I am looking for a new fantasy, mystery, or science fiction series that features:
-serial mysteries/adventures
-an adult woman MC/detective (not YA)
-enjoyable world building
-appropriate pacing (momentum, but enough time to appreciate plot development)
-attention to relationships, the other MC/secondary characters that are distinct (feel like real people)
-and character growth over the course of the series (even if it is slow).
I like the FMC to be logical, assertive, imperfect, and somewhat open to growing as a person.
Would love for recs outside of the usual contemporary urban fantasy or paranormal romance. Unique settings are a plus.
Bonus points for audiobooks! These types of books tend to make great listens when the narrator fully commits to the adventure.
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Here are a few series & authors I have already read that match what I am looking for:
The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger — interesting world building and magic in this series.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman — fun, loved the metafictional/storytelling elements.
Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn — especially liked the bits of real history and the MMC.
Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde — enjoyed the alternate history in the first book.
The Chronicles of St. Mary’s by Jodi Taylor — the tone of this series & a few plot points didn’t work for me.
Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs — almost, due to a couple parts/narrative choices not aging well. I cared about the characters, though.
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews — liked the science fantasy set up, the use of world mythologies, and the found family.
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Thank you for reading this long request. I’m looking forward to your recs!
by Lost-Phrase
11 Comments
The Amelia Peabody series, about a Victorian woman who goes to Egypt and solves mysteries while working on archaeological digs, might fit! I’ve only read the first one, but I plan to keep going. It’s called Crocodile on the Sandbank (Elizabeth Peters).
The Rook series by Daniel O’Malley
Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, beginning with *Rosemary and Rue* – half-fae detective/knight errant who keeps getting caught up in supernatural mysteries while having to navigate the complexities of modern fae politics.
When you mentioned “lady detective”, I couldn’t help thinking of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. It’s a cozy mystery series set in Botswana.
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*Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries* by Heather Fawcett – only one book so far but the sequel is out/about to come out soon
The Lady Trent books by Marie Brennan, a series that starts with *A Natural History of Dragons*
For a blend of history and adventure, I’d recommend ‘River God’ by Wilbur Smith. Set in ancient Egypt, it follows the intelligent and cunning Taita, a slave, and his struggle to navigate the dangerous political waters of his time. The book is rich with historical detail and epic storytelling.
You might like the Frieda Klein mysteries series by Nicci French set in contemporary London, starting with Blue Monday.
Blurb: “The stunning first book in a new series of psychological thrillers introducing an unforgettable London psychotherapist.
Frieda Klein is a solitary, incisive psychotherapist who spends her sleepless nights walking along the ancient rivers that have been forced underground in modern London. She believes that the world is a messy, uncontrollable place, but what we can control is what is inside our heads. This attitude is reflected in her own life, which is an austere one of refuge, personal integrity, and order.
The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, Frieda cannot ignore the coincidence: one of her patients has been having dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A red-haired child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew. She finds herself in the center of the investigation, serving as the reluctant sidekick of the chief inspector.
Drawing readers into a haunting world in which the terrors of the mind have spilled over into real life, Blue Monday introduces a compelling protagonist and a chilling mystery that will appeal to readers of dark crime fiction and fans of In Treatment and The Killing.”
oh i love this list and am making note of what I havent read yet
Have you read the Lady Darby Mystery series by Anna Lee Huber?
One of the best audiobook series I have encountered The Lady Trent’s memoirs by Marie Brennan.
The protagonist is a woman who sets out to break convention and study dragons in a 1700-1800 style alternate world.
It’s written by an anthropologist and hits every one of your points without fail.
It’s sometimes described as being like Jane Austen crossed with Indiana Jones. It had dragons but no magic. The world building and character development is some of the best I have encountered.
The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas and the Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn (historical mystery), The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal (standalone sci fi mystery).