No time or budget for a Mediterranean cruise? Why not try a great mystery that whisks you
away to a faraway vacation spot? Spending time with these books that perfectly
immerse you in their sense of place – the buttery taste of a croissant, the
sound of footsteps crossing St. Mark’s Square as church bells ring, the heady
scent of Istanbul’s spice markets - will be a mini vacation without leaving
home. Pack your bags with one of these exciting reads by writers who have
mastered the art of setting.
In the mood for something more romantic? Try Arturo
Perez-Reverte’s stories of retired soldier Diego Alatriste. Seventeenth century
Spain comes alive in these tales of the adventures of a swordsman for hire in
Madrid during the Inquisition. The first book of the series is Captain Alatriste.
Italy is represented by American expat Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti in Venice, where the romance of the setting presents
shadowy contrasts to murder, crime, and the corruption of the local police.
Leon makes her home in Venice and it shows.
With Egypt, it’s best to slip into the past, when heat
stroke and tomb curses were the biggest problems for a visitor. Spend time with
the irrepressible adventurer and archaeologist Amelia Peabody. The first in the
nineteen book series is The Crocodile on
the Sandbank.
Can the impossibly serene Greek islands harbor a murderer?
Beautiful Mykonos is terrorized by a serial killer in Jeffrey Siger’s Murder in Mykonos, starring hot shot
former Athens police chief Andreas Kaldis.
Do you have a favorite book set in another place or time?
What book did you take on vacation?
