Non-gory detective series needed

[MrsGru]

I really love reading detective series - favourites are the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths and the Shetland and Vera series by Ann Cleeves. Also loved the Cormoran Strike books. I'm looking for a new series to start reading - I have been reading the Snowdonia series by Simon McCleave but although I have quite enjoyed them I'm on book 3 now and it's got quite gory and a bit scary! I've found getting completely absorbed in books with great characters hugely relaxing during the last year so would love any recommendations of great detective series that are gripping but a bit gentler. Thank you!

Perhaps try the Simon Serralier series by Susan Hill ? If you don't mind some history mixed in with crime solving I would recommend Catriona McPherson's Dandy Gilver series and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs books, both set in the 1930's .

Dorothy L Sayers? The Nine Tailors is one of my favourites.

If you're interested in stuff set in other countries then you can't go wrong with Montalbano and the Colin Cotterill books set in Laos are also great

Have a look at Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series set in French Canada.

And the Bryant and May series; really interesting historical details about London.

Ragnar Jonasson Dark Iceland and Hidden Iceland are good.
The northern-ness of them reminds me a bit of Ann Cleeves' Shetland series.
Stephen Booth- set in Derbyshire
Elizabeth George Inspector Linley
Reginald Hill- Dalziel and Pascoe.

All excellent police procedural without the seemingly ubiquitous horrific murder of women involved in most detective stories at the moment.

Perveen Mistry series by Sujata Massey.

I love the Cadfael books, good mysteries, well researched and Cadfael is a great character.

I really liked the Number one ladies detective agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I was swept away to Africa when reading it.

The Anthony Horowitz ones - Magpie Murders & Moonflower Murders are the first two in a series. And a separate series is The Word is Murder & The Sentence is Death. I've read he's planning more of each. They are just what you want - well written murder mysteries without gore.

And Josephine Tey's Alan Grant series - a bit dated, but still good.

Kate Atkinson, Jackson Brodie series.
Starts with ‘Case Histories’

Oh also, a bit different in style from the rest on here but the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich are great (funny, entertaining, super light).

Thank you very much for all of the recommendations! I will be hunting some of them down this morning. I have read the Simon Serrailler series and really enjoyed that, thank you. Also read some of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books - but you you have reminded me I also really liked his Isabel Dalhousie series so will check whether he has written any more of those. I think I have an Inspector Gamache book on my Kindle which I downloaded as a daily deal a while ago but haven't got round to yet. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into a new book so thank you!

Alex Gray's Detective Lorimer (Scottish but not graphic).
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum (silly fun)
JD Robb's Eve Dallas series (slightly futuristic NY)
Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan series
SR Garrae's Casey series
LJ Ross - set in Northumberland
Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody (Egyptian setting, 1900-1920)
Georgette Heyer's country house mysteries (not really a series)
Kerry Greenwood's Miss Fisher series
Ngaio Marsh (same time frame as Sayers, Inspector Alleyn)
Ruth Dudley Edwards (satire and murder)

I’ve just discovered Hazel Holt’s Mrs Malory series about a middle aged widow who gets involved in various murders. A bit like Miss Marple but younger and set in 1990s Devon. Full of the WI, committee meetings and Victoria sponges with a touch of tongue in cheek humour.

Came on to second Louise Penny and the Inspector Gamache series. Start with No.1 in series: Still Life

I must admit to preferring the gory ones, but also enjoy the Ruth Galloway books.
Joining in to recommend the Commissario Guido Brunetti series, by Donna Leon, set in Venice .
Not overly long, I think there’s upwards of 25 books in the series now.
Glorious escapism, especially in the present circumstances !

Maybe the Tana French dublin murder series? Grittier than some of the series you have mentioned but not too gory.

Also the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey. Also slightly grittier but not scary or gratuitously so. I've read and loved all you have listed and loved these 2 as well but can't read anything graphic either.

Great suggestions. This is the kind of thing I like too so will be following them up. I really enjoyed the two Horowitz series and Tana French. I have only read the first Ruth Galloway, I enjoyed the character but I did think whodunnit was pretty obvious (and I'm not normally very good at telling!)

For a super-light and entertaining read I like Val McDermid's Kate Brannigan series about a PI investigating white collar crimes in Manchester - she wrote them before she got into serial killers. Not complex or meaningful at all but virtually no gore and they zip along.

The Wesley Peterson novels by Kate Ellis are a good read - set in present day Devon, but always with a link to a similar historical case!

If you enjoy historical settings, Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton series set in 1920s Yorkshire.

Have you tried Peter Robinson's Alan Banks series?

If you like accidental sleuthing, the Blanche series by Barbara Neely are a great read. They're also on Kindle unlimited.

The Hannah Wolfe series by Sarah Dunnant about a PI are also very engaging and not gory.

The Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo. I enjoyed these books.