Serial Killers
Serial Killers
Looking to find a great new series of mysteries to read? Here’s a few of out curator’s favorites.
A Masterclass in Golden Age Atmosphere
The Josephine Tey Mysteries by Nicola Upson
If you are a fan of the "Golden Age" of detective fiction—the era of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham—then Nicola Upson’s Josephine Tey Mysteries are an absolute essential for your "to-be-read" pile.
This series occupies a unique and brilliant niche in the mystery genre. Instead of creating a completely fictional sleuth, Upson takes a real-life icon of the genre—the notoriously private Scottish author Elizabeth MacKintosh, better known by her pen name Josephine Tey—and casts her as the protagonist of her own sophisticated murder mysteries.
Set primarily in the 1930s, the series is a lush, atmospheric, and deeply researched tribute to the Interwar period. Upson weaves together historical facts from Tey’s life with intricate, fictional crimes. The result is a series that feels like a lost classic of the 1930s, yet possesses a modern psychological depth that keeps you turning pages late into the night. At the heart of the series is Josephine’s enduring (and often complicated) friendship with Archie Penrose, a Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard who provides the professional muscle to Josephine’s intuitive, writerly brilliance.
An Expert in Murder
Every great journey begins with a single step, and An Expert in Murder is a magnificent opening act. The story begins in 1934, as Josephine Tey travels from Scotland to London to celebrate the final week of her smash-hit play, Richard of Bordeaux.
The glamour of the West End theatre scene is vividly rendered, but the celebration is cut short when a young woman Josephine met on the train is found murdered. The crime seems inexplicably linked to Josephine’s play and the tight-knit circle of actors and creators surrounding it.
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Kindle Unlimited: No
High Stakes in High Literature
The Cosy Crime Club Mysteries by R.G. Davies
As an expert in amateur sleuth mysteries, I am always on the lookout for a series that perfectly balances wit, a puzzling crime, and a cast of characters you’d actually want to sit down with for a cup of tea. If you’re a fan of The Thursday Murder Club or The Marlow Murder Club, then the Cosy Crime Club Mystery series by R.G. Davies (writing as M.R.G. Davies) is your next must-read obsession.
Set in the charming, atmospheric streets of modern-day England, this series leans into a delicious "meta" premise: what happens when a group of people who spend all their time reading about murders actually have to solve one?
The series follows four members of a crime fiction reading group based at the "Quaint Bookshop" in Norcester. These aren't professional investigators; they are "superfans" of the genre. When real-life tragedy strikes their beloved bookstore, they decide that their years of studying fictional detectives—from Poirot to Marple—have given them the edge the local police are missing. The series is a love letter to the genre itself, filled with "story-within-a-story" elements and a witty, modern British tone that keeps the pages turning.
Murder by the Book
The first installment, Murder by the Book, sets the stage with a classic locked-room-style mystery. When the manager of the Quaint Bookshop is found dead among the shelves, the four reading group members—all with vastly different backgrounds and temperaments—realize the victim has left them a series of cryptic clues.
It’s a clever, self-aware mystery that invites you to be the fifth member of the club, guessing alongside them until the final, gorgeous twist.
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cosy with a Side Order of Hilarity
The Doom Divas Series by Sherry M. Siska
I am thrilled to introduce you to a series that perfectly captures the "cozy" spirit with a side of hilarious misfortune. If you love a protagonist who is relatable, a bit down on her luck, and possesses a knack for stumbling into crime scenes, then you need to meet Marty Sheffield.
The Doom Divas Mystery Series is an instant classic in the "humorous cozy" subgenre. Set in the modern-day United States, the series follows the chaotic life of Marty Sheffield. Marty is a woman who just wants a little peace and quiet after being spectacularly jilted at the altar by a rising country music star. Unfortunately for her, the "Doom Divas"—Marty’s personified nicknames for Destiny, Fate, and Lady Luck—seem determined to keep her life in a state of utter upheaval.
The tone is lighthearted, witty, and fast-paced. Sherry M. Siska excels at creating a world where the stakes are high (it is murder, after all!) but the journey is filled with laugh-out-loud moments, quirky family dynamics, and the kind of "did that really just happen?" situations that make amateur sleuth mysteries so addictive.
The Madams of Mischief
In the debut novel, we find Marty Sheffield doing her best to move on from her public heartbreak. She’s helping her sister out by babysitting when she makes a discovery that no one wants to find during a trip to the local park: the body of a former classmate stuffed into a ninety-gallon trash container.
Instead of letting the authorities handle it, Marty (with the "help" of her sister) realizes that she’s far better at connecting the dots than the local police give her credit for. The Madams of Mischief is a fantastic introduction to the series because it establishes Marty’s voice immediately.
Star Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
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