Crime Fiction in Translation

A human skull unearthed on the outskirts of Reykjavík. A neighbourhood dispute turned deadly. A daughter, trapped at sea, looking for answers.

What police officers Týr and Karó don't know is that these events are all linked through a terrible tragedy, many years ago, when a trawler caught fire on the waves, the crew trapped inside. The answers lie buried at the bottom of the barren Icelandic Sea.

In the quiet aftermath of Split's tourist season, the city is shaken by the brutal murder of 17-year-old Viktorija. As the investigation unfolds, suspicion falls on Mario, a withdrawn young man whose mother, Katja, and sister, Ines, grapple with the possibility of his guilt. Katja's maternal instincts drive her to shield her son at all costs, while Ines is torn between loyalty and a quest for truth.

Through the perspectives of Katja, Ines, and the diligent yet overlooked detective Zvone, Mater Dolorosa delves into the complexities of familial bonds, moral dilemmas, and the shadows of Croatia's past. Jurica Pavicic crafts a haunting narrative that intertwines personal tragedy with societal critique, painting a portrait of a nation still healing from its historical wounds.

1995: A young German woman disappears in the Westfjords of Iceland, but the case is quickly forgotten. After all, it's not uncommon for foreigners who come to Iceland to vanish, and the police are too busy investigating a fatal car accident, recovering two bodies from the cold waters of the sea. 2022: Detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir returns from a surfing holiday in Hawaii to a good life.

The renovation of her childhood home is progressing, and her colleague and friend Jakob Johanson has permanently joined her in Iceland. But when Hildur visits her family friend, Helga, in a nursing home, she is presented with surprising new details about her mother, Rakel. Then a cruise ship carrying a large group of tourists arrives in Ísafjörður, bringing a world of trouble with them.

As the bodies pile up, Hildur and Jakob must look to the past to figure out what lies in front of them.

Translated by Kristian London.

Once Ida nearly died at the hands of a killer. Now she's trying to live again, to forget the monsters in her head. But the nightmares are coming back, more terrible than ever.

Because Ida, now working as a journalist, has uncovered evidence of a serial killer stalking Helsinki's streets. And no one - not Ida, not homicide officer Kerttu Leppänen, tortured by her own demons - can stop them. Sometimes the monsters are real.

And hunting them can destroy you.

Translated from Finnish by David Hackston.

It has been half a year since Akiyama Daijiro became a samurai; half a year since he left his father Kohei – the wisest swordsman in the land – to set up his own blade school by the cool of the river. Ever since, amid the swaying bamboo groves, he waits patiently for his first disciple.

But his serenity is soon disrupted by the visit of a mysterious samurai with an unhonourable offer: in exchange for a vast sum of gold, he must attack and injure the daughter of the Shogun’s most senior counsellor. Troubled by the proposal, Daijiro, alongside his father and Mifuyu, a female warrior without match, soon set out into the underworld of Edo-era Japan to uncover the conspiracy, before quickly finding themselves embroiled in a series of increasingly perilous adventures . . .

Widely considered to be the greatest work by Shotaro Ikenami, the master of Japanese historical fiction, The Samurai Detectives is a twisting, page-turning portrayal of one of the most intriguing, evocative periods in the history of Japan.

Translated by Yui Kajita.

Swann's flock of resourceful crime-solving sheep return in the follow-up to the quirky international bestseller Three Bags Full which is a shear joy to read. Following their successful investigation into the murder of George the shepherd, the flock have a new shepherdess, Rebecca, and a new home in France, though the setting is far from idyllic. A number of the sheep from the previous flock have disappeared, and other local creatures have been prey to a shadowy theat.

Could the theory of a werewolf be more than a wild fairy tale? When a human falls victim though, it becomes clear that even fantasies can be fatal. And the last thing the sheep want is to lose another shepherd. With the help of their goat neighbours, they follow the werewolf's trail in a desperate attempt to save both themselves and Rebecca with sheep logic, courage, and concentrated food.

Translated by Amy Bojang.