Around The World: 2025 Translated Mystery & Thrillers To Know

For fans of strangers meeting on a train, a gated manor, stolen identity, and exploring class disparity!

Translated from Korean by S. L. Park, Se-ah Jang’s novel starts with Patricia Highsmith vibes: two strangers meet on a train, changing the course of their lives. Jae-Young is running from her life (including her murdered boyfriend) when she meets a woman with an infant on a train. The encounter results in Jae-Young being left with the child and a note to take him to his paternal family’s estate. Not knowing what else to do, Jae-Young follows the instructions on the note and ends up playing along when the child’s family assumes her to be his mother.

For fans of twisty, Icelandic thrillers, the ‘70s, and missing person cases!

Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb, Eva Bjorg Ægisdóttir’s novel follows Marsi and the missing case of her sister from a decade before. In the late ‘60s, Marsi was set to meet a penpal who she’d been writing to while pretending to be her older sister, Stína. But instead of Marsi meeting him, her sister Stína disappeared from the meeting spot, leaving blood behind. Now, a decade later, there’s still no news on her sister, but Marsi receives a letter from her old pen pal…

For fans of slow-burn, twisty mysteries!

Translated from Dutch by David Colmer, Sacha Bronwasser’s novel follows Marie, who left the Netherlands and her art school, in the late ‘80s to become an au pair in Paris. Twenty-five years later, the past she fled from reappears after the 2015 attacks in Paris.

For fans of murder mysteries, family drama surrounding inheritance, and Groundhog Day (reliving the same day)!

Translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, Yasuhiko Nishizawa’s novel is a murder mystery with a fun twist. Hisataro’s life has what he’s come to call “traps”: without any rhyme or reason, a day will randomly repeat itself seven times. Every one of the seven days will be the same, and no one else can change that, except him. Now his family has been reunited, and they discover that his grandfather keeps changing his will and who inherits the family business. This news happens right before Hisataro’s grandfather is murdered, which coincides with the start of the same day repeating itself.

For fans of fictional serial killers, trilogy thrillers, and secret organizations!

Translated from Spanish by Nicholas Caistor, Juan Gómez-Jurado’s White King is for fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Because this concludes the trilogy, I’ll give you the info on the first book, Red Queen, in case you haven’t already read it: Antonia Scott is the kind of person who can solve murders no one else can, but after a traumatic experience, she’s retired and shut herself away. That is, until a disgraced Bilbao police officer is given a way to save himself via a secret organization, but he’ll have to convince Scott to get back to solving cases and work with her…