What's Next for Mystery Readers?

It looks like the next big thing for mystery readers, may be South Africa. In the April issue of Library Journal, Wilda Williams talks to Poisoned Press editor Barbara Peters and several other editors to see what’s up and coming in the genre and they agree that South Africa may be the new Scandinavia. Don’t worry, the Scandinavian crime wave is still riding high and it is not expected to crest for awhile. As an avid reader of translated novels there’s plenty of room on our shelves for our South African friends. Not sure where to start, try one these mystery novels set in South Africa:

Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie
Set in contemporary South Africa, first in the series about private investigator Jade de Jong, who returns to South Africa after ten years abroad, having fled after her father’s brutal murder. When a wealthy white woman is shot execution style, Jade is hired by her father’s former partner, now a high ranking detective to look into the crime. The investigation zeros in on the victim’s ex-husband, but Jade has her doubts. A gripping new crime series set in post apartheid South Africa.

Mixed Blood by Roger Smith
Reluctant bank robber Jack Burn is on the run after a heist in the U.S. that left three million dollars missing and one cop dead. Hiding out in Cape Town, South Africa, he is desperate to build a new life for his pregnant wife and young son. On a tranquil evening in their suburban home they become victims of a random gangland assault that forces Jack to kill both men. The killings set off a deadly chain of events that includes a gangbanger turned security guard, a crooked cop and a reformer trying to clean up the police department. A gripping thriller with believable characters and well designed plot.

The Artful Egg by James McClure
Lieutenant Tromp Kramer and his Bantu partner Mickey Zondi seek the murderer of a world-renown novelist whose naked body is found strewn with herbs and flowers and whose death has left several people wealthier. This is the first book in the popular Kamer and Zondi mystery series.

Blood Safari by Deon Meyer
Emma Le Roux hires a personal security expert when her believed-dead brother is named as a suspect in the murders of five people, a situation that exposes her to political tension, corruption, and life-threatening violence. Readers who like their crime fiction set in exotic locations will like this one.

A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
Who murdered the white police captain in the small border town of Jacob’s Rest? Emmanuel Cooper, an English detective and his Zulu partner Constable Shabalala begin investigating and find clues that lead to a shocking forbidden love that crosses racial lines.