female detectives

Persons Unknown is the second police procedural following Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw, following up Missing, Presumed. Manon's character is growing and changing throughout. She is five months pregnant at the start. And she has adopted Fly Dent, a quiet teenager whose family died in the previous book. Looking for a change of pace in their hectic life and a better quality of friends for Fly, they move from London to Cambridgeshire with Manon's sister, Ellie, and her toddler son, Solly. Life is moving along well for them until a murder investigation throws everything into chaos. 

Jon

Unforgotten opens with a series of scenes depicting perfectly ordinary people going about their lives and interacting with other perfectly ordinary people. At the same time, a body is discovered in the basement of a building that's over a century old, and DCI Cassie Stuart and her partner DI Sunny Khan must figure out not only what happened to the deceased, but when, in the long history of that building, he died. This mystery series is smart, engaging, thoughtful, and empathetic, and the story's interplay between ordinary people and the crime that's almost certainly been committed by one of

Seattle Private Investigator Harper Blaine is just a woman trying to pay her bills. But after a near death experience, her life is changed forever. Since the accident Harper has not been feeling well and sees strange shadows during the day. The doctor is no help and she slowly begins to realize she is seeing into the Grey, a place between the living and the dead. The Grey is full of vampires, ghosts and magic unknown to the everyday human. Harper needs clients and she cannot ignore the "Grey creatures" that seek out her help. Now, she must decide how much help is too much . . . because she

Kinsey Millhone has been hired by Lorna Kepler's mother to investigate her death. Mrs. Kepler is convinced Lorna was murdered, but it's been 10 months, and no proof or substantial information has ever been found. How will Kinsey be able to find what the police couldn't? But of course, she finds little clues that lead her forward in her investigation. Following the footsteps of a serious night owl turns Kinsey's world upside down and throws off her game. As in all of the Alphabet Series books so far, Kinsey puts herself in danger and suffers the consequence. She also makes a bad decision that

Maisie Dobbs' first case as a private detective is not what she expected nor wanted. But in the spring of 1929 in her new London office her first client walks through her door and asks for her assistance with a love triangle. Maisie, who was born into a working class family, is aware of her status and sex and is trying to make her mark in the detective world and so takes on the case as professionally as she possibly can. She has an inherent intuition about people and situations as well as a skill for attention to detail which she honed through years of reading, attending university and finally

This is the first book in the Phryne Fisher Mystery series, a charmingly written series set in in early 20th century Melbourne, Australia. The atmospheric and well-researched details in these novels create an engrossing view into 1920s Melbourne society at all levels. The cast has its regulars, like Jack Robinson, the long-suffering and orchid-loving policeman, Cec and Burt, the wharfies who hope for a socialist revolution, and Lin Chung, the well-to-do son of Chinese immigrants. Included in each book is an ever-changing variety of folks from all walks of Australian life, who round out the

Heat Wave is the first book purportedly written by Richard Castle. Richard Castle, in turn, is the title character of the ABC crime drama, Castle. In the first episode of the TV show, the author uses his friendship with the Mayor of New York to arrange a “ride along” with one of New York’s finest. Continued forays to various crime scenes provide material for Castle’s book on the detective. Heat Wave is that book.  The true author of the novel is unknown.

Heat Wave opens with magazine journalist,Jameson Rook, trading favors to arrange a “ride along” with Detective Nikki Heat. Detective Heat and

Calculated in Death is J.D. Robb’s 36th addition to her popular In Death series. In a Manhattan stairwell, a woman is found murdered. It could be a case of mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas has her doubts. So begins another trip through New York high finance, high society and murder. While not the most mysterious of mysteries, it is an enjoyable tale. Fans of the series will appreciate the opportunity to catch up on the doings of Eve, Rourke, Peabody and all the rest.

I listened to Trail of the Spellmans, the fifth book in the Spellman Files series.  As with all of the books in the series, Isabel “Izzy” Spellman is our protagonist.  Izzy is a private eye employed by the Spellman Detective Agency owned by her parents, Albert and Olivia.  All previous books in the series are funny and this latest installment is no different.  This time around, though, Izzy seems to be the responsible one while all the rest seem to be behaving unlike their usual selves. Olivia seems to be taking on more extracurricular activities outside of the home. David, her perfect eldest