Recommendations based on March Violetsby Philip Kerr

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Man Who Smiled

    by Henning Mankell
    A story of revenge and redemption, as a Swedish detective unravels a mystery spanning three generations.

    The Man Who Smiled begins with Inspector Kurt Wallander deep in a personal and professional crisis after killing a man in the line of duty; eventually, he vows to quit the Ystad police force for ... (Goodreads)

  2. Any Human Heart

    by William Boyd
    A man's life journey, chronicling his loves, losses, and adventures.

    Logan Gonzago Mountstuart, writer, was born in 1906, and died of a heart attack on October 5, 1991, aged 85. William Boyd's novel Any Human Heart is his disjointed autobiography, a massive tome ... (Goodreads)

  3. Every Dead Thing

    by John Connolly
    Private detective's quest for justice and revenge following the murder of his family.

    Tortured and brilliant private detective Charlie Parker stars in this thriller by, New York Times, bestselling author John Connolly. Former NYPD detective Charlie "Bird" Parker is on the verge of ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Terra-Cotta Dog

    by Andrea Camilleri
    Detective story set in Sicily of a missing person and a mysterious terra-cotta dog.

    The story starts off with "Tano Il Greco", a tired mafia boss , making a deal with Montalbano to stage his arrest in order for him to save face. The arrest causes Montalbano to have to appear at a ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Slow Horses

    by Mick Herron
    A group of disgraced MI5 spies are tasked with solving a murder case, uncovering secrets in the process.

    The first book in CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning British espionage series starring a team of MI5 agents united by one common bond: They've screwed up royally and will do anything to redeem themselves. ... (Goodreads)

  6. A Criminal Defense

    by William L. Myers Jr.
    A high-profile murder case puts a successful lawyer's career and personal life on the line. Twists and turns abound in this legal thriller.

    Losing the trial of his life could mean losing everything., When a young reporter is found dead and a prominent Philadelphia businessman is accused of her murder, Mick McFarland finds himself ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The Elementary Particles

    by Michel Houellebecq
    Story of two half-brothers, exploring the depths of humanity and the emptiness of modern life.

    Despite the essentially elaborate scope of the plot revealed in the novel's conclusion, the narrative focuses almost exclusively on the bleak and unrewarding day-to-day lives of the protagonists, two ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The Naming of the Dead

    by Ian Rankin
    A detective investigates a serial killer during the G8 summit in Edinburgh, Scotland.

    An underlying thread throughout the book is that of familial relationships; the book opens with Detective Inspector John Rebus attending the funeral of his brother Michael, who has died suddenly from ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Prince of Fire

    by Daniel Silva
    Gabriel Allon, an Israeli spy, investigates a terrorist attack in Rome and uncovers a conspiracy to ignite a war in the Middle East.

    After terrorists bomb the Israeli embassy in Rome , agents at Israel ’s intelligence service —better known as the Office— struggle to determine a precise motive for the attack. The investigation ... (Wikipedia)

  10. I Am Pilgrim

    by Terry Hayes
    A former operative is called back into action to track down a terrorist plotting a global attack.

    A breakneck race against time...and an implacable enemy. An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A father publicly beheaded in the ... (Goodreads)

  11. City of Thieves

    by David Benioff
    Two young men embark on a perilous mission in the besieged Leningrad of WWII.

    The story is introduced as the recollections of the narrator's grandfather Lev Beniov, a contemporary Russian Jewish émigré. It is set in the first week of 1942, with the 17-years-old Lev trying to ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Black Widow

    by Daniel Silva
    A thriller following an intelligence agent's pursuit of a dangerous assassin.

    Gabriel Allon is expected to become the chief of Israel’s secret intelligence service . However, on the eve of his promotion, ISIS has detonated a massive bomb in the Marais district of Paris. He had ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The English Assassin

    by Daniel Silva
    An art restorer is tasked with investigating a murder related to a long-lost masterpiece.

    Art restorer, Gabriel Allon, who also works part-time for 'The Office', a semi-official Israeli intelligence agency, accepts an assignment from an anonymous Zurich banker. Arriving at his villa , he ... (Wikipedia)

  14. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

    by Dominic Smith
    A centuries-old mystery unfolds, as a woman's painting is tracked through its various owners.

    This is what we long for: the profound pleasure of being swept into vivid new worlds, worlds peopled by characters so intriguing and real that we can't shake them, even long after the reading's done. ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Big Sleep

    by Raymond Chandler
    Private eye investigates a complex case involving a wealthy family and blackmail.

    Private investigator Philip Marlowe is called to the home of the wealthy and elderly General Sternwood, in the month of October. He wants Marlowe to deal with an attempt by a bookseller named Arthur ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Flanders Panel

    by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
    A painting restoration expert discovers a hidden message in a 15th-century Flemish painting, leading to a thrilling investigation of a murder mystery.

    Julia, an art restorer and evaluator living in Madrid , discovers a painted-over message on a 1471 Flemish masterpiece called La partida de ajedrez ( The Chess Game ) which reads "Quis Necavit ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Moriarty

    by Anthony Horowitz
    A gripping tale of murder, mystery and manipulation set in the world of Sherlock Holmes.

    Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz's nail-biting new novel plunges us back into the dark and complex world of Detective Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty—dubbed "the ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Shape of Water

    by Andrea Camilleri
    A Sicilian detective investigates a mysterious murder, revealing secrets of the past.

    The Shape of Water, is the first in Andrea Camilleri's wry, brilliantly compelling Sicilian crime series, featuring Inspector Montalbano. The goats of Vigàta once grazed on the trash-strewn site ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Corrections

    by Jonathan Franzen
    A family drama exploring the complexities of relationships, aging and life’s choices.

    The novel shifts back and forth through the late 20th century, intermittently following spouses Alfred and Enid Lambert as they raise their children Gary, Chip, and Denise in the traditional ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Fall of Giants

    by Ken Follett
    Epic historical fiction recounting the tumultuous events of World War I and its aftermath.

    The novel begins with the thirteen-year-old Billy Williams, nicknamed 'Billy With Jesus', going to work his first day in the coal mine underneath the fictional Welsh town of Aberowen in 1911. Three ... (Wikipedia)

  21. A Man in Full

    by Tom Wolfe
    A portrait of Atlanta's elite and the racial and economic divides that plague society.

    The setting is Atlanta, Georgia — a racially mixed, late-century boomtown full of fresh wealth and wily politicians. The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Man in the High Castle

    by Philip K. Dick
    Set in an alternate 1962, a man must confront a dark and oppressive new world order.

    It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco, the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some twenty ... (Goodreads)

  23. The 39 Steps

    by John Buchan
    An ordinary man is framed for murder and must go on the run from the police to clear his name.

    In May of 1914, war looms in Europe. Richard Hannay returns home to London after living in Rhodesia . One night his neighbour, an American who claims to be in fear for his life, visits Hannay. The ... (Wikipedia)

  24. All the Pretty Horses

    by Cormac McCarthy
    A young man's journey of adventure and self-discovery, as he travels from Texas to Mexico.

    The novel tells of John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old who grew up on his grandfather's ranch in San Angelo , Texas . The boy was raised for a significant part of his youth, perhaps 15 of his 16 years, by ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Strange Weather

    by Joe Hill
    Four interconnected stories that explore the chaos of the natural world.

    A collection of four chilling novels, ingeniously wrought gems of terror from the brilliantly imaginative, Joe Hill Snapshot is the disturbing story of a Silicon Valley adolescent who finds himself ... (Goodreads)

  26. Hyperion

    by Dan Simmons
    Epic science-fiction story of a journey to the distant planet Hyperion.

    In the 29th century, the Hegemony of Man comprises hundreds of planets connected by farcaster portals. The Hegemony maintains an uneasy alliance with the TechnoCore , a civilisation of AIs . Modified ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Five Little Pigs

    by Agatha Christie
    A detective investigates a 15-year-old unsolved murder case, uncovering secrets and lies.

    Sixteen years after Caroline Crale is convicted for the murder of her husband Amyas, her daughter Carla Lemarchant approaches Hercule Poirot. In the meeting, Carla claims her mother was innocent, and ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Platform

    by Michel Houellebecq
    Satirical exploration of the modern world and its discontents.

    The story is the first-person narrative of a fictional character named Michel Renault, a Parisian civil servant who, after the death of his father and thanks to a hefty inheritance, engages in sexual ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Neuromancer

    by William Gibson
    A hacker's journey through a dystopian cyberpunk world, searching for a way to survive.

    Henry Dorsett Case is a low-level hustler in the dystopian underworld of Chiba City , Japan. Once a talented computer hacker , Case was caught stealing from his employer. As punishment for his theft, ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Nemesis

    by Jo Nesbø
    A detective attempts to uncover the truth behind a series of child murders and the mysterious figure behind them.

    Detective Harry Hole must use his maverick methods once again as he investigates a slew of brutal bank robberies and the suspicious suicide of a female artist in this clever and harrowing installment ... (Goodreads)