10 Mystery Series You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

If you love reading about clever sleuths getting to the bottom of difficult cases, then the only thing better than a good mystery novel is a series full of them. With the ten series listed here, you can get invested in a character over the course of several books, each one bringing an exciting new adventure. When you click links from this website, we may receive advertising revenue to support our research. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

10 Mystery Series You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

Series Author First Books in the Series
1. Nathan McBride Andrew Peterson First to Kill Forced to Kill Option to Kill
2. Dismas Hardy John Lescroart Dead Irish The Vig Hard Evidence
3. Forensic Mystery Alane Ferguson The Christopher Killer Angel of Death The Circle of Blood
4. Poke Rafferty Timothy Hallinan A Nail Through the Heart The Fourth Watcher Breathing Water
5. Logan McRae Stuart MacBride Cold Granite Dying Light Broken Skin
6. Faith Fairchild Katherine Hall Page The Body in the Belfry The Body in the Kelp The Body in the Bouillon
7. Jonathan Grave John Gilstrap No Mercy Hostage Zero Threat Warning
8. Genevieve Lenard Estelle Ryan The Gauguin Connection The Dante Connection The Braque Connection
9. Doug Brock David Rosenfelt Blackout Fade to Black Black and Blue
10. Bailey Ruth Carolyn G. Hart Ghost at Work Merry, Merry Ghost Ghost in Trouble

Classic Mystery Books

The authors on this list stand on the shoulders of many amazing writers who influenced the genre. Consider diving into mystery's rich history with these classics:

  1. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
  2. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  3. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
  4. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
  5. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The History of the Mystery Genre

Some of the world's oldest known stories used the same elements that make modern mysteries so enticing. Homer's famous epic poem The Odyssey is something of a prototype of the genre. The hero's life is in constant danger as he uses his cunning to solve problems and overcome his enemies. But the genre isn't exclusive to Western culture. One of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights (commonly known as Arabian Nights) is considered to be the oldest known murder mystery. This tale, The Three Apples, is full of plot twists and revolves around a mysterious death. Centuries later, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle popularized the genre with his stories about the now-famous Sherlock Holmes. Eventually, of course, mystery made its way from the pages of books to the big screen. Some of the most well-known of these movies were directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who worked on several classics throughout his career, including Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window.

The World's Most Mysterious Book

In Depth

Mystery novels are page-turners full of shocking twists and turns, and the constantly rising suspense makes it hard to put these books down. These stories often feature protagonists who are in a race against time to catch an unknown culprit, and they almost always offer a satisfying conclusion. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of ten mystery series you can sink your teeth into. Take note that this list is done in no particular order.

First up, at #1, is "Nathan McBride" by Andrew Peterson. It's a series of fast-paced and action-packed thrillers that revolve around Nathan McBride, a skilled sniper whose CIA career ended after a botched mission in Nicaragua. Several years after the incident, he and his partner Harvey start their own private security business. These books follow the eponymous hero as he gets tangled up in all sorts of terrorist conspiracies and faces off against both new and old enemies.

Next up, at #2, we have "Dismas Hardy" by John Lescroart. It features Dismas Hardy, a former cop who currently works as a defense attorney. Throughout the series, which is mainly set in San Francisco, we follow Hardy as he investigates increasingly dangerous cases, with some of which involve his own friends and family. Along the way, he occasionally encounters obstacles that force him to turn to the other side of the law.

Along the way, he occasionally encounters obstacles that force him to turn to the other side of the law.

At #3 is "Forensic Mysteries" by Alane Ferguson. It mainly revolves around a seventeen-year-old girl named Cameryn Mahoney, who is an aspiring forensic pathologist. She's the daughter and assistant of Silverton's coroner, Pat Mahoney, and she helps investigate the deaths in her community. When Cameryn finds herself in the crosshairs of a ruthless serial killer, she has to depend on her past experiences and investigative skills in order to survive.

Next, at #4, is "Poke Rafferty" by Timothy Hallinan. The eponymous hero is an American travel writer residing in Bangkok, and he's trying to build a new life with Rose, a former go-go dancer, and a street child named Miaow. The series follows the three of them as they unwittingly get involved in life-threatening situations where the only people they can rely on are each other.

Next up, at #5, we have "Logan McRae" by Stuart MacBride. In the first book, readers are introduced to detective sergeant Logan McRae, who just got back from a year-long break after he was seriously injured in the line of duty. The rest of the stories follow the eponymous detective as he hunts down dangerous criminals in Aberdeen, Scotland. It's a thrilling series full of suspense and dark humor, and the author spares no details when it comes to the gruesome crimes depicted in each novel.

The rest of the stories follow the eponymous detective as he hunts down dangerous criminals in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Next, at #6, is "Faith Fairchild" by Katherine Hall Page. Faith Fairchild is a caterer and amateur detective married to a minister in Massachusetts. Each novel follows her as she investigates the deaths of people both in and out of the small community she resides in. Throughout the long-running series, Faith's penchant for sleuthing causes her to cross paths with all kinds of killers, and the only way she'll survive is by tracking them down and bringing them to justice.

At #7 is "Jonathan Grave" by John Gilstrap. The titular hero is the head of a private security company that specializes in covert hostage rescue operations. The series follows Jonathan Grave and his elite team as they work in the shadows, taking on incredibly risky missions in order to save high-profile hostages. Along the way, they uncover and foil several terrorist plots and government conspiracies that threaten to cause global chaos.

Next up, at #8, we have "Genevieve Lenard" by Estelle Ryan. It revolves around Dr. Genevieve, an insurance investigator and world-renowned nonverbal communications expert with high-functioning autism. Despite being a skilled detective, she struggles to work with others due to her condition, and her abilities are put to the test when she's assigned to work with a team that investigates art-related crimes.

Despite being a skilled detective, she struggles to work with others due to her condition, and her abilities are put to the test when she's assigned to work with a team that investigates art-related crimes.

At #9, is "Doug Brock" by David Rosenfelt. When someone close to the titular hero is killed by a notorious criminal named Nicholas Bennett, he's suspended from the police force. One day, he's shot in his hotel room, and this leaves him with amnesia that makes him forget the past ten years of his life. Now, Doug has to work with his partner Nate in order to retrace his steps and pursue the case that got him suspended, recovering bits and pieces of his memory along the way.

Finally, at #10, we have "Bailey Ruth" by Carolyn Hart. It's a cozy paranormal series that revolves around Bailey Ruth, a ghost who helps people in need. She works for Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, and on her first job, she's tasked with solving the mystery behind the dead body found by a pastor's wife. Each novel features a new problem that she has to solve, and as she continues to break the department's rules, she'll find that one of her greatest enemies is herself.