What to read next!

[Luckymum20]

Hello,

I am looking for some advice on what to read next! I pretty much stick to one genre - UK crime fiction.

I like to read series, rather than one offs.

Unfortunately, many of the series I stumble upon seem to have the same theme... Female detective, recovering from a personal tragedy, goes back to work, finds love, child gets kidnapped etc.

I am looking for some new suggestions to broaden my horizons.

Many thanks.

MW Craven's Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw series.

They're the best crime books I've read in years.

Have you read any of Freida McFadden's books? I've got into her stuff recently - just finished a brilliant book of hers called "Never Lie" and I'm now reading "The Teacher" - next book on my list is by Stuart James and called "The App".

Have a look of the World Of Books site - they were doing a sale and I've picked up loads of books from there ad hoc and they've turned out to be brilliant reads.

I thought of her until I read the part where she specified she only reads UK crime.

Helen Fields DI Callanach series is good.
Give Frieda McFadden a miss.

You're right.
I re-read OP's post again after I'd posted and realised the Freida writes American crime. I think it's because I automatically change the words in my head into the English version - yes, I'm strange in my little ways.

Have you read any John Marrs books? He writes standalone crime books, and then there is a series of dystopian novels starting with The One, all excellent, although can be quite grisly!

I liked the harry bosch books - think they are by michael connelly. Must admit I haven't read the most recent ones yet.
But he is in US.
Just read my first Strike book - that was good.

Sharon (sometimes styled as S.J.) Bolton and Nicci French

Yes sorry OP, please ignore me.
I wasn't concentrating properly due to heavy pain relief for my condition and I didn't take all of your post in.
I've been put right by a couple of posters! - Freida McFadden is US and she also writes standalones, rather than series.

Have you tried ian rankin or val mcdermind?

Mark Billingham also does good crime books. Think some are part of a series.

Yes I have read all those - great series.

I have read all Ian Rankin, what a great series.

Have you tried the Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson?

I didn't expect so many responses! Thank you.

The series I enjoyed the most was Stuart McBride - Logan McRae. Highly recommended series.

I will look it up :-)

I think most fictional detectives have a traumatic past!

These ones are pretty popular so you have probably already read them but:

Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series
Ruth Galloway (Elly Griffiths) doesn't have that much of a personal tragedy as far as I remember (although her love life is a disaster area) but children do get kidnapped quite often. I like Elly's other detectives as well, the Brighton series and the Harpinder Kaur series
Anthony Horowitz has a fictional version of himself investigating in one series, and a book publisher in another
Strike - both Strike and Robin have traumatic pasts of course, don't remember much child kidnapping though if any
I thought of Nicci French's Frieda Klein books, but they follow your description almost exactly 😀

Do they have to be modern settings?
Sophie Hannah's new Poirot books
Andrew Taylor's Ashes of London series and also his Lydmouth series
Catriona McPherson's Dandy Gilver series

Ohhhh... Sophie Hannah's new Poirot books!

I was not aware of those. Thank you!

John Marrs books are good.

I've just finished the Serial Killer series (3 books) by Alice Hunter.

And it's American based by Alex Cross series by James Patterson is worth reading.

Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy series. I think they are brilliant. Set in NI during the 80's.

Eye for an eye; it's a crime novel about people who have commited terrible crimes that are given lifelong anonymity, but their new identities get leaked to the victims' families

Try Kate Rhodes - murder in the Isles of Scilly series. Detective is male (but does have issues in his past).

Was going to say the same thing!

Also Vera Ann Cleeves

Try some standalones too - Belinda Bauer, Rosamund Lupton and Alex Marwood all write great standalone crime novels

Agree with Ann Cleves - Vera and Shetland.

What about LJ Ross, Ryan series? Some kidnapping of friends and relations iirc but not in every book. Some sad back story but not driving force in novels. Set in Northumberland.

Agree with Elly Griffiths, Ruth Galloway series, set in Norfolk her best in my opinion, but enjoyed the Brighton ones too. Not read the others.

Yy to Val McDermid, several different series. The Tony Hill ones are a bit gruesome, (though I've enjoyed them - and just discovered a couple published more recently thst I haven't read due to this thread) but the Lindsay Gordon and Kate Brannigan ones are much less gory. I've liked the Karen Pirie ones I've read too.

Murder Most Haunted. My book club loved it. Cosy and funny with a bit of darkness and emotion.