The 5 Best Mystery Series You’ve Never Heard Of
What Do These Five People Have In Common?
A Recipe Columnist who turns to food for comfort after suffering in a long term abusive relationship…
A Medieval hunchbacked lawyer who finds himself questioning his long held beliefs…
A high functioning autistic non-verbal communication expert investigating insurance fraud…
A 13-year-old maid turned WWI nurse in war-torn France who craves independence in an era where there is very little independence for women…
And a broken down Afghanistan war veteran turned Private Investigator with a missing leg and an aversion to commitment…?
Answer: They are all brilliant protagonists in the following five top notch mystery series you might not have read!
“Recipes for Love and Murder” by Salley Andrew
The Tannie Maria Series
I’m like a little kid opening up a highly anticipated birthday present when I open the FIRST book of a mystery series I’ve not yet read! This book came highly recommended from a live recorded event I listened to hosted by my favorite local Indie Bookstore, Warwicks in La Jolla, and Penguin Publishing. Recommendations from independent bookstores rarely steer me wrong. This delicious mystery, (meant in the truest sense) features Tannie Maria who honors her Afrikaans’ mother’s love for cooking, and her English father’s life as a journalist, by writing a recipe column for her community gazette. Eventually her writings turn into an advice column giving out recipes that will help people who write letters asking for answers to their ‘love’ problems. She soon “ finds herself involved in something much more sinister than her chocolate cake recipe”…..MURDER! Full of insightful glimpses into important social issues, lots of love, yummy recipes, and of course a thrilling murder mystery, this book is an absolute fabulous read from start to finish. I’m now getting ready to read book number two in the series - The Satanic Mechanic - I’m excited!
WATCH:The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency The TV miniseries adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith’s first book in another great mystery series! ( It’s A Read-Alike to Recipes for Love and Murder in style and theme)
“Dissolution” by C.J. Sansom
The Matthew Shardlake Series
This is the first book in a brilliant mystery series I enthusiastically recommend! It’s a Tudor historical fiction murder mystery series that is exceptionally researched by the author, yet the facts weave in and out effortlessly into the story and keep you riveted to the suspense attached to the solving of the brutal crimes in each book. The book begins during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in England from 1536-1540. The country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church, and those loyal to the King and his newly established Church of England. The protagonist Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked reformer lawyer working for Thomas Cromwell under the King’s reign, is sent to a remote monastery to investigate the grisly death of his fellow commissioner. When he arrives, things are much darker and sinister than Matthew expected and challenge everything he believes in. This book has everything - rich and relatable characters, a thrilling history lesson that is seamlessly woven into the overall story, a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end, and will give you an excited eagerness to read the next book in the series! Dark Fire
WATCH: - The Tudors, a Showtime drama series that focuses on the early years of King Henry VIII’s reign. It’s a very entertaining combination of fictionalized drama and historical fact.
“The Gauguin Connection” by Estelle Ryan
The Genevieve Lenard Series
While reading an exciting murder mystery series, who wouldn’t like to discover new artists and their works of art, become educated about global art crimes and insurance fraud, learn about how powerful body language is, and want to listen to Mozart sonatas? This is the first book of 15 in the extraordinary mystery series featuring Genevieve Lenard who has been diagnosed with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Throughout the series, Genevieve uses her exceptional gifts as a non-verbal communication expert to give her a unique perspective in solving insurance fraud crimes. All of the books in this series are connected in some way to art crimes, the third top criminal activity in the world grossing nearly 6 billion a year. In the Gauguin Connection, Genevieve is pushed out of her comfort zone and pulled into a team looking to solve the murder of a young artist, and racing to stop a ruthless murderer from targeting more artists. I was hooked when I read that Genevieve utilized playing works of Mozart in her head as a calming down coping mechanism for anything upsetting her usual routine.( fun fact - the author chose Mozart as a coping mechanism for Genevieve because his music is known to have neurological value. Try studying or relaxing to Mozart - it may make a nice difference in your day!) By the end of the book, I wanted more of everything this story had to offer, so I clicked on youtube, turned on Mozart’s String Quartet No.1 in G Major, and began reading the next book in the series. The Dante Connection
WATCH: - The Art of the Steal 2009 documentary (not to be confused with the 2013 film with the same name)
This is a terrific film that while not directly related to the book series, does shed light on the kinds of opportunistic individuals in the world of art. (A 2021 documentary, Made you Look: A True Story of Fake Art, does address art fraud and forgery and is also a fascinating watch)
“Maisie Dobbs” by Jacqueline Winspear
The Maisie Dobbs Series
Maisie Dobbs is an honorable heroine, whose strength, courage, and resilience has been forged through personal tragedies and life experiences leading up to The Great War, and then during her time spent in war torn France as a Nurse on the Front line. The first book in this marvelous series is set in England between 1910- 1929, and while there is a punch in the gut mystery to solve, the book primarily serves to introduce Maisie Dobbs to the Reader. She is the daughter of a hard working, kind and honest father. Her mother has passed away. She becomes a maid at age 13 to help her father make ends meet, discovers a grand library in her wealthy and titled employer’s mansion, gets up and sneaks into the library at 3 AM every morning to read, and gets caught. Instead of being dismissed, The Lady Compton introduces her to a mentor, Maurice Blanche, who teaches her about psychology, science, and anything else she wants to learn. When Maisie returns to England after serving in the war, she uses her brains, ambition, and her craving for independence to move forward in an era where there is very little independence for women. The early books will take you through pre WWI, the Great War, and post WWI near the outbreak of the Great Depression, giving you emotional access to what the country was suffering from the aftermath of all those slaughtered and maimed. It is also a time when the British class system was going through a huge social upheaval straddling the class ladder between the ‘upstairs’ and the ‘downstairs’. Later books move forward to World War II continuing to address women’s growing emancipation, disabling mental health conditions that war inevitably brings, and other profound changes to society. The murder mysteries give us plenty of thrills and fast heartbeats, but what I most appreciate is what one reviewer from the Chicago Times said - “Maisie Dobbs catches the sorrow of a lost generation in the character of one exceptional woman.”
Book number two is Birds of a Feather.
WATCH: - All Quiet on the Western Front (the original 1930 version or the 1979 version) Many critics and viewers consider both versions to be equal. The 1930 movie is touted as a masterpiece and in every conceivable way ahead of its time. It tops nearly every list of ‘best WWI movies’. Many viewers prefer the original because it was groundbreaking and unafraid to show action and gore never seen by moviegoers before. Others prefer the newer version with superb writing and acting, and of course advanced camera technology. Both show the horrors of war in a way that will make you never forget the unthinkable sacrifices made by so many young men and women on their country’s behalf
“The Cuckoo’s Calling” by Robert Galbraith
The Cormoran Strike Series
Cormoran Strike is 6’4” and wears size 14 shoes (his name means a Cornish Giant) He’s the son of a famous 70’s singer and a super groupie. He runs a Private Detective agency. He sleeps on a camp bed in his office. He lost half of his right leg serving in Afghanistan. He has a penchant for beautiful, psychotic women, and he shies away from committed relationships. He also has a kind heart.
Robin Ellacort is Cormoran’s newly engaged assistant who starts as a temp and eventually lands the job. An underlying, undefined and unexpressed attraction starts simmering between the two of them. Galbraith is a master of rich multi-layered character development that keeps readers rooting for Cormoran and Robin to acknowledge what is happening between them.
The first book in the series, The Cuckoo’s Calling, features the Lulu Landry case. It is well paced and has plenty of red herrings and twists. Lulu is a mixed race, bipolar, adopted, and very well known model living in a world of other models, designers, and drug users. When she is found dead, people assume she committed suicide. Her brother thinks she was murdered and hires Coromoran to investigate. At the time Cormoran is hired, he has a run down office which serves as his living quarters and he can barely pay the electric bills at the end of each month. This is the biggest case in his career, and the one that will make him famous and be able to pay his bills!.
I love this series not only because all five books are gripping mysteries, but because as much as I wanted to solve the mystery, I was just as excited to see where Robin and Cormoran were going with their relationship!
Book number two is The Silkworm.
WATCH: C.B. Strike - The first four books in the series have been made into 11 episodes over 4 series and can be streamed on several channels. I actually saw the first series before I read the first book. I read it because I loved the series- and the actors who play Cormoran and Robin are absolutely perfect!
