Ten top crime novels in translation

Ann Cleeves's books have been translated into twenty languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 2007. It has been adapted for radio in Germany - and in the UK where it was a Radio Times pick of the day when it was first broadcast Radio adaptations of Raven Black and White Nights have both been repeated, and a television adaptation of Red Bones will be followed by three more two part adaptations of Cleeves's Shetland novels.

Three series of Vera, the ITV adaptation starring Brenda Blethyn and David Leon, have been broadcast in the UK, and sold worldwide. A fourth series is forthcoming.

Cleeves's latest book is a Vera Stanhope novel, Harbour Street.

One of her ten top crime novels in translation, as shared with Guardian readers:

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre (translated by Frank Wynne)

Alex was a sensation last year and joint winner of the CWA International Dagger. Again set mostly in Paris, the book challenges expectations about aggression, gender and the conventions of crime fiction itself. It features Commandant Verhoeven, short, stubborn, and set to become a hero as popular as Adamsberg. This is a book for people who are looking for pace, and aren't upset by graphic violence. The early scenes are gruelling and seem predictable thriller fare until the story twists so dramatically that it leaves the reader breathless.

Learn about the other entries on the list.

Visit Ann Cleeves's website and online diary.

--Marshal Zeringue