Mystery novels are one of the most popular categories of fiction around the world. They offer ways to understand other societies on a range of social and cultural issues. But also they help us understand our own--often unconscious--cultural ideas and assumptions. The novels in this course reflect countries and societies outside North America and Great Britain. This is not a lecture course. Instead, it will consist of mini-presentations by the instructor to prompt thinking about relevant issues, followed by wide-ranging discussions of issues identified in the novels. The focus will be on three contemporary novels: Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon (Italy) in class 1; followed by Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint (Malaysia and Singapore), and then Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker (France). All are available in the local public library, in print (new and used), and in digital format. Those who cannot finish a novel will be able to participate fully in the group discussions. Those who have taken previous iterations of the course will find fresh content both in the chosen novels and in the mini-presentations.
