waiting on Inspector Gamache

 

All out of Louise Penny novels? Here are series openers you may enjoy reading while waiting for the next installment in the Inspector Gamache series.

Case Histories (Jackson Brodie Book 1) by Kate Atkinson

The first book in the Jackson Brodie mystery series kicks off with private investigator Brodie following three seemingly disparate cases in Edinburgh. What do a missing little girl, an attacked office worker, and a new mother who snapped have in common? Jackson Brodie follows the threads back over the past 30 years as surprising connections emerge.

A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford Mysteries Book 1) by Charles Todd

This series features an atmospheric, post-WWI England setting and a wartime nurse turned investigator; with the Bess Crawford series, the authors explicitly wanted to show readers the women's side of The Great War. In this first installment, Bess is determined to fulfill a promise she made to a dying officer, even though she's been sent away from the front with a broken arm. But when she meets the man's family, something feels off—and she soon realizes she's plunged straight into the middle of a web of long-buried secrets.

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad Book 1) by Tana French

This is the first of French's popular Dublin Murder Squad, although unlike Louise Penny, this series need not be read in order. The story has two primary threads: one revolves around a psychopath, the other around a supernatural disturbance, and you'll be sucked right into both. The murder is seriously grizzly, the book unputdownable—although be warned: the ending is highly controversial.

From Doon with Death (Inspector Wexford Mysteries Book 1) by Ruth Rendell

Inspector Wexford cannot figure out why anyone would murder a timid housewife, until he happens upon her secret collection of rare books, all signed by someone named Doon. But who is Doon and what do they have to do with the victim? Rendell deftly combines police procedural with small town mystery.

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries Series Book 1) by Jacqueline Winspear

At age 13, Maisie became a maid in London, but when her employer notices Maisie keeps sneaking into the library at night to read philosophy, her employer puts her on the path to Cambridge. When WWI begins, she becomes a nurse, and then a private investigator. This first novel is a strong start to a strong series: read them in order.

A Share in Death (Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James Book 1) by Deborah Crombie

Detective Duncan Kincaid happens to be vacationing at his posh cousin's time share when a body is found in the resort pool. The local detective rules suicide, but Kincaid is certain there's more to the story.

Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti Book 1) by Donna Leon

In this first installment, a renowned opera conductor is found dead in his dressing room, a victim of cyanide poisoning. As the investigation unfolds, it's clear the man had a dark past and many enemies, and that the perpetrator wanted to make his victim suffer. But why? Death at La Fenice is an excellent place to begin, but no need to read this lengthy series in order.

The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry Book 1) by Sujata Massey

Perveen Mistry is Bombay’s first female solicitor, employed by her father’s respected firm. When her father’s Muslim client dies, he is tasked with executing the will, but the three devout widows "stay behind the veil," and must not be seen by men. When the duo discover irregularities in the estate documents, Perveen resolves to speak with the widows, because—as a woman—she's the only one who can.

The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon Series Book 1) by Daniel Silva

Meet Gabriel Allon, a master art restorer and sometime Israeli intelligence operative. He’s pulled back into the fray when his former boss needs his help shutting down a planned terrorist attack—and the man behind this plot is also responsible for the murder of his wife and son. An international manhunt ensues, making for a page-turning read.

A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley Book 1) by Elizabeth George

This award-winning series features Scotland Yard members Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. These mysteries feature well-developed characters, intricate plots, psychological depth, and a strong sense of place, with much of the action unfolding in the gorgeous English countryside.

Iron Lake (Cork O’Connor Book 1) by William Kent Krueger

After losing his job and separating from his family in a marital dispute, Cork O’Connor can barely crawl out from under his guilt. Cork is eager to win back his family—winter in Minnesota lake country is hard enough without bitterness and loss. But when a local judge is murdered, and a friend asks Cork to find her missing son, he takes on the investigation. Town officials try to stop him at every turn, but Cork is determined to find the truth, even if that means exposing a dark secret. Part Irish, part Anishinaabe, Cork straddles two worlds and calls on friends who owe him favors in order to solve the case.

The Unquiet Dead (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak Book 1) by Ausma Zehanat Khan

This Canadian procedural series centers the investigative team of detective Esa Khattak and his assistant Rachel Getty, who are often called upon to investigate crimes in the Muslim community of Toronto, navigating cultural and political divides to do so. The pair is called in to investigate the seemingly accidental death of a wealthy local man, and it slowly becomes apparent that this crime's roots go deeper than the detectives could have dreamed.

Bluebird, Bluebird (Highway 59 Book 1) by Attica Locke

In this modern noir, Darren Matthews, a Black Texas Ranger, has an intricate understanding of racial tensions in East Texas. He’s proud of his roots and his family, but when his loyalty lands him in trouble, he agrees to get out of town and investigate a crime for a friend. He drives up Highway 59 to the town of Lark, where a recent murder has stirred up hatred and history.

The Thursday Murder Club (The Thursday Murder Club Book 1) by Richard Osman

This fun mystery is set in a retirement community, where four friends meet in the Jigsaw Room every week to chat about unsolved crimes. This group of 70-somethings call themselves "The Thursday Murder Club." When bodies start piling up in a live and local case, they set out to catch a killer.

The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway Series Book 1) by Elly Griffiths

Dr. Ruth Galloway is dedicated to her career as a forensic archaeologist and her two cats in Norfolk. When a child’s bones are discovered on a beach, the detective calls her in for help, suspecting they may be the remains of a girl who went missing a decade prior. Instead, the bones are revealed to be from the Iron Age, drawing Ruth further into the mystery. Then a second girl goes missing and the detective receives a sinister letter. They’ll have to work fast to determine if a copycat is on the rise.

In the Bleak Midwinter (Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Book 1) by Julia Spencer-Fleming

When a newborn infant is left at her church door, Clare Fergusson, the new Episcopalian priest in town, strikes up a friendship with Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne. They’re both ex-Army and find they have a lot in common…but he’s married and so friendship is all that they can be. As they search for the baby’s mother, they discover troubling secrets hiding in their small Upstate New York town.

Bruno, Chief of Police (Bruno Chief of Police Series Book 1) by Martin Walker

The eponymous Captain Bruno Courrèges is in charge of a modest force in the town of St Debis in the Périgord region of France, and Bruno is not your typical hard-hitting copper: he never carries the gun he owns, and barely needs to arrest people. But suddenly all is turmoil in the town as inspectors from Brussels swoop on the rural market, making many enemies. Bruno is worried by the fact that this phenomenon is invoking memories of the town's ignoble Vichy France past. Then an old man from a North African immigrant family is murdered…

What Angels Fear (Sebastian St. Cyr Series Book 1) by C.S. Harris

It’s 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III’s England. Then the body of a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man: Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an officer during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. 

https://modernmrsdarcy.com/what-to-read-next-louise-penny-readalikes/