Let’s travel!
Our collective claustrophobia is mounting. Mystery series offer a great escape. To complete your getaway, match a mystery series with an online museum tour with Google’s Arts and Culture project.
Get going with these suggestions:
São Paulo, Brazil
Series: Chief Inspector Mario Silva series by Leighton Gage
With a stubborn and brooding demeanor, Chief Inspector Mario Silva of Brazil’s federal police has been described by Booklist as “South America’s Kurt Wallander.” BLOOD OF THE WICKED sets up Silva as a good cop with a rag-tag but loyal band of underlings caught in Brazil’s pervasive corruption. Expect high quality writing and an insider’s view of a
fascinating culture.
Books on Amazon: >>> BLOOD OF THE WICKED https://geni.us/blood-wic
Museum: Explore the contemporary Museu de Arte de Sa͂o Paulo >>> https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/masp
Paris, France
Series: Aimée Leduc murder mysteries by Cara Black
Leduc is a private detective in Paris juggling single motherhood, disappearing lovers, and a shadowy organization called The Hand. Her late father was a Paris cop killed by the group, while her super-spy American mother pops in and out of Aimée’s life. MURDER IN THE MARAIS begins the series, which showcases French fashion and
culture.
Books on Amazon >>> MURDER IN THE MARAIS https://geni.us/marai
Museum: Explore the Musée d’Orsay in Paris >>> https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris
Moscow, Russia
Series: Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith
Arkady Renko is an ageless Moscow cop who has survived the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of a Mafia-riddled Russia. The series is dense and absorbing, with rich descriptions of Russia, the Russian character, and decrepit Lada cars. The first is the scene-setting but slow moving GORKY PARK, but second book, POLAR STAR, is a tour de
force--all the action takes place on a rust bucket of a Soviet fishing vessel. WOLVES EAT DOGS, set in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, is hauntingly memorable. Skip the last two books.
Books on Amazon: >>> POLAR STAR https://geni.us/pola
Museum: The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow >>> https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-state-tretyakov-gallery
Besides these, the Google Arts and Culture website has links to digital tours from scores more such as the British Museum, Mexico’s Anthropology Museum, and Greece’s Acropolis Museum. WARNING: Highly addictive! https://artsandculture.google.com/partner