Rating of the best foreign detective books in 2024

Detective stories open the door for the reader to the world of mysterious murders and disappearances, allowing you to plunge headlong into the process of investigation, and feel like a detective. Also, this genre is able to teach a person vigilance, attentiveness, analytical and logical thinking.

The store shelves are "bursting" from an overabundance of books. The reader is presented with budget options, paperback, and options at a higher price, with hardcover and possibly bright pictures and photographs.

Considering our recommendations, you can choose an interesting foreign detective that will definitely impress you.

Selection criteria: which book is better?

So where to start your search, and how to choose the right one?

First of all, you need to decide on a detective subgenre that will meet your desires:

• for history buffs, a historical detective will be a good choice;
• The “fantastic” subgenre will open to the reader an invented world with an alternative reality;
• the ironic look of the detective will dilute the usual investigation with humor;
• "Political" genre will open the door to a world of political intrigue and conspiracies;
• "Take part" in the life of saboteurs, scouts and spies, the "spy" genre will help;
• psychological detective story will be a godsend for those who like to know the psychological component of a person's personality This lean will be useful to read for those who wish to connect their lives with professions such as a criminologist, psychiatrist and the like.

When choosing a book in a store or on the Internet, you should not immediately pay attention to the beautiful cover and content with a lot of illustrations. After all, the goal is to find a decent book and enjoy reading, not viewing a beautiful picture. Moreover, you can always find your favorite work in different editions.

Carefully study the abstract to the work and, preferably, read a few pages in order to understand if the author's writing style suits you.

It is not always worth focusing on people's reviews, since a difference in preferences can lead to the loss of a decent book.

Rating of high-quality foreign detectives

Gillian Flynn "Gone Girl"

Year of publication in Russian	2014
Interpreter	Vladislav Rusanov
Number of pages	512
Publisher	ABC
Circulation	20000
Book weight	1 kg 600 g
Binding type	solid
How much is	403 rubles
The minimum age of the reader	16 years

The author, Gillian Flynn, is the recipient of many literary awards. Each of the 3 novels she wrote is a bestseller published in 28 countries! Also bought the rights to film adaptation of books.

Content

The detective psychological thriller tells the story of a married couple - Ama and Nick Dunn. After reducing both spouses from work, the couple moved from New York to Missouri, where Nick was born and lived. His sister and mother with cancer also live there.

After the forced move, the relationship in the couple deteriorates markedly: frequent quarrels lead to distance and indifference of Nick to Amy. The situation is aggravated by Nick's secret love relationship with his student.

On a seemingly holiday - the 5th anniversary of his married life, Nick decides to notify his spouse about the decision, about the divorce, but upon arriving home he discovers that Amy has disappeared.

The found entries from Amy's personal diary, traces of her blood, information about her pregnancy and mysterious notes that should help in the search for the disappeared indicate Nick's guilt, which both the police and the public are sure of.

Is Nick really guilty, gloomy and dissatisfied with family life, or, perhaps, the disappearance was staged by a cunning and intelligent, but resentful wife?

An unpredictable plot will reveal many secrets, and the story of the missing wife will sparkle with amazing colors.

Screen adaptation

The novel was filmed in 2014. The director was David Fincher, and the main roles went to Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pak, who did an excellent job of their work, which is proved by the high marks of film critics and viewers. The film received awards for Best Actress and Thriller, and was nominated for numerous awards.

• the book describes in detail the behavior of a person with an unstable psyche;
• there is no positive or negative character. During the reading, each character will open up from a different side, which in turn will cause sympathy and understanding, then disgust and rejection;
• twisted plot with an unpredictable outcome.

• the first part of the book is rather boring and seems protracted, which may lead to the loss of desire for further reading
• a lot of obscene expressions.

Truman Capote "Murder in Cold"

Original publication year	1966
Publication from the Russian publishing house "Azbuka"	2004
Translation from the original	Maria Galperina
Number of pages written	480
Circulation of printed books	5000
Cover type	soft
average price	141 rubles
Book weight	235 g

The writer Truman Capote has created truly worthwhile works that have become classics in literature. The last masterpiece to be published was Murder in Cold Blood, which was filmed in 1967 and 1996. The film received many worthy awards and was added to the National Film Register.
The book with an unusual and interesting mixture of styles is still a huge success with the public. The work is a useful discovery for fans of the rare genre "Reportage novel".

Description

The book introduces readers to real events that took place on November 15, 1959 in Holcomb, Kansas. On this day, there was a completely cold-blooded murder of the Clutter family, consisting of 2 adults and 2 children.

Truman Capote learned about the terrible event the very next day, after reading a note in the newspaper. The incident startled the writer, and he went to Holcomb to conduct his own investigation. His goal was to study the character, behavior and thoughts of the killers in order to understand their motives.

To restore the full picture, the writer visited the crime scene, learned the details of the life of the Clutter family, and also personally talked with the killers - Dick Hickok and Perry Smith.

The first part of the book describes the life of the Clutter family. The reader will meet the head of the family - a kind and caring father and husband Herbert, who made a big fortune working as a farmer, and his wife, Mrs. Bonnie Clutter, who has some mental problems.

The couple have 3 children: 2 daughters and a son. The eldest daughter lives separately from her parents, which is why she was not in her parents' house that terrible day.The youngest Nancy is a wonderful teenager who always brings a smile and gives her parents a lot of pride. And finally, the son of Kenyon, promising in science.

But one day the life of these people ends ...

Deprived of parental attention, love and upbringing, and also accustomed to constant bullying Perry Smith and growing up in poverty, but surrounded by love and support from his parents, Dick Hickok, once hearing information about a rich farmer in prison, decide to enrich himself. The result of the decision is four committed murders and a profit of $ 40.

For an ordinary person who is far from the world of crime, it will be psychologically difficult to get acquainted with the life of a wonderful family, knowing that in the end they will be dead. But in order to compile a complete psychological portrait of the killers and their victims, it was extremely important for the author to provide detailed information collected over a long time.

• non-fictional plot;
• presentation of the real facts of the murder in a pleasantly presented artistic form;
• a detailed psychological portrait of the murderers, which reveals the motives of the crime;
• shows the work of the judicial system "from the inside";
• the book can serve as a kind of educational tool for future criminologists and investigators.

• a detective story-reporting will be extremely difficult for impressionable people to read.

Robert Ludlum "The Bourne Identity"

Publisher and year of issue	Eksmo, 2007
average cost	404 rubles
Number of pages written	512
Series	The Bourne Ultimatum
Translator from the original	O. Kolesnikov and K. Ershov
Binding	solid
Book weight	440 g
Circulation	3,100 books

The detective is the first book in a trilogy about the adventures of Jason Bourne. According to readers, it is the first part that deserves to be in the top - best detective books.

The book was not written by an expert, but Robert Ludlem put a lot of effort into understanding the method and specifics of the work of the special services.

Plot

The readers are presented with an exciting and interesting story that reads in one breath.
The action of the book begins at the seashore, where a wounded man is found. A local doctor treats gunshot wounds. During the examination, the doctor finds a microfilm sewn into the thigh, on which the account number in the Swiss bank Zurich is indicated. And in a dream, a stranger shows a high level of ability in knowing several languages.

The doctor manages to bring the young man into consciousness. But it turns out that the rescued man has lost his memory and knows neither his name and surname, nor his place of residence.

The only thing that the protagonist knows after coming to himself is information from the doctor: about the presence of a bank account and the ability to speak several languages.

The protagonist, using the main lead, which, perhaps, shed light on his life, goes to Zurich.

The content of the cell really lifts the curtain of secrecy. Several passports, including an American passport in the name of Jason Bourne, a decent amount and weapons indicate the hero's dark past.

Who is he, Jason Bourne - a contract killer or, on the contrary, a law enforcement officer?

Screen adaptation

The novel was filmed 2 times: in 1988 and 2002.

• the book is suitable for both adult readers and children;
• the novel is easy and fast to read;
• interesting story.

• not found.

Dan Brown "The Da Vinci Code"

Price	649 rubles
Pages	544
Binding type	solid
Year of issue	2017
Circulation of printed books	5000
Publisher	AST
Text translated	Natalia Rein
Genre	intelligent detective thriller

Renowned author Dan Brown has given the world more than one bestseller.

The Da Vinci Code is one of the top 10 most read books in recent years around the world.

Description

The voluminous book tells the story of Robert Langdon, a professor and historian who studies iconography and the history of religion, who not only helps investigate the unusual murder of the curator of the Louvre, but is himself the prime suspect.

Together with Sophie, the granddaughter of the murdered Jacques Saunière, Robert must unravel the encrypted inscription left on the body. But this is only the first step towards the solution.

This amazing story is full of puzzles and riddles that readers will solve together with the main characters. On the way to a solution, the reader will plunge into the world of science and religion, learn about the world conspiracy and secret societies.

• several parallel storylines;
• dynamic plot;
• many historical facts;
• exciting puzzles, riddles and secrets;
• immersion in the world of religion, science and antiquity.

• some of the historical facts described in the book are incorrect.

Stig Larsson "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Average book price	400 rubles
Edition	2016 year
Cover type	solid
Publisher	Eksmo
Translated from the original	Muradyan Katarina
Pages to read	576
Circulation	4,000 copies
Packaged book weight	550 g

The detective novel has received many honorary awards and 2 film adaptations: 2009 and 2011.

The plot of the book

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist agrees to investigate the case of the missing 16-year-old girl. 40 years ago, in order to avoid a prison sentence of 3 months, the journalist lost the libel case against billionaire Eric Wennerström.

Michael's disappearance investigation leads to Lisbeth Salander. This is an unusual hacker girl with a dragon tattoo, whose character and behavior was influenced by a difficult childhood and rape at 18. Lisbeth shuns people, is closed in herself and has a strange, somewhere, frightening, appearance.

Mikael is the complete opposite of Lisbeth. Actually, the more interesting it is to observe the work of two such different personalities, in whose relationship there is something more than work.

The investigation of the missing Harriet Vanger leads to committed serial murders for 20 years, which may have included Harriet.

The finale of the piece will leave an ambiguous aftertaste that combines many conflicting emotions.

• the author deeply reveals the asocial personality;
• parallel storylines throughout the plot;
• disclosing the topic of bullying and rape;

• not.

Arthur Conan Doyle "The Complete Collection of Short Stories and Novels About Sherlock Holmes"

The cost	663 rubles
Publisher	Eksmo
Year of issue	2018
Pages	1168
Cover type	solid
Printed circulation	11,000 copies
Age limitation	16 +

Popular books about Sherlock Holmes will not leave anyone indifferent - this is a hit among detectives about detectives, which everyone must read.

In order for a child to have a desire to learn to think logically, to analyze what was said and done, it is enough to let him read a book about Sherlock Holmes, with places, even practical advice.

Description

The book contains 2 stories and 56 stories about the extremely intelligent and extraordinary detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion and assistant Dr. Watson.

The ingenious book about Sherlock Holmes shows his incredibly high deductive abilities in investigating strange, seemingly dead-end, and in some places mystical cases.

• the book is able to teach both a child and an adult to notice the little things that can later help in drawing up a complete picture in different life situations;
• stories and stories are read in one breath. This book can be an excellent travel companion.

• not found.

Edgar Allan Poe Murder on Morgue Street

average cost	197 rubles
Publisher and year of issue	Publishing house E, 2017
Number of pages printed	448
Cover	glossy, soft
Circulation	5,000 books
Book weight	290 g
The minimum age of the reader	16 years

This is the first book written since the emergence of the detective genre. It was from her that the best authors who created Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes drew a lot of information to create their masterpieces.

The film tells about the investigation of the mysterious murder of 2 women, committed extremely brutally. Auguste Dupin takes on the investigation with his friend, who silently records all the details of the investigation.

Auguste is not a professional detective, and he did not even think about working in the police. But his amazing ability to notice what others do not see and his unusually high analytical skills make it possible to find out in a short time who committed the murder.

The author does not skimp on the details of the murder, among which you can read about the severed head and hair pulled out with a scalp.

• the book is easy to read;
• the author shows the reader a detailed analysis of the events;
• unexpected ending.

• because of the detailed description of the murder, it is not advisable to read the work for very impressionable natures.

Agatha Christie "Ten Little Indians"

average price	291 rubles
Publisher	Eksmo
Year of issue	2016
Translated text	Ekimova N.
Binding type	solid
Published circulation	4,000 books
Number of pages	288
Book weight	300 g

Agatha Christie's best selling book has been filmed 10 times. This is a classic in the detective genre.

Plot

Alric and Anna Owen invited 10 guests to the Black Island, who, apart from the married couple, see each other for the first time. What is worth paying attention to is that each of the guests in the past was involved or committed murder, but his guilt has not been proven.

At the entrance to the living room offers striking porcelain 10 Little Indians, and in their rooms, they discover a very strange child Counting.

The plot spins from the moment everyone gathers in the living room, where the butler turns on the gramophone, and the published voice tells about the committed atrocities of each of the guests.

The inhabitants of the house took it all for a joke, but it was not. Following the countdown, people began to die one after another. Everyone fears for their lives, but how to find the killer among the killers?

• extraordinary plot;
• unexpected ending.

• not.

Conclusion

Your attention was provided with a review of the best books of detective stories. Based on your preferences, you can easily choose the best option for yourself.

And not to make mistakes when choosing, you will help to familiarize yourself with the plot of the book and read a few pages to make sure that the author's style suits you.