20 Best Detective Series To Read

We’re big fans of Detective books here at Quizlit, from the Classics like Sherlock and Poirot, to Hard Boiled P.I’s like Philip Marlowe all the way through to modern-day standout’s like Inspector Rebus. We’ve got them all covered with our reading list of the 20 Best Detective Series to Read.

20 Best Detective Series to Read

Lew Archer by Ross Macdonald

Ross Macdonald was the main pseudonym used by the American-Canadian writer of crime fiction Kenneth Millar He is best known for his series of hardboiled novels set in Southern California and featuring private detective Lew Archer. Since the 1970s, Macdonald’s works (particularly the Archer novels) have received attention in academic circles for their psychological depth, sense of place, use of language, sophisticated imagery and integration of philosophy into genre fiction.

Best Lew Archer Books

best detective series to read Ross Mcdonald the drowning pool — Click on the image to get a copy

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the ivory grin by ross mcdonald — Click on the image to get a copy

Inspector Chen Cao by Qiu Xiaolong

Set in the turbulent era of early 1990s China, award-winning author Qiu Xiaolong’s Inspector Chen Cao novels follow a Shanghai Police Department detective as he treads carefully through sensitive cases to uncover corruption and bring murderers to justice.

Qiu Xiaolong’s attention to culture, politics, loyalty, poetry, justice, love, art more generally, law and order and the sacred and intimate relationship between the Chinese people and their food, all blend to form an intellectually stimulating, beautiful, and surprisingly entertaining Detective Fiction Series.

Best Inspector Chen Cao Books

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Inspector Chen and the private kitchen murder by qiu xiaolong — Click on the image to get a copy

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Hold your breath, china by qiu xiaolong — Click on the image to get a copy

IQ by Joe Ide

A resident of one of LA’s toughest neighborhoods uses his blistering intellect to solve the crimes the LAPD ignores.

East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the neighborhood’s high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, lost children unrecovered. But someone from the neighborhood has taken it upon himself to help solve the cases the police can’t or won’t touch.

They call him IQ. He’s a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his clients whatever they can afford, which might be a set of tires or a homemade casserole. To get by, he’s forced to take on clients who can pay.

Best IQ Books

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iq by joe ide — Click on the image to get a copy

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fixit by joe ide — Click on the image to get a copy

Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie

From the Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie, her most famous creation and long running character Hercule Poirot. Short, somewhat vain, with brilliantined hair and a waxed moustache, the aging bachelor Poirot enjoys his creature comforts. Relying on his “little grey cells” to solve crimes, Poirot is notably meticulous in his personal habits and his professional methodology. He appeared in 33 novels and 75 short stories.

Best Hercule Poirot Books

the murder of roger ackroyd by agatha christie, hercule poirot best books — Click on the image to get a copy

murder in mesopotamia by agatha christie, the queen of mystery — Click on the image to get a copy

Easy Rawlins by Walter Mosley

One of the most celebrated crime fiction authors in modern-day, Walter Mosley is known for his gritty and realistic fiction that spans from mystery suspense to police procedurals and hardboiled crime. Known for his stealthy protagonists and nail-biting plotlines, Mosley is a must-read for lovers of the crime fiction genre. His most popular series that follows private detective Easy Rawlins in a dusky California backdrop with colorful characters, criminals of all kinds and stakes that get higher by the book.

Best Easy Rawlins Books

black betty walter mosley — Click on the image to get a copy

a little yellow dog by walter mosley, best easy rawlins novels — Click on the image to get a copy

Department Q by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Department Q is a series of crime thriller novels by Danish novelist Jussi Adler-Olsen. The series follows Carl Morck, one of the best homicide detectives in Copenhagen who has been promoted to the cold case department.

Far from being just another morose Nordic crime writer, Adler-Olsen creates a detective whose curiosity is as active as his soul is tortured. Adler-Olsen’s prose is superior to Larsson’s, his tortures are less discomfiting, and he has a sense of humor.

Best Department Q Books

the keeper of lost causes jussi adler-olsen — Click on the image to get a copy

the purity of vengeance jussi adler-olsen — Click on the image to get a copy

Matthew Scudder by Lawrence Block

One of the main constants in Lawrence Block’s writing career has been Matthew Scudder. Scudder, who first appeared in 1976’s Sins of the Father, is one of Block’s, and the crime genre’s, most enduring creations. A former New York City cop who’s faced a lifelong battle with alcoholism, Scudder has appeared in 17 novels.

Best Matthew Scudder Books

when the sacred ginmill cloese lawrence block — Click on the image to get a copy

a dance at the slaughterhouse lawrence block — Click on the image to get a copy

Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French

Tana French’s New York Times bestselling and award-winning Dublin Mystery series immerses readers in the lives and cases of the Dublin Murder Squad detectives.

Set in the heart of Dublin is the Murder Squad; an elite unit working within the police-force to solve the cities most toughest crimes. Dark and moody, Tana French has created a gritty world filled with realistic stakes and consequences.

Best Dublin Murder Squad Books

faithful place by tana french — Click on the image to get a copy

tana french broken harbor — Click on the image to get a copy

Hoke Moseley by Charles Willeford

Hoke Moseley is the star of the modern South Florida crime novel, birthed by Charles Willeford Through Moseley we are witness to a Miami in transition, from lush retirement haven to capital of 1980s glamour, drugs and weird crime. Willeford’s four Miami novels present a hero rather the worse for wear. Hoke sucks at life; in his mid-forties, with false teeth and an aching body, a bad divorce has left him with the cheap work and the care of two teenage daughters. His offbeat humour, brilliant writing and quirky sense of fashion have assured Charles Willeford a permanent place alongside the greats of modern crime fiction.

Best Hoke Moseley Books

sideswipe charles willeford — Click on the image to get a copy

new hope for the dead charles willeford — Click on the image to get a copy

Inspector Rebus by Ian Rankin

John Rebus once served in Britain’s elite SAS. Now he’s an Edinburgh cop who hides from his memories and misses promotions. To solve brutal murders, he enters the grittiest sides of Edinburgh, the dark heart of contemporary Scotland which lurks behind the elegant and historic buildings. Hard-boiled Inspector Rebus has been described as “the most compelling mind in modern crime fiction” (Independent) and “a masterful creation” (Observer), and this mystery series is sure to thrill.

Best Inspector Rebus Books

let it bleed ian rankin — Click on the image to get a copy

the falls ian rankin — Click on the image to get a copy

Harlem Cycle by Chester Himes

Chester Himes began writing in the early 1930s while serving a prison sentence for armed robbery. From there, he produced short stories for periodicals such as Esquire and Abbott’s Monthly.

In 1953, Himes emigrated to France, where he was approached by Marcel Duhamel of Gallimard to write a detective series for Série Noire, which had published works from the likes of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson. Himes would be the first black author included in the series. The resulting Harlem Cycle gained him celebrity when he won France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Policière for La Reine des Pommes (now known in English as A Rage in Harlem) in 1958. Later, Himes moved to Spain where he made his home until his death.

Best Harlem Cycle Books

all shot up chester himes — Click on the image to get a copy

the crazy kill chester himes — Click on the image to get a copy

Jack Parlabane by Christopher Brookmyre

Jack Parlabane is the protagonist in a series of Tartan Noir crime fiction novels by Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre. Parlabane is an investigative journalist.

Brookmyre’s signature protagonist, the hard-partying, wisecracking investigative journalist Jack Parlabane, who is not afraid to bend the laws of the land (or even the laws of gravity) to get to the truth. Laced with acerbic wit and crackling dialogue, this series is hugely entertaining and thrilling.

Best Jack Parlabane Books

Be My Enemy by Christopher Brookmyre — Click on the image to get a copy

attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks christopher brookmyre — Click on the image to get a copy

Inspector Maigret by George Simenon

Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. He is best known as the author of the Maigret novels and his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

Jules Maigret or Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional French police detective, actually a commissaire of the Paris “Brigade Criminelle” (Direction Régionale de Police Judiciaire de Paris).

Best Inspector Maigret Books

maigret in vicky george simenon — Click on the image to get a copy

The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien georges simenon — Click on the image to get a copy

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes, fictional character created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The prototype for the modern mastermind detective, Holmes first appeared in Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual of 1887. As the world’s first and only “consulting detective,” he pursued criminals throughout Victorian and Edwardian London, the south of England, and continental Europe.

Best Sherlock Holmes Books

Sherlock holmes and the hound of the baskervilles arthur conan doyle — Click on the image to get a copy

the return of sherlock holmes arthur conan doyle — Click on the image to get a copy

Commissario Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon

Guido Brunetti, Commissario of Police in Venice, Italy, is the star of Donna Leon’s hugely successful Commissario Brunetti mystery series.

Since his debut over thirty years ago in Death At La Fenice, Brunetti has investigated a new crime in Venice each year, from corruption to mafia, real estate to trade art, collecting millions of fans around the world in that time.

Best Guido Brunetti Books

beastly things donna leon — Click on the image to get a copy

unto us a son is given donna leon — Click on the image to get a copy

Tony Hill and Carol Jordan by Val McDermid

The ‘Tony Hill and Carol Jordan’ series is a series of suspense, mystery and thriller novels written by the famous Scottish author Val McDermid. Tony Hill is a psychologist by profession whereas Carol Jordan is a police officer who helps Tony Hill to catch the criminals and killers and put them behind the bars. Val McDermid is one of the few crime authors who can be convincing when it comes to writing tough, yet retain a powerful emotional insight.

Best Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Books

fever of the bone val mcdermid — Click on the image to get a copy

the torment of others val mcdermid — Click on the image to get a copy

Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler

Stalking the tawdry neon wilderness of Los Angeles, Raymond Chandler’s hard-drinking, wise-cracking Philip Marlowe is one of the world’s most famous fictional detectives. Chandler offered something original and exciting. Philip Marlowe was a new kind of detective, poised and articulate, but there was also a quality to these novels rarely seen before in crime fiction.

Best Philip Marlowe Books

the lady in the lake raymond chandler — Click on the image to get a copy

farewell my lovely raymond chandler — Click on the image to get a copy

Jack Caffrey by Mo Hayder

Mo Hayder’s Jack Caffery series is not for the faint-hearted. Detective Inspector Jack Caffery is with the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol (UK). He specialises in the most gruesome, twisted and terrifying crimes. Against the clock to find the killer before the next murder is committed, Caffery is young, unshockable and driven.

Best Jack Caffrey Books

gone mo hayder, best jack caffrey novels — Click on image to get a copy

wolf by mo hayder — Click on image to get a copy

Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters

The Cadfael Chronicles is a series of historical murder mysteries written by the Edith Pargeter under the name “Ellis Peters”. Set in the 12th century in England during the Anarchy, the novels focus on a Welsh Benedictine monk, Cadfael, who aids the law by investigating and solving murders.

In all, Pargeter wrote twenty Cadfael novels between 1977 and 1994, plus one book of short stories. Each draws on the storyline, characters and developments of the previous books in the series. Pargeter planned the 20th novel, Brother Cadfael’s Penance, as the final book of the series, and it brings together the loose story ends into a tidy conclusion. Pargeter herself died shortly after its publication, following a long illness.

Best Brother Cadfael Books

The Leper of Saint Giles ellis peters — Click on an image to get a copy

brother cadfael's penance ellis peters — Click on an image to get a copy

Perveen Mistry by Sujata Massey

Bombay, 1921: Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father’s law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women’s rights.

Inspired in part by the woman who made history as India’s first female attorney, the Perveen Mistry series are richly wrought stories of multicultural 1920s Bombay.