Discover Acclaimed Detective Book Series from Around the World
There is of course a whole world of popular detective book series to explore beyond those set in Britain. You may already know Louise Penny’s Québécois Inspector Gamache, Jo Nesbø’s Norwegian Harry Hole, or Donna Leon’s Venetian Detective Brunetti, but you might not yet recognize the sleuths in this lineup. Starting with various book series set in Europe and moving on to Asia and Australia, this is a list of great reads that get you off the beaten track. It’s not all-inclusive by any means, but it’s a great place to start.
- 1.
Detective Matthew Venn books | North Devon, England
First of the Detective Matthew Venn books, by Ann Cleeves. Minotaur Books, 2019. Award-winning author Ann Cleeves, (of Vera and Shetland fame), introduces gay British detective Matthew Venn in her most recent series of books. The first of four titles to date sees Matthew attend his estranged father’s funeral, revisiting a hometown where he was rejected by relatives and the evangelical community 20 years ago. He’s called from the graveside by his team to investigate a corpse at a nearby beach. Past and present collide when it seems the murder suspects have ties to Matthew’s new husband. The Long Call won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel published in 2019.
“The book is nicely rounded, balancing intellectual and emotional qualities in an engaging story. This along with the graceful prose showcases an experienced author at the peak of her craft,” says New York Journal of Books.
- 2.
Sean Duffy books | Belfast
First of the Sean Duffy books by Adrian McKinty. Seventh Street Books, 2012. Adrian McKinty has written seven books to date in this series about a young Catholic police officer working in a primarily Protestant police force during the Troubles. The first title is set in 1981’s Northern Ireland where street fights, hunger strikes, a young woman’s suicide, and a homophobic serial killer may just seem unconnected. Sergeant Duffy walks a tightrope in a city where it doesn’t matter what side he takes because no one trusts him. The Cold Cold Ground won 2013’s Spinetingler Award for Best Crime Novel.
“The deft mix of noirish melancholy with express-train pacing and blockbuster-ready action enticingly sets the stage for Duffy’s future adventures,” says Publisher’s Weekly.
- 3.
Department Q books | Copenhagen
First of the Department Q books by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Dutton, 2011. Author Jussi Adler-Olson gives us homicide detective Carl Mørck, who’s chosen to run a new department investigating hopeless cold cases. He’s been demoted after failing to draw his weapon when colleagues were recently ambushed. In this first of nine installments, Mørck and his sole assistant Assad investigate the demise of a Danish stateswoman believed drowned five years ago. This series is Scandinavian Noir with some added comic relief and has been well received: Adler-Olsen’s Nordic crime-writing awards include the prestigious Glass Key Award, also won by Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson.
“Like the boxes of files that surround them in [their office] basement, Mørck and Assad have been packed away for indefinite storage. But neither man in this odd couple has any interest in collecting dust,” says the Los Angeles Review of Books.
- 4.
Phryne Fisher books | Melbourne
First of the Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates books by Kerry Greenwood. McPhee Gribble, 1989. Once you fall for the irreverent Miss Fisher, you’ll relish knowing there are 23 titles in this bestselling series by Kerry Greenwood. The books, set in 1920s Australia, have tremendous fun playing with the traditional tropes of a Golden Age detective story. Phryne (rhymes with shiny) is a woman weary of high society who decides to become a private investigator. Her first case involves a young wife suffering from a possible in-progress poisoning. In 2013, author Greenwood was awarded the Sisters in Crime’s Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Phryne is the epitome of the 1920s flapper, glamorous and bold, whose delicate beauty belies her iron will and fierce intellect,” says Criminal Element.
- 5.
Detective Galileo books | Tokyo
First of the Detective Galileo books by Keigo Higashino. Minotaur Books, 2011. This series from popular Japanese mystery author Keigo Higashino features geeky physicist Dr. Manabu Yukawa (also known as Detective Galileo), who consults with Tokyo police. In this first title, a divorced, now-single mother kills her abusive ex in self-defense. A next-door neighbor overhears the commotion and calmly offers to hide the body. It’s then a game of cat and mouse as the police and Dr. Yukawa try to untangle the neighbor’s seemingly perfect alibi for the crime. The Devotion of Suspect X won Japan’s top literary award, the Naoki Prize for Best Novel. Three novels in the series have been translated into English so far.
“Author Higashino has played fair and provided every essential clue necessary for the reader to solve the puzzle, but I doubt many will do so. … this psychological thriller will stay with you long after you close the covers,” says Mystery Scene Magazine.
- 6.
Darko Dawson books | Ghana
First of the Darko Dawson books by Kwei Quartey. Random House, 2009. Detective Inspector Dawson works in the bustling Ghanian capital of Accra. He’s a family man who grapples with being a good cop in a police station where corruption abounds. In author Kwei Quartey’s first of five installments to date, DI Darko is assigned to investigate the killing of an anti-AIDS volunteer in the remote village of Ketanu. Dawson is fluent in the area’s indigenous language—seems he left family behind there decades earlier. As Dawson tries to work with local police and the Ketanu community, he confronts a familiar conflict between superstition and science, as well as some deep secrets of his own. Kwei Quartey’s writing was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe award in 2021.
“Move over Alexander McCall Smith. Ghana has joined Botswana on the map of mystery. … [This] newcomer is most welcome,” says Kirkus Reviews.
- 7.
Inspector Singh Investigates books | Singapore
First of the Inspector Singh Investigates books by Shamini Flint. Felony & Mayhem Press, 2011. Author Shamini Flint’s main character is a misfit in Singapore’s macho police culture. He’s comedically rumpled and disorganized, and generally an annoyance to his superiors, who repeatedly transfer him to work elsewhere. In this first of seven novels to date, Inspector Singh is sent to Kuala Lumpur to look into the case of a famous Singaporean model on death row for killing her Malaysian ex-husband. The victim headed a logging company that may have been operating illegally in protected rainforest. Things get messy as politics, religion, and infidelity are all involved in the tragedy. Happily, the likeable, bumbling Singh lightens the narrative.
“It’s impossible not to warm to the portly, sweating, disheveled, wheezing Inspector Singh from the start of this delightful debut novel,” says The Guardian (UK).
