Recommend a female detective like Maeve Kerrigan

[Annasgirl]

HI all,

I loved Maeve Kerrigan, Ruth Galloway and Thora Gudmundsdottir (Icelandic female cop). I have started the Sara Ramsey ones and I'm not loving them. I also read the DCI Anna Tate one and really disliked it - I had the crime solved about 5 days before Anna did!!!!

I like something with a witty, intelligent but not goody-goody cop. Anyone got a good series to recommend?

Thanks

Have you read the Kinsey Millhone books by Sue Grafton? She's a witty, intelligent but not goody-goody ex-cop.

Oh thanks will try them.

Also try Sara Paretsky's VI Warshawski series.

I love Grafton and Paretsky too.
Have you tried Sarah Hilary's novels? Forget the name of the lead female detective, but I read somewhere that she doesn't plot in advance so has no idea who dunnit or why until very late on in the story, which should make guessing more difficult.

I wanted to be Kinsey Millhone for ages. She's a brilliant heroine.

Hi OP, I really enjoyed the Fiona Griffiths series by Harry Bingham, and the Lacey Flint series by Sharon Bolton

Oh this is great - I love having a series so I can move on straight away when I finish a book.

There are 25 Kinsey Millhones. She died before she wrote Z, though :(

Some of Tana French’s Dublin Murder books have a female lead, The Likeness and The Trespasser, off the top of my head. The lead in The Likeness also has a major role in the first book in the series, Into the Woods, which I’d suggest reading first due to minor spoilers, although it’s probably no big deal if you don’t.

Oh, and does Miss Marple count?

There are 25 Kinsey Millhones. She died before she wrote Z, though

The Likeness is such tosh, though admittedly nicely written tosh. I prefer her other books.

The Paula Maguire series by Claire McGowan. Set in N Ireland, she's actually a psychologist attached to the police. Great series of seven books so far.

I have recently discovered William Shaw, l love his writing, great sense of place (set around Dungeness area if you know it)and his female detective , Capaldi, is great , she comes complete with troubled teen and interesting police colleagues.

Titles: Salt Lane and Deadland. The bird watcher is sort of connected as well.

I stayed in one of the places described,

I like the Shetland Sailing Mysteries by Marsali Taylor. I believe there are currently five in the series. Female amateur sleuth who is definitely not a duffer, and I've learned a lot about the Shetlands, too.

Early Karin slaughter, Patricia Gibney, Catherine Korean, I second Sarah Hillary. Angela marsons Kim Stone series. Jane Isaac Beth Chamberlain series. Nicci French seriesthat's the days of the week. Lisa gardner, Sam Blake Cathy Connolly series. Camilla lackberg. Asa larsson.

The Michelle Davies books are great too !

Ooh I forgot Angela Marsons and Tana French! But can highly recommend both.

JD Robb - Eve Dallas - long series
Seconding VI Warshawski.
Janet Evanovich for a female PI but it's a bit more slapsticky.
SR Garrae - Casey Clement.
Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles books
Kathy Reichs - it's not a cop, but a pathologist - it's the books the Bones TV series grew from.
"Richard Castle" - Nikki Heat series (but only the first couple, after that they went downhill a bit).

Oh I really didn't like the Dublin murder ones by Tana - ironic that I live here , maybe they just are not glam enough!!!! And I couldn't even finish her last one - the one that is getting rave reviews!!! I suppose it's just whether something suits you or not.

Thanks so much for all of these names - this should keep me going for a while.

I love psychology ones, thanks. I'd love to have studied forensic psychology - if I had heard of it 25 years ago!!!!

I'm surprised you don't like Tana French. I think she's a brilliant writer.

What about Vera Stanhope by Anne Cleeves. They are brilliant.

In thanks I just want to recommend Firefly - a spy thriller I read and adored last Summer on the refugee crisis. No detectives in sight.

Susie Steiner's two Manon Bradshaw books - Missing, Presumed and Persons Unknown.