The kiss of death, usually ...

Almost anything I find that has the words, "Translated from the (you name it)" on the cover is prime material for a pass. But Henning Mankell proved me wrong. Mankell's mysteries, translated from Swedish, are solid police procedurals with an engagingly flawed lead character, Detective Kurt Wallander. There are 11 books in the series, with number 12 The Chinaman, slated for release this year. Set in the southern Sweden town of Ystad, the stories are longer and more involved and have more depth than many mysteries. I like a book that spends a few days on the nightstand although an occasional one-nighter is ok.

The series starts with Faceless Killers, published in 1991 (US release 1997,) The Dogs of Riga in 1992, The White Lioness in 1993, and so on. Since we have to wait for the translation and the American release, our books arrive later and not necessarily in the order written. The earliest Wallander stories come in The Pyramid which has 5 short stories that begin in 1979, but in publishing chronology The Pyramid comes after Faceless Killers.

Mankell can be found not on his own website buy on the Kurt Wallander website where one may find more information than one is likely to need, but if nothing else, the site provides publication and release dates for the series. Also mentioned on the site is the likelihood of a British television series featuring Wallander.

Reviewing Faceless Killers, Sue Magee at The Bookbag writes, "Few characters arrive on the scene as fully-formed as Kurt Wallander." I think she nails the feeling I got when I first read him. There are reviews of 2 more of the Kurt Wallender mysteries at The Bookbag.

They do a good job reviewing at The Bookbag, not always positive but usually. I like the depth in the reviews and the way they many times link one review to another with, "If you liked this book you may like this other one ..." type of connection. There are a variety of reviewers at the site so there is a mix of styles and tastes. The site and reviewers are British so there is a bit of a bias towards all things British.

Who would have thought ...

Authors are always looking for a hook, a way to be different, interesting, and enticing to the reader. Colin Cotterill writes a wonderful series set in communist Laos with the main character the national coroner, Dr. Siri Paiboun. The novels have a well plotted mystery involving superstition, government bureaucracy, and insightful, if primitive, forensics. Dr. Paiboun, based in Vientiane, exposes the reader to this fascinating culture struggling to modernize in the midst of poverty and dismal economic conditions. In Disco for the Departed, the story moves to the former royal seat of Luang Prabang where he meets the deposed king tending a royal orchard.

The series stands at four titles including 33 Teeth, The Coroner's Lunch, and Anarchy and Old Dogs. I recommend them to those who like mysteries and are looking for something off the beaten path.

Not so far off the beaten path but still not your usual mystery, are the stories about my favorite Bangkok detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, the only uncorrupted cop in Bangkok. John Burdett writes this mystery series and the titles are Tattoo, Bangkok 8, and Bangkok Haunts, so far. The milieu might be a tad seamy for the weak hearted. The sights and smells of Thailand are quickly at hand as Sonchai takes us deep into the Bangkok underworld to ferret out serial killers and drug traffickers.

While I'm in the Far East it would be a crime not to mention the grippingly tense series featuring assassin John Rain. Barry Eisler hits just the right notes with these finely crafted thrillers that range the globe from Argentina and Paris to Tokyo and Hong Kong. I got hooked with my first contact Rain Fall up to the latest, Requiem for an Assassin. This series has been around for a few years and there are 6 titles in the run. From the beginning: Rain Fall, Hard Rain, Rain Storm, Killing Rain, The Last Assassin, and recently Requiem for an Assassin. Our library owns 5 of the series but we are missing Hard Rain which I will try to get.