Reading right now:

“City of Jackals” by Parker Bilal. In this fifth book in the series, a Sudanese student disappears and Cairo PI Makana is hired to find him. Makana is distracted when a severed head is found on a nearby riverbank. The police suspect that this is just another murdered emigrant which Cairo is known for and quickly lose interest in the case. Makana’s own emigrant past pulls him into an involvement which leads him to believe that his lost student and the murdered emigrant may be connected.

On hold right now:

“Murder on the Quai” by Cara Black. Black has written 15 books in the Paris detective Aimee Leduc series. This 16^th novel is a prequel set in 1989 when Aimee was a medical student. When her father travels to Berlin, Leduc agrees to keep the family detective business going during his absence. She finds the murder case which is linked to the disappearance of a truck filled with Nazi gold fascinating and begins to believe that medical school is not the right path for her.

Other Mysterious Things:

International intrigue is always popular among mystery fans and this month brings plenty of amazing international mysteries:

“Ping Pong Heart” by Martin Limon. This 11^th book in the George Sueno and Ernie Bascom series finds the CID sergeants investigating a lowly robbery. The case quickly takes on added weight when the bar girl accused of the robbery and the Major doing the accusing are both found dead. It appears that the suspects are part of a U.S. Army battalion charged with tracking down North Korean spies.

“Marked for Life” by Emelie Schepp. This is a new Swedish series with Public prosecutor Jana Berzelius taking the lead. After the head of the migration board is shot to death in his living room, Berzelius is called in to investigate only to find mysterious child-size fingerprints in the childless home. Days later the body of a preteen is discovered with the murder weapon on the body. His body has been mutilated in a way that indicates child trafficking which plunges her into a convoluted case.

“The Crow Girl” by Erik Axl Sund. This is the first in a new series which takes place in Stockholm Detective Inspector Jeanette Kihlberg and therapist Sofia Zetterlund team up to investigate the murder of several homeless boys which seems to be related to human trafficking and a shocking truth hidden in Swedish society.

“Fatal Pursuit” by Martin Walker. This 9^th book in the Bruno, Chief of Police, series. While in the middle of one of France’s great car races, Bruno finds looking for a lost Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic, one of the most beautiful cars ever made, investigating a murder, and confronted by a complicated family feud.