
Culture clash
Crime novels are ideal for reading at the beach. But have you ever ventured beyond authors from Sweden, Britain or the U.S.? For an exciting alternative, check out the booming literary crime scene in Asia.
Suspense in Hong Kong
In The Borrowed, the brilliant Inspector Kwan solves no fewer than six cases. Chan Ho-Kei’s novel is as suspenseful as it is complex – and draws a scintillating portrait of Hong Kong.
Killers in Korea
A contract killer becomes the target himself: This isn’t exactly a new premise, but the narrative has never been more thrilling, poetic or politically explosive than in Korean author Un-su Kim’s novel The Plotters.
Evil in Japan
Dark, sinister, disturbing: Evil and the Mask, the second Fuminori Nakamura book to have been translated into English, is part crime and part classic noir fiction – Japanese style.