Mysteries

Mysteries are probably the most widely read genre, as they appeal to a large cross-section of the reading population. The central part of any mystery novel is the mystery itself, or the puzzle. Over the course of the book, the author provides clues, which a savvy reader can then put together and guess the ending. The puzzle also usually involves a crime, most often a murder. Lastly, the main character in a mystery will fall into one of three categories: a police detective, a private investigator or an amateur detective.

Amateur Detectives

• Jeff Abbott
• Susan Wittig Albert
• Robert Barnard
• Cynthia Baxter
• Laurien Berenson
• Lawrence Block
• Gail Bowen
• Lillian Jackson Braun
• Rita Mae Brown
• Edna Buchanan
• Fiona Buckley
• Leslie Caine
• Dorothy Cannell
• Laura Childs
• Barbara Cleverly
• Harlan Coben
• Margaret Coel
• Mary Daheim
• Diane Mott Davidson
• Janet Evanovich
• Elizabeth Eyre
• Jerrilyn Farmer
• Joanne Fluke
• Dick Francis
• Margaret Frazer
• Jonathan Gash
• Sarah Graves
• Lyn Hamilton
• Rosemary Harris
• Carolyn Hart
• Sue Henry
• Jonathan Kellerman
• Harry Kemelman
• Margaret K. Lawrence
• Laura Levine
• Margaret Maron
• Edward Marston
• Sharyn McCrumb
• Miriam Grace Monfredo
• Shirley Rousseau Murphy
• Sharan Newman
• Katherine Hall Page
• Elizabeth Peters
• Ellis Peters
• Virginia Rich
• Gillian Roberts
• Caroline Roe
• Dana Stabenow
• Randy Wayne White

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Police Detectives

• Nevada Barr
• MC Beaton
• Stephen Booth
• Michael Brandman
• Richard Castle
• Michael Connelly
• Patricia Cornwell
• Deborah Crombie
• Colin Dexter
• Linda Fairstein
• Elizabeth George
• Tess Gerritsen
• Leslie Glass
• Joan Hess
• Tony Hillerman
• P.D. James
• J.A. Jance
• Faye Kellerman
• Ed McBain
• Val McDermid
• Jill McGown
• Nele Neuhaus
• Carol O’Connell
• Robert Parker
• Ridley Pearson
• Anne Perry
• Ian Rankin
• Kathy Reichs
• J.D. Robb
• Peter Robinson
• John Sandford
• Alan Scholefield
• Julie Smith
• Aimee Thurlo
• Ted Wood

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Private Investigators

• Ace Atkins
• Richard Barre
• Rhys Bowen
• Liza Cody
• Robert Crais
• Lindsey Davis
• Sarah Dunant
• Charles Finch
• Lee Goldberg
• Sue Grafton
• Jane Haddam
• Parnell Hall
• Laurie R. King
• Dennis Lehane
• G.A. McKevett
• Marcia Muller
• Robert B. Parker
• Sara Paretsky
• Lawrence Sanders
• Steven Saylor
• Stuart Woods