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Police procedural
The police procedural is a piece of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
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The Moonstone
The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel, generally considered the first detective novel in the English language.
The Moonstone was originally serialized in Charles Dickens' magazine All the Year Round. The...
Copyright date:
- 1868
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Date of first publication:
- 1868
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ISFDB ID:
- 21283
The Black Dahlia
The Black Dahlia is a neo-noir crime novel by American author James Ellroy, taking inspiration from the true story of the murder of Elizabeth Short. It is widely considered to be the book that elevated Ellroy out of typical genre fiction status, and...
Date of first publication:
- Sep 1987
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The Man Who Was Thursday
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare is a novel by G. K. Chesterton, first published in 1908. The book is sometimes referred to as a metaphysical thriller. Its importance was recognized in its later revival in paperback by Ballantine Books as the...
Copyright date:
- 1908
Date of first publication:
- 1908
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ISFDB ID:
- 11969
Rising Sun
Rising Sun is a 1992 internationally best-selling novel by Michael Crichton about a murder in the Los Angeles headquarters of Nakamoto, a fictional Japanese corporation. The book was published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Although a detective/murder mystery...
Date of first publication:
- Jan 27, 1992
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Firewall
Firewall is a crime novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell.
A series of bizarre incidents sweep across Sweden: a man dies in front of an ATM machine, two young women slaughter an elderly taxi driver, a murder is committed aboard a Baltic Sea ferry,...
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Date of first publication:
- 2002
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Faceless Killers: A Mystery
Faceless Killers (1991) is a crime novel by Swedish writer Henning Mankell, and the first in his acclaimed Wallander series. The English translation by Steven T. Murray was published in 1997.
In 1992, Faceless Killers won the first ever Glass Key,...
Date of first publication:
- 1997
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The Third Policeman
The Third Policeman is a novel by Irish author Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It was written between 1939 and 1940, but after it initially failed to find a publisher, the author withdrew the manuscript from circulation and...
Copyright date:
- 1967
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Date of first publication:
- 1967
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ISFDB ID:
- 866523
Past Mortem
Past Mortem is a detective novel by Ben Elton first published in 2004. It is about a serial killer on the loose in England, mainly in the London area, and Scotland Yard's attempts at tracking him or her down. At the same time, Past Mortem raises a...
Date of first publication:
- 2004
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Along Came a Spider
Along Came A Spider is the first novel in a series of books written by James Patterson, about forensic psychologist Alex Cross. It was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2001, starring Morgan Freeman as Cross.
Alex Cross is an African-American...
Copyright date:
- 1991
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Date of first publication:
- 1993
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ISFDB ID:
- 13351
The Dogs of Riga
The Dogs of Riga (Swedish: Hundarna i Riga) is a Swedish detective mystery by Henning Mankell, set in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is the second book of the Kurt Wallander series, and was translated into English by Laurie Thompson.
When a life...
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Reliquary
Reliquary is the 1997 New York Times best-selling sequel to Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The legacy of the blood-maddened Mbwun lives on in "Reliquary", but the focus is shifted from the original museum setting to the tunnels beneath...
Copyright date:
- 1997
Date of first publication:
- 1997
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ISFDB ID:
- 8593
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Towards Zero
Towards Zero is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in June 1944 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in July of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at...
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Nemesis
Nemesis is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1971 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at £1.50 and the US edition at...
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Detective
Detective is a novel by Arthur Hailey. It was written in 1997 and it was the author's last book. Hailey vividly depicts the work of the Homicide department, its background and investigation methods, all put into a thrilling plot with many unexpected...
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A Case of Need
A Case of Need is a mystery novel written by Michael Crichton under the pseudonym Jeffery Hudson. It was first published in 1968 by The World Publishing Company (New York) and won an Edgar Award in 1969. The novel was re-released in 1993 under...
Date of first publication:
- 1968
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Unnatural Causes
You may be looking for UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?, a documentary series broadcast on PBS in 2008.
Unnatural Causes (1967) is a detective novel by English crime writer P. D. James.
While staying with his Aunt Jane in Suffolk,...
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The Coffin Dancer
The Coffin Dancer is a 1998 novel by Jeffery Deaver. The book features his regular character Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic detective.
Detective Lincoln Rhyme, the foremost criminalist in the NYPD, is put on the trail of the Coffin Dancer, a cunning...
Date of first publication:
- 1998
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A Certain Justice
A Certain Justice is an Adam Dalgliesh novel by P. D. James, published in 1997. Venetia Aldridge is a brilliant criminal lawyer who is set to take over as the head of Chambers in Pawlett Court, London. She successfully defends Garry Ashe against the...
Copyright date:
- 1995
Date of first publication:
- 1997
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ISFDB ID:
- 183463
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Sidetracked
Sidetracked (first published as Villospår in 1995) is a crime novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, the fifth in his Kurt Wallander series.
In the sweltering Swedish summer of 1994, a sadistic serial killer begins preying on elderly, successful...
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From Doon With Death
From Doon with Death is the debut novel of British writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1964. The novel introduced her popular recurring character Inspector Wexford, who has since gone on to feature in 20 of her novels.
The police knew all about...
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Birdman
Birdman was the first novel of British crime-writer Mo Hayder. Published in 1999, it introduced her protagonist DI Jack Caffery. The sequel is The Treatment.
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Date of first publication:
- Dec 1, 1999
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The Graveyard Shift
The Graveyard Shift is a 1965 novel by Harry Patterson, also known as Jack Higgins (Patterson being Higgins' real name).
The novel tells the story of Nick Miller, a newly recruited police officer who lives with his rich brother but who won't take...
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White Jazz
White Jazz is a 1992 crime fiction novel by James Ellroy. It is the fourth in his L.A. Quartet, preceded by The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, and L.A. Confidential.
Lieutenant David Klein is a veteran policeman who moonlights as a hitman for...
Date of first publication:
- Sep 1, 1992
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American Quartet
American Quartet is a 2001 mystery novel by Warren Adler.
What do a history teacher, an Argentine ambassador, an ex-con, and the President of the United States have in common? Fiona FitzGerald, Washington, D.C. homicide cop, is trying to find out....
Date of first publication:
- May 2001
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Because the Night
Because the Night is a crime fiction novel written by James Ellroy.
Released in 1984, it is the second installment of a three book trilogy often titled Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy, after its main character or "L.A Noir," after the hard-book copy that was...
Copyright date:
- 1984
Date of first publication:
- Oct 1986
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Dust to Dust
Dust to Dust (2000) is a novel by Tami Hoag. Contrasting the moral issues of today's society with the sexuality of high profile civil servants, it sets the scene for an apparent lack of understanding in today's world for the alternative person.
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Original Sin
Original Sin is a 1994 detective novel in the Adam Dalgliesh series by P. D. James. It is set in London, mainly in Wapping in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, and centers around the city's oldest publishing house, Peverell Press, headquartered in a...
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Seeking Whom He May Devour
Seeking Whom He May Devour (French: L’Homme à l’envers, lit. "The Inside-out Man") is a crime novel by French writer Fred Vargas. The novel features her series protagonist Commissaire Adamsberg and concerns the supposed existence of werewolves in a...
Date of first publication:
- 1999
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The Rottweiler
The Rottweiler (2003) is a psychological thriller novel by English crime writer Ruth Rendell.
In London a serial killer is on the prowl, stealing small personal items (i.e. a necklace, cigarette lighter etc.) from each of his prey before fleeing...
Date of first publication:
- Oct 2, 2003
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Harm Done
Harm Done is a novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell, published in 1999. The novel is part of her popular Inspector Wexford detective series, and examines themes such as paedophilia and domestic violence.
Date of first publication:
- Sep 1999
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Simisola
Simisola is a novel by British crime writer Ruth Rendell. It features her recurring detective Inspector Wexford, and is the 16th in the series.
The novel was filmed for television in the UK in 1996 and starred George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft,...
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Date of first publication:
- Sep 24, 1994
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The Speaker of Mandarin
The Speaker of Mandarin is a novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1983. It is the 12th novel in her popular Inspector Wexford series.
When Chief Inspector Reg Wexford takes a holiday to China, takes in the Great Wall, the...
Date of first publication:
- Feb 7, 1983
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A Sleeping Life
A Sleeping Life is a crime-novel by British writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1978. It features her popular investigator Detective Inspector Wexford, and is the tenth novel in the series. It was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers' Of America...
Date of first publication:
- May 8, 1978
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Shake Hands Forever
Shake Hands Forever is a novel by British writer Ruth Rendell. It is the 9th entry in her popular Inspector Wexford series.
Most people would have screamed. Mrs Hathall made no sound. She had seen death many times before, but she had never before...
Date of first publication:
- Apr 25, 1975
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Some Lie And Some Die
Some Lie And Some Die is a novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1973. It is the 8th entry in her popular Inspector Wexford series.
Kingsmarkham doesn't have too many complaints about its first annual rock festival, but then...
Date of first publication:
- Apr 16, 1973
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Murder Being Once Done
Murder Being Once Done is a novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1972. It is the seventh entry in her popular Inspector Wexford series.
A girl with no name, no possessions and no past, is found murdered in a vast, overgrown...
Date of first publication:
- Jul 17, 1972
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No More Dying Then
No More Dying Then is a novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell. It was first published in 1971, and is the 6th entry in her popular Inspector Wexford series. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association listed the book as one of its 100...
Date of first publication:
- Oct 4, 1971
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A New Lease of Death
A New Lease of Death is a novel by British writer Ruth Rendell, first published in 1967. it is the 3rd entry in her popular Inspector Wexford series. (The novel was titled "The Sins of the Fathers" in the USA.)
Chief Inspector Wexford had every...
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Kiss the Girls
Kiss the Girls (1995) is a psychological thriller novel by American writer James Patterson, the second to star his recurrent character Alex Cross, an African-American psychologist.
Kiss the Girls begins in 1976 Boca Raton, Florida where the boy,...
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Date of first publication:
- Jan 11, 1995
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The Black Book
The Black Book is a 1993 crime novel by Ian Rankin, the fifth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It is the first book to feature Siobhan Clarke and Morris Gerald Cafferty appears as a main character. It is also the first book where Rebus is based at St...
Date of first publication:
- 1993
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Knots and Crosses
Knots and Crosses is a 1987 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the first of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was written while Rankin was a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. In the introduction to this novel, Rankin states that Rebus...
Date of first publication:
- 1987
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Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek is a 1991 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the second of the Inspector Rebus novels.
Detective Inspector John Rebus finds the body of an overdosed drug addict in an Edinburgh squat, laid out cross-like on the floor, between two burned...
Date of first publication:
- 1991
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Tooth and Nail
Tooth and Nail is a 1992 crime novel by Ian Rankin, originally entitled Wolfman. It is the third of the Inspector Rebus novels.
Rebus is drafted in by Scotland Yard to help track down a cannibalistic serial killer called the Wolfman, whose first...
Date of first publication:
- 1992
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Strip Jack
Strip Jack is a 1992 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the fourth of the Inspector Rebus novels.
A police raid on an Edinburgh brothel captures (seemingly by accident) popular young local MP Gregor Jack. When his fiery wife Elizabeth disappears, and...
Date of first publication:
- 1992
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Mortal Causes
Mortal Causes is a 1994 novel by Ian Rankin. It is the sixth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the fourth episode in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2004.
Set during the Edinburgh Festival, this novel starts with a...
Date of first publication:
- 1994
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Let it Bleed
Let it Bleed is a 1996 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the seventh of the Inspector Rebus novels.
Detective Inspector John Rebus and Frank Lauderdale start the book with a car chase across Edinburgh, culminating with the two youths they are chasing...
Date of first publication:
- 1996
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Black and Blue
Black and Blue is a 1997 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the eighth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the first episode in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2000.
It is considered a landmark entry in the Tartan Noir...
Date of first publication:
- 1997
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The Hanging Garden
The Hanging Garden is a 1998 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the ninth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the second episode in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2001.
Detective Inspector John Rebus is investigating a...
Date of first publication:
- 1998
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Dead Souls
Dead Souls is a 1999 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the tenth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the third episode in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2001.
While investigating a poisoner at Edinburgh Zoo, Detective...
Date of first publication:
- 1999
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Resurrection Men
Resurrection Men is a 2002 novel by Ian Rankin. It is the thirteenth of the Inspector Rebus novels.
Detective Inspector John Rebus is thrown off a murder inquiry, just days after the brutal death of an Edinburgh art dealer, for throwing a cup of tea...
Copyright date:
- 2001
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Date of first publication:
- 2001
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ISFDB ID:
- 215921
The Falls
The Falls is a 2001 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the twelfth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the first episode in the second Rebus television series starring Ken Stott, airing in 2006.
A student vanishes in Edinburgh, and her wealthy...
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- 2001
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Date of first publication:
- 2001
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The Naming of the Dead
The Naming of the Dead is a crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the sixteenth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It is set in Edinburgh in July 2005, in the week of the G8 summit in Gleneagles.
An underlying thread throughout the book is that of familial...
Copyright date:
- 2006
Date of first publication:
- 2006
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Witch Hunt
Witch Hunt is a 1993 crime novel by Ian Rankin, under the pseudonym Jack Harvey. It is the first novel he wrote under this name.
A fishing boat sinks in the English Channel in the middle of the night, and the evidence points to murder. Ex-Special...
Copyright date:
- 1995
Date of first publication:
- 1993
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ISFDB ID:
- 14653
Bleeding Hearts
This article is about the novel. For the plant known as Bleeding Hearts, see Dicentra spectabilis.
Bleeding Hearts is a 1994 crime novel by Ian Rankin, under the pseudonym Jack Harvey. It is the second novel he wrote under this name.
Michael Weston...
Date of first publication:
- 1994
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Night Work
Night Work is the fourth book in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. It is preceded by With Child and followed by The Art of Detection.
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The Art of Detection
The Art of Detection is the fifth book in the Kate Martinelli series by Laurie R. King. It is preceded by Night Work.
Philip Gilbert, the head of a group of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts is found dead in a national park's artillery battery. Because...
Date of first publication:
- May 30, 2006
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The New Centurions
The New Centurions, written by Joseph Wambaugh, is a novel depicting the stresses of police work in Los Angeles, California in the early 1960s. The author wrote the novel, his first, while a working member of the Los Angeles Police Department. The...
Date of first publication:
- Jan 30, 1971
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Cover Her Face
Cover Her Face is the debut 1962 crime novel of P. D. James. It details the investigations by her poetry-writing detective Adam Dalgliesh into the death of a young, ambitious maid, surrounded by a family which has reasons to want her gone - or dead....
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Dance Hall of the Dead
Dance Hall Of The Dead is the second of the Navajo Tribal Police series of crime fiction novels by Tony Hillerman. Centered around the character of police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Dance Hall of the Dead is, like many of Hillerman's books, set on the...
Copyright date:
- 1973
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ISFDB ID:
- 182550
Skinwalkers
Skinwalkers a mystery novel, is the seventh book by author Tony Hillerman.
When an unknown assailant tries to kill Officer Jim Chee by firing a shotgun into his trailer, and three other people are found murdered in different locations around the...
Copyright date:
- 1986
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ISFDB ID:
- 182567
