So many mysteries; so little time. Sometimes that’s how I feel when I look through lists of newly released books. The mystery/thriller genre is one of the most popular book genres in the United States coming in slightly behind romance and fantasy genres.
There are stand alone mysteries and mystery series featuring some of your favorite detectives and amateur sleuths. Do you have a favorite mystery author or mystery series?
Do you prefer seasoned professionals, amateur sleuths, or a partnership of the two like Julia Spencer-Fleming’s Clare Ferguson (an Episcopal priest) and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne or Inspector Bucket and his wife from Charles Dicken’s Bleak House?
With so many talented authors and exciting mysteries to choose from, selecting only ten books is almost impossible. So, I’ve chosen five mystery authors with popular series and five stand alone mysteries for you to consider. Enjoy!
Sue Grafton created the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series of mysteries featuring the private investigator Kinsey Millhone set in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Grafton set the series in the 80’s before the internet because she wanted Millhone to do the legwork of investigating instead of relying on a computer for quick answers. Grafton intended to write one mystery for each letter of the alphabet. She died of cancer while working on the last book in the series. Because she did want a ghost writer to finish her last novel, the series ends with Y.
For more about Sue Grafton read this article from a previous issue, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2019/5/7/learning-the-abcs-of-mystery-from-sue-grafton-by-fran-joyce?rq=Sue%20Grafton
Annette Dashofy is from Western Pennsylvania, and she currently writes two mystery series, one set in Western Pennsylvania and the other in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
Zoe Chambers Mysteries are set in Western. Pennsylvania near the Pittsburgh area. When we first meet Zoe Chambers, she is an EMT who stumbles onto a mystery while doing her job. She’s smart and naturally curious. Her training comes in handy, and she helps solve several criminal cases by working with the local police chief. As the series progresses, and Zoe’s career advances, she finds herself working more closely with the police, and becoming more personally involved with the chief of police.
Detective Honeywell Mystery Series are set in Erie, Pennsylvania. Erie City Detective Matthias Honeywell investigates murders on the shores of Lake Erie. When Honeywell’s investigation collides with freelance photographer Emma Anderson, it’s the beginning of an unexpected collaboration to find a killer.
For more about Annette Dashofy read this article from a previous issue, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2020/5/5/a-mystery-by-any-other-name-by-annette-dashofy
Liz Milliron lives near Pittsburgh. She is the author of three mystery series and a middle grade adventure fantasy series (written as E.M. Sutton). One mystery series is set in Southwestern Pennsylvania and the other two are set in Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, New York.
The Laurel Highlands Mysteries are set in Southern Pennsylvania. Trooper First Class Jim Duncan and Fayette County criminal defense lawyer Sally Castle make an unconventional and entertaining pair who solve mysteries and try to balance the complications of merging their work lives with their private lives.
The Homefront Mysteries are set in Buffalo during World War II. Betty Ahern gives up being a “Rosie the Riveter” to become a female Sam Spade in this highly entertaining series.
The Jackson Davis Mysteries are set in Niagara Falls, New York. Book one, Shattered Sight, was released in March 2025. Niagara Falls Homicide Detective Jackson Davis tries to maintain his perfectly ordered life while battling with PTSD and guilt after an explosion blinds his partner and ends her career. Can he adjust to a new partner while learning to deal with past traumas and still manage to
For more about Liz Milliron read this article from a previous issue, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2024/4/30/the-secrets-we-keep-by-liz-milliron-a-review-by-fran-joyce?rq=Liz%20Milliron the bad guys?
J.J. Hensley is a former police officer and former Special Agent with the United States Secret Service. His work experience uniquely qualifies him to write action/thrillers. Hensley has written stand-alone mysteries and the popular Trevor Galloway Mysteries. After relocating for his career, he now lives in Georgia and the main character of his mystery series has also made the trip South.
Trevor Galloway Mysteries were originally set in the Pittsburgh area then Galloway moves to Georgia. The reasoning behind the move is action-packed and consistent with this adrenaline-fueled series. Galloway is a former Pittsburgh narcotics detective. After being held captive by a major drug dealer who purposely gets him hooked on drugs, Galloway can no longer be a police officer, but that’s all he knows how to do. Galloway has a knack for ticking people off and the right amount of snark to make his investigative techniques entertaining. He’s flawed, but he’s also a survivor with an unwavering respect for justice.
For more about J.J. Hensley read this article from a previous issue, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2022/5/3/jj-hensley
Luke Murphy is a former professional hockey player. He currently teaches middle school and writes mysteries in Shawville, Quebec, Canada. Murphy has two mystery series which he occasionally combines.
Charlene Taylor Mysteries are set in California. Taylor is a homicide detective for the LAPD. She’s from a family of cops and she’s haunted by the unsolved murder of her father. Charlene seems tough as nails, but she cares about the victims of the crimes she investigates.
Calvin Watters Mysteries are set in Las Vegas. Watters was bound for the NFL until a career ending injury cost him his scholarship and derailed his entire life. Before becoming a private investigator, Watters was an enforcer for a Las Vegas loan shark, so he knows the criminal underbelly of the Vegas strip. Calvin is smart, tech savvy, and fearless.
For more about Luke Murphy read this article from a previous issue, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2020/5/5/qampa-with-the-international-best-selling-author-luke-murphy-by-fran-joyce?rq=Luke%20Murphy
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig – A group of friends on a camping trip discovers a strange staircase in the woods that seems to go nowhere. When they investigate the staircase disappears and one of their group disappears with it. Twenty years later it reappears, and they return to hunt for their friend. An exciting combination of mystery and horror lies beyond the staircase in the woods.
Julie Chan is Dead by Lian Zhang – Julie Chan and her twin sister Chloe were separated at a young age. Julie grows up to be a supermarket cashier and Chloe becomes a popular influencer. When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body, she changes places with her and assumes Chloe’s glamorous life. Everything’s going well until a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s friends reveals sinister forces at work that may have killed Chloe and now threaten Julie’s life.
Coram House by Bailey Seybolt – Inspired by a true story about a crime writer investigating two deaths decades apart at an old orphanage in Vermont. Alex Kelley is a struggling true crime writer trying to save her career. When she’s asked to ghostwrite a book about the past abuses at Coram House orphanage, Alex gladly accepts, but when she discovers a woman’s body in the lake, she realizes the sins of the past may still be affecting the present.
The Children of Eve by John Connolly – When a rising star of the Maine art community’s boyfriend, Wyatt Riggins, disappears leaving the message “RUN” on his phone, private investigator Charlie Parker is hired to find him and decipher the message. Parker discovers a link between Riggins, the abduction of four children from Mexico, and the leader of a drug cartel, Blas Urrea. Urrea’s children are safe at his compound in Mexico, so who are these children and why does Urrea want them?
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware – Five couples are trapped during a storm on an island. A killer is lose stalking them, but no one knows the identity of the killers.