The Best Mystery Series
In a recent newsletter, I asked my readers two questions.
1. What is your favorite mystery series and who is it by?
2. Which of my mystery series do you like the best?
I was hoping to understand which authors and series my readers might compare to my books. I understand it was an unscientific poll, but I thought you still might like to see the results.
So here are the best mystery series according to my readers (in no particular order):
The Best Mystery Series
(from fans of the 509 Crime Stories)
Gordon Carroll’s Gil Mason & Max Series (Book 1: Sheepdogs)
Ann Cleeland’s Doyle & Acton Scotland Yard Series (Book 1: Murder in Thrall)
James Patterson’s Michael Bennett series (Book 1: Step on a Crack)
Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series (Book 1: The Kill Artist)
Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander series (Book 1: Faceless Killers)
John le Carre’s George Smiley novels (Book 1: Call for the Dead)
Ellery Queen’s novels (Book 1: The Roman Hat Mystery)
Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone novels (Book 1: A is for Alibi)
Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache Mysteries (Book 1: Still Life)
JD Robb’s In Death Series (Book 1: Naked in Death)
Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct Mysteries (Book 1: Cop Hater)
Jack Probyn’s DS Tomek Brown Crime Thrillers (Book1: Death’s Justice)
The Best Mystery Series
(from fans of the Cozy Up Series)
Juliet Blackwell’s Haunted Home Renovation Mysteries (Book 1: If Walls Could Talk)
Diane Harman’s Northwest Cozy Mystery Series (Book 1: Murder on Bainbridge Island)
Caleb Wygal’s Myrtle Beach Mysteries (Book 1: Death on the Boardwalk)
Jana Deleon’s Miss Fortune Mysteries (Book 1: Louisiana Longshot)
Bruce Hammack’s Smiley and McBlythe Mysteries (Book 1: Exercise is Murder)
Luana Ehrlich’s Silas McKay Suspense (Book 1: One Wonders)
Dorothy Sayers’s Lord Peter Whimsey and Harriet Vane Mystery (Book 1: Whose body?)
Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe Mysteries (Book 1: Fer-de-Lance)
Thank you to everyone who sent in their favorite mysteries. I am extremely grateful.
What about those who don’t read mysteries?
Finally, several readers responded to say how much they liked my books. Most said either the 509 Crime Stories or the Cozy Up Series was their favorite of my works. Some readers even said I was their favorite author, which was a humbling thing to hear. I don’t take those words lightly. They mean so much.
One reader wrote an extremely nice note, because she wasn’t a mystery reader. I asked if I could share it and she said yes
To be honest, I'm not really a mystery reader usually. I came across your Cozy Up series (though I don't really remember how that came about) and absolutely loved them! I tried another mystery book that a friend loaned me (she loves the genre), but it really didn't appeal to me. I wondered if maybe I just liked the Cozy Up series and had grown attached to those characters but didn't really care for mysteries in general. Or maybe it was your writing that hooked me. I was curious, so I decided to try your 509 series. Now I'm reading the third one, so it's definitely your writing that I enjoy!
I still have a fondness for the Cozy Up series, but I'm enjoying the way you've woven characters from each book together in the 509 series.
So - short answer long - you're my favorite mystery author.
To all of you who read my books, I cannot say thank you enough. You make my dreams come true daily.
Didn’t see your favorite mystery series listed? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Most of us have driven through town and seen it—paint scrawled across a wall, a bridge, or the back of an abandoned building. Sometimes it’s just a few letters, other times it’s a full mural that makes you hit the brakes and stare. We lump it all together under one word: graffiti.
But not all graffiti is created equal.