Monday, January 2, 2012

Around the world in 365 days

Below are all my 2011 reviews organized by the country in which they were set (not by the nationality of the author). I managed to get a decent international spread, visiting 22 countries. The list is still dominated, however, by the US (29 books), although I managed 12 books set in Ireland, reading 17 books in total by Irish authors. Oddly, I only read one set in Australia, having read a number set there last year. Here's the split.

29: United States
12: Ireland
9: England
5: Russia
3: Greece, South Africa, Sweden
2: Iceland, France, Denmark, Wales, Scotland, Canada, Italy
1: Australia, Ukraine, Argentina, Thailand, Laos, Netherlands, Austria, Hungary
4: Fictional
2: Multiple countries
11: non-fiction

United States
The Killer is Dying by James Sallis ***
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin *****
LA Requiem by Robert Crais ****
Greenwich Killing Time by Kinky Friedman ****
Open Season by CJ Box ***.5
Every Shallow Cut by Tom Piccirilli ***
The Cleanup by Sean Doolittle ***.5
White Sky, Black Ice by Nathan Jones ****.5
Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott ****.5
Pariah by Dave Zeltserman ****
Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski ****
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly **.5
The Deputy by Victor Gischler *****
Plugged by Eoin Colfer ****
The Saints of New York by RJ Ellory ***.5
Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel ****
Agent X by Noah Boyd **
Devil Red by Joe Lansdale ****.5
Slow Burn by G.M. Ford ***
30 For a Harry by Richard Hoyt ***.5
The Rainy City by Earl Emerson ***.5
Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston *****
Secret Dead Men by Duane Swierczynski *****
Miami Blues by Charles Willeford ***
The Ice Harvest Scott Phillips ****
Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein ****
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson ****.5
Gun Monkeys by Victor Gischler ***
Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill ****.5

Ireland
Bloodland by Alan Glynn ****
Winterland by Alan Glynn *****
City of Bohane by Kevin Barry **.5
Absolute Zero Cool by Declan Burke *****
The Dramatist by Ken Bruen ****.5
Headbanger by Hugo Hamilton ***
The Rage by Gene Kerrigan *****
A Stone of the Heart by John Brady ****.5
Falling Glass by Adrian McKinty ***.5
Peeler by Kevin McCarthy ****
Orchid Blue by Eoin McNamee ***
Taken by Niamh O'Connor ***

England
Call for the Dead by John Le Carre ****
Death Toll by Jim Kelly ***.5
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths ****
1974 by David Peace ****.5
Stratton's War by Laura Wilson ***
The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham ***
He Died With His Eyes Open by Derek Raymond ****
Dirty Old Town by Nigel Bird ****
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson ***.5

Russia
The Cleansing Flames by R.N. Morris ***
The Red Coffin by Sam Eastland **.5
The Bloody Meadow by William Ryan ***.5
The Holy Thief by William Ryan *****
People Who Walk in Darkness by Stuart Kaminsky **.5

South Africa
Mixed Blood by Roger Smith *****
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes ***.5
A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn ****.5

Sweden
The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson ****
The Quarry by Johan Theorin ***.5
Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser ***

Greece
Ashes by Sergios Gakas ****.5
The Whispers of Nemesis by Anne Zouroudi ***
Crime Always Pays by Declan Burke ****.5

Scotland
The Hanging Shed by Gordon Ferris ****
Garnethill by Denise Mina ***

Wales
The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still by Malcolm Pryce ****
From Aberystwyth With Love by Malcolm Pryce ****

Italy
White Death by Tobias Jones ***.5
The Fatal Touch by Conor Fitzgerald ***.5

Canada
Still Life by Louise Penny ***.5
The Main by Trevanian ****.5

Denmark
Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen ****.5
The Serbian Dane by Leif Davidsen ***

Iceland
Outrage by Arnaldur Indridson ****
Frozen Out by Quentin Bates **.5

France
The Somme Stations by Andrew Martin ***.5
Black Diamond by Martin Walker **.5

Netherlands
The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan ****

Australia
The Brush Off by Shane Maloney ****.5

Hungary
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjowall and Pers Wahloo ****

Argentina
Sweet Money by Ernesto Mallo *****

Ukraine
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov ***

Austria
The Vienna Assignment by Olen Steinhauer ****

Thailand
The Big Mango by Jake Needham***.5

Laos
Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill ***

Multiple
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan *****
Field Grey by Philip Kerr *****

Fictional
The City, The City by China Mieville ***.5
One of Our Thursday's is Missing by Jasper Fforde ***.5
The Cutting Crew by Steve Mosby ****
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett ****

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