Publishers Weekly Best of '08

Once again, I need to thank The Rap Sheet for bringing my attention to mystery news. Linda Richards blogged last week about the Publisher's Weekly Best of '08
list.

Not only did PW choose their best mysteries of '08, but there were several mysteries listed under 'general fiction'. Three of the general fiction books made my top 10 mystery list for '08, so far. I haven't finished reading everything, so I haven't put my list together yet.

So the mysterious works PW included under 'general fiction' are:

• When Will There Be Good News?, by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown)
• Hold Tight, by Harlan Coben (Dutton)
• The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
• Master of the Delta, by Thomas H. Cook (Harcourt)
• The Likeness, by Tana French (Viking)
• Ritual, by Mo Hayder (Atlantic Monthly)
• Flesh House, by Stuart MacBride (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

These are the books PW chose as its best mysteries of 2008:

• Wild Inferno, by Sandi Ault (Berkley Prime Crime)
• Lie Down with the Devil, by Linda Barnes (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• Ghost at Work, by Carolyn Hart (Morrow)
• The Private Patient, by P.D. James (Knopf)
• The Messengers of Death: A Mystery in Provence, by Pierre Magnan, translated from the French by Patricia Clancy (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• Death’s Half Acre, by Margaret Maron (Grand Central)
• Salt River, by James Sallis (Walker)
• Fear of Landing, by David Waltner-Toews (Poisoned Pen)
• The Calling, by Inger Ash Wolfe (Harcourt)

The entire list with comments about each book is available Here

More International Mysteries

I'm a big fan of mysteries set in other countries, as you know from reading my blog. I love to 'travel' to other parts of the world through mystery novels. Sometimes I do this before I go to another country in order to familarize myself with the area. Sometimes I read mysteries set in other countries when I return to reinforce my travels. But, more likely, I'll read about countries I'll never get to visit. Whatever the reason, I enjoy reading mysteries set in other places. Mystery Readers Journal has had issues on Irish Mysteries, Scandinavian mysteries, Italy, France, and other countries. I always love finding new books.

Publishers Weekly had an article last week on the rise of thrillers in France and Sweden. This article introduced me to Jean-Christophe Grange (France) and Jan Guillou (Sweden) and several others. Interesting to note that Harlan Coben's The Final Detail (Fleuve Noir) was #3 on the French charts the week ending September 28.

For more info on mysteries set in other countries, go to: Around the World in 80 Sleuths.