Detective Mystery Authors

There are many authors who write detective centered mysteries. Here is a list of both well-known and lesser-known authors, but your reading choices are not limited to just those on this page. Try out an author new to you and discover your new favorite.

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Well-Known Authors for Detective Mysteries

James Patterson

James Patterson is one of the most prolific and successful authors who writes books about police officers, military heroes, ER nurses and more.

Read any of his detective series featuring the following characters.

Alex Cross (Alex Cross Series)

Lindsay Boxer (Women's Murder Club)

Jack Morgan (Private Series)

Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker has long been acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction. His novel featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. Read any of his detective series featuring the following characters.

Spenser (The Spenser Series)

Jesse Stone (Jesse Stone Series)

Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-five million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today.

Read any of his detective series featuring the following characters.

Harry Bosch (The Harry Bosch Novels)

Renée Ballard (Renée Ballard Series)

Louise Penny

Louise Penny is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.

Read any of her detective series featuring her beloved characters.

Chief Inspector Gamache (Chief Inspector Gamache Novels)

Robert Crais

Robert Crais is the author of the bestselling Cole & Pike novels. Crais began a successful career in television, writing scripts for such major series as Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues. Crais created a series of crime novels based around the characters Cole & Pike. In addition, Crais has also written several bestselling standalone thrillers. Read any of his detective series featuring the following characters.

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike (The Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Series)

J. D. Robb

J.D. Robb is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Read any of her detective series featuring the following character.

Lt. Eve Dallas (In Death Series)

Sara Paretsky

Sara Paretsky transformed the role of women in the mystery world with her detective, V.I. Warshawski. V.I. is tough, feminine and vulnerable, but above all loyal to her friends and clients. V.I. has escaped many near-death experiences but she keeps coming back for more. Read any of her detective series featuring the following character.

V. I. Warshawski (The V. I Warshawski Series)

P. D. James

P. D. James is the author of twenty previous books, most of which have been filmed and broadcast on television in the United States and other countries. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the Police and Criminal Law Departments of Great Britain's Home Office. Read any of her detective series featuring the following characters.

Inspector Adam Dalgliesh (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Series)

Cordelia Gray (2-book series)

Other Detective Mystery Authors to Explore

Check out the work of some of these other detective mystery authors. Some you may know, so give an new-to-you author a chance.

Archer Mayor (Joe Gunther Series -set in Vermont)

John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee Series)

Robert Dugoni (Tracy Crosswhite Series)

Clive Cussler (Isaac Bell Series)

J. A. Jance (J. P. Beaumont Series)

Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley Series)

Anthony Horowitz (Hawthorne and Horowitz Series)

J M Dalgliesh (The Misty Isle Series)

Karin Slaughter (Will Trent Series)

Best Sellers in Detective Mysteries

Have you read any of these best-sellers in the detective mystery genre?

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