BRUNO, CHIEF OF POLICE by Martin Walker
A paean to the Dordogne, an exploration of fractious French history, and the debut of the most self-possessed, accomplished, even-tempered, life-savoring Holmesian character ever, Walker’s first Bruno novel proves once and for all that heavyweight journalists can write mystery novels.
April 30, 2010
· 
Judi Clark · 
No Comments
Tags: Dordogne, Foreign Detective, Martin Walker, Small Town · Posted in: 2009 Favorites, France, Sleuths Series
THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT by Tarquin Hall
Vish Puri, founder of the Most Private Investigators Ltd., and something of an Indian Hercule Poirot, supports his comfortable lifestyle with matrimonial background checks, but every once in a while something more worthy of his talents comes along. Puri is often compared to Sherlock Holmes for the acuity of his observation, but Puri disdains the comparison, preferring to cite 2,000 year-old Indian detecting principles – Holmes’ inspiration.
April 21, 2010
· Judi Clark · Comments Closed
Tags: Foreign Detective, India-Pakistan, Tarquin Hall · Posted in: India-Pakistan, Sleuths Series
THE DEVIL’S STAR by Jo Nesbo
In Jo Nesbø’s The Devil’s Star, Harry Hole is an alcoholic who will be lucky to reach his fortieth birthday. His job as an inspector in Oslo Police Headquarters is hanging by a thread. He would not have a position at all if his supervisor, Crime Squad Chief Inspector Bjarne Møller, did not feel sorry for him, especially since he knows what a terrific detective Harry is when he manages to stay sober. Harry’s self-loathing is deepened by regret over his crumbling relationship with his lover, Rakel. He is all too aware that he cannot offer Rakel the stability and security that she and her young son, Oleg, need and deserve.
March 24, 2010
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: Addiction, Alcoholic, Foreign Detective, Harper, Jo Nesbo, Scandinavian, Serial Killer · Posted in: Norway, Psychological Suspense, Sleuths Series, y Award Winning Author
THE FOURTH ASSASSIN by Matt Beynon Rees
On his arrival in New York for a UN speech on schooling in the refugee camps, Palestinian educator Omar Yussef goes straight to Brooklyn to see his son, Ala. But the door of the Bay Ridge apartment is open and the only occupant is a headless corpse about his son’s size.
His initial horror gives way to shocked concern when Ala appears, but is promptly arrested and taken off to a Brooklyn jail. Underdressed for the New York winter, disoriented by the hard-edged city, Yussef enlists the aid of his old partisan friend Khamis Zeydan, now the chain-smoking Bethlehem police chief, also in town for the UN meeting.
February 23, 2010
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: Arabic World, Foreign Detective, Palestinian, Political · Posted in: New York City, Sleuths Series, World Lit, y Award Winning Author
DYING GASP by Leighton Gage
Author Leighton Gage’s third Chief Inspector Mario Silva mystery Dying Gasp centres on a Brazilian snuff film ring. I’ve read all three of Gage’s novels and while they tackled different social problems in Brazil, DYING GASP is the darkest, grimmest to date. Given the subject matter, that shouldn’t be too surprising. If you haven’t tried the Mario Silva novels yet, and if you enjoy series detective novels with an international, social/political theme, then give Leighton Gage a try. His novels are a cut above most of the detective novels on the market.
February 13, 2010
· Judi Clark · Comments Closed
Tags: Foreign Detective, Leighton Gage, Soho · Posted in: Brazil, Class - Race - Gender, Sleuths Series, World Lit
THE VOWS OF SILENCE by Susan Hill
In THE VOWS OF SILENCE, the fourth Simon Serrailler mystery, Susan Hill picks up where she left off in THE RISK OF DARKNESS. Detective Chief Superintendent Serrailler remains a loner who relishes his job and enjoys his passion for drawing. His warm and compassionate sister, Dr. Cat Deerbon, her husband, Chris, and their three small children return from their nine-month stay in Australia, and Simon resumes his old habit of dropping by to hang out with Cat and her family. However, there are changes in store for the residents of the cathedral town of Lafferton, and not all of them are pleasant.
October 29, 2009
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: Foreign Detective, Risk, Serial Killer, Susan Hill · Posted in: Sleuths Series, United Kingdom, y Award Winning Author
