A singular, cartoonish eye blinks under the lens of a magnifying glass inspecting a darkened, smoky room from floor to ceiling in the hopes of finding a clue. The tip of a deerstalker cap undulates into vision, changing shape and size beneath the distorted meniscus of the traditional detective’s tool. A mystery is well and truly afoot.
This image of an archetypal Sherlockian figure is what springs to mind when the vast majority of us consider the art of detective fiction. If not that, then some kind of film noir picture which features suspenders, Venetian blinds, cigarette smoke and whisky in a cut-crystal tumbler. Yet what both historical and contemporary detective stories have in common is simple: an express desire to know the unknowable.
In both forms of the beloved literary genre, we tend to follow a male figure as he spies and sleuths his way to the truth – whether it be solving a murder mystery, discovering a kidnapper, revealing a fraudster or uncovering the reality behind a seemingly supernatural family curse. Old-school iterations will usually include female characters as tertiary subjects who exist to serve the emotional, sexual and motivational needs of the male protagonists. So far, so Sherlock.
The golden age of this specific kind of detective fiction was between 1920 and 1939. Across the globe, society was still reeling from the horrors of the Spanish Flu, the First World War and the beginnings of the second. It makes sense, then, that readers were captivated by the existence of a singular, heroic character that could provide all the answers through intellect alone.
In a world inundated with death and destruction, readers would escape into the glittering world of golden age detective fiction, where they knew they’d reach a satisfying conclusion.
A turning point arguably occurred when Agatha Christie entered the equation, daring to write her first detective novel in 1916 because her sister, Madge, bet her that she couldn’t. Sixty-six novels, 15 short-story collections and the title of the world’s bestselling novelist in history later (outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare), it’s clear that contemporary society still can’t get enough of a classic Whodunnit.
Christie, building on Conan Doyle’s tradition, re-ignited the desire for serial detective stories – just one mystery wasn’t enough. She paved the way for female writers to enter the space, who would go on to pen detective stories written by women, about women.
We’ve curated a selection of the best serial detective stories to sink your teeth into – from the old school to the contemporary. Time to get a clue.
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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The very first of Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels which features Detective Sherlock Holmes and Watson, The Hound of the Baskervilles takes place within the hills and crevices of the mist-covered moors at Baskerville Hall. Following the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, which locals are putting down to the hellish, ghostly hound which is said to have haunted his family for generations – the ever-rational Holmes sets out to disprove such irrational mysticism and solve the case once and for all.
Buy now £14.29, Amazon
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
The first in a series following archaeologist Ruth Galloway, our protagonist is tapped to analyse the bones of a child which have been discovered near a prehistoric henge on the salt marshes of north Norfolk. Between anonymous notes quoting passages from Shakespeare and the Bible sent to attending DCI Harry Nelson, Galloway finds herself at the centre of danger when yet another child goes missing.
Buy now £11.53, Amazon
Dissolution by C.J Sansom
Lovers of both historical fiction and murder mysteries rejoice for C.J. Sansom’s Dissolution offers an enthralling blend of both best-selling genres. The first of a five-book series, Dissolution takes place during one of the most tumultuous periods of British history – the period immediately following Henry VIII’s self-proclamation as the Supreme Head of Church and Country.
A commissioner was sent by Thomas Cromwell to dissolve the remaining monasteries across the United Kingdom. but meets his untimely death at the monastery of Scarnsea on the Sussex Coast. Lawyer and long-term supporter of Reform Dr Matthew Shardlake is on Cromwell’s orders to solve the mystery, yet finds himself forced to confront the seemingly unshakeable belief system which governs his sense of self in this explosive mystery.
Buy now £10.99, Waterstones
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
A classic from the moment it was published in 2020, Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is about a group of four septuagenarians who meet up every week to discuss murderous cold cases. Proving you don’t have to be young to get into the thick of mystifying investigations, Osman’s brilliant novel puts the unorthodox gang of retirees at the centre of a crime which takes place on their very doorstep.
Buy now £7.99, Waterstones
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
A novel which arguably served as the blueprint for classic Whodunnits for years to come, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express encapsulates all of the most thrilling tropes associated with the detective fiction genre with seamless and page-turning efficacy. Plunge into the gruesome story which unfolds after the Orient Express stops dead in its tracks due to a snowdrift, following which a billionaire tycoon is found dead in his train cabin with a dozen stab wounds. Hercule Poirot attempts to reveal the murderer, who remains on the train with all of its passengers - before it is too late. Delve into the other 38 Poirot-centric mysteries that were published during Christie's lifetime once you've finished this one.
Buy now £9.15, Amazon
Into the Woods by Tana French
The first of the Dublin Murder Squad series, French’s bestselling debut begins in a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984. Following a terrifyingly Stephen King-esque event which claims the lives of all but one child within the suburban community, we re-meet the sole survivor twenty years later – his name is Rob Ryan, and he’s now a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad. When a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the very same woods that Ryan escaped by the skin of his teeth, our detective becomes determined to uncover the mystery once and for all.
Buy now £6.40, Amazon
Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
The UK’s favourite crime writer published the first of the beloved Rebus Series back in 1987 and would go on to write an eye-watering 23 more. Detective John Rebus once served in Britain’s elite SAS. Now, he’s a beat cop in the heart of Edinburgh who avoids anything which may force him to confront his past, present or future. Rebus is nevertheless forced out of liminality once it becomes clear that his city is being ravaged by a series of violent murders. When cruel, coded messages begin to arrive at his doorstep, Rebus is confronted with the deathly responsibility of a criminal puzzle designed for him, and him alone.
Buy now £8.99, Waterstones
Still Life by Louise Penny
When a gruesome murder takes place within an idyllic white picked-fenced village in Quebec, which is so crime-free that it doesn’t even have a police force, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the Surete du Quebec must solve the mystery of why local, beloved artist Jane Neal was killed in Three Pines. A thrilling suburban thriller that has you noting down the characteristics of townspeople like a game of Cluedo, this is the first of the 18-book Gamache series by Louise Penny.
Buy now £8.08, Amazon
The Bat by Jo Nesbo
A brilliant beginning to a series of Nordic Noir detective fiction, Jo Nesbo’s The Bat will have you gripped from page one. Detective Harry Hole is tasked with solving the murder of a young Norwegian girl who was taking a gap year in Sydney, Australia. As an attaché, Hole must aid the investigation without getting too involved. Inevitably, our detective is sent on a spiral as the mystery slowly unravels.
Buy now £9.99, Waterstones
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Now’s the time to finally pick up your very own copy of the international bestseller. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first of Stieg Larsson’s six-part series which follows an unlikely team of murder investigators put together by the uncle of Harriet Vanger, who disappeared from a gathering on the family’s island forty years ago. Disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and tattooed hacker Lisbeth Salander risk everything to uncover the secrets of the twisted Vanger clan and solve the mystery of Harriet’s disappearance.
Buy now £6.26, Amazon
The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke
A testament to the sticky heat of Southern Noir, homicide detective Dave Robicheaux is told by Johnny Massina – a convicted murderer who has been sentenced to death – that Robicheaux is on a hit list. As the detective races against time to pin down exactly who is out to kill him, he also takes on the case of a young black girl found dead in the Bayou swamp. Yet Robicheaux makes a shocking discovery linking the case which no one wanted to solve but him, and the terrible fate he fears most. The Neon Rain is the first of a 21-book series.
Buy now £8.68, Amazon
