18 best foreign books, detectives
Foreign detectives is a special genre that does not lose popularity with Russian book lovers. In our rating there are 18 pieces that not only will not let you get bored, but also be able to tickle your nerves and keep in suspense until the very last page.
Rating the best foreign detectives
| Nomination | a place | Name of product | rating |
| Top New Foreign Detectives | 1 | Make a number | 4.9 |
| 2 | Jump over the abyss | 4.8 | |
| 3 | Sharp objects | 4.8 | |
| 4 | Past crimes | 4.7 | |
| 5 | Golden scales | 4.7 | |
| 6 | Judgment Day | 4.7 | |
| 7 | Over the settled graves | 4.6 | |
| 8 | Crossing | 4.6 | |
| 9 | Thirteen hours | 4.5 | |
| 10 | Night bird voice | 4.5 | |
| 11 | The Truth About The Harry Quebert Case | 4.5 | |
| 12 | Girl in the fog | 4.4. | |
| 13 | Collini case | 4.4 | |
| 14 | Crown of the demon | 4.4 | |
| 15 | Snowman | 4.3 | |
| The best classics in the genre - foreign detectives | 1 | The Hound of the Baskervilles | 4.9 |
| 2 | If death slept | 4.8 | |
| 3 | Death is a lonely thing | 4.7 |
Top New Foreign Detectives
Every year there are new items that can compete with the bestsellers of past years for the quality and twist of the plot. In this category we have collected the best foreign detectives who will capture from the first page with their puzzles and investigations, and the new villains will make the life of respectable citizens unbearable. But in any case, readers are waiting for a solution, predictable or not very - you decide.
Make a number
Book author: John Verdon
Rating: 4.9
The American writer was able to capture the attention of the reader from the first minute. A perfectly constructed storyline, interesting characters and a mystery that a retired detective will have to reveal - all this is the crime thriller “Make a Number” by John Verdon, the first book of the cycle about David Gurney. Mark Mellery receives a letter from the anonymous author, who, it would seem, not only knows everything about him, but also reads all his thoughts.
The detective undertakes to solve the puzzle, because for him there is nothing more interesting than to enter into a fight, even with an unknown villain who does not stop at nothing. The countdown of the victims began. But Gurney also enters the game in order to be the winner at the end. Separately, it is worth noting the wife of a detective who has an analytical mindset, draws attention to the smallest details, but does not try to impose her opinion on her husband.
Many readers, having familiarized themselves with the writer's debut, were able to appreciate his talent, and enthusiastically wait for new books about a tireless detective who easily solves any puzzles, is not afraid to face the most intelligent and thoughtful killer and always wins victories in a fight with him.
Jump over the abyss
Book author: Peter James
Rating: 4.8
The novel, included in the rating, tells of a seemingly ordinary family, in which everything is all right: the husband is a successful doctor, the wife is engaged in a little son. Only this idyll is unreal, it is seen by others outside the house. In fact, the happy father of the family is a manipulator, who brings his wife with unreasonable claims, would not mind to give up her hands at any opportunity, and even the child will be under attack more than once.
A young woman is trying to escape from the hands of a tyrant, but she is being watched, and her every step is known to her husband. Among other things, she is incurably ill, and a cruel killer walks nearby. The work of Peter James, published in 2000, is read in one breath.
The author was recognized as one of the best modern geniuses of thriller and detective. If you are a fan of Stephen King, the "Jump over the precipice" will be a real discovery, and you will get real pleasure from the interweaving of storylines and characters of the main characters. No wonder the writer has won several prestigious awards, and his work is included in the list of the best detective works.
Sharp objects
Book author: Gillian Flynn
Rating: 4.8
Detective thriller Gillian Flynn talks about not quite successful journalist from an unremarkable newspaper that is trying to escape from the routine and make a dizzying career. Fate gives her that chance. Camille Parker is sent on the instructions of the editorial office to make a report on the terrible crimes that shook the small town: juvenile girls were brutally murdered, and the maniac was never caught. Wind Gap is exactly the place where the journalist comes from, and the editor hopes that she will be able to learn a lot of interesting things and write a sensational report.
Upon arrival, Camille was swept over by childhood memories. They run away at night with their sister from the imperious mother and ride roller skates around the sleeping city, and then secretly return to their stately home, more like the estate of past centuries, and sneak into their room, fearing to wake their mother. Creepy memories sweep across the storyline: Camilla cuts words on her body, which is why she is placed in a specialized clinic for the mentally ill.
For people with a moving psyche, it is not recommended to read the details of schoolgirl murders. But if you're really a fan of criminal thrillers, then “Sharp Objects” will not leave you indifferent.
Past crimes
Book author: Kate Atkinson
Rating: 4.7
Kate Atkinson, whose work was included in our rating, began writing activities in 1995, and her first creation immediately won the love of readers and was awarded the prestigious award. But real success came to her after the publication of "Crimes of the Past" - the first book about detective Jackson Brody. In addition to the approval of critics and enthusiasm of fans of the criminal genre, Stephen King himself recommended reading the novels of the English author.
Brody - a former police officer, who, although he gave the best years of work, but was dismissed from service with a scandal. He does not cease to be a detective and sticks his nose into those matters from which he is advised to stay away. But Jackson is not one of those who are accustomed to retreat, and curiosity overcomes caution. He will have to unravel several cases that have shaken the calm, provincial Edinburgh.
At first glance, all crimes are not related to each other. But investigating them, Brody comes to unexpected results, which even an attentive reader will be able to surprise. Atkinson does not skimp on the detailed descriptions, deftly inserting into the plot not only the details of the violence scenes, but also the interconnection of all the characters, their relationships, delighting the reader with an ironic syllable.
Golden scales
Book author: Parker Bilal
Rating: 4.7
Parker Bilal is the pseudonym of Jamal Mahjub, who presented the world with a private detective Makan. This is not the first work of the author. Since 1989, he has written detective stories under his real name. The nickname was coined in 2012. English author of British-Sudanese origin specializes in historical novels and crime detectives. His works have been translated into many languages. Readers and critics praised his work, which proves the growing popularity of his short stories.
Hardly coping with grief after killing his wife and child, the main character flees from Sudan and stops in Cairo, taking up any work to somehow make ends meet. But then he gets lucky, and a rich man turns to him for a service. Then the plot begins to twist, from which it is impossible to break away. There will be everything that should be in a high-quality detective novel.
Especially the author is able to describe the city in which both dreams come true and fall apart. Cairo is not just a place on the map, but a living organism that exists in its mysterious and frightening reality.
Judgment Day
Author of the book: Kurt Aust
Rating: 4.7
Included in the rating of the novel - it is not just a crime detective. The reader enters the distant 1699, where he meets the life and culture of those years. Kurt Aust is from Denmark, but lives in Norway and writes in the local language. He became famous immediately after the release of the first book. “Judgment Day” was so positively received by critics and readers that Austus deservedly won the award “For Best Debut”, and his manuscript was published in many European countries.
The plot is based on travelers, who are forced to spend New Year's Eve at an inn, as bad weather prevents each from moving in its own direction. A professor from Denmark and his student from Norway appear in the story. Thomas Buberg and Petter Hortten become the main heroes who will have to unravel the tangle of events, and more specifically the killing of the graph found dead in a snowdrift.
The writer more than once uses these two characters, and they will again have to face mysterious crimes that they can unravel. Readers like not only the storyline, but also the color of the XVII century, described by the author.
Over the settled graves
Book author: Jess Walter
Rating: 4.6
Jess Walter, winner of prestigious awards, in his debut book showed that there are no clear boundaries between good and evil, we set them ourselves, and therefore it is very difficult to distinguish bad from good people, because each person has his own idea of them. The action takes place in a small American town, in which only drunken fights disturb the peace, and the police sometimes catch petty drug dealers.
Spokane is agitated by a string of murders of prostitutes. And, most importantly, the trace of the serial maniac, who made $ 20 with his business card, was put into his palm. Caroline Mabry was disappointed in everything: she was not sure of her detective abilities, her personal life was not arranged, she was lonely and was in deep depression. The partner Alan Dupree, too, things are not the best way: problems in the family and unrequited love.
The plot detective line invariably echoes the personal experiences of the characters, the description of which is no less interesting than the clue who is really that ruthless and cruel killer. The book should be read to understand that reality sometimes does not coincide with our ideas about truth, it is much more complicated, and therefore the right choice is often oh so hard.
Crossing
The author of the book: Ellie Griffiths
Rating: 4.6
Our ranking included the debut work of Ellie Griffiths, which was written according to all the rules of the detective thriller. Ancient ruins keep a terrible secret: the Druids here performed a ritual of sacrifice, in which young men and women were killed as gifts to the Celtic deities. But all this would remain only a legend, if one day the girl, who was walking not far from the ruins, was not lost. A similar crime was committed 10 years ago, and that child was also 4 years old.
The police begins their investigation, and the anonymous author, who has been sending news with clues over the past years, writes a letter to detective Harry Nelson, and again claims that the missing were sacrificed.The reader asks the question: Is not this unknown the real killer? Intrigue lasts until the end of the book.
The investigation comes to a standstill and matures the decision to turn to an archaeologist who knows all about ancient excavations, rituals of murders and much more, which will help unravel the loss of children. Ruth Galloway, a well-known scientist in her circle, is charming and sweet. Heroes sympathize with each other, so the criminal story comes into contact with the love experiences of two rather elderly people.
Thirteen hours
Author of the book: Deon Meyer
Rating: 4.5
Deon Meier’s exciting thriller tells of Inspector Grissel, who serves in the Division of Particularly Serious Crimes. The coloring of the South American national culture, nature and people living in Cape Town fascinates from the first pages. The reader can look at everything that happens through the eyes of a tourist and a local resident, a law enforcement officer and a criminal, a prominent figure and an ordinary petty thug.
In the center of the plot - the disappearance of the student, but not local, but American, and this can lead to an international scandal. Talented Benny Grisssel is taken to save the day, but he has only 13 hours to solve the crime. And besides this, he must train newcomers and investigate the death of a famous producer, and his personal problems require an immediate solution: his wife went to the extreme, putting him out of the house until he was tied up with alcohol.
In the story, the missing student runs away from his pursuers for 12 hours. And this is not a joke, her life really hangs in the balance, and as proof of her serious intentions, the pursuers kill her best friend before her eyes. Throughout the reading, there are many versions of why it was chosen as a sacrifice and how this chase will end.
Night bird voice
Book author: Robert McCammon
Rating: 4.5
Our rating includes the first book about clerk Matthew Corbett. Its author Robert Robert McCammon, who has not released a single work over the past ten years, resumed his work, and in 2002 saw the light of an exciting historical detective story, which was awarded several prestigious awards. An acknowledged master of thriller, mysticism, horror and science fiction, he was able to immediately captivate the reader by combining several genres in the Voice of the Night Bird and retaining the intrigue to the very last page.
At the end of the 17th century, a young woman was detained on suspicion of witchcraft, and no one doubted her guilt. For the final decision, a master and his assistant, the same Corbett, arrives at Fount Royal, the adventures of which we will be able to observe in the writer's subsequent works. He alone doubts the guilt of the witch and therefore begins his own investigation.
Meanwhile, various mystical phenomena take place in the town and its environs, and a terrible monster wanders the forest, frightening the locals. With all this, the young clerk will have to figure out, and the reader will be lucky to see the life of America of those years with his own eyes.
The Truth About The Harry Quebert Case
Book author: Joel Dicker
Rating: 4.5
The writer's debut provoked mixed reviews from critics, but readers enthusiastically responded about the novel by a young talented Swiss, and almost immediately the manuscript was translated into 30 languages, and Joel Dicker won two prestigious awards. By combining two genres in one: a novel about murder and a novel about a writer, he managed to captivate book lovers and make him read the work in one breath.
The action takes place in the United States, where the young novelist is experiencing a creative crisis and because of this he cannot find a place for himself, constantly being in a bad mood. He decides to seek advice from his mentor, but it is Harry Quebert who needs help, as he is accused of murder, which was committed more than 30 years ago.
Marcus Goldman cannot stand aside and begins to unravel the mysteries of the past in order to find the real criminal and help the teacher avoid dying in an electric chair. The hero not only copes with all the tasks, but also receives advice on how to write a best-selling book. In the work there is everything: the twisted plot, and humor, and love story. Expert opinion is unequivocal: the book is recommended for reading.
Girl in the fog
Book author: Donato Carrizi
Rating: 4.4
The detective thriller selected in our rating immediately after the publication aroused interest among fans of the criminal genre. Donato Carrizi was able to captivate the bright characters and keep attention until the very end. The story takes place in a quiet town on Christmas Eve. All are preparing for the holiday: dressed up at home, gifts are waiting for their owners. But the unexpected loss of a young girl who has not reached the church disrupts this calm. She needed to go only a few hundred meters, but she disappeared without a trace, and what happened to her, excited not only the locals.
Reporters immediately come to the town in pursuit of a sensation. Tension in the Alpine settlement surpasses the scale, because in it at the time of the disappearance there were only old-timers. So who to blame, when everything is in sight, and all lead a respectable lifestyle? Special Agent Vogel, although inflates the hype around this case, but he is more interested in attention to his own person.
As you narrate, you begin to understand that the cozy atmosphere reigning in the neighborhood is in fact false, which permeates the whole life of the locals. Having been in the past and present, one wonders at the cruelty, heartlessness and indifference to the grief of others.
Collini case
Author of the book: Ferdinand von Schirach
Rating: 4.4
The first artistic work of Ferdinand von Schirach is based on a long legal practice. The prototype of the first hero, who was killed at the very beginning of the narration, is the writer's own grandfather - the operational group of Führer, the German leader Baldur Benedict von Schirach. After the war, many former soldiers who served Hitler adapted to civilian life, and thanks to them, amnesty laws were dragged through. After the book was published, a commission was established to assess the influence of Nazi culture on modern legal law.
The storyline twists on the death of a good-natured man of quite advanced age. The killer - Italian Collini - is silent about the motives, which inhibits the completion of the investigation. In the course of the action, it turns out that in fact the old man is not a dear grandfather, but a Nazi, who personally gave orders for the executions of civilians, among whom was Collini’s father.
The son for a long time tried to achieve justice in a legal way, but the amendment justifying the accomplices of crimes, did not even let the case begin. There are no puzzles and riddles in the novel, but it gives readers food for thought: where the fine line between justice and justice lies. This question was most often asked after the Second World War to Europeans.
Crown of the demon
Book author: James Rollins
Rating: 4.4
We selected Detective James Rollins for the rating, who continues the story of the Sigma squad. The first book of the cycle was published in 2004. The Crown of the Demon was the 14th short story. The real name of the author is James Paul Tchaikovsky, who became famous for his creations in the genre of adventure thriller and fantasy and was recognized as the best-selling modern author of this trend. Fans around the world are looking forward to the release of new products, because each novel captures incredible action-line and always becomes a bestseller.
The Sigma group will have to fight against the group of bioterrorists. Universal evil lurking on a desert island in the ocean. It is insatiable and has wiped everything around. This is an ancient demon who has prepared a terrible and painful death for humanity. He can not stop anyone.But the main characters will come out of this story as winners.
The writer will not disappoint this time either. The invention goes along with historical facts, which increases the interest of the reader, who nevertheless learns the secret of Polish amber.
Snowman
Book author: Yu Nesbe
Rating: 4.3
The novel became the seventh book of the Harry Hole series. Norwegian detective thriller Yu Nesbe was published in 2007. Ten years later he was screened, directed by Thomas Alfredson. The story begins with the unexplained loss of several women. The investigator finds a clue: all the victims were married, had children, and witnesses saw a snowman in close proximity. Raising similar undisclosed files from the archive, he has no doubt that he is dealing with the first Norwegian serial killer.
The team, led by Harry and the new employee Catherine, finds out that the husbands of all the missing women are not the biological fathers of their children. A DNA examination confirms this, which temporarily changes the course of the investigation. Hole and Bratt are obsessed with work, and this trait unites them not only in the professional sphere, but also in their personal life.
Unexpectedly, Catherine becomes the suspect, who ended up at the scene of the last crime, and the investigator was made extreme because the townsfolk and the press are indignant that the murderer was involved in the investigation. But everything is happily resolved. Hole will find the true killer and prove the innocence of his beloved.
The best classics in the genre - foreign detectives
For several decades these books have been in the top of the best, they are read and re-read with pleasure. They became a tool for young investigators. The works are so fascinating that every fan of detectives will quote any of his excerpts. In the ranking, we presented the works of three world-famous authors, written according to the canons of the classical genre, which are definitely worth reading.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Book author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: 4.9
Arthur Conan Doyle gave the world the great detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. Watson. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is one of four stories the readers met in 1901. The action takes place in the autumn of 1889. A well-known aristocrat dies under strange circumstances, and gentlemen take up this complicated matter. Doctor Mortimer, who turned to them for help, told of an ancient legend, according to which everyone from the Baskervilles clan is haunted by a terrible creature living in swamps, and its howl that can be heard at night reminds of a dog.
He died of a heart attack and is found in his own park, and traces of huge dog paws are found nearby. The mystical story with a ghost with luminous eyes and a huge mouth that scares the whole neighborhood, in fact, is just a legend. Holmes and Watson have to find the real killer, who, though not with his own hands, has committed the crime.
The ancient legend has become a murder weapon. The victim's nephew bought a huge dog and, smearing it with a luminous composition, left it in the swamps and skillfully set him on the unsuspecting relative at the right moment.
If death slept
Book author: Rex Stout
Rating: 4.8
Rex Stout is a recognized master of detectives. The book included in the rating tells about the famous detective Nero Wolfe, who will once again reveal the crime, but will do it so skillfully and fascinatingly that you read the novel in an instant. In the center of the storyline are relationships within the family of a wealthy industrialist who suspects his daughter-in-law of spying for competitors, so he does not just hate her, but wants to save herself from her presence in her home.
His son, in love with his soul mate, makes demands that if she leaves, he will not remain here even for a minute. The only way to keep the father-son relationship is to catch the villain red-handed.It is for this purpose that Wolf is hired, and as a secretary, an assistant detective is arranged for a businessman, who will monitor and collect dirt on an objectionable daughter-in-law.
Well, then according to the law of the classic detective story there will be a corpse, intrigues, puzzles and hints to readers, according to which the most attentive themselves will calculate the criminal. Well, if not, the author with his usual elegance will reveal the name of the killer.
Death is a lonely thing
Author of the book: Ray Douglas Bradbury
Rating: 4.7
Ray Douglas Bradbury has created over 800 pieces in various genres. This is science fiction and fantasy, horror and psychological thrillers. The novel on our list was published in 1985. Its action takes place in the USA, California. Description of the American Venice brings sad thoughts. Carousels in the amusement park dismantled, the cinema is empty, everyone is preparing for the relocation. The fragile world is destroyed, soon a new life is waiting for everyone.
On the background of a devastated city, murders occur that are simply mistaken for accidents. At first nobody assumes that there is any connection between crimes. Detective Elmo Crumley is starting an investigation. The second hero is a young man who in a tram faces an alleged killer. These two are sure that the same person is acting.
Together they delve into the villain’s logic and reveal seemingly hopeless crimes. Bradbury not only touches the criminal theme, but, like in his other works, there is necessarily a philosophical component. Fans of the great master and just readers, we recommend this work to read.
Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.
