By Jane Bentham, Nicole Sterba, Ainsley Lin and Zoe Wallace
Here are some of our recommendations for translated books from the mystery genre, perfect to curl up with as the seasons change.
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, translated from Japanese by Ho-Ling Wong
Fancy playing the role of detective and using your own deduction skills?
Taking inspiration from Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Ayatsuji’s debut novel follows a group of seven students, members of their university’s mystery club, who investigate the site of a murder on a deserted island. However, one by one, people start dying, and it becomes increasingly clear that the killer is part of the group. The Decagon House Murders belongs to the honkaku sub-genre, where all clues from the crime are provided to the reader, allowing them to take part in solving the mystery. Full of red herrings, twists and turns, this book is perfect for fans of whodunits and locked-room mysteries.
Blind Goddess by Anne Holt, translated from Norwegian by Tom Geddes
The corpse of a drug dealer is discovered on the outskirts of Oslo, and a bloodied Dutch student is arrested after being found wandering the streets of the Norwegian capital on the same night. A few days later, a disreputable lawyer is shot to death.
Detective Hanne Wilhelmsen and colleague Håkon Sand are put on the case and quickly find a link between the two murders. The police officers become increasingly involved in the investigation to bring those responsible to justice and unravel a wider conspiracy of drugs and corruption amongst the elite of Norwegian society. Featuring brooding characters and a dark atmosphere typical of Scandi noir fiction, Blind Goddess is the gripping first instalment in Anne Holt’s best-selling Hanne Wilhelmsen series.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
After being translated from Polish in 2018, this bone-chilling novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2019 and longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Fiction. A perfect read as the year starts to cool down, this story follows an isolated woman living in a small Polish village. During the winter months, Janina Duszejko looks after the homes of a few villagers who leave to escape the cold.
As the season progresses, villagers start turning up dead. Janina suspects something sinister is going on in her quiet little village, but no one believes her. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is an eerie mystery that will make you question your own reality. All of these victims have something in common, and the theme of the natural world adds the perfect tension to the setting. It’s jam-packed with gaslighting, secrets and even a bit of romance. The perfect spooky novel that will get you ready for the winter.
Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing by Maryla Szymiczkowa, translated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing is another Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery. Written by Maryla Szymiczkowa, a pseudonym for partners Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarczyński, this book is the first in a two-part series. Antonia Lloyd-Jones is a translator of Polish literature who has translated both books in the Zofia Turbotyńska Mystery series as well as Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, another book highlighted in this article.
Set in Cracow, a city in southern Poland, in the year 1893, the story follows Zofia Turbotyńska, a high society woman married to a professor. Other than scheming to advance her husband’s career, Zofia finds little pleasure in her marriage or the domestic tasks that she is expected to perform. So, when two women residing in a retirement home are found dead under suspicious circumstances, Zofia seizes the chance to entertain herself and act as a detective.
Mrs. Mohar Goes Missing is a fast-paced read filled with satirical comedy and unforgettable characters. Set in a time of political unrest in Poland, Maryla Szymiczkowa expertly weaves in comments on how women are treated in society and the socioeconomic divide.
Bad Kids by Zijin Chen, translated from Chinese by Michelle Deeter
Zhang Dongsheng commits the perfect crime, or so he thinks. What he did not expect was to be caught in the act. Chaoyang and his friends did not expect to witness a murder on their trip. Instead of informing the authorities, Chaoyang decides to blackmail Zhang. This decision will change everything. This novel will have you on the edge of your seat and is the perfect opportunity to delve into some mystery while the weather is an enigma.
Bad Kids is brimming with suspense and will have you guessing the whole way through. It is full of murder and blackmail, but it also focuses on the bond of friendship and how it is tested. A must-read this autumn.
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