This crime series set in Bangkok’s neon-lit streets brings the city’s lurid side to life

British writer John Burdett’s Sonchai Jitpleecheep series compels Western readers to look beyond Thailand’s beaches and the fetishisation of its sex industry.

Amish Raj Mulmi

· Feb 16, 2019 · 08:30 am

Before Lisbeth Salander: The couple that invented Nordic noir with the Martin Beck series of books

Bleak landscapes and brooding detectives with personal demons are par for the course in books and TV now because of Swedish writers Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.

Amish Raj Mulmi

· Jan 12, 2019 · 12:30 pm

Being Muslim in the West: This crime fiction series set in Toronto shines as a beacon of hope

Ausmat Zehanat Khan’s series of crime novels starring Detective Esa Khattak counters the demonisation of Muslims by right-wing forces.

Amish Raj Mulmi

· Dec 15, 2018 · 05:30 pm

To understand modern China read this crime fiction series featuring a poetry-loving detective

Qiu Xiaolong is a poet, translator and critic whose crime books starring the reluctant detective Chen Chao show a side of China beyond the news.

Amish Raj Mulmi

· Nov 17, 2018 · 08:30 am