Every month, like customs agents with a penchant for literature, we’re scouring the latest imports to these shores looking for the best crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers. Whether you’re a devotee of Nordic Noir, French crime, or you’re looking for the next big thing from the far corners of the mysterious world, chances are there’s a good book headed your way. Up this month: folk horror from Sweden, Argentine noir, dark adventures in New Zealand, and more.
Stefan Spjut, Trolls (Faber)
Although this one must have been in development long before the release of the summer’s surprise folk horror hit Midsommar, there couldn’t be a better time for a book about Scandinavian horrors to be released. I can’t wait to read this tale of wolves, forests, cults, and of course, trolls! (the good kind, not the internet kind).
Sergio Olguin, The Fragility of Bodies (Bitter Lemon Press)
The Argentine crime fiction tradition has always been strong, and Olguin’s latest is a worthy new entry, with a dark, brooding story about a woman investigating the mysterious suicide of a train conductor and a series of unexplained accidents on the tracks. Her investigation pushes her deeper into the underworld and points toward a morbid, exploitative game played there. Olguin writes with intensity and shines a light on a dark corner of Argentine society. This is a hard-hitting, compulsive noir for anyone interested in the exemplary mysteries coming out of contemporary Latin America.
Sebastien Japrisot, The Lady In the Car with the Glasses and the Gun (Dover)
Originally published in France in 1966, and translated into English shortly thereafter by Helen Weaver, The Lady in the Car with the Glasses and the Gun is back with a new edition from Dover this month. The novel tells the story of the mysterious Dany Longo, who takes her boss’s car for a quick ride and finds a dead body inside. Japrisot’s stripped-down, staccato style combines elements of psychological thriller and midcentury French noir, giving these novels a surprisingly modern feel.
Marco Malvaldi, The Measure of a Man (Europa)
Malvaldi’s historical novel drops readers into 1493 Milan, during the reign of Ludovico il Moro, a vibrant moment that brought its own brand of tumult, and introduces us to a mysterious figure wandering the city’s outskirts contemplating the problems arising in his famed workshop: Leonardo da Vinci. A murder disrupts the city, and its leader turns to none other than da Vinci himself to aid in the investigation. Malvaldi’s grasp of the historical epic is impressive, but he also manages to bring these towering figures to life in unexpected ways.
Raymond Khoury, Empire of Lies (Forge)
In Khoury’s fascinating alternate history take on the Ottoman Empire, a time-traveling magician changes the course of history to lead the Ottomans to take over all of Europe in the 17th Century. Fast forward to the present day, where a weary bureaucrat works to stay abreast of all threats against the empire, only to find himself confronting the ultimate threat—the secret to the empire’s rise.
Annaleese Jochems, Baby (Scribe)
Things get exciting for Cynthia, a bored twenty-one-year-old, when she runs off with Anahera, her beautiful fitness coach. With stolen money, they buy an old boat called “Baby” that they use to sail away to a deserted island, together. But their adventure doesn’t go as planned, in this clever tale of grotesqueness and obsession.
Teresa Dovalpage, Queen of Bones (Soho Crime)
Teresa Dovalpage, originally from Havana, introduced her Santeria-practicing ex-cop detective in her crime fiction debut, Death Comes in Through The Kitchen, and now she’s back for a story that blends intricate legwork in the name of investigating with a meditation on the meaning of family, nation, and home.
