Thrillers in Translation

We all know that "Thrillers" are very popular with our adult readers. But I have also found that many of my most voracious thriller consumers are starting to get a little bored with the same old same old. I have one older lady who reads at least 5 books a month and is int he process of "abandoning" [her words] most of her long time favorite authors because, "it's the same book over and over again."

To help her find something to read that she will enjoy, I have has great luck with international thrillers. After she is done with a stack and we discuss how they were, she is so excited about the story and they new things she learned. She specifically mentions how she enjoyed the different culture, settings, and how the law enforcement is not the same. Basically, she gets all the thrills she loves and is taken away somewhere completely new.

I am sure I am not alone. Thankfully the popularity of books in translation has meant that publishers are not only willing to pay for literary titles to be translated, but also now they are working on genre fiction too. I am the most excited for the thrillers though. We've had a lot of Nordic Noir, but until recently, not a broad representation from all over the world. And crime fiction is popular everywhere, so there are many great books we have not had access to in English, until now that is.

Here are some lists of international thrillers in translation that you can get your hands on right now. I highly suggest you use these links to purchase new titles and make a display. If I have a few patrons who are eagerly looking for new and original thrillers, I am sure all of you have them too.

• Seven Korean Thrillers in Translation via Booklist Reader.
• 12 Heart-Pounding Foreign Thrillers in Translation via Murder & Mayhem
• This list has one of my all time favorite books-- Out by Natsuo Kirino
• Crime Fiction in Translation: Mysteries and Thrillers 2018 via PW
• The site Crime Reads has regular posts on International Crime Novels. You can get a bunch of titles with that link and keep using it for more to come on a regular basis.
• The top translated crime fiction on Goodreads