According to Type

I hesitate to get into national stereotypes, but it's hard not to after you watch enough International Mystery series. The Nordic ones are by far the bloodiest. They usually feature rape, child kidnapping, sexual abuse, religious fanaticism or various violent crimes against women involving all of the above. There is often some psychological component to the criminal's make-up that explains his gruesome behavior. The plots tend to revolve around societal problems or else are based on passion and revenge. I don't know about those Norsemen. Too many long alcoholic winters, I guess, combined with their Viking heritage.

The British are into cleverness, charm and eccentricity. They've got two types of mysteries going: the quaint village murder or big city crime. In the quaint village programs, you never see anyone who isn't white. The characters bicycle around town, sing in church choirs or potter about in their gardens. The bad guys invariably turn out to be members of the upper class: ruthless aristocratic bitches with family secrets or weak-willed nobility involved in mercenary real estate deals that will ruin the rustic scene. In the big city crime stories urban grime, immigrants, political scandals and the corrupt police force abound. (Not so different from what's happening in London now, apparently).

The Germans solve their murders in teams. The plots are often about immigration problems (actually, this is a recurring plot line in all European countries) or else they're about about Neo-Nazi groups: secret societies, duelling scars, and Swaztikas. The stories are dark, but they're not as dark as the Swedish ones and there's some humor in them.

I have to judge the French by Maigret because that's the only French series I've seen, but it runs true to form in that it's a vintage brand with Maigret as the most famous detective of them all, excepting Sherlock Holmes. Set in the past, the stories are straightforward police procedurals: setting, suspects, clues and alibis all methodically in place. The characters are studies in "types"; the themes are usually adultery or greed.

Italian mysteries are more light-hearted except for the ones written by Brits or Americans about Italians, which tend to be moralistic. But the Italians themselves produce amusing, fast-paced mysteries centered on love, romance and flirtation. Since Family reigns supreme in Italy (either as a sacred institution or in its opposite form as the satanic Mafia), there is usually some sentimental reference to motherhood in the story or a scene of a happy family gathering.