Book Talk.. Your Favourite Police Thrillers/Mysteries > Likes and Comments
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Those are some great recommendations, Sean. I've read at least one book in most of the series. They're on my TBR to get current.A few that I would add:
Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. The Black Echo
John Sandford's Lucas Davenport series. Rules of Prey
T. Jefferson Parker's book Wild Instinct
Laura Griffin's book Innocence Road
Carolyn Arnold's Madison Knight series Ties That Bind
Matt Brolly's Liam Kilshaw series The Lines
There are so many more, but what are your favorites?
I would also add:J.D. Robb's In Death series: Naked in Death
Robert Dugoni's Tracey Crosswhite series: My Sister's Grave
Melinda Leigh's Bree Taggert series: Cross Her Heart
and many more.....
Thomas wrote: "I would add The Cold Dish Longmire series by Craig Johnson"That's another good series, Thomas.
Some of my favourite police procedural series are (and I know I've forgotten some):Stuart MacBride's Logan Mcrae series - set in Scotland, gritty with a wicked strain of humour throughout
Garry Disher - his iconic Peninsula Crimes series featuring Hal Challis and his more recent Hirsch series featuring Paul Hirschhausen, who single handedly polices a large rural are in Australia
Cara Hunter's DI Adam Fawley series
Ann Cleeves's outstanding Shetland and Vera series
Adrian McKinty's brilliantly gritty Sean Duffy series set in Belfast during the 1980 Troubles
Louise Penny's wonderful Canadian Inspector Gamache series
Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series
Lately, I've been enjoying starting Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne series and getting to know this unusual detective
I will echo the appreciation for both Michael Connelly and Craig Johnson in the police procedural realm. And I will toss in the following authors who have earned spaces in my permanent library. Ian Rankin – his series featuring Inspector John Rebus and set in Scotland is still going strong since his debut in 1987 with KNOTS AND CROSSES.
T. Jefferson Parker – I will give a shout-out to his mystery trilogy published from 1999 - 2002 with female detective Merci Rayborn at the helm. Start the series with THE BLUE HOUR and enjoy the ride.
Adrian McKinty – it was only a few years ago that I discovered his detective Sean Duffy series that is set in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles”. I hope he manages to keep it going. First book in the series is THE COLD COLD GROUND (2012).
James Lee Burke – his ongoing series featuring New Orleans detective Dave Robicheaux was a favorite of mine back in the 90’s and into the 00’s, but I have since lost interest due to his repetitive plotlines. But his 20-year run with Robicheaux from 1987 – 2007 was superb starting with THE NEON RAIN.
Martin Cruz Smith (RIP) – a longtime favorite who lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease last year. His series featuring Moscow homicide detective Arkady Renko spanned the Cold War era up through the Putin regime and shined a bright light on the shadow of the Iron Curtain. GORKY PARK (1981) was the novel that kickstarted it all.
Stuart Kaminsky (RIP) – his series featuring Porfiry Rostnikov and his team of detectives is a notch below the Arkady Renko series IMO but still worth a look if you like your mysteries set in the Soviet Union before and after the Cold War. DEATH OF A DISSIDENT (1981) is the place to start.
More to follow as I search my memory banks...
All great choices James. Ian Rankin's John Rebus series has to a favourite with many thriller readers here. A superb series!James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux was also a favourite detective of mine back in the 90s but I also lost interest later in the series
I also enjoyed Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko novels - Gorky Park was a breakout!
I'm not familiar with T. Jefferson Parker or Stuart Kaminsky but they sound like they're worth a look.
James wrote: "...And I will toss in the following authors who have earned spaces in my permanent library....I haven't read the T. Jefferson Parker trilogy that you mention, but I have read a couple of standalone books by him that I enjoyed. The most recent was Wild Instinct. I'm hoping it becomes a series.
I agree with you and Carolyn. I've read a few of Burke's Dave Robicheaux books, but there are other series I enjoy more.
Carolyn wrote: "Some of my favourite police procedural series are (and I know I've forgotten some):..."
I enjoy Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series as well. I haven't read most of the others, but several of the them are on my TBR.
Carolyn wrote: "Some of my favourite police procedural series are (and I know I've forgotten some):Stuart MacBride's Logan Mcrae series - set in Scotland, gritty with a wicked strain of humour th..."
Thanks for some new (to me) names.
PamG wrote: "I haven't read the T. Jefferson Parker trilogy that you mention, but I have read a coup..."----------------------------------------------------------------
As much as I like reading T. Jefferson Parker's stuff, he tends to write stand alone mysteries and thrillers that don't fall into the category of a police procedural. That said his two thriller novel series featuring Charlie Hood (sheriff's deputy) and Roland Ford (private investigator) are both worth a look.
If you enjoy his stand alone mystery stuff, be sure to check out SILENT JOE (2001) and CALIFORNIA GIRL (2004). They both won the Edgar Award as the Best Mystery Novel of the Year along with earning six other nominations for the top mystery/crime fiction awards given out in the States... But again, they are not police procedurals.
I also enjoyed his coming of age mystery A THOUSAND STEPS (2022) that is set in southern California in 1968. A teenage boy goes looking for his missing older sister who seems to have disappeared in the growing drug culture and hippie craze that has swept into Laguna Beach. A nice little gem of a mystery which I enjoyed more than I did WILD INSTINCT. But hey, YMMV :-)
James wrote: "...I also enjoyed his coming of age mystery A THOUSAND STEPS (2022)..."The second book I read by him was A Thousand Steps. It was great. I will have to check out some of the others you mention.
Here is one for you. I do not think many would have heard of this lady.Robin Burcell has worked as a cop, hostage negotiator, and as an FBI-trained forensic artist. She is the award-winning author of the Kate Gillespie police procedural series, the Sydney Fitzpatrick thriller series, a Streets of San Francisco novel, and is now writing thrillers with Clive Cussler.
Yes I read her book on the Streets of San Francisco, thinking of Karl Malden and Michael Douglas in the series.
The Last Good Place
Sean wrote: "Here is one for you. I do not think many would have heard of this lady.Robin Burcell has worked as a cop, hostage negotiator, and as an FBI-trained forensic artist. She is the award-winning autho..."
That's another author I haven't read. My TBR is growing exponentially.
Hi, all. Dunno if you have noticed that Netflix has turned Jo Nesbø's series about Harry Hole into a suspence series for television? The series is called Harry Hole and has been closely watched in the making by the author himself. Original book is The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbø His books are great, but the series is not that bad if you need a teaser into the authors universe.
For more Favorite Police Crime Thrillers and Authors from members' comments in 2019-2025,
View here.
The above link it to previous comments on this subject, many that I had also forgotten to mention here.A good link and worth looking at.
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter is on my TBR.I've read The Girl in the Ice and every book in the Detective Erika Foster series except Chasing Shadows (the most recent book, which is on my Kindle, but I haven't gotten around to it yet). It is definitely one of my favourite series.
I agree with Pam regarding Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series (my favourite).
The Detective Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan and Special Agent Tess Winnett series by Leslie Wolfe rank high on my list.
Thanks for sharing, and I'll definitely check out the link.
I've added the Leslie Wolfe series to my TBR. I already had the first book of two of her other series on it.
James wrote: "I will echo the appreciation for both Michael Connelly and Craig Johnson in the police procedural realm. And I will toss in the following authors who have earned spaces in my permanent library. I..."
The passing of Martin Cruz Smith is so very sad. Although I never saw anything special in "The Girl in Venice", "December 6" or "Stallion Gate", his Arkady Renko series was gold. Granted some of the books in the series were perhaps not as strong as others - I always thought that "Tatiana" was the odd book out in the series - but "Gorky Park", "Polar Star", "Red Square" and "Havana Bay" were all exceptional. To have written one such book would have been an accomplishment; to have written so many was a remarkable achievement. I'm sad that we won't see anything new from Arkady Renko, but I'm grateful for the stories he left.
TammieErika Foster is a great series from Robert Bryndza
Also do read Angela Marsons, very good.
PamG wrote: "Those are some great recommendations, Sean. I've read at least one book in most of the series. They're on my TBR to get current.A few that I would add:
Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. [boo..."
am just reading connellys Lincoln lawyer and Harry Bosch omg the twists and turns in these books are unputdownable
I like police thrillers most when the procedure is not just detail, but pressure: every rule, delay, and missed clue changes how the characters behave. That is why long-running detectives can be so satisfying when the case and the personal cost are both moving.
One of my favorite authors has several separate procedural series: Lisa Gardner. I first started reading her FBI profiler series, then the DD Warren series. Lesser, but related are the Flora Dane series and the newest Frankie Elkin series. Also absolutely love Meg Gardiner's Unsub series
Yes I enjoy Lisa Gardner books, especially DD Warren
tonya_with_an_o wrote: "One of my favorite authors has several separate procedural series: Lisa Gardner. I first started reading her FBI profiler series, then the DD Warren series. Lesser, but related are the Flora Dane s..."I've read some of Lisa Gardner's books in the series you mentioned, but unfortunately I'm not current on any of them. Meg Gardiner's series has been on my TBR since 2020.
I recently read a book from the Roy Grace series by Peter James. Here is my review on it: https://youtu.be/Bn5yQt6MT00
Great TV series.Live next door to Peter James.(opposite to his house in Jersey
Channel Islands
Ragnar Jónasson is one of my favorite police/detective authors. I'm reading through his Dark Iceland series and it's great.
˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ wrote: "Ragnar Jónasson is one of my favorite police/detective authors. I'm reading through his Dark Iceland series and it's great."That's a series I've been meaning to read. I love noir thrillers set in really cold parts of the world!
˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ wrote: "Ragnar Jónasson is one of my favorite police/detective authors. I'm reading through his Dark Iceland series and it's great."Cold, isolated settings seem especially suited to police series because weather and distance can limit every investigation before the crime even does. In the Dark Iceland books, does the setting create more pressure through physical danger or through the small community's secrets?
There are a ton of great suggestions on this thread. I could add a bunch to it, but the one that came to mind when I read the first post is Suspect by Robert Crais. I love this book, not only for the suspense, but mainly because it has a great character in the German Shepherd K-9 that plays an integral part of the plot. Man, I love that dog!
Mike the Magnificient wrote: "There are a ton of great suggestions on this thread. I could add a bunch to it, but the one that came to mind when I read the first post is Suspect by Robert Crais. I ..."This series has been on my TBR since Jan 2019. I need to get it into my reading schedule.
Yes I enjoy Robert Crais, have the Suspect, not read yet.
Mike the Magnificient wrote: "There are a ton of great suggestions on this thread. The one that came to mind is Suspect by Robert Crais. I love this book mainly because the German Shepherd K-9 plays an integral part of the plot."A K-9 partner changes suspense because the dog can notice danger before the human detective understands it, yet cannot explain what it knows. In Suspect, did Maggie feel like a full character with her own arc, or mainly the element that made Scott James more emotionally readable?
I think the police thrillers that stay with me are the ones where the investigation isn't just about finding the culprit.I like it when every new piece of evidence changes what you thought you understood about the people involved. A good mystery can make you suspect the wrong person, then make you question why you suspected them in the first place.
For me, the best investigations also have a strong personal stake. When the detective has something to lose, the case becomes much more than a puzzle.
And I especially enjoy stories where the final answer is logical in retrospect, even if I completely missed it while reading.)
Jonah wrote: "I think the police thrillers that stay with me are the ones where the investigation isn't just about finding the culprit.I like it when every new piece of evidence changes what you thought you un..."
It sounds like you would enjoy The Night of the Black Knight, currently on Goodreads Giveaway.
The last police thriller I suppose you could call it was I Am Justice: A Will Carson Thriller a few years back. It was gritty and was certainly a different read for me but I enjoyed it. I'd say it's easily one of the top five of my favorite books I've read in the last 5 years. I still need to read the sequel though.
A top-five read is a strong recommendation. Was it the gritty tone or Will Carson himself that made it stick with you? I’m always interested in what makes a detective stand out beyond the case.
Definitely the gritty tone. It was quite thought-provoking.
I’ve always liked police thrillers where the case feels like more than just finding out who did what. I recently read Blood on Their Hands by Bob Brink, and what stayed with me was how the situation involving Alec Monceau becomes much bigger than it first appears.I liked that it brought in the pressure between the individual, the police, and the circumstances around the case.
What police thriller have you read that really stayed with you after you finished it? And what made it stand out for you?
Here is the place to mention your favourite police books/authors/series that your have enjoyed.
I know there are many huge fans of this genre.
I will start with a few..
All the above have done a Q's and A's for this group !!!
You can still read these in our former Q's and A's topic