Euro Noir — A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Murder Mysteries from Europe
Villains, Spies, Lies and Algorithms !
Different continents have different narrative styles — the observations and insights on life differ and of course, the motifs are as varied as their experiences.
But, the most interesting is the social commentary — be it the pre-modern Sweden reflected by Henning’s Kurt Wallander or the post-modern era by Stieg Larsson or anywhere in between …
I have a large list of authors and books — which I keep on updating (and checking off as I complete their works). This blog is a peek into a subset of books by authors with the social backdrop of Europe (non US, non UK) …
My previous blogs were more genre based — Sci-Fi (Top Se7en , Expanse, Altered carbon, Nine Fox Gambit/Calenderical Warfare & of course, Asimov), Artificial Intelligence (Here & Here) and Mysteries (Spies, Lies & Algorithms, Henning Mankel — The Dean of #NordicNoir )
P.S. : Even though I am focussing on Nordic Noir, Euro Noir and the American Noir, I do plan to read Asian Noir, South American Noir, Indian Noir and so forth. Haven’t forgotten rest of the world !!
Interestingly my search on Euro Noir landed in books by Barry Forshaw.
1. Henning Mankel — The Dean of #NordicNoir
Mankell should be your 1st read, and binge reading recommended for the enrishment of the soul ! It will an experience you will not forget that easily (and probably cherish)…
Beware there are only 10 books and it will break your heart when you have finished reading them …
I have a separate blog on Kurt Wallander series — a must read; the books and the blog ;o).
Please read my detailed blog (no spoilers — I enjoyed the books and want you to do the same), the only thing I can add to the blog:
I finished reading all his books and I do miss the author and his books and (especially) Chief Inspector Kurt Wallander - like one misses a good friend !
The reason is Mankell’s style — which is very 1st person oriented; we get a ring side seat into the mind of Chief Inspector Kurt Wallander — we walk a mile in his shoes and live a life time with him (literally) !
On the social commentary front, an interesting blog in 2019 : Kurt Wallander — still highly relevant … I rest my case ;o)
2. Olen Steinhauer
Handful of books, but fits well as a crime noir. Interesting plots, human interest and fast paced with unexpected twists ! And, George Clooney is rumored to portrait the main protagonist ! I have written about Olen in my blog Spies, Lies & Algorithms — Swiftly Paced & Elegantly Rendered …
3. Donna Leon and the Commissario Guido Brunetti Series — Italian mystery stories from Venice
Donna Leon writes interesting mysteries from Venice — more than 30 books in total ! Her 1st Book “Death at La Fenice” was published in 1992 !
I just tarted the series. I will update my impressions of each book as I read them, as usual without any spoilers. It is important for that you enjoy the books as much (or more than) I did.
But for starters, a reading order Here
4. Jo Nesbo — the Harry Hole series from a Norwegian Novelist & Musician
Harry Hole is a homicide detective from Oslo police — there are 12 Harry Hole books.
You have to read Jo’s other books as well — definitely MacBeth “Shakespeare’s dark and tragic play retold in a heart-pounding New York Times bestselling thriller” — how can we refuse ? I am an ardent fan of Shakespeare !
The Headhunters is supposed to be a “dark, and twisted caper story worthy of Quentin Tarantino” — this I might skip
A very immersive introduction to Joe Nesbo [Here]
I also enjoyed Mal Warwick’s blog — A must read
Other places to visit
Finally I came across an excellent site Nordic Noir
Crime Noir Links
I am going to collect interesting Crime Noir links here. Please visit occasionally to see the updates …
