Murder Mysteries Can Be Set Anywhere:

Television dramas and even news reports may encourage the popular perception that murder occurs chiefly in large urban centers in the U.S. and in capital cities in Europe but rarely crops up anywhere else. Unimpressed by such an insular notion, some fiction writers contrarily insist that murder, including serial murder, can happen anywhere, from Alaska to Argentina, and from San Jose to Gotland, as is the case in this month's roundup review of nine recent crime novels. True, their evidence is entirely imaginary and populated with false leads, red herrings, unlikely suspects, and labyrinthine explanations, but consider the variety, the wit, and the relentlessly clever details of their claims!

Let's start with HIT AND RUN (2008) by Lawrence Block. Undeniably likable hitman Keller finds himself framed for the assassination of a Midwestern governor and must seek safety without the help of his handler and friend, Dot, apparently also a victim of the client, the sinister figure nicknamed "Call Me Al." Traveling on side roads and avoiding people, Keller eventually arrives in New Orleans where he saves a potential rape victim by "inadvertently" killing her attacker. The damsel in distress helps Keller rebuild his life, which definitely improves with the discovery that Dot has also survived by assuming an entirely different identity. Keller's stamp collection is even found safe and sound. Needless to say, a reinvigorated Keller easily finds a way to achieve payback from "Al." This clever story comes at the reader from the murderer's side and wins you over despite any outstanding, law-abiding reservations.

Chicago-based detective Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels faces an extortionist bio-terrorist in J.A. Konrath's DIRTY MARTINI (2007). This good-tempered, faced-paced novel delivers a high-body count and multiple cliff-hanger moments for the heroine; but also allows interesting supporting roles for Daniels' partner Herb Benedict, who swears he is going to leave the homicide division, and her ex-partner, now a private investigator, Harry McGlade, who nonchalantly combines boorish behavior and nick-of-time, life-saving maneuvers. Daniels' long-suffering boyfriend Latham, an accountant, is an early victim of the poisoner but recovers at last to learn the answer to his marriage proposal, a reiterated event highlighted by a mariachi trio. The thriller stylings and smart remarks are fun but may not appeal to aficionados of more realistic approaches in detective fiction.

A serial killer stalks residents of Gotland, a Swedish island which is flooded with tourists in the summertime but otherwise lightly settled for the rest of the year, in Mari Jungstedt's interesting procedural UNSEEN (2005). Inspector Anders Knutas is dealing with his first serious homicide case, and TV journalist Johan Berg is also caught up in the puzzling matter. Interspersed with progressive scenes of investigation and interviews are notations by the killer, notes varying from present-day details to childhood events which supposedly provide motivation for the murders. One theme threaded through the story is that of disconnected families, of parents and children who no longer have strong ties. This tale is evenly paced, with a suspenseful ending and a comeuppance for the murderer.

Barry Eisler's FAULT LINE (2009) features a black ops agent who must help his brother, a smug and self-centered lawyer, in a case involving cyber-security software, supposedly a computer application so sensitive and valuable that both its creator and the supervising patent reviewer are killed early on in the story. A possible military use for the software makes the item a target for all sorts of unsavory characters. An Iranian-American lawyer is also involved in the tense situation, one where no one else appears the least bit trustworthy. Scenes are set in a variety of neighborhoods around San Francisco, Palo Alto, and San Jose. While some of the family history between the two brothers is a little too soap-opera-ish, this novel is skillful, tightly paced, and entertaining.

Skulduggery and murder in California (as in the above novel) are light stuff in comparison to the hard-boiled characters and horrifying deeds introduced to readers in Leighton Gage's BLOOD OF THE WICKED (2008). This police procedural pits Chief Inspector Mario Silva, a federal officer in Brazil, against corrupt state police in an investigation into the assassination of a bishop. Additional obstacles are reporters with political agendas, priests dedicated to helping the poor and landless despite restrictions on espousing liberation theology, radical activists, and assorted thugs. Besides the bishop's death, actually not due to any political motivation at all, there are numerous other brutal and senseless killings, so many that the reader may well feel that rural Brazil must be a frighteningly lawless arena. Yet, this story is fascinating, the locale exotic, and the resolution satisfying, with retribution meted out as suggested by the title.

SKELETON LAKE (2008) by Mike Doogan requires some patience from readers not familiar with the series, as the hero Nik Kane, recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound, meanders in thought back over his own history and rummages in the present through an old, unsolved case, actually his first homicide investigation. The setting in Alaska is somewhat underutilized as Nik is pretty much confined to convalescence in his sister's convent. In addition to finding the clues to solve that case, Nik also eventually finds out what happened to his long-missing father and discovers why his marriage faltered. The plotting and characters are pretty interesting; but the flashbacks, although at least tagged with a date, are highly confusing.

The plot tempo goes from slow to very fast over the course of Simon Beckett's THE CHEMISTRY OF DEATH (2007), a serial killer mystery set in the rural English countryside. The lead character this time is a forensic anthropologist, one with a past he is trying to forget, instead of a police detective, with or without an intruding personal history. Doctor David Hunter tries to practice as a lowly GP, but his true expertise is called for when mutilated bodies start showing up in his new locale. Most readers will be surprised at the revelation of the actual killer, although the cunning narrative carefully supplies hints or foreshadowing remarks, unexpected obstacles for investigators, and assorted surprises for the inhabitants.

Altogether different in approach is Guillermo Martinez's THE BOOK OF MURDER (2008), which is set in Argentina and involves writers and various deaths which may or not be purely accidental in nature. One writer says his unpublished novel foretold the deaths before they occurred; the other writer is merely composing a synopsis of what the first writer's typist has revealed to him. The story, which showcases an elegant writing style, is somewhat absurd and definitely convoluted but is nonetheless compelling and absorbing.

Victoria Houston's DEAD HOT SHOT (2008) is a murder mystery in a more classic mode. Two women meet untimely ends: one is a wealthy woman whom no one much likes and the other, also apparently friendless, is the owner of a small store that provides fishing and hunting licenses as a sideline. The local police chief and her friend, a retired dentist, handle much of the investigation; but they also rely on a researcher looking into a major identity-theft scam and a backwoodsman with wide-ranging skills, from handling the ladies to landing fish on icy Wisconsin lakes. Inheritance issues, raccoons, and high-tech systems all come into the mix in this intriguing account.

Readers seeking out murder adventures in locations beyond New York or London may well find that any of the preceding stories will not only satisfy a yen for light fiction but will also stimulate an interest in discovering more tales by these and other writers who situate their stories in the Midwest or Sweden, in South America or rural Britain, in Alaska or the mid-California coast.