Broken Detectives Worth Rooting For (18 books)

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The best crime novels aren't just about solving cases. They're about investigators trying to rebuild themselves while chasing the truth.

These are stories where damaged detectives, disgraced journalists, reluctant investigators, and unlikely partners carry emotional scars into every case. The mysteries matter, but it's the people behind them, and the relationships that keep them going, that make readers come back for the next book.

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1	Gone, Baby, Gone (Kenzie & Gennaro, #4) by Dennis Lehane (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 44,090 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) by Raymond Chandler 3.94 avg rating — 174,522 ratings score: 185, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	In For a Dime by Kevin R. Andrade (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 14 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Poet by Michael Connelly (2004-04-05) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta, #1) by Patricia Daniels Cornwell 4.02 avg rating — 271,318 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Gunny Mac Private Detective: Trouble in Chinatown by Steven Walker 4.42 avg rating — 24 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	L.A. Requiem (Elvis Cole, #8) by Robert Crais 4.32 avg rating — 23,241 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 174,709 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Last Good Kiss (C.W. Sughrue, #1) by James Crumley 4.05 avg rating — 8,976 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Seeker (Damian Seeker, #1) by S.G. MacLean (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 4,081 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto 3.83 avg rating — 20,886 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Last Policeman (The Last Policeman, #1) by Ben H. Winters (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 36,764 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Bluebird, Bluebird (Highway 59, #1) by Attica Locke 3.83 avg rating — 32,926 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	In the Month of the Midnight Sun (Svartåsen #2) by Cecilia Ekbäck 3.71 avg rating — 1,046 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa 3.71 avg rating — 10,110 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Late Show (Renée Ballard, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #30) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 116,062 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson 4.18 avg rating — 3,540,522 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (Goodreads Author) 4.31 avg rating — 341,833 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars