommended by Library D...Show more
Eccentric, suspenseful & humorous story with an amateur detective, set in a remote Polish village on the Czech border, highly recommended by Library Director Brad Allen -- he noted a great twist at the end! Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, female author, translated from the Polish, (274 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "...succeeds as both a suspenseful murder mystery and a powerful and profound meditation on human existence and how a life fits into the world around it. Novels this thrilling don’t come along very often."
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All copies in use View Details
Holds: 1 on 3 copies
Edgy thriller-like spotlight on dysfunctional wealthy elite and conflicts between Swedish & Finnish. The plot is not so much a linear narrative but mo...Show more
Edgy thriller-like spotlight on dysfunctional wealthy elite and conflicts between Swedish & Finnish. The plot is not so much a linear narrative but more of an “emergence” on several fronts -- a feminist method of storytelling. Scandinavian (bleak noir) suspenseful police procedural, 1st in series, set in Sweden, female author, translated from the Swedish, (371 pgs), NoveList: "Huss finds herself immersed in a murder mystery involving motorcycle gang members, skinheads, immigrants, and neo-Nazis."
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Edgy thriller-like spotlight on dysfunctional wealthy elite and conflicts between Swedish & Finnish. The plot is not so much a linear narrative but mo...Show more
Edgy thriller-like spotlight on dysfunctional wealthy elite and conflicts between Swedish & Finnish. The plot is not so much a linear narrative but more of an “emergence” on several fronts -- a feminist method of storytelling. Scandinavian (bleak noir) suspenseful police procedural, 1st in series, set in Sweden, female author, translated from the Swedish, (371 pgs), NoveList: "Huss finds herself immersed in a murder mystery involving motorcycle gang members, skinheads, immigrants, and neo-Nazis."
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A timely look at social justice for refugees. Police procedural & thriller, 1st in series, set in the Italian Alps, female author, debut book, transla...Show more
A timely look at social justice for refugees. Police procedural & thriller, 1st in series, set in the Italian Alps, female author, debut book, translated from the Italian, (350 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "Interspersed with the present-day action are horrific chapters set in an Austrian orphanage in 1978 that shed light on the killer’s psychology. Teresa, who must deal with casual and constant sexism in her position of authority, is an unforgettable character readers will want to see a lot more of."
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A timely look at social justice for refugees. Police procedural & thriller, 1st in series, set in the Italian Alps, female author, debut book, transla...Show more
A timely look at social justice for refugees. Police procedural & thriller, 1st in series, set in the Italian Alps, female author, debut book, translated from the Italian, (350 pgs), Publisher's Weekly: "Interspersed with the present-day action are horrific chapters set in an Austrian orphanage in 1978 that shed light on the killer’s psychology. Teresa, who must deal with casual and constant sexism in her position of authority, is an unforgettable character readers will want to see a lot more of."
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Especially for fans of the Tour de France! This story focuses on stages 7 to 21. Fascinating intrigue and very satisfying ending. Amateur detective with p...Show more
Especially for fans of the Tour de France! This story focuses on stages 7 to 21. Fascinating intrigue and very satisfying ending. Amateur detective with police, complex, dramatic & twisty story set in France, male author from Mexico, translated from the Spanish, (312 pgs), This riveting murder mystery offers the vicarious experience of being inside the action of the Tour de France professional bicycle race! Also checkout the nonfiction history Tour De France 100: The Definitive History of the World's Greatest Race.
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Especially for fans of the Tour de France! This story focuses on stages 7 to 21. Fascinating intrigue and very satisfying ending. Amateur detective with p...Show more
Especially for fans of the Tour de France! This story focuses on stages 7 to 21. Fascinating intrigue and very satisfying ending. Amateur detective with police, complex, dramatic & twisty story set in France, male author from Mexico, translated from the Spanish, (312 pgs), This riveting murder mystery offers the vicarious experience of being inside the action of the Tour de France professional bicycle race! Also checkout the nonfiction history Tour De France 100: The Definitive History of the World's Greatest Race.
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View the 26 mysteries which Mystery Book Club considered.
Mystery Book Club met September 20, 2020 to discuss selected mysteries translated from differen...Show more
View the 26 mysteries which Mystery Book Club considered.
Mystery Book Club met September 20, 2020 to discuss selected mysteries translated from different languages into English.
• A mystery is a story about a crime and the investigation and discovery of who did it. Translated mysteries depict different cultures and methods of investigation & detection; settings are usually international. The sleuth may be an amateur or an expert. * Some mysteries are gentle cozy reads while others are gritty with brutal details, hardboiled or noir.
Show less
LPL_ShirleyB
LPL_ShirleyB
