if you like murder mysteries, Donna Leon has a series that takes place in Italy. it's not a thriller, sometimes seems slow-going, but it's intriguing, and if you know anything about Italian culture (my dad is Italian) it's often pretty darn funny.
my mother actually used to do these with stainless aluminum strips, and made a quite successful home-run business out of it. they looked a not nicer than these, and her first ever was in the shape of my handprint.