There are a zillion mystery fans out there and yes, you can just go to the "Mystery" section of your local bookstore and browse and find something perfectly acceptable to most of them. But really, why be that kind of predictable? Anybody can buy the latest Mary HIggins Clark. You should look for something more - something distinctive.

Look for something cool.

First and foremost, get thee to the Soho Crime site and familiarize yourself with the best crime imprint out there. I'm sure there are folks who will disagree (maybe) but Soho Press is so damn good and so unusual and offers titles from all over the globe by authors from all over the globe. These books are rich in the atmosphere and history of the countries in which they are set and always a unique reading experience. Here are a few recent titles I have enjoyed:

The Innocent by Magdalen Nabb - Set in Italy this seems at first to be the case of a dead woman in a pond - possibly an accident, maybe a suicide and yes, maybe murder. Nabb takes her Marshall Guarnaccia through the neighborhood in a search for the woman's identity. What he finds is a life he does not expect, one that touched many people in delightful ways and yet ended in a most unglorious manner. This could have been a small book - it is a small, local, story - but Guarnaccia has deep thoughts about his life and town and the world in which he lives and Nabb allows him to consider all manner of things as he goes about his investigation. The story pulls you in, as all good stories should, and you will end up caring an enormous amount for the victim.

The Aimée Leduc series by Cara Black. If the French government was reading Leduc's books then they would have a much firmer idea of what life is like in the first and second generation immigrant neighborhoods in Paris. Leduc follows crime throughout the city and gets both down and dirty with her fellow citizens, eccentrics, and villains. She is such an engaging P.I. and I haven't read anything like her in American mysteries. Over here I think she would be written as over-the-top or insincere - but in Black's hands and with the Parisian setting she is all things dark and gritty and noir. I love these books and I've learned so much about past and present European politics from them. Really great stuff.

Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher. This is a Hal Challis mystery set on the Australian coast and the homicide inspector is struggling with a relationship that is falling apart, a slight crush on a friend and more than one case that doesn't seem to make any sense. What's really interesting about this book is that although Challis is the central character, Disher brings multiple viewpoints in from several members of the police force. You see who is scared, who is preoccupied and who is wondering if Challis is really doing his best. I liked how well rounded this story was - how no one was perfect although Challis is certainly a thoughtful protagonist. And the mystery is very deep here - there are twists all over the place and more than one suspect for each of the crimes.

The Circle by Peter Lovesey - Okay, it's a mystery surrounding an arson case and a funky little writer's group in a small British town. Please - if you are a writer or reader of any kind then you will love this. The writer's group is too funny - all the eccentrics you can imagine are there, and Lovesey has a lot of fun with it. The mystery is dead serious though (literally) and the twists are great. I wrote about this one in my blog a couple of months ago and got Leila hooked on Lovesey as well. I have a few of his other books and I'm planning a piece at some point early next year on how cool he is.

Also from Soho, look at my recent review of Billy Boyle, a WWII mystery that makes the Norwegian invasion the center stage and gives readers a very engaging and realistic and sympathetic hero. I fell hard for Billy and I think anyone interested in historical mysteries will love this one.

There are also a few other European publishers who do mysteries I've enjoyed - Bitter Lemon is particular is one more folks should know about.

The Mario Conde mysteries by Leonardo Padura. I reviewed Havana Black a couple of months ago and confessed at the time to a long fascination with Cuba. Padura is an excellent commentator on his country's way of life and is brutally honest about all that is good and bad about modern Cuban. Conde is bitter and disillusioned with life as a cop and determined to quit it all and become a writer. He loves Cuba in spite of all that he hates about it and the crime he finds himself embroiled in for Havana Black is uniquely part of his country's history. He also finds himself pondering the actions of Ernest Hemingway in Adios, Hemingway a great mystery about one night in the author's life while he was living at Finca Vigia in 1958. This is perfect for fans of the writer but a very cool mystery as well. Both are highly recommended. (I reviewed Hemingway also. - last year.)

I also recommend The Not Knowing by Cathi Unsworth and published by Serpent's Tail. I requested Unsworth's book after Jenny D. shared some love for it a few months ago. Boy was I ever impressed! This is noir - this is total noir with a nasty ass killer and a plot that puts our heroine in the worst possible situation. It's intense and deadly and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's also a bit about mystery conventions and magazine publishing - great characters and wonderful atmosphere. I really hope Unsworth writes more books in this vein - she has a talent for it and I'd love to see more of her work.

On deck right now, I have Fever from Bitter Lemon and the latest Colin Cotterill Laotian mystery. I'm also looking forward to the latest Jasper Fforde Nursery Crime mystery and Jacqueline Winspear's new Maisie Dobbs adventure. Both are on my Xmas list and oh how I want them!

Finally, check out Clayton Moore's Bookslut column. He does a great job of running down unusual mysteries every month and provides excellent overviews of his picks. Plus he's pretty damn cool himself - so trust the guy on what he says is good!

See how easy it is to get off the beaten path? And once you stray, trust me, you might never want to return to one of latest titles at Costco.......