The Euro Crime Favourite Reads of 2013

I've asked the recent contributors to Euro Crime to choose their favourite European reads of 2013 and a total of 72 titles have been submitted. The following favourites come from the lists submitted by: Mark Bailey, Amanda Gillies, Raven Crime (aka JF), Terry Halligan, Lynn Harvey, Geoff Jones, Michelle Peckham, Norman Price, Laura Root, Sarah Ward, Susan White and myself. The breakdown by reviewer, with additional recommendations and any additional comments they have made, can be found here. Quotes are taken from the Euro Crime reviews, unless stated otherwise.

The most mentioned titles are:

3 votes:

The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas tr. Sian Reynolds

Vargas has a genius for weaving a strand of the supernatural into her crime stories without breaking faith with the credibility of her plot. In previous novels, she's had readers almost believing in vampires, werewolves and ghosts, before extracting a commonsensical explanation at the last moment.

THE GHOST RIDERS OF ORDEBEC [] is no exception, with its evocation of a terrible legend with the power to drive ordinary people to commit murder. Yet there is never any doubt that this legend is being manipulated by a killer who's very much alive. With a surfeit of suspects, can dreamy and distracted Jean-Baptiste sort the clues from the red herrings? You'll be turning the pages to find out, but also because Vargas has created a compelling world of characters that is simply irresistible.


2 votes:

Pilgrim Soul by Gordon Ferris

...an interesting brevity to the style of writing, and particularly the dialogue that is somewhat reminiscent of the Chandler novels (and the main hero, Philip Marlowe). I quickly became immersed in this book, and very much enjoyed it, so much so that I've already started to read the earlier books in the series. An intelligent, thought provoking story that I thoroughly recommend.

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris

An Officer and A Spy is a very fine novel full of great characters, plot and atmosphere. Robert Harris has got inside the personality of his protagonist, Georges Picquart, cleverly used the real life characters to give an account of the real life events embellished with a dialogue that reflects the atmosphere of Paris in that period....An Officer and A Spy has more than enough action to keep the reader turning the pages. [from the Crime Scraps review by Norman Price]

Second Violin by John Lawton

The terror and brutality of life, whether in Vienna or London, during this period is brought vividly to life. The resilience of people to rebuild after they have lost, or have had everything taken away from them whether by personal tragedy, by war or by being displaced to a foreign land, is accurately depicted. An interesting story, building on well documented facts and helping history to come alive with the aid of the stories of individuals' lives and experiences is very believable.

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre tr. Frank Wynne

Every so often a crime thriller comes along that leaves you breathless and takes you on a disturbing journey into the darkest recesses of human experience - ALEX is one such book and you are guaranteed a tale of the unexpected from start to finish. Don't expect any spoilers or dwelling on the plot from me, as I want you all to be as surprised by this twisty tale as I was, but all I will say is, you are in for more than one shock or two along the way.

An absolute gem of a crime novel that is wonderfully dark, scary, mad, bad and dangerous to know, but just far too good to miss…

Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller

What a beautiful book! Superbly crafted and touching on a delicate subject with sensitivity and perception, NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT is a story of one man’s loss and regret and how he tries to come to terms with everything. An excellent debut novel from Derek B Miller; he is another talented new voice to keep an eye out for in the future.

Police by Jo Nesbo tr. Don Bartlett

In Harry Hole, Jo Nesbo has created one of crime fiction's most charismatic heroes and this is reinforced by his absence from the investigation team. Fans of Harry Hole and Jo Nesbo will enjoy POLICE and be thoroughly absorbed in this typically well-plotted, complicated story with its many misdirections and dead ends.



The most mentioned authors (irrespective of title) are:

4 votes:

Jo Nesbo

3 votes:

Gordon Ferris
Fred Vargas

2 votes:

Robert Harris
John Lawton
Pierre Lemaitre
Derek B Miller
Leif G W Persson

The most mentioned translators are:

4 votes:

Don Bartlett (Jo Nesbo)
Neil Smith (Mons Kallentoft, Liza Marklund, Leif G W Persson)


3 votes:

Sian Reynolds (Fred Vargas)

2 votes:

Anthea Bell (Jakob Arjouni, Jan Costin Wagner)
Frank Wynne (Pierre Lemaitre)

All the titles mentioned in the best of lists:

Jakob Arjouni – Brother Kemal tr. Anthea Bell.
Laurent Binet - HHhH tr. Sam Taylor
Simon Brett – A Decent Interval
Roberto Costantini - The Deliverance of Evil tr. N S Thompson
Arne Dahl – Bad Blood tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles
Kishwar Desai - Witness the Night
Michael Donovan - Behind Closed Doors
PR Ellis - Painted Ladies
Gordon Ferris – The Hanging Shed
Gordon Ferris - Pilgrim Soul
Robert Galbraith - The Cuckoo's Calling
Pascal Garnier - Moon in a Dead Eye tr. Emily Boyce
Elizabeth George - Just One Evil Act
Phillipe Georget - Summertime All The Cats Are Bored tr. Steven Rendall
Alan Glynn - Graveland
Robert Goddard - The Ways of the World
Robert Harris - An Officer and A Spy
Terry Hayes - I Am Pilgrim
Elizabeth Haynes - Human Remains
Keigo Higashino - Salvation of a Saint tr. Alexander O Smith with Elye J Alexander
Antonio Hill - The Good Suicides tr. Laura McGoughlin
Jonathan Holt - The Abomination
Jorn Lier Horst - Closed for Winter tr. Anne Bruce
Arnaldur Indridason - Strange Shores tr. Victoria Cribb
Steffen Jacobsen - When The Dead Awaken tr. Charlotte Barslund
Doug Johnstone - Gone Again
Mons Kallentoft – Savage Spring tr. Neil Smith
M R C Kasasian - The Mangle Street Murders
Pierre Lemaitre - Alex tr. Frank Wynne
John Lawton - Second Violin
Adrian McKinty – I Hear the Sirens in the Street
David Mark - Dark Winter
Lisa Marklund – Last Will tr. Neil Smith
Andrew Martin - The Baghdad Railway Club
Danny Miller - The Gilded Edge
Derek B Miller - Norwegian by Night
Jo Nesbo - Phantom tr. Don Bartlett
Jo Nesbo – Cockroaches tr. Don Bartlett
Jo Nesbo - Police tr. Don Bartlett
Fuminori Nakamura - The Thief tr. Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates
Hakan Nesser - The Strangler's Honeymoon tr. Laurie Thompson
Nele Neuhaus - Snow White Must Die tr. Steven T Murray
Chris Nickson - The Crooked Spire
Leif G W Persson - He Who Kills the Dragon tr. Neil Smith
Leif G.W.Persson - Linda , As in the Linda Murder tr. Neil Smith
Anne Perry - Death On Blackheath
Ian Rankin – Saints of the Shadow Bible
Roslund & Hellstrom - Two Soldiers tr. Kari Dickson
Michael Russell - The City of Strangers
Kevin Sampson - The Killing Pool
Lynn Shepherd - A Treacherous Likeness
Stav Sherez - Eleven Days
Anna Smith - Screams In The Dark
Johan Theorin - The Quarry tr. Marlaine Delargy
David Thomas - Ostland
Simon Toyne - The Tower
Antti Tuomainen – The Healer tr. Lola Rogers
Helene Tursten – The Golden Calf tr Laura A Wideburg
Valerio Varesi - The Dark Valley tr. Joseph Farrell
Fred Vargas - The Ghost Riders of Ordebec tr. Sian Reynolds
Marco Vichi - Death and the Olive Grove tr. Stephen Sartarelli
Jan Costin Wagner - Light in a Dark House tr. Anthea Bell
Marianne Wheelaghan - Food of Ghosts
Christopher J Yates - Black Chalk

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Terry

In today's final instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Terry Halligan names his five favourite historical and five favourite modern reads of 2013:

Terry's favourite reads of 2013

TOP 5 HISTORICAL MYSTERIES OF 2013 IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER


Anne Perry - Death On Blackheath
Another excellent Victorian set story from this prolific but gifted author about Inspector Pitt

Robert Harris - An Officer And A Spy
A remarkable story based on true events and originally suggested to the author by the film director Roman Polanski.

Chris Nickson - The Crooked Spire
A very well researched story about a carpenter turned detective set in the year 1361.

John Lawton - Second Violin
Also well researched story of events leading to World War II and the murders of Jews in London.

Lynn Shepherd - A Treacherous Likeness
A case involving surviving relations of the poet Percy B. Shelley and his wife Mary, author of Frankenstein.



TOP 5 MODERN MYSTERIES OF 2013 IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER


Terry Hayes - I Am Pilgrim
Complex but incredibly detailed spy, murder mystery set in Europe, New York and elsewhere which once started is not easy to put down.

Alan Glynn - Graveland
Excellent last book in a loose trilogy. This one describes a fantastic Wall Street conspiracy that echoes real-life events of recent times.

Stav Sherez - Eleven Days
Detectives Carrigan and Miller investigate a fire in a London convent that claims eleven deaths.

Elizabeth George - Just One Evil Act
Inspector Lynley is back investigating a missing person in Italy that DS Barbara Havers is very close to.

Anna Smith - Screams In The Dark
Rosie Gilmour intrepid crime reporter of Glasgow Post investigate the case of disappearing foreign immigrants.

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Susan

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, it's Susan White's turn to reveal her favourite Euro Crime reads:

Susan's favourite reads of 2013

Valerio Varesi - The Dark Valley tr. Joseph Farrell
Jonathan Holt - The Abomination
Michael Donovan - Behind Closed Doors
Roberto Costantini - The Deliverance of Evil tr. N S Thompson
Marianne Wheelaghan - Food of Ghosts
Pascal Garnier - Moon in a Dead Eye tr. Emily Boyce
PR Ellis - Painted Ladies
Gordon Ferris - Pilgrim Soul

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Raven

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, it's Raven's (aka JF's) favourite Euro Crime reads:

Raven's favourite reads of 2013

5. Steffen Jacobsen - When The Dead Awaken tr. Charlotte Barslund

An exceptionally good crime read from a new-to-me Danish author appearing for the first time in English, When The Dead Awaken is a thriller not to be missed. Drawing on the influence of Roberto Saviano’s Gomorrah, Jacobsen has fashioned an enthralling thriller set in Naples and focusing primarily on the criminal activities of this feared criminal organisation, but also the frustrations of and danger to those that seek to bring them to justice…

4. David Thomas - Ostland

To simply label Ostland as a crime thriller would not only do a great disservice to the sheer power and scope of this novel, but would in turn devalue a book that truly encompasses the very best elements of both the crime and historical fiction genres. With its skilful melding of both the hunt for a serial killer and the unflinching depiction of the atrocities of The Final Solution, this is a novel that unerringly stimulates the thoughts and emotions of the reader, compounded by the harsh realities of human history that form its foundation.

3. Kevin Sampson - The Killing Pool

The mean streets of Liverpool loom large in this, the first, of a projected series featuring Kevin Sampson’s newest creation DCI Billy McCartney - a veritable conundrum of a character that you are guaranteed to love or loathe in equal measure. Opening with the discovery of a mutilated body exhibiting all the hallmarks of a gangland hit, the reader is instantly transported into a dark and gritty read that makes you feel positively grubby, but in such a good way.

2. Pierre Lemaitre - Alex tr. Frank Wynne

Every so often a crime thriller comes along that leaves you breathless and takes you on a disturbing journey into the darkest recesses of human experience- Alex is one such book and you are guaranteed a tale of the unexpected from start to finish. With its mesmerising female protagonist, and unique detective this is an absolute gem of a crime novel that is wonderfully dark, scary, mad, bad and dangerous to know, but just far too good to miss.

1. Derek B. Miller- Norwegian By Night

From the first few pages, I was totally immersed in the life of Sheldon Horowitz, our curmudgeonly hero of the piece: a man haunted by the ghosts of his former life and coping with the daily frustrations of growing old. From the synopsis, it is impossible to harness all the themes and subtlety of prose that this book conveys to the reader. On one level, not only does the book contain all the quintessential elements of a Scandinavian crime novel, it also encompasses the Korean, Vietnam and Balkan conflicts, and on a more emotional level, presents a poignant and meditative examination of ageing and regret, that unusually for this cynical reader, really touched me, engaging me even more with the characters and the multi-faceted plot. A book that still strays into my thoughts and my Euro Crime pick of the year...

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Lynn

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Lynn Harvey details her favourite Euro Crime reads:

Lynn Harvey's favourite reads of 2013

My favourite reading of 2013 brought me back to my enjoyment of Scandinavian crime fiction. I liked two of the books so much (THE QUARRY and SAVAGE SPRING) that I have searched out the previous titles in their respective series and am setting out to catch up with them.

I would have liked to add one or two more titles to this list … but rules are rules. So here are my favourite five:

THE QUARRY by Johan Theorin tr. Marlaine Delargy. Easter time on the Swedish island of Oland, a shrinking community whose population is maintained by the addition of second-homers including one or two returnees. One finds his father caught up in a violent crime, another is haunted by her childhood on the island. A dark mix of modern-day crime and local folklore.

SAVAGE SPRING by Mons Kallentoft tr. Neil Smith. A bomb in a Swedish town square claims two young victims. Police detective Malin Fors and her team must find the bomber. A gripping story set in Kallentoft's distinctive world in which the voices of the dead mingle with the voices of the living.

THE HEALER by Antti Tuomainen tr. Lola Rogers. A dystopian Finnish crime story set in a world altered by climate change. The waters are rising; a serial killer is on the lose in Helsinki – and a poet searches for his missing journalist wife. A surprisingly moving love story with grit, suspense and with a truly exciting finish.

BROTHER KEMAL by Jakob Arjouni tr. Anthea Bell. His fifth and sadly last book in which his Turkish-German private eye, Kemal Kayankaya, takes on two cases: finding a missing sixteen-year-old and body-guarding a controversial Moroccan author at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Seductive clients, “mean streets” and complications for Kayankaya in this short gem of a thriller.

BAD BLOOD by Arne Dahl tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles. A sadistic American serial killer arrives in Sweden. With the help of the FBI, a specialist Swedish police team must find this grim killer with a secret past. Each member of the team has their own part to play in the hunt. From Dahl's “Intercrime” series which was serialised by Swedish TV and shown on UK TV earlier this year retitled Arne Dahl. Dark suspense, rich characters, and a wry wit that perhaps did not come across in the TV version.

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Norman

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, it's Norman Price's favourite five Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Norman Price's favourite reads of 2013

So here is a list of my five best reads of 2013 and a very difficult choice it was:

Fred Vargas - The Ghost Riders of Ordebec tr. Sian Reynolds

Derek B Miller - Norwegian by Night

Robert Harris - An Officer and A Spy

Phillipe Georget - Summertime All The Cats Are Bored tr. Steven Rendall

Leif G.W.Persson - Linda , As in the Linda Murder tr. Neil Smith

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Sarah

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Sarah Ward (also a Petrona Award judge) discloses her favourite Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Sarah Ward's favourite reads of 2013

Leif G W Persson - He Who Kills the Dragon tr. Neil Smith
Jan Costin Wagner - Light in a Dark House tr. Anthea Bell
Jorn Lier Horst - Closed for Winter tr. Anne Bruce
Fred Vargas - The Ghost Riders of Ordebec tr. Sian Reynolds
Hakan Nesser - The Strangler's Honeymoon tr. Laurie Thompson

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Geoff

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, it's Geoff Jones's turn to  reveal his favourite Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Geoff Jones's favourite reads of 2013

A difficult choice as there were quite a few contenders. Those that just missed out includes Elly Griffiths - The Crossing Places, J. Sydney Jones - Ruin Value, Anya Lipska - Where the Devil Can’t Go, Liam McIlvanney - All The Colours of the Town, Stella Rimington - The Geneva Trap and Ann Cleeves - Raven Black.

1. Robert Goddard - The Ways of the World

2. Jo Nesbo - Phantom tr. Don Bartlett

3. Michael Russell - The City of Strangers

4. Gordon Ferris - Pilgrim Soul

5. Danny Miller - The Gilded Edge

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Michelle

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Michelle Peckham unveils her favourite Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Michelle Peckham's favourite reads of 2013

My top five books (in no particular order) are:

Gordon Ferris – The Hanging Shed (and the other two books in the trilogy). Observant writing about postwar Glasgow, with a likeable hero, a strong female lead and an interesting plot line carried through the three books.

Arnaldur Indridason - Strange Shores tr. Victoria Cribb
The return of the haunted Detective Erlendur, sifting through an old case on his holiday, while coming to terms with his overwhelming sense of responsibility for the loss of his brother Beggi in a snowstorm when they were both children.

Lisa Marklund – Last Will tr. Neil Smith
Lisa Marklund’s books feature a journalist Annika Bengtzon, a strong female character with a complex personal life and a nose for great stories. This book starts with a shooting at a Nobel awards party, and I was particularly impressed by the way that the science, which features as part of the plot, was interestingly and accurately represented.

Marco Vichi - Death and the Olive Grove tr. Stephen Sartarelli
Set in Florence in 1964, Inspector Bordelli is an old fashioned policeman, with a zest for good food and a tricky murder or two to solve.

Nele Neuhaus - Snow White Must Die tr. Steven T Murray
Simply because the very unappealing title made me question if I should even read this book, but it turned out to be completely absorbing and densely plotted, and at the end I immediately wanted to read the next Nele Neuhaus book (Bad Wolf).

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Mark

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Mark Bailey reveals his favourite Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Mark Bailey's favourite reads of 2013

Of the new releases in 2013, I would strongly recommend (in alphabetical order by author as I don’t want to choose an order).

Brett, Simon - A DECENT INTERVAL (the 18th of the Charles Paris novels by Simon Brett and the first to be published for 16 years; somewhat darker than before but still a good read)

McKinty, Adrian - I HEAR THE SIRENS IN THE STREET (the 2nd Sean Duffy novel set in 1980s Northern Ireland; yes I am biased as I go past most of the places in this novel on my train to work every day and part of this one is set in my village but this is a very assured police procedural with just one more in the series (AND IN THE MORNING I'LL BE GONE) to be published in January 2014)

Nesbø, Jo – POLICE & COCKROACHES (both tr. Don Bartlett) (the 10th & 2nd Harry Hole novels chronologically – POLICE carries on from PHANTOM and with COCKROACHES it was once again nice to see the back plot to the later novels explored in more depth)

Rankin, Ian - SAINTS OF THE SHADOW BIBLE (Rebus is back on the force, older but not wiser - demoted back to his 1987 rank so he could return with Siobhan Clarke as his boss)

Tursten, Helene - THE GOLDEN CALF (tr. Laura A. Wideburg) (the 5th Irene Huss novel in the series and to be translated into English; a fairly conventional police procedural with a likeable main character, well plotted with a good core idea and excellently realised characters who interact with one another realistically and are likeable).

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Amanda

In today's instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Amanda Gillies reveals her favourite Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Amanda Gillies' favourite reads of 2013

1) Christopher J Yates - Black Chalk
2) Doug Johnstone - Gone Again
3) Simon Toyne - The Tower
4) Elizabeth Haynes - Human Remains
5) Fuminori Nakamura - The Thief tr. Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates

This year’s Top 5 has been so hard to choose. It gets harder every year as the number of excellent books that Karen sends me to read keeps on increasing. I could have done with a Top 10 this year and feel bad at having to cut other equally awesome books out.

These five are my ‘most favourite favourites’ and all of them have either had me seriously disturbed, or sobbing, or in emotional turmoil for one reason or another. They are all well written, with interesting and unique plots, and have kept me focused and engaged from beginning to end.

Many thanks to Karen for all her hard work with Eurocrime over the last year and for sending us reviewers all these wonderful books to read. I am looking forward to seeing what 2014 brings!

And many thanks to Amanda for her kind words.

Favourite Euro Crime Reads of 2013 - Laura

In this next instalment of the Euro Crime reviewers' favourite reads of 2013, Laura Root reveals her favourite Euro Crime and/or translated titles:

Laura Root's favourite reads of 2013

Laurent Binet - HHhH tr. Sam Taylor
Antonio Hill - The Good Suicides tr. Laura McGoughlin
John Lawton - Second Violin
David Mark - Dark Winter
Andrew Martin - The Baghdad Railway Club

My Favourite Reads of 2013

2013 was my last year as a judge for the International Dagger but I'll still be reading a lot of crime in translation in my new role as administrator for The Petrona Award.

Individual members of the Euro Crime review team will be revealing their favourite European/translated reads over the next few days which will then be followed by a post revealing the overall Euro Crime favourite authors, titles and translators of 2013.

My favourite reads of 2013

Kishwar Desai - Witness the Night
Robert Galbraith - The Cuckoo's Calling
Keigo Higashino - Salvation of a Saint tr. Alexander O Smith with Elye J Alexander
M R C Kasasian - The Mangle Street Murders
Pierre Lemaitre - Alex tr. Frank Wynne
Jo Nesbo - Police tr. Don Bartlett.
Roslund & Hellstrom - Two Soldiers tr. Kari Dickson
Fred Vargas - The Ghost Riders of Ordebec tr. Sian Reynolds