If you love dark mysteries that keep you guessing, detectives faced with impossible tasks, and stories that let you explore the new places, finding that next great book is an ever-present goal. So take a tour around the world with these murder mysteries set on each of the seven continents.
North America: Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman
Emmy-award winning writer Matt Goldman’s private eye murder mystery is a perfect blend of irreverent humor and gripping story. During winter in Minnesota, a suburban woman is found murdered in her home and covered in the dust of hundreds of vacuum cleaner bags. When the FBI insists that detective Nils Shapiro drop the case, he takes the investigation underground, searching for an answer in a case with no usable evidence and far-reaching implications.
South America: The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
This book from bestselling Brazilian author Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza begins the Inspector Espinosa series, perfect for anyone who loves psychological suspense and international mysteries. When corporate executive Ricardo Carvalho is found dead in a parking garage in Rio de Janeiro, it seems like a straight forward robbery and murder. But as more bodies are found, Inspector Espinosa has to discover the truth before anyone else dies—a task complicated by his attraction to Carvalho’s widow, who is a prime suspect.
Asia: Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan
Winner of the Philippine National Book Award, this serial killer mystery follows two Jesuit priests who have backgrounds in psychology and forensic anthropology. When the bodies of preteen boys are found in the trash heaps of their impoverished and under policed neighborhood, Father Gus Saenz and Father Jerome Lucero take protecting their community into their own hands and dedicate themselves to tracking down the killer.
Australia: Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
This complex mystery from award-winning Australian writer Candice Fox takes place in the wetlands of Queensland. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time was all it took to ruin detective Ted Conkaffey’s life, as he is falsely accused of a brutal abduction. Fleeing to Crimson Lake to escape public hatred, he ends up helping private investigator Amanda Pharrell with a case that is filled with deception drags him into Amanda’s own troubled past.
Africa: Bloody Harvests by Richard Kunzmann
Namibian-born author Richard Kunzmann combines South African mythology with a dark and modern mystery in this story set in Johannesburg. When Detective Harry Mason finds the mutilated body of a child at a horrifying crime scene, the lead suspects are a serial killer who is on the loose and a tribal cult leader. Faced with superstition, cultural tension, and a widening rift with his partner, Mason must figure out who is responsible before the killer strikes again.
Europe: The Thirst by Jo Nesbøø
Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series follows this brilliant and unorthodox detective as he solves crimes, many of which takes place in his hometown of Oslo. In the latest installment, The Thirst, a killer targeting his victims on Tinder brings Harry back to the police force after he left to protect the people he loves. Start the series here or go back to the beginning with The Bat.
Antarctica: In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews
Even though Antarctica is almost unpopulated, you can even find mysteries set here. Valena Walker is a dedicated master’s student in geology headed to Antarctica to study glaciology with the venerable Dr. Emmett Vanderzee. Being on the ice is something she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl. But when she finally arrives at McMurdo, she discovers that her professor has been arrested for murder
