Mystery Readers Group: Translated Mysteries

Join Menlo Park Library’s Mystery Readers Group this month in reading translated mysteries!

Reading translations can introduce us to culture, language, geography, and ways of being—and murdering—different from our own. Let’s expand our mystery horizons together!

A FEW LEADS...

• The Kamogawa Food Detectives, by Hisashi Kashiwai: Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto lays the Kamogawa Diner. Its deliciously extravagant meals are not the main reason customers stop by: the father-daughter proprietors are “food detectives,” and their recipes provide links to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility. Translated from Japanese.

• The Cook of the Halcyon, by Andrea Camilleri: From the author known as the master of Sicilian crime, his popular detective Inspector Montalbano boards the Halcyon in the wake of two mysterious deaths. The ship has few crewmen, no passengers, and a stern large enough to land a helicopter, piquing the Inspector’s interest straight away. Translated from Italian.

• The Girl by the Bridge, by Arnaldur Indriðason: An elderly couple are worried about their granddaughter who has gone missing. Looking for help, they turn to Konrad, a former policeman whose reputation precedes him. But digging into the past reveals much more than anyone set out to discover, and a little girl who drowned in the Reykjavik city pond unexpectedly captures everyone's attention. Translated from Icelandic.

• The Devil of the Provinces, by Juan Sebastián Cárdenas: A biologist returns to Colombia after fifteen years abroad and quickly becomes entangled in the trappings of his past: a murdered brother, a dealer of beautiful thoughts, a private school where students disappear and girls give birth to strange creatures. Translated from Spanish.

• The Borrowed, by Chan Ho-Kei. Translated from Chinese.

• The Dark Flood, by Deon Meyer. Translated from Afrikaans.

• In Dust and Ashes, by Anne Holt. Translated from Norwegian.

• Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing, by Maryla Szymiczkowa. Translated from Polish.

• The Black Jersey, by Jorge Zepeda Patterson. Translated from Spanish.

So many choices--and that’s just a starting point! Join us to exchange book recommendations, discover new favorites, and celebrate translated stories with fellow mystery lovers.

Menlo Park’s Mystery Readers Group meets online on the third Tuesday of each month. Rather than reading the same book, we all share our reading of different books surrounding a particular theme—translated mysteries, for instance.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | 06:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Zoom webinar (register for link)

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