The enduring allure of a good mystery

One of the joys of volunteering at Centro’s Mazatlán Lending Library is talking with borrowers about what they read. They’re an impassioned group, hungry for the English word, who animatedly discuss their choices while pausing at the front desk. For them, cruising the library aisles is an adventure of discovery. The purpose of this monthly column is to share their best finds with you. The library has material for people of all ages and tastes, and one of the best ways to ferret out the pearls is to ask for recommendations.

Do you like a good mystery? Mysteries and crime novels are enduring favorites at the library. If you regularly read this genre, you know the most popular authors and their signature investigators and are familiar with their usual haunts - the gritty industrial cities and small rural towns of the U.S. and England. But some authors prefer to set their action in different countries that lend themselves to non-traditional sleuths. If you like learning about foreign locales and cultures, you’ll appreciate these recommendations.

Member Jerry Firth, who “likes mysteries set in other countries,” appreciates Denise Mina’s works about “realistic characters” in working class Glasgow, Scotland, her native city. Mina’s investigator, Paddy Meehan, is a young investigative journalist who doggedly pursues her stories despite the disapproval of everyone around her. Mina’s “Garnethill” triology, which includes “Garnethill,” “Exile,” and “Resolution,” all in the library collection, is her most critically well-received work, known for its posing of big questions about “sympathy, justice and retribution.”

A trio of authors use Italy as a setting. Members Diana and Lee Malloy recommend Andrea Camillera’s and Donna Leon’s mysteries set in Sicily and Venice, and member Stephen Bray enjoys Michael Dibdin’s “offbeat” Criminalpol Detective Aurelio Zen, who investigates in various Italian locales while actively avoiding a posting to Sicily. Donna Leon feels Camillera’s novels “breathe out the sense of place, the sense of humor, and the sense of despair that fills the air of Sicily.” Dibdin is known for his skillful plots and strong characterizations. “His characters are neither good nor bad, but a varying mixture of both. And their interaction, far more exciting than overt violence, is what makes his novels true thrillers.” (San Diego Union)

Because I adore Paris, I like Cara Black’s three mysteries, each centering on the unique character of a particular Parisian neighborhood. The Houston Chronicle suggests the three novels featuring detective Aimee Leduc and her computer-savvy dwarf sidekick are “partly about her heroine’s hip, next-generation, cutting edge investigations, and partly about Paris.” The first in the series, “Murder in the Marais,” was nominated for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel.

Another member particularly enjoys the complexities of Stuart Kaminsky’s Russian sleuth Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov. The series of 13 novels, written between 1985-2000, are set in both Soviet and post-Yeltsin Russia, and feature Rostnikov and his compatriots in the Moscow police bureau. The team investigates several crimes in each volume, including espionage, murder, terrorist acts and black market transactions.

The Mazatlán Lending Library is at Sixto Osuna #??, across from the Art Museum in Olas Altas. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, Saturdays 9am-2pm. Annual membership fees are $150-$300 pesos. You can find Linda at the library on Thursday mornings.