Non-U.S. Police Procedurals

[Naomi Hirahara]

I have a new passion to add to my old one (African American mysteries): contemporary police procedurals set outside the U.S. I had been familiar with, of course, Peter Robinson and Ian Rankin, but a new crop of authors being introduced to American readers has me really excited. I just read Tana French's debut and Sweden's Kjell Erickson's PRINCESS OF BURUNDI. And, of course, I loved Louise Penny's STILL LIFE. My editor at Thomas Dunne is sending me more to feed my addiction. What more can you recommend?

[Naomi Hirahara]

Mmmm, this all sounds tasty! Tell me what you'd recommend. For some reason, I'm gravitating towards bleak, cold countries right now, but I'm open to anything. Would love to read more from Latin America.

[Donna Moore]

Focussing on dark police procedurals set in chilly climes, apart from the ones already mentioned (my favourite of those being Arnaldur Indridason), I would heartily recommend Jo Nesbo (The Redbreast is excellent).

[Jeff Ross]

Giles Blunt's Cardinal series. He's Canadian and I was just at Bloody Words 2008 in Toronto and he was walking around all weekend in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a rather old looking back pack. Excellent books.

[Karen from AustCrime]

There's a new series here by Jarad Henry - Head Shot was the first, Blood Sunset is just out. Highly recommended, as is Garry Disher's Hal Challis series (which is being published overseas now by Bitter Lemon Press). Barry Maitland an Englishman, who lives in Australia, writes a great Police Procedural series set in London.

And while I'm here can I throw my hat into the ring for Fred Vargas, whose books are undoubtedly quirky, but they are fabulous. Jo Nesbo is also well worth a look as is Helene Tursten's series - which has a female cop as the central character.

[I. J. Parker]

That reminds me of Martin Cruz Smith, American author of GORKY PARK and subsequent books about policeman Arkady ?. Much better than Kaminsky's series, though I enjoyed the earlier ones of his also very much.

[Ayo]

What about Blood Eagle by Craig Russell? A very gruesome but well written IMHO police procedural. I also loved the second book in the series Brother Grimm and the third Eternal. Also Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. This is not strictly a police procedural as it features a lawyer and a retired police officer (?) now turned private detective I believe. There is also Massimo Carlotta.

Ayo