Looking to try a new mystery series or catch up on books you have missed? Check out these mystery series to get started!
Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle
In these culinary mysteries, divorced mom Clare Cosi manages a coffee house in New York City’s Greenwich Village for her obnoxious ex-husband and imperious ex-mother-in-law. The plucky sleuth’s engagingly eccentric friends, sexy boyfriend, and the fascinating coffee lore and recipes play a role in vividly capturing the New York experience while keeping the mystery in the background. On What Grounds is the first book in the series. (Audiobook Download) (eBook)
Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny
Though these procedural mysteries feature a police homicide squad based in Montreal, Quebec, they also provide leisurely and thoughtful depictions of Quebec life and often feature the well-drawn, quirky residents of the obscure village of Three Pines. The lead detective, Armand Gamache, has a poet’s soul and brilliant coaching and teaching skills, guiding his team to solve baffling murder cases. Still Life is the first book in the series. (Book) (Audiobook Download) (Hoopla Audiobook)
Dublin Murder Squad novels by Tana French
The moody Dublin Murder Squad novels are one part mystery, one part police procedural, and one part psychological suspense story. Featuring compelling, well-drawn characters and rich detail, these atmospheric yarns are suspenseful and meditative, offering a look at contemporary Ireland that alternates between disturbing and lyrical. In the Woods is the first book in the series. (Audiobook Download) (eBook) (Book)
Aurora Teagarden mysteries by Charlaine Harris
Set in small-town Georgia, where everyone knows one another, these cozy mysteries star the likable, thirty-something Aurora “Roe” Teagarden, a widow who’s a part-time librarian and an amateur detective. Roe is always ladylike, even while juggling a relationship with her mystery-writer boyfriend, Robin Crusoe, and several other potential beaus. The upbeat series features wry humor and vivid secondary characters. Real Murders is the first book in the series. (Audiobook Download) (eBook) (Hoopla ebook)
Flavia De Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley
These charming mysteries set in a post-World War II English village star a precocious, nosy pre-teen whose impoverished, delightfully eccentric family lives in their ancestral mansion. Flavia identifies murderers by using her wits and her knowledge of village life; the bleak concern of her mother’s disappearance when Flavia was a baby slightly darkens her lighthearted first-person narration of convoluted puzzles. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book in the series. (Audiobook Download) (eBook) (Book)
Millenium novels by Stieg Larsson and David Lagercrantz
Brilliant, antisocial computer hacker Lisbeth Salander teams up with journalist Mikael Blomkvist to investigate the dark side of Swedish society. Beginning with an investigation into a 40 year old missing persons case, the pair uncovers grisly secrets with violent and unexpected repercussions occurring in their own lives. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first book in the series. (eBook) (Book) (Large Print) (Audiobook CD)
Ruth Galloway mysteries by Elly Griffiths
The first book in the series follows Ruth Galloway, a university lecturer in forensic archaeology. When a child’s bones are found near an ancient henge in the wild saltmarshes of Norfolk’s north coast, Ruth is asked to date them by DCI Harry Nelson who thinks they may be the bones of a child called Lucy who has been missing for ten years. The Crossing Places is the first book in the series. (eBook) (Book) (Hoopla eBook)
Detective Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbø
These Nordic noir police procedurals feature a borderline alcoholic who is obsessed with his job, tormented by his personal demons, and a maverick on the job. The suspenseful, multi-textured plots weave Norwegian society’s dark problems with graphic violence and psychological insights into the well-rounded characters. Because Harry Hole changes over time, these compelling books should be read in order. The Bat is the first book in the series. (eBook) (Book)
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
Boldly going where no woman has gone before, Precious Ramotswe is the very first female private detective in all of Botswana. Tactful, effective, and insightful detecting comes naturally to this very independent woman in this highly entertaining humorous cozy mystery series. No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is the first book in the series. (Book) (Large Print) (Audiobook CD)
Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro novels by Dennis Lehane
Narrated with dark humor by Patrick Kenzie, this fast-paced hardboiled detective series is as gritty as Patrick and his partner, Angela Gennaro. From their belfry office in Boston, they face violence both at work and in their personal lives, and occasionally rely on their unusual friends for muscle. Patrick’s wisecracks and his developing relationship with Angela lighten the mood. A Drink Before the War is the first book in the series. (Audiobook Download) (eBook)