Fine First Novel: "Petropolis" by Anya Ulinich. Russian teenager goes to art school, gives up baby for adoption, lands in Phoenix Arizona as mail-order bride.

Also; Mystery novels from modern China, Xiaolong Qiu's "Case of Two Cities" and "When Red Is Black". A guy I work with who lived in China for a while recommended these; as he pointed out, if you really want the flavor of a country, read its mystery novels.

On a similar note; Passport to Crime, from Ellery Queen magazine. A collection of mystery stories from around the world.