Agatha Raisin starts out as a frustrated PR agent in London who decides to retire from that line of work, moves to the Cotswolds and begins solving murders as a detective.

The series is set in the Scottish Highlands and follows the Hamish Macbeth character in his adventures as a cop. He is lazy and an underachiever who purposely sabotages any chance of a promotion.

While sailing in the Caribbean, young Alex Hawke witnesses an act of unspeakable horror as modern-day pirates brutally murder his parents. Rather than cripple him, however, it strengthened him and gave him a deep need to fight bad guys whenever he can. It is a tragedy that will haunt him forever, and shape his destiny.

A former Justice Department operative who can’t seem to stay out of trouble, Cotton Malone has crisscrossed the globe on electrifying quests. With the smart and sexy Cassiopeia Vitt by his side, Malone faces down the world’s deadliest terrorists, assassins, and con men—and unravels some of history’s most legendary and iconic mysteries along the way.

Mercedes is a Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. Her Native American heritage has gifted her with the ability to take the form of a coyote at will. She's surrounded by far more powerful supernatural beings, including werewolves, vampires and an assortment of fae.

Between the urban bustle of Denver and the high-stress environment of a career in neurosurgery, Maggie Sullivan has hit a wall. When an emergency high-risk procedure results in the death of a teenager, Maggie finds herself in the middle of a lawsuit and experiencing levels of anxiety she's never faced before. She knows she needs to slow down before she burns out completely, and the best place she can think to do that is Sullivan's Crossing. The series explores the healing powers of rural Colorado in a brand-new story of fresh starts, budding relationships and one woman's journey to finding the happiness she's long been missing.

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees an ad to work as a midwife and nurse practitioner, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize her nursing career.

Once an elite military cop, Reacher is now a man with no phone, no address, and no ties anywhere. He wanders the land and lives in the moment—a cool-headed righter of wrongs who can’t let the bad guys get away with anything.

Ryan, a former U.S. Marine, stockbroker and history professor, later joins the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), eventually leaving it as Deputy Director. He goes on to serve as National Security Advisor and Vice President before suddenly becoming President of the United States following a terrorist attack on the United States Capitol. The series universe expands to feature CIA operatives John Clark (called the "dark side" of Ryan) and Domingo Chavez. Later novels feature Jack Ryan's brainchild, the Campus, a highly effective, counter-terrorism organization that operates outside the Washington hierarchy. What Ryan doesn't know is that his son, Jack Ryan, Jr., has joined his cousins, Brian and Dominic Caruso, at the shadowy Campus. While a highly effective analyst, young Ryan hungers for the action of a field agent, and to make a name of his own.

One of Coben’s most beloved characters is Myron Bolitar. A lanky, self-deprecating, former NBA basketball star, Myron became a sports agent after a shattered knee ended his basketball career. His big heart and generous manner often lead to him playing detective for his clients who have problems that need solving. Myron’s colleague, Esperanza, and his billionaire best friend, Win, often help him out with his cases. (Who wouldn’t want a billionaire best friend??) He also has a nephew named Mickey, who has his own young adult series. (His Uncle Myron also drops by occasionally to help.)

Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch is the title character of Michael Connelly’s most popular series. Harry Bosch is a war veteran and a hard-nosed LAPD detective (that is, before he retires). He’s had a rough life and a tough career, but he always goes after justice no matter what.

Detective Renee Ballard is a fourteen-year veteran of the LAPD, ten of them as a detective. She works “the late show,” the midnight shift in Hollywood. Though Ballard’s ornery flouting of authority seems to be a prerequisite for a lead character in a detective novel—Connelly’s Harry Bosch is an obvious example—the formula works well here. Ballard is a complex and interesting person.

In The Lincoln Lawyer books, Connelly introduces us to the enigmatic and cynical criminal defense attorney Michael Haller (but you can call him Mickey). He’s been nicknamed the Lincoln Lawyer due to his penchant for dealing out of the back of his Lincoln town car. These books exist in the same world as Connelly’s popular Harry Bosch series. Bosch happens to be Mickey’s half-brother and makes appearances in the Mickey Haller books (and vice versa).

James S.A. Corey is the collective pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. The Expanse is set in a future in which humanity has colonized much of the Solar System, but does not have interstellar travel. Travel over the vast distances between planets of the solar system has been made possible with the "Epstein drive", though the G-force exerted during acceleration is debilitating without the use of special drugs. In the asteroid belt and beyond, tensions are rising between Earth's United Nations, Mars, and the outer planets.[19] The residents of the outer planets have developed a creole language due to their physical isolation to Earth and Mars. The series initially takes place in the Solar System, using many real locations such as Ceres and Eros in the asteroid belt, several moons of Jupiter, with Ganymede and Europa the most developed, and small science bases as far out as Phoebe around Saturn and Titania around Uranus, as well as well-established domed settlements on Mars and the Moon.

The series is set around 9th century during the Danish invasion of Britain. The main character Uhtred Ragnarson was captured by the Danes shortly after birth. The series is told in retrospective through his eyes long after the events occurred.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is best known as the beautiful blonde Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia at Richmond. She is also known as one of the top forensic pathologists in the country. Along the way, the series also features FBI profiler Benton Wesley, Kay’s genius niece Lucy Farinelli, and the unhealthy and balding homicide detective, Pete Marino.

The FBI Thrillers follow agents as they investigate murder mysteries, kidnappings and more, mostly based in San Francisco, California. There are few recurring protagonists/investigators, the main ones are Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, husband and wife FBI agents and computer specialists.

Private detective Elvis Cole may be named after “The King,” but he shares more in common with his partner, former Marine Joe Pike, than with his namesake. And that’s bad news for L.A.’s underworld.

Pitt is a larger-than-life hero reminiscent of pulp magazine icon Doc Savage. Pitt is a citizen of the United States, on loan from the United States Air Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, after serving in Vietnam as a pilot. He manages to find adventure with his childhood best friend, Al Giordino, despite ending up with an ostensibly desk-bound role as the head of the National Underwater and Marine Agency. Pitt has a commanding presence, a quick wit, and a considerable collection of classic cars.

Kurt Austin is Head of the US National Underwater and Marine Agency’s (NUMA) Special Assignments Team – a job that ensures he is no stranger to danger above or below the waves. Austin’s assignments take him across the globe and frequently bring him into conflict with those who seek to use any and all means to exploit the world’s resources. But as a professional man of action, Austin is determined that it will never happen on his watch.

Lincoln Rhyme was an NYPD Homicide Detective until after an accident that left him completely paralyzed from the neck down. Now, he still works with the police department as a Forensic Consultant. Of course, he needs help to do the leg work and, for that, he is partnered with Amelia Sachs who acts as his substitute as she walks crime scenes.

Stephanie Plum is a female bounty hunter from New Jersey. After being fired from a job as a lingerie buyer, she tried to earn money in other small jobs but failed, and then her car is repossessed. That’s when she turned to her cousin Vinnie, owner of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, and forced him to give her a job. Now, in each book, Stephanie goes after one or more people who are declared ‘failure to appear’ because they have not appeared for their court date.

Dark Series is a paranormal romance series. Each Carpathian male has to hear his lifemate's voice to be able to see color and experience emotions again. When he finds her, they both have to adjust to being together. All of the men are old-old-old fashioned with old school ideas and thoughts. Each of the women are modern and independent. Each story is how they adjust to each other and the compromising that they learn to do.

The Mitford Murders is a series of books that follow the real-life infamous Mitford sisters, each book focusing on unsolved crimes of the early 20th century.

Rapp's high school sweetheart Maureen Eliot, who was attending Syracuse University with Rapp, was killed in the December 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. She had been one of thirty-five Syracuse students returning from a semester overseas. One year later he was recruited into the Central Intelligence Agency by Irene Kennedy. Over the course of the series Rapp terminates a large number of terrorists both on foreign and domestic soil. His main conflicts center on foreign terrorists. After Flynn's death in 2013 the series was continued by Kyle Mills.

Frieda Klein, a mysterious psychotherapist in her mid-30’s, suffers from insomnia, walks around the streets within London when she can’t sleep where it is calm, quiet and empty. Living a private life, out of reach from people even her relatives, she does not allow anybody to set foot in her home; and the only family member she is attached to is Chloe, the 16 year old daughter of her brother. What makes Frieda’s character interesting is that she’s immediately established from being quite solitary to this person who is willing to solve a mystery.

Author Tana French lives in Dublin and writes about the police detectives on the murder squad in Dublin, Ireland. Each book has a different primary character, but with the exception of the first one, the lead had been introduced as a secondary character in another novel before.

Cormoran Strike is a former SIB investigator and veteran of the Afghanistan war, where he was involved in a bomb attack and lost his right leg’s lower half. Following this, he decides to start working as a private detective who solves cases of brutal murders.He doesn’t get many customers initially and is in a lot of debt. But, after he successfully solves the suicide case of Lula Landry, Cormoran starts getting recognized.

Hard-boiled detective Kinsey Millhone is an ex-cop and rebellious loner. Now a private investigator, she solves all the most difficult cases in (fictional) Santa Theresa, California.

The novels follow legal vampire executioner Anita Blake's ongoing conflicts with the supernatural as she attempts to solve a variety of mysteries, come to terms with her own abilities, and navigate an increasingly complex series of romantic and political relationships.

Sean Dillon is an Irishman whose father was killed in crossfire between the IRA and the British, leading him to become an IRA member himself. He is a top-notch gunman, actor and a master of disguise.

Penn Cage is a former prosecutor and Mayor of Natchez, Mississippi. The Penn Cage series “involves all the quintessentially Southern themes—family, racial violence, ‘miscegenation,’ honor, hypocrisy, and the quest for justice in an unfair society…”

Lord Alaric Wilde, son of the Duke of Lindow, is the most celebrated man in England, revered for his dangerous adventures and rakish good looks. Arriving home from years abroad, he has no idea of his own celebrity until his boat is met by mobs of screaming ladies. Alaric escapes to his father’s castle, but just as he grasps that he’s not only famous but notorious, he encounters the very private, very witty, Miss Willa Ffynche.

Alison Reynolds is a 40-something former Los Angeles news anchor turned mystery solver. Everything began with a cheating husband and the ending of a high-profile broadcasting career — because TV executives wanted a “younger face.” For Ali Reynolds the need to leave LA in order to start again puts her on the path to become a detective.

The series is set in the small desert town of Bisbee, AZ. Joanna starts out as mother of 9 year old Jenny and the wife of Andy Brady, who runs for Sheriff of Cochise County butis killed before the election and then accused of being dirty. Joanna runs in his stad, clears his nam, and wins the election, even though she doesn't have much background in law enforcement. on one hand many of the people in the community are not used to having a woman as Sheriff which makes her job somewhat more difficult, but on the other hand her relative independence from the good-old-boys network makes it easier for her to clean house as needed.

Eve uses the kidnapping and murder of her daughter to help others as a forensic sculptor. Her goal is to bring closure to families who have lost their children much the same as she did years ago.

Walt Longmire is a laconic and introspective sheriff with a strong sense of duty and justice. He is a throwback to the iconic lone hero of classical Westerns. Walt is an able detective, who has a knack for finding the truth behind the various crimes that have been committed in his county. The character was created for Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire novels, but has since moved onto his own TV series on A&E called “Longmire.” The series debuted to an amazing 4.1 million viewers, making it the #1 original series premiere of all time on the station.

A lieutenant in the LAPD, Decker is assisted in solving crimes by his Orthodox Jewish wife Rina Lazarus.

Alex Delaware is a forensic psychologist in Los Angeles whose style is unlike that of the typical hard-nosed private eye. He goes about his work by interacting sympathetically with the people he meets and by quiet, professional observation. Kellerman says an empathetic psychologist is an ideal model for a detective.

The Bourne series follows the exploits of CIA covert-op specialist Jason Bourne. Bourne are a series of three novels by Robert Ludlum based on the fictional spy Jason Bourne. The series has since been further extended by Eric Van Lustbader after the death of Robert Ludlum. When Eric Van Lustbader decided to stop writing the Bourne novels, Brian Freeman took up the series.

Kurt Wallander is a Swedish police Inspector and the protagonist in this series of mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, 56 km (35 mi) south-east of the city of Malmö, in the southern province of Scania.

The series follows the Texas Rangers from when Texas was an independent sovereign nation up until the Turn of the Century. Each novel in the series was adapted into a TV mini-series. They are listed below in chronological order rather than by publish date.

Jesse Stone is a former minor league baseball shortstop whose career was cut short by a shoulder injury and now work as a cop. In fact, Jesse Stone used to be a homicide detective for the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division, but was asked to leave because of a drinking problem that began after his divorce. After that, he took the job of police chief for the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts. He was hired because the corrupt president of the town board of selectmen thought he will be easy to control. It was not the case. After Parker's death in 2010 the series was initially continued by Michael Brandman, then by Reed Farrel Coleman and finally by Mike Lupica.

Spenser is a Boston private eye in the mold of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, a smart-mouthed tough guy with a heart of gold. Unlike Marlowe, Spenser maintains a committed relationship with one woman (Susan Silverman, a psychologist). Although he is an ex-boxer (who likes to remind readers that he once fought the former heavyweight champ Jersey Joe Walcott) and lifts weights to stay in shape, he also is quite well educated, cooks, and lives by a code of honor he and Susan discuss occasionally—though as infrequently as he can manage. A true romantic who considers himself a thug for hire and whose closest friend, Hawk, is a former leg breaker for the mob. After Parker's death in 2010 the series was continued by Ace Atkins.

The “Sunny Randall” series follows main character Sunny Randall, who is a female detective. She was created by Parker so that Helen Hunt would play her in a movie, but it never happened. Sunny also appears in Parker's “Jesse Stone” series of novels and Jesse in turn appears in some of the Sunny books.In some ways, Sunny is a female Spenser. Like him, she’s a former cop, now a Boston PI, quick with a pistol. After Parker's death in 2010 the series was continued by Mike Lupica.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has made some close friends, but also some true enemies on his ascent to his position with la Sûreté du Québec. Called into a small village called Three Pines to investigate the untimely demise of an elderly retired schoolteacher, Gamache and his team begin to unwind a cast of characters to solve a homicide.

The books are named after the title character Aloysius Pendergast, an FBI agent. The series is largely divided into sub-series, with trilogies and direct sequels within the series. The Pendergast series began in 1995 with Relic, which was adapted into a film in 1997 called The Relic.

The Bridgerton series is a series of historical romance novels. Beginning in 1813 and ending in 1825, the series follows the Bridgerton family. Each novel follows a different child of the late Viscount Bridgerton: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth.

The School of Magic series transports readers to Victorian-era Scotland on a fantasy romance adventure. Can a straitlaced engineer, three psychic children, and a lonely witch find love?

The …in Death series features the NYPSD ("New York City Police and Security Department"). It is a futuristic suspense series set in mid-21st-century New York City that details the exploits of Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke. Each book in this series is a whole story with a beginning and an ending, however there may be minor references to events that occurred earlier in the series. Therefore, with respect to the mystery alone, the books can be read out of order, if desired.

The Chesapeake Bay series presents a captivating saga about the lives and loves of four brothers on the windswept shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

Set in the fictional English town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire Dales, Inspector Alan Banks is a former member of the London Met Police who leaves the big smoke in search of a quieter life. Of course a quieter life is the last thing Banks finds as he investigates a series of crimes in the Yorkshire town. several of the novels were adapted for television, and other original stories were produced, under the series title DCI Banks with Stephen Tompkinson in the lead role.

Sigma Force is a series of action-adventure/thriller novels about a fictional division of the United States DARPA program. Its purpose is to investigate and to secure sensitive information that could be a threat to the country. Painter Crowe is the lead agent of the force, with a keen analytical mind that can see beyond the obvious facts.

The Andy Carpenter series is about a lawyer and his faithful golden retriever, Tara. ... And, with the help of Tara, Andy solves cases and wins courtroom battles. When he doesn't practice law, he likes to help dogs in need.

Lucas Davenport is one of the most engaging protagonists in all of detective fiction. Of course, every detective in a successful series has the requisite collection of flaws and idiosyncrasies. But too many fictional creations in the genre simply aren’t at all likable. Some are even downright nasty. Lucas has the capacity for rage. He blows his top at times. But he’s never ugly.

Gabriel Allon is the main protagonist in Daniel Silva series. Ex-Israeli intelligence operative, he now lives under the cover of an Italian art restorer, Mario Delvecchio, in Cornwall, while working for a London-based art dealer. Of course, Gabriel is pulled back in the world of espionage and must stop terrorists when he doesn’t work in the art world.

Will Trent series features Special Agent Will Trent, who teams up with partner Faith Mitchell to investigate a series of often brutal and bloody murders. One of the best agents in the bureau, Will works in the Special Criminal Apprehension team in Atlanta, USA and his cases often involve uncovering secrets and lies in tight-knit communities.

The Kopp Sisters Series by Amy Stewart brings to life the fictionalized lives of three real life sisters. Thirty-five year old Constance is living on a farm outside Paterson, New Jersey, with her two younger sisters – Norma, the no nonsense sister, and Fleurette, the beautiful teenager who is really Constance’s illegitimate daughter. Constance was not the typical woman of the early 1900s. She didn’t want to stay at home and follow “womanly” pursuits. Instead, Constance would become the first female deputy in the United States.

The Pike Logan series follows veteran operator Pike Logan and his partner, Jennifer Cahill, through covert missions with the Taskforce, a clandestine team of operators that exists outside the bounds of U.S. law, created to eliminate threats posed by America’s enemies.

This “fast-paced, scarily authentic” (Vince Flynn) series follows ex-Navy SEAL and intelligence operative Scot Harvath as he protects the United States through whatever means possible.

Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the First World War, has returned to the Scotland Yard as a detective but is battling with posttraumatic stress disorder. As a consequence he is haunted by the memory of a fellow soldier who is a constant voice in his head. He must hide this information from those around him in order to avoid the social stigma which accompanied psychological, mental, or emotional issues in the early 20th century.

Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack's social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn't all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. If you’re into sexy, über-alpha heroes, who also happen to be badass vampires, there is nothing in the world quite like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

In the four years since she left England, Maisie Dobbs has experienced love, contentment, stability—and the deepest tragedy a woman can endure. Now a brutal murder in the British garrison town of Gilbraltar leads the investigator into a web of lies, deceit and danger.

Stone Barrington is a former NYPD police detective who was forced out of police work for disagreeing with his superiors. Stone also has a law degree from NYU and takes cases from a prestigious law firm which the firm does not wish to be publicly associated with. The series features the larger-than-life playboy Stone and a cast of entertaining characters.