I've just discovered the Cara Black series set in and around Paris.  The main character is Aimee, a french PI.  It's mystery with a bit of hard boiled, but not bloody / gory.  I really like these and have started reading them (in order, because I'm weird like that).

A really good series are the books following Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's Investigator in Feudal Japan.  These are a series of books by Laura Joh Rowland, and I believe that they are up to @ 10 now.  They really need to be read in order though.  The first few are Shinju, Bundori, Way of the Warrior, etc.  I think there are a few different on PBS right now.

One of my favorites is Nicolas Freeling. His Piet Van Der Valk series and Henri Castang series are both quirky police procedurals taking place in Amsterdam or various places in France, but some of them take you much further afield in Europe. He also has several non-series titles with similar backgrounds.

I was just about to suggest Martin Cruz Smith's Russian detective Arkady Renko. I also like Simeon's Maigret (France) and am nuts about Brits: Morse [Colin Dexter], Lynley & Havers [Elizabeth George], Rebus [Ian Rankin], Ian Rutledge [by an American author - Chas Todd] & and Cadfael [Ellis Peters]

How about Eliot Pattison?  His mysteries are set in Tibet and concern the Tibetan resistance to Chinese domination.  They arer quite lengthy, but I have learned a great deal about Tibetan culture from them.  I'm on the road right now, and the only title that comes to mind is Bone Mountain.  Check it out - I think you will like it.  Maija

Do you consider British authors to be "foreign"? I think John Harvey  is one of the finest writers in any genre. You can't go wrong with any of his Charlie Resnick series. Best to read them in sequence starting with "Lonely Hearts". Also, his Frank Elder books are very good. As a rule, I am not particularly a fan of British mystery writers,but Harvey is wonderful! Interestingly, he is also a very well respected poet! I would never have suspected that based on his fiction. Try it-you'll (probably) like it.

I second the Donna Leon series about Comissario Guido Brunetti in Venice, Italy.  Each new book is like another trip to Venice from the point of view of its own residents.  Very thoughtful.

I have just received my first Marshal Guarnaccia book by Magdalen Nabb about Florence, Italy.  I hope this series will be as good. 

Thanks for all the good suggestions on this forum.

Susan Gold, Armchair Traveller

I love Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin books.

I have just finished my first Barbara Nadel book, Arabesk, about Inspector Ikmen in Istanbul.  This book and others have been on my wish list for a while, but it was worth the wait.  Excellent.

I am in the middle of my first Iain Pears book, The Raphael Affair, which is one of his Jonathan Argyll or Art History mysteries.  This is also great reading with a close look at Rome and the Italian culture. 

Thanks for all of these great suggestions.

SusanG

Since my last post, I have read several more Barbara Nadel books about Inspector Ikment in Istanbul.  Harem and A Passion for Killing were my favorites, so far. 

All of the Iain Pears art history mysteries (Jonathan Argyll and the fabulous Flavia) were good.  They take place mostly in Italy, but move around Europe.

Skull Mantra is the first Eliot Pattison book set in Tibet.  It is about the Chinese takeover of Tibet.  Very complex, but so informative about the Tibetan/Buddhist culture.

I am now waiting for some of the Daniel Silva mysteries which were highly recommended.  Magdalen Nabb writes thoughtful mysteries about Marshal Guarnaccia of the Carabinieri in Florence.

There are so many great English mysteries I'm not even going to list them as "foreign".  So how about:

Russia: Martin Cruz Smith's series featuring Arkady Renko. Starts with Gorky Park.  These are exquisitely written.

Australia: I have a nice one by Caroline Carver called Blood Junction on my bookshelf. A little hard-boiled for my taste, but a good writer. Also in Australia, an older series, kind of cozy,  by Jennifer Rowe. Start with Grim Pickings.

Lyn Hamilton writes a series with an antique dealer, each set in a different country. I think you can start anywhere.

Another older cozy series that ought to be readily available, M.M. Kaye's "Death in Zanzibar", "Death in Kenya", and so on. They're all standalones, pick one.

I second the recommendations for Sujata Massey, Dale Furutani and Iain Pears - all good books.

It is British, but Lynda Laplante books  are wonderful. Most of hers are set in England, but the 3 Cold books were set in CA. The last British series that I read of hers were:

ANNA TRAVIS---detective

Above Suspicion

The Red Dahilia

Clean Cut\

Deadly Intent  (this comes out in July 2009

Just finished and posted The Terra Cotta Dog by Andreas Camilleri, second in the Inspector Montalbano series set in Sicily.  The first is The Shape of Water and both were exceptional.  Sicily has a very different culture/history than other parts of Italy. 

I would rank this series right up there with some of my other favorites, Donna Leon (Venice), Cara Black (Paris), Barbara Nadel (Istanbul), Eliot Pattison (Tibet), Iain Pears (Italy), and Daniel Silva (Israel, Vienna, and other parts of Europe).

There is a ten book series by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo that is fabulous. The books are set in Sweden, and the characters grow and change over the series. I recommend reading them in order, if possible. I like to read Scandanavian mystery authors, and I think that the more recent ones, like Henning Mankell, owe a lot to the Sjowall/Wahloo books. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Bringing this thread back for some fellow "armchair travelers".

These authors were highly recommended.  They are hard to get.  I might have to actually buy some:  Grace Brophy, Steig Larson, and Gianrico Carofiglio, an attorney in Italy.  His books were described as stunning by a PBS member.

I like John Harvey, jazz loving detective in Nottingham, England.  I also second Cara Black, Barbara Nadel, Colin Cotterll,   and Iain Pears

Well I see I a lot of authors that I enjoy

Japan - I.J. Parker, Sujata Massey and Laura Joh Rowland.  Massey is the only modern day settings

Botsawna - Alexancer McCall Smith    Love this series.  BBC did a minisears that was on HBP very good.

Italy - ancient rome for me Steven Saylor, Lindsay Davis, Davis Wishart and John Robert Maddox

Egypt - Elizabeth Peters, Lauren Haney

UK - Bruce Alexander, Carola Dunn, Agatha Christy, Rhys Bowen, Candace Robb and many more

I love finding an author writing in a country I have not read about yet.

Alice

I don't believe that I saw Arnaldur Indridason from Iceland mentioned: Silence of the Grave, Voices, The Draining Lake. Arctic Chill, Hypothermia.

Great thread!  I second Martin Cruz Smith's "Arkady Renko Series."

Good to see this bumped up again. Question: Has anyone read Timothy Hallinan's series set in Thailand? I have all three of them (or rather, I have two, plus one on the way from Bookcloseouts) and just wondered if anyone had an opinion.

Another series I started, set in Botswana, is Michael Stanley's series featuring Detective David "Kubu" Bengu. The first one (A Carrion Death) was really good, not nearly as cozy as the Mma Ramotswe series. I have the second one here too.

I am still in love with Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti, Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano, Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun and Karin Fossum's Inspector Seijer. I gave up on the Arnaldur Indridason series, couldn't get through the second one which was disappointing as I really liked the first.

Some of these posts at the beginning are going on three years old--and heavens, some of the books I had been "meaning to try" then are STILL are on my TBR, and of course I've added to that list!! Argh!!

Cheryl

 

Several years ago I read H.R.F. Keating's Inspector Ghote series, set in Bombay/Mumbai, India. There was a long lapse without any, but I think there are/will be new ones available.