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Private Investigators
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Directory of Private Investigators
(Bestsellers first, then alphabetically by author's last name)
1915. In late middle-age, Sherlock Holmes takes on an obnoxious fifteen year-old girl, Mary Russell, first as an apprentice, teaching her everything he knows about deduction, disguise and danger, then as a partner, and finally as a spouse. Russell is Holmes's equal in everything except age and experience. Both are fiercely intelligent, independent, stubborn, arrogant, tall, witty, tough-minded and lonely. (Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II in various locations.)
A disgraced journalist and an anti-social waif team up to fight the powers of darkness in this rip-roaring, three volume tale of payback and revenge. (Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Female Hero. Set in Sweden.)1931. Journalist Hannah Vogel tries to keep one step ahead of the Gestapo as she struggles to free people from the murderous grasp of the Nazis.(Historical. Private Investigators. Noir aka Hardboiled. Female Heroes. Set in Nazi Germany.)
Imagine an English village mystery, but 1) set in rural Thailand where most of the cops are corrupt 2) the local aristocrat is a village headman who likes to play dress up and 3) the detective is a feisty young woman with a dysfunctional family and a smart mouth.(Cozies. Female hero. Private Investigators. Funny. Set in Thailand.)
These light and lovely crime novels follow the exploits of India's most famous detective, Vish "Chubby" Puri and his team of crack undercover operatives, as they navigate the complexities of life in Delhi, India, population 21 million.(Cozies. Funny. Private Investigators. Set in India.)
Trouble always finds American expat Poke Rafferty. Poke, a P.I. based in Bangkok, Thailand has a real talent for violence and a special way of poking the bad guys with a stick. He also has a talented sidekick, Arthit, a Thai cop walking a perilous line between serving justice and serving the rich and powerful.(Noir aka Hardboiled. Private Investigators. Set in Thailand.)
Nurse Nina Borg gets into big trouble when she puts herself between vulnerable people and the criminal predators who threaten them. These shocking literary thrillers venture into the darkest corners of contemporary Europe(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Private investigators. Female Heroes. Literary. Set in Denmark.)
A shell-shocked British officer, Bennett Grey, and an angry United States Bureau of Investigation agent, Harris Stuyvesant, team up to catch killers and terrorists in this dark, daring new series by the excellent Laurie R. King.(Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical.Private Investigators. Set Between World Wars I and II in France and England.)
Vincent Calvino, with his big heart and his Brooklyn bravado brings the big mysteries of Bangkok to life--how to drive, wai, and die like a Thai--while he hunts murderers among Thailand's endlessly corrupt and entitled power brokers.(Noir aka Hardboiled. Private Investigators. Set in Thailand.)
Inspector Shan, a man clawing his way back from a huge reversal of fortune, belongs in the Great Detectives Hall of Fame. These are high-stakes murder mysteries because every investigation puts Shan's life on the line. Shan's world--rural Tibet--astonishes. The landscape is glorious, the personal hardship is searing, the cultural conflict is heartbreaking and the tenacity of the Buddhist monks is inspiring. (Private Investigators. Set in Tibet, China.)
Lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir, takes everything in stride except boredom and being inappropriately dressed. When her clueless but innocent clients wind up in jail, she leaps at the opportunity to launch her own investigation and clear their names. (Cozies. Female Hero. Private Investigators. Set in Iceland.)Private investigator Varg Veum pursues the scumbags who hurt children in this series of violent, noir crime novels. (Noir aka Hardboiled. Private Investigators. Set in Norway.)
Private Eyes Pounding the Pavement in Bangkok, Tibet and Jerusalem
(2009, Poke Rafferty Thrillers #3)
by Timothy Hallinan
Summary: American expat Poke Rafferty went to Bangkok, Thailand to write a travel book and stayed to right wrongs as a private investigator. Poke attracts violence like Bangkok attracts sex tourists and poor girls from Issan.
In Breathing Water, Poke wins a poker game against an opponent who is one of the richest men in Bangkok. This ignites a feud amongst Bangkok's elite power-brokers puts Poke's family--former bargirl Rose and former street kid Miaow--in jeopardy. Review: Non-stop action. The tough and ingenious Poke keeps the good guys alive--barely--and brings a richly deserved bad end to some of the baddest bad guys in Bangkok.
Poke Rafferty is one of my favorite private investigators because he has a genius for action.
More about the Poke Rafferty Thrillers including list of books in chronological order, series review, series guide, book reviews and book summaries (Noir aka Hardboiled. Private Investigators. Set in Thailand.)
(1999, Inspector Shan Mystery Books #1)
by Eliot Pattison
WINNER! Edgar's Best First Mystery of 1999
Summary: Inspector Shan crossed swords with a very powerful person in the Chinese government and was shipped off to a prison camp in Tibet, an experience he barely survived. The Buddhist monks in Shan's prison block restored him to health and won his devotion.
In The Skull Mantra, Shan, temporarily freed from prison to investigate a murder, is expected to deliver the man the authorities want to be guilty. But Shan has other plans... Review: What a story! Shan has to figure out whodunit. Then he has to figure out who the powers-that-be are framing for the crime. Then he has to stop them. All without getting himself killed. Plus: Great scenery and nature writing. And: A fascinating look inside a little-known culture.
Inspector Shan is one of my favorite private investigators because he is tougher than tough and uses his exceptional investigative skills to manipulate the Chinese bureaucracy in the favor of the Tibetan people, which is a neat trick, not to say very dangerous.
More about the Inspector Shan Mystery Books including list of books in chronological order, series review, series guide, book reviews and book summaries (Private Investigators. Set in Tibet, China.)
(1999, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #5)
by Laurie R. King
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes take the Holy Land by storm
Summary: In 1915, Sherlock Holmes took on a young apprentice, Mary Russell.
O Jerusalem takes place in 1915. Russell and Holmes wander through the Holy Land, then an English protectorate, with two inscrutable Bedouin brothers. Directed by a secretive spymaster, they are searching for a mysterious Turkish terrorist.Review: Fun and funny. Suspenseful story. Great, vivid local description and characters. The novelistic version of surround sound.
Mary Russell is one of my favorite private investigators because she is too smart for her own good, as stubborn as the day is long and determined to be an independent woman in an era when this is discouraged, to say the least. Plus, she always, always gets the bad guy. And the relationship with Holmes is delightful.
More about the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books including list of books in chronological order, series review, series guide, book reviews and book summaries (Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
Above: Author Timothy Hallinan
Above: Author Eliot Pattison
Above: Author Laurie R. King
