Crime Fiction Reading Guides

The best crime series — all books in order

Complete reading guides for the finest crime fiction series — every book listed in order, with covers and Amazon buy links. Whether you're new to a series or catching up on books you've missed, find your next read here.

Complete Reading Guides

Ian Rankin — Inspector Rebus

23 novels · Edinburgh

John Rebus — Edinburgh's most difficult detective, working the city's darkest cases across a career spanning four decades. The series that defined Tartan Noir.

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Ann Cleeves — Vera & Shetland

Vera + Jimmy Perez · Two complete series

Two beloved series from the creator of some of British TV's most enduring crime dramas — Vera Stanhope in Northumberland and Jimmy Perez in Shetland.

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Peter James — Roy Grace

22 novels · Brighton

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace — twenty-two novels set in Brighton, adapted for ITV starring John Simm. One of British crime fiction's most enduring series.

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Jo Nesbø — Harry Hole

13 novels · Oslo

Oslo's most brilliant and self-destructive detective — thirteen novels of Nordic noir from the author who redefined Scandinavian crime fiction.

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Tana French — Dublin Murder Squad

6 novels · Dublin

Six novels, six detectives, one of the finest bodies of crime fiction published in English in the last twenty years. Edgar, Anthony and Barry award winner.

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Michael Robotham — Cyrus Haven

4 novels · UK

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac — the girl who can detect lies. Two-time CWA Gold Dagger winner. Stephen King calls Robotham an absolute master.

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Peter Robinson — Inspector Banks

28 novels · Yorkshire Dales

Alan Banks — a detective of rare depth working the small towns and villages of the Yorkshire Dales in a series that is as much literary fiction as crime thriller.

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Lynda La Plante — Jane Tennison

9 novels · London

The origin story of one of British crime fiction's greatest characters — from rookie WDC to the detective who defined a generation. Basis for the Prime Suspect TV series.

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Val McDermid — Tony Hill & Carol Jordan

11 novels · Yorkshire

Clinical psychologist Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan — one of crime fiction's great partnerships, tackling the most disturbing cases in the north of England.

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Angela Marsons — Kim Stone

23 novels · Black Country

DI Kim Stone — one of crime fiction's most driven detectives, working the industrial heartland of the West Midlands in a series that has topped the UK charts repeatedly.

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Mark Billingham — Tom Thorne

19 novels · London

DI Tom Thorne — a detective who plays by his own rules, investigating London's darkest cases in a series combining dark wit with genuinely harrowing crime plots.

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Karin Slaughter — Will Trent

12 novels · Atlanta, Georgia

Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation — unflinching, character-driven crime fiction from one of the genre's most fearless writers.

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Elly Griffiths — Ruth Galloway

15 novels · Norfolk coast

Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway, working the marshes and tidal flats of the Norfolk coast — atmospheric, witty, and quietly addictive crime fiction.

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Stuart MacBride — Logan McRae

12 novels · Aberdeen

DS Logan McRae of Aberdeen's Major Investigation Team — dark, brutal crime fiction with a jet-black sense of humour and the finest supporting cast in Scottish crime.

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M.W. Craven — Washington Poe

7 novels · Cumbria · CWA Gold Dagger

Washington Poe and analyst Tilly Bradshaw — one of crime fiction's great double acts, working the ancient stone circles and fell country of Cumbria. Gold Dagger winner.

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Michael Connelly — Bosch & Haller

Bosch + Lincoln Lawyer · Los Angeles

Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller — two sides of LA's justice system in two of American crime fiction's essential series, both adapted for major streaming television.

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DCI Isaac Cook

20+ novels · London

Homicide detective Isaac Cook works the streets of London — gritty, character-driven British crime fiction with a detective who never stops pushing for the truth.

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DI Tremayne

Rural Wiltshire

A seasoned detective and his younger sergeant investigate crimes in the ancient landscape of rural Wiltshire — atmospheric, character-rich British crime fiction.

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DI Sarah Lynch

Scottish Highlands

A female detective navigating crime and community in the remote Scottish Highlands — vivid landscape, strong character, uncompromising crime fiction.

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Natalie Campbell

6 novels · Sydney, Australia

Detective Natalie Campbell works the harbours, beaches, and streets of Sydney — Australian crime fiction as vivid and unforgiving as the city itself.

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Maya Thorne

18 novels · Australian Outback

Maya Thorne investigates crime in the vast Australian outback — remote communities, brutal landscapes, and secrets buried deep in the red dust.

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Alex Harlan

6 novels · FBI · International

FBI agent Alex Harlan operates across a world of shifting alliances and global threats — from the American interior to the streets of Jakarta.

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