Hi all! I’m looking for your best murder mystery detective novel recommendations. I love a story that follows a detective as they unravel a crime. I prefer a story that intricately follows the investigation and doesn’t have out-there action scenes or lots of drama in the detectives life. A little of both is ok. I do love a good small town murder story but willing to branch out into other stories if they were intriguing enough. I definitely prefer the crime to be solved by the end.
Books like this that I love:
– Jane Harper ‘The Dry’ and others
– Dervla McTiernan’s books
– Garry Disher’s Hirsch series
– Robert Galbraith’s Strike series
Books I didn’t like
– ‘Into the Woods’ Tana French (too much detective drama and lack of closure)
– ‘Never Lie’ Frida McFadden (not a detective novel I know but an example of a book I loathed. The twist made no sense)
by ReadingDelicious3191
3 Comments
None of the books I am recommending have Galbraith’s themes of transphobia but they are good murder mysteries with closure and small town themes so hopefully you will find them interesting.
– Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series – a group of 4 retired people investigate mysteries. It has that small town feel.
– Ann Cleeves’ Vera books – a Scottish detective. There’s also a TV series based on the books. I would avoid her other Shetland books based on your dislikes as the plots are more complex and nuanced and may seem less “resolved” than the Vera books. It takes place in a specific region and again has that small town feel.
– if you’re open to older authors and haven’t read her already then you should read Agatha Christie because her murders are usually well resolved and ofren take place in small communities. Read the Miss Marple books.
– Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak books – an investigator who is Inuit, set in a small Alaskan village
–
The [Pentecost and Parker](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/eb8c7ae9-41b0-442b-b3f1-8e01870fe219) series by Stephen Spotswood!
I am big fan of cozy murder mysteries and British Library Crime Classics!
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/90356.British_Library_Crime_Classics