Mystery writers quite frequently can beat travel books in providing the best atmospheric descriptions of a destination. “…one of the best ways to get a glimpse of another culture is through the lens of crime fiction, the literature of the streets and dark alleys and underclass,” says the blog International Noir.

I have read two of these completely and read parts of the others. I have presented my choices here (remembering that there are two more) Oh dear! And which will win the Edgars?? Another mystery.

The Odds, book cover

#4The Odds by Kathleen George (Pittsburgh)

The Odds carries you into the minds of a group of pre-teens and teens thrown into a precarious situation. Kathleen George has a natural sense of drama, since she is a theater professor. This is an easy read, and in fact would be a good book for the young adult reader

John Hart, thriller writer

#2 (tie)The Last Child by John Hart (North Carolina)

Hart’s previous book Down River won an Edgar Award for Best Novel. He lives in North Carolina, and sets his books there. I  will be reviewing this on the Great American Road Trip (Announcing that is a spoiler of sorts).

#2 (tie)A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn (South Africa)

A film maker turned mystery writer, she was born in Swaziland and lives in Australia. See Malla Nunn on YouTube talking about her book. Or see her home page at Simon & Schuster. She beautifully recreates both a time (post WWII and a place–apartheid South Africa.) An engrossing book with fascinating, complex characters.

My First Choice: Nemesis by Jø Nesbo

Nemesis Book Cover

This police procedural novel teeters on the edge of literary fiction. It delves deeply into the human pysche and motivations. First published in Norway (2002) it took a while to be translated into English (2008) and finally made it’s way to America in 2009.

Now I must try to express my enthusiasm without resorting to spoilers. Regardless of the British translation with some slang unfamiliar to Americans, the skill of this writer just pulls you through the pages. The third in a series about Detective Harry Hole, ensures he will join other icons of mystery writing as an interesting character. (books one and two are not in English yet, but #5 was published first according to International Noir ) Harry occasionally slips back into alcoholism, but it does not stop him from juggling three unrelated cases with some common themes.

You learn a lot about the weather and the daily life of various Norwegians as Harry runs about the city. You can follow his movements on the handy map in the front, and then travel to Oslo and follow in his footsteps.

A Nesbø description:

The rain showers petered out later in the day. The sun peeped out in between all the leaden grey, and then the clouds parted like curtains opening on the final act.  It would turn out to be the last hours of a blue sky before the city of Oslo pulled the grey winter duvet over its head.

Harry’s partner has the handy (for a police officer) “malady” known as fusiform gyrus. Although Harry at first thinks that means a Mac program, he learns it is the ability to remember faces. Nesbø scatters such humorous references to modern life and also to popular music through the book.

This book teaches you early on to pay attention–don’t miss anything because you may be either led down a blind alley if you are not attentive, or be given a helpful clue if you are reading carefully.

Harper published the English edition of the fourth Harry Hole book in January 2010 .  You can darn betcha that I’m getting my hands on The Devil’s Star as soon as possible. And that’s not a spoiler.

Because I am talking about so many books here, I did not link them all to Amazon, but if you are going to buy, and want the convenience, I appreciate your clicking any Amazon link on the site and buying there. Thanks!

We talked about another Scandinavian detective and two books by Finnish Tove Janssen but this is my first Norwegian book.

Do you have a favorite mystery writer who does a super job with describing a place? (Tomorrow the Great American Road Trip goes to D.C. and I talk about my favorite thriller guide to the capitol city.) Tell me your finds in mystery writers who love locale.

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Time to ask that basic question again–what kind of books contribute the most to the traveler’s experience? This thoughtful review of a book of Travel Literature from South Africa finds a slight twist on our assumption that the best connection with place can be made through fiction. Perceptive Travel, the web magazine where the article appears provides consistently interesting articles on travel.

Medieval Guide Book

If you happen to be dropping in to Cardiff Wales between now and January 2010, you can see a travel book written in the 12th century. I found this link to a story on BBC courtesy of Women of History. I find it fascinating that people were setting out for unknown parts and taking notes to pass on to others in Medieval times. We are so much more fortunate in that it is so much easier to travel. (No jokes about airline service, please. You don’t have to carry your bed on a mule.)

Yet Another Best Travel Books List

I have talked about some of these, will talk about some in the future. Some solid choices here. What do you think? Courtesy of Hopscotch the Globe.

Don George’s Recommendations

National Geographic Traveler on line runs Don George’s picks for new books that will inspire travel. When I said these picks  run infrequently, Don complained in an e-mail that they are every two months , (Don just wrote to correct me again–it’s every month)month which does sound infrequent to a 5-day-a-week blogger. So this is his September list, (And here is October) meaning we are about due for a new Don George list. I’ll let you know when it arrives. {Actually I just do this so Don will have to write to me. Love to get notes from him}

Follow That Book

I recently stumbled across a site that recommends great places to visit that are related to literature. Although we have a different mission, we agreed that we are sister-sites. Come here to get suggestions on what to read. Go there to, well, GO there. The co-authors of the site also co-authored a book by the same name, Novel Destinations.

Tomorrow: An Interview with Simon Cox, the author of Decoding The Lost Symbol. He tells us WHY he spends his life doing research. And later this week, Thomas Jefferson tours Europe; a young man finds Surviving Paradise not as easy as he thought; and Friday in France brings a recent historical novel.

You do not want to miss any of these, do you? I thought not. Subscribe to A Travelers’ Library by Email by clicking the word “subscribe.”

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South Africa Barbershop

Destination: South Africa

Book: Khayelitsha – uMlungu in a Township by Steven Otter

A Guest post by David Lee, Go Backpacking

(While the book David recommends is definitely not a travel book, it will add deeper understanding to your travels in South Africa as Steve Otter experiences the township life as few tourists ever will.)

In October 2008, my South African friend picked me up at the international airport outside of Cape Town, and drove me under cover of dark toward a popular downtown hostel.  As we sped down the highway leading from the airport to the city, he relayed an anecdote about how his car once broke down along a section sandwiched between two sides of a township we were passing through.  He didn’t wait around for help, he said, because it was too dangerous (for a white guy) to be alone in that area at night.

South Africa Capetown Poverty Area Bedroom

Townships are South Africa’s most poverty-stricken neighborhoods, better known as slums.  Khayelitsha, the biggest township outside Cape Town, is home to almost a million people.  And when journalism student Steven Otter took it upon himself to experience living in a black township as a white young man, he and his friends had real reason to fear for his safety.  Apartheid may have ended, however the disparity between the rich and the poor is still cause for high crime rates.

I bought Khayelitsha – uMlungu in a Township while in Cape Town on account of the cover and a quick glance at a few of the pages.  The cover photo shows the author seated and talking between two of his black friends – the beer bottles on the table an indication that they were in a shebeen (unlicensed bar).  Steven uses the experience of living amongst his country’s poorest people as a way to try and come to terms with his identity as a South African.

I quickly found it to be an engrossing story, offering unique insight into the cultural norms of the predominantly Xhosa community from the perspective of an outsider. While I would opt for a guided tour of the townships during my time in Cape Town, the experience was insulated, giving only superficial impressions of what day-to-day life must be like in those neighborhoods.  Reading Steven’s stories was like having a secret window into the living, breathing Khayelitsha. You come to know the guys he befriends, the women he pursues, and the tsotsis (thieves) he encounters.

Despite the terrible living conditions Steven details during his time in Khayelitsha, there was an enviable bond and sense of community amongst the residents which made life in the rich, well-guarded areas of the Cape look cold and unwelcoming.  His book greatly enriched my experience of traveling throughout South Africa, for every major destination, from the coastal resort towns like Knysna to the sprawling capital of Johannesburg, have townships where millions of people live like they do in Khayelitsha.
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David Lee is an avid traveler who backpacked around the world from 2007 to 2009, visiting 22 countries along the way.  He runs several travel blogs, including GoBackpacking.

I am so grateful to David for writing this guest post about South Africa.  I am almost embarrassed to admit that there are two whole continents I have not touched–Africa and South America. So I always welcome contributions here from people who have experience and good travel reading for those parts of the world.  Thanks, David, for an entertaining and informative post. And, reader,  whether you are a backpacker or not, please take a look at David’s blog for its excellent information.

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