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This list is for fiction, especially novels, in which the commission, detection or punishment of a crime is a central element of the plot.

There are plenty of lists for sub-genres -- professional or amateur detectives, male or female detectives, British, Swedish or some other nationality detectives.

This is for all of them -- whodunits, police procedurals, psychological thrillers, courtroom dramas, the lot. Detectives from Britain, Sweden, Japan or Botswana.

The only limitation is that crime must be a dominant, and not an incidental element of the plot.
1

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4.03 avg rating — 8,243 ratings
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2

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4.32 avg rating — 18,168 ratings
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3

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3.71 avg rating — 4,967 ratings
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4

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4.84 avg rating — 82 ratings
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5

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4.38 avg rating — 26 ratings
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6

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4.74 avg rating — 176 ratings
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7

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4.41 avg rating — 41 ratings
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8

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4.29 avg rating — 1,174,126 ratings
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9

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4.16 avg rating — 338 ratings
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10

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4.10 avg rating — 124 ratings
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11

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4.14 avg rating — 407,243 ratings
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12

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4.66 avg rating — 38 ratings
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13

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3.63 avg rating — 44,432 ratings
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14

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4.40 avg rating — 421,224 ratings
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14

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3.86 avg rating — 81,130 ratings
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16

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3.99 avg rating — 105,042 ratings
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17

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4.13 avg rating — 502,384 ratings
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18

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3.76 avg rating — 228 ratings
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19

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3.77 avg rating — 4,573 ratings
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20

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3.85 avg rating — 18,022 ratings
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21

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4.41 avg rating — 85 ratings
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22

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4.34 avg rating — 38 ratings
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23

by
4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings
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24

by
4.02 avg rating — 2,936 ratings
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25

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4.23 avg rating — 26 ratings
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26

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4.13 avg rating — 119,808 ratings
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27

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3.76 avg rating — 1,286 ratings
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28

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4.07 avg rating — 61,436 ratings
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28

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4.68 avg rating — 78 ratings
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30

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4.12 avg rating — 16 ratings
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31

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3.81 avg rating — 280,677 ratings
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32

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4.06 avg rating — 455,842 ratings
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33

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3.75 avg rating — 1,295 ratings
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34

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4.25 avg rating — 793,578 ratings
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35

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3.57 avg rating — 1,973 ratings
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35

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3.59 avg rating — 392 ratings
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35

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3.86 avg rating — 225 ratings
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35

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3.90 avg rating — 359 ratings
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35

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4.25 avg rating — 123 ratings
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40

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4.05 avg rating — 20 ratings
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41

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4.40 avg rating — 15 ratings
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42

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4.58 avg rating — 12 ratings
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43

by
4.32 avg rating — 60 ratings
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44

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4.19 avg rating — 121,935 ratings
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45

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3.71 avg rating — 46,913 ratings
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46

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4.03 avg rating — 1,552,553 ratings
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47

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3.86 avg rating — 5,992 ratings
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47

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4.78 avg rating — 18 ratings
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49

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 541,870 ratings
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50

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3.94 avg rating — 182,352 ratings
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51

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3.91 avg rating — 13,114 ratings
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52

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4.03 avg rating — 103,916 ratings
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53

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4.60 avg rating — 10 ratings
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53

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4.15 avg rating — 150 ratings
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53

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4.74 avg rating — 31 ratings
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53

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4.88 avg rating — 8 ratings
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57

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4.06 avg rating — 40,674 ratings
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57

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3.80 avg rating — 6,229 ratings
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57

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4.24 avg rating — 6,481 ratings
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57

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3.59 avg rating — 427 ratings
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61

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4.19 avg rating — 1,448 ratings
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61

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4.73 avg rating — 15 ratings
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61

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4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings
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64

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3.80 avg rating — 114 ratings
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64

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3.93 avg rating — 7,539 ratings
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64

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3.62 avg rating — 34 ratings
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64

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4.48 avg rating — 23 ratings
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64

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4.45 avg rating — 119 ratings
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69

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4.08 avg rating — 123 ratings
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69

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4.64 avg rating — 11 ratings
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71

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3.92 avg rating — 4,805 ratings
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71

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4.01 avg rating — 38,070 ratings
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71

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4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings
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74

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3.88 avg rating — 26,675 ratings
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74

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4.25 avg rating — 215 ratings
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76

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3.75 avg rating — 7,736 ratings
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76

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 81,672 ratings
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76

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3.98 avg rating — 61,250 ratings
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76

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3.73 avg rating — 3,861 ratings
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76

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4.34 avg rating — 77 ratings
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76

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4.13 avg rating — 23 ratings
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82

by
4.18 avg rating — 151,576 ratings
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83

by
3.74 avg rating — 2,380 ratings
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83

by
4.03 avg rating — 82,854 ratings
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85

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3.74 avg rating — 3,241 ratings
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85

by
3.80 avg rating — 5,844 ratings
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85

by
4.13 avg rating — 166,038 ratings
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88

by
4.26 avg rating — 117 ratings
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89

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4.02 avg rating — 271,605 ratings
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89

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4.07 avg rating — 55,120 ratings
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89

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4.18 avg rating — 175,140 ratings
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89

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4.75 avg rating — 40 ratings
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93

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4.19 avg rating — 779,712 ratings
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93

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16 ratings
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95

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3.61 avg rating — 7,068 ratings
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96

by
4.02 avg rating — 127,230 ratings
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97

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3.96 avg rating — 57,792 ratings
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98

by
3.83 avg rating — 32,443 ratings
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98

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3.97 avg rating — 1,632 ratings
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100

by
3.52 avg rating — 24,451 ratings
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555 books · 321 voters · list created October 2nd, 2015 by Stephen Hayes (votes) .
20 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Stephen 2253 books
104 friends
John 15 books
0 friends
Juan 23 books
0 friends
Saturday's 2317 books
65 friends
Russell 1 book
0 friends
Russell 5 books
118 friends
Megan 609 books
10 friends

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