| Title | Description | Author | Category |
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| | | |
| After All These Years | KathleenT: Wildly funny. | Susan Isaacs | Mystery |
| Alan Grant series | Alan Grant, a Scotland Yard detective, is laid up in the hospital and to fight off boredom, he decides to solve the mystery of the Little Princes in the Tower. The Amazon link is for the first book in the series. | Josephine Tey | Mystery(Series) |
| Alex Cross series | Alexandra: The hero is Dr Alex Cross, a psychologist who is also a Police Detective. Just when you think you've figured the plot out, something happens that totally blows your ideas away! I really enjoyed these books and I think that if you enjoy Patricia Cornwell, Jonathan Kellerman or Faye Kellerman you will love these! | James Patterson | Mystery(Series) |
| Alienist, The | Kate: The year is 1896. The city is New York. The hunt is on for a baffling new kind of criminal--a serial killer. Jane Elizabeth: brilliant, if a bit grim. | Caleb Carr | Mystery |
| Amelia Peabody series | This is a wonderful light read with fun heroes and heroines. The denizens of Pemberley should get a real kick out of the humor and the relationship between Amelia and Emerson (combative and passionate yet completely compatible; sound familiar? ). | Elizabeth Peters | Mystery(Series) |
| Angel of Darkness | It was great to have all the old crew back. The new characters brought in this story were wonderful. Loved it as much as The Alienist. | Caleb Carr | Mystery |
| Anna's Book | Kate: The memoirs of a young Danish woman living in London at the turn of the century are published to huge commercial success. Many years later, the woman's granddaughter discovers that one entry has been cut out of the original journals--an entry that may shed light on an unsolved multiple murder. (Asta's Book outside North America) | Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) | Mystery |
| Brat Farrar | Louise H: Intriguing tale of a young man seemingly coming back from the dead years later, and how his family responds. Set in a horse-raising family in England, between the wars. The family members are very likable and the story unusual. | Josephine Tey | Mystery |
| Brother Cadfael series | The BBC adaptations with Derek Jacobi are wonderful, but the books are even better. In addition to being entertaining mystery stories, they are an enjoyable introduction to the society and politics of twelfth century England. | Ellis Peters | Mystery(Series) |
| Caleb Williams | This is an early pursuit novel: a once good and honourable man persecutes his secretary, Caleb, for discovering his guilty secret. Excellent psychological drawing of both Caleb and his tormentor, and a rattling good yarn. In addition, a scathing attack on the legal system which allowed rich people to oppress the poor. | William Godwin | Mystery |
| Catherine LeVendeur series | PeggyS: Placed in 12th-century France, these mysteries feature a young novice and scholar at the Convent of the Paraclete. The author has a wry sense of humor which perhaps shows up in person rather than in her books but that's always a good recommendation for me anyway. | Sharan Newman | Mystery(Series) |
| China Bayles series | A good quick (and humourous!) read, and great for herb lovers, as China owns a herb shop and there is a great deal of useful info throughout the stories. Amazon link is for the first book in the series. | Susan Wittig Albert | Mystery(Series) |
| Cocaine Blues | If you like 1920's mysteries with flapper heroines, try this first book in the Phryne Fisher series written by Kerry Greenwood. The series is set in Australia and is outrageously funny. | Kerry Greenwood | Mystery |
| Compromising Positions | PLEASE don't confuse this book with the positively ghastly movie version. It's not great literature by any means, but it's funny, it's interesting, and her style of writing is great. | Susan Isaacs | Mystery |
| Cut to the Quick | Lindy: These mysteries are set in Regency England, and are wonderfully written. The Amazon link is for the first book in the series. | Kate Ross | Mystery(Series) |
| Daisy Dalrymple series | Dunn is also mentioned with the Regency authors. Her mysteries take place in "The Golden Age" of mysteries and if you like Sayers, Christie and Allingham, you will like the Daisy Dalrymple series. Daisy is a spunky heroine and her counterpart is most attractive. | Carola Dunn | Mystery(Series) |
| Edge of the Crazies, The | KathleenT: These Blue Deer Montana books crackle. | Jamie Harrison | Mystery |
| Eight, The | Great story about chess, Napoleon, Bach, Marat, and Catherine the Great. | Katherine Neville | Mystery |
| Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie | About an Elizabethan lady who is also an herb expert. | Kathy Lynne Emerson | Mystery |
| Going Local | KathleenT: These Blue Deer Montana books crackle. | Jamie Harrison | Mystery |
| Illusion | Elspeth: Volsky "has the remarkable ability to not only scare the living daylights out of me but to make me actually come back to read her again" says Elspeth. She recommends "Illusion" as her best book. | Paula Volsky | Mystery |
| Jane Austen mystery series | Detective novels starring Jane Austen as supersleuth.... for reviews, check out Linda's Sequel's Page | Stephanie Barron | Mystery(Series) |
| Keys to the Street | . | Ruth Rendell | Mystery |
| Kinsey Millhone series | Kate, KathleenT: Yes, they're formulaic, but it's a formula that works. Kinsey Milhone is a young but hardnosed and independent woman trying to make a go of being a private detective in a fictional Californian town. Start at the beginning and you'll get to know and love Kinsey, as well as be intrigued by the mysteries. | Sue Grafton | Mystery(Series) |
| Lord Peter Wimsey series | Laraine, Jessamyn: Sayers's Wimsey series starts with "Whose Body?", but many like reading the four Wimsey/Vane titles (which start with "Strong Poison") on their own. For many Pemberleans, Lord Peter is our Mr. Darcy. "Thrones, Dominations" was written by Jill Paton Walsh based on Sayers' notes. | Dorothy Sayers | Mystery(Series) |
| Magdalena Yoder series | Tori Marie: This author is a bit off the wall, but nonetheless never fails to send me into giggling fits. The Penn Dutch books follow a single Mennonite woman who owns an inn catering to the rich and famous. The Amazon link is for the 11th book in the series. | Tamar Myers | Mystery(Series) |
| Maisie Dobbs series | PeggyS, PamK: Maisie Dobbs is a nurse during WWI, but then becomes a private investigator in London after the war's end. Her sharp mind and perceptive nature serve her well when working on her cases, but also in her private life. The Amazon link is for the first book in the series. | Jacqueline Winspear | Mystery(Series) |
| Nicholas Bracewell series | Lesley: The Amazon link is for the 6th in the series of Nicholas Bracewell Elizabethan mysteries (some of which are out of print). Bracewell is the stage manager for an acting troup named Lord Westfield's Men, who tour the countryside while their playhouse is being rebuilt. | Edward Marston | Mystery(Series) |
| No Night is Too Long | Kate: The Vine novels rely on psychological suspense rather than violence to push them forward. Rendell manages to draw the reader into a world populated entirely by the lonely and disenchanted. Her clear, beautiful prose keeps you there. | Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) | Mystery |
| No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series | TracyY, Anna Elise: In this series set in Botswana, the focus isn't as much on the mysteries as on the characters and their lives. McCall Smith's evocation of the personality and philosophy of the main character, Precious Ramotswe, is enthralling. | Alexander McCall Smith | Mystery(Series) |
| Rebecca | Robbin: A sense of impending doom engulfs the second Mrs. de Winter as they settle into Maxim’s family home and their happiness begins to evaporate. She feels overshadowed by the memory of her flamboyant predecessor Rebecca and ineffectual towards an often remote husband and defenseless against the malevolent housekeeper who is fanatically loyal to her previous mistress. | Daphne DuMaurier | Mystery |
| Richard Jury series | Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury is smoldering and internal, not to mention tall, dark and droolable. Jury gets dragged all over England, and even into America. | Martha Grimes | Mystery(Series) |
| Sister Fidelma series | These are set in seventh century Ireland, and feature Sister Fidelma as the detective, who is also a nun and a lawyer. The Amazon link is for the first book in the series. | Peter Tremayne | Mystery(Series) |
| Sister Frevisse series | Lesley: This series of medieval mysteries features Sister Frevisse, who is related to Chaucer's son (Thomas). | Margaret Frazer | Mystery(Series) |
| Stephanie Plum series | TracyY: Stephanie Plum, lingerie buyer from Trenton, NJ., loses her job and blackmails her bail-bondsman cousin Vinnie into letting her become a bounty hunter. Characters throughout the books range from sexy to funny to some horrible people, but everything is done with such humor you can't put them down. | Janet Evanovich | Mystery(Series) |
| Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers series | Laraine: Edgar-winning author Elizabeth George writes well-plotted mysteries with fascinating characters. While the stories often turn out to be quite grim, it's worth the read for detective fiction fans. Those who enjoy Peter Wimsey (especially the later novels) will probably like Lynley. | Elizabeth George | Mystery(Series) |
| Tory Bauer series | KathleenT: Written by RoPer KathleenT, these mysteries are set in very rural South Dakota. The narrator is Tory Bauer, a middle-aged, overweight, widowed waitress. They're very funny and well-plotted, with great characters. The Amazon link is for the first in the series. | Kathleen Taylor | Mystery(Series) |
| William Monk series | Kate: Anne Perry's mysteries are set in Victorian England, which she brings vividly alive. Her characters are complex and demanding - I find myself wanting to know what happens to Monk, and his friends, as much as the outcome of the mystery. | Anne Perry | Mystery(Series) |
