M Y S T E R Y P L A C E S . N E T
mystery novels with a sense of place


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This site now includes 345 authors, 64 countries and multi-country regions, 45 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

Featured Authors
Around the World | In the USA

Read and Recommended
For a few months, I had time to note specific books that I read and recommended. I had to stop for lack of time. If time is available, this section will resume.
2010: Jan|Feb|Mar
2009: Jan-Feb|March|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec
2008: Jul-Dec

Read & Recommended 2010: Jan | Feb | Mar
2009: Jan-Feb | Mar|Apr | May|Jun | Jul | Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov | Dec
2008: Jul-Dec

April 12 - It's been a while now since I read these books (I just started mysteryplaces.net in February, and am adding this feature this week), so my memories of them are being to fade a bit. The ratings (5 stars or 4 stars on Library Thing), are fairly subjective—those I particularly liked are rated higher. But other readers will undoubtedly have their own take, and each of these books has a strong sense of place, and is well worth reading.

The ones I rated most highly were Runner by Thomas Perry (reliably a good read for those who enjoy fast-paced thrillers with quick scene-changes); Bamboo and Blood: An Inspector O Novel by James Church (set in North Korea); Exit Music by Ian Rankin (classic Scottish-noir by the master of the genre); and The Lost Witness by Robert Ellis (yet another take on LAPD internal politics in Los Angeles).

Also of interest, from the Nordic countries to New Mexico, were The Cruel Stars of the Night by Kjell Eriksson (Uppsala, Sweden); The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo (Oslo, Norway), Waterloo Sunset by Martin Edwards (Liverpool, England); Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand by Fred Vargas (Paris, France; this novel also set in Canada); Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by John McFetridge (Toronto, Canada); and Dead or Alive by Michael McGarrity (Santa Fe, New Mexico).

More about these Authors

James Church on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Martin Edwards on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Robert Ellis on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Kjell Eriksson on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
John McFetridge on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Michael McGarrity on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Jo Nesbo on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Thomas Perry on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia
Fred Vargas on Amazon UK | Bookmooch | Wikipedia