Readers, I’m always on the lookout for my next great audiobook, but choosing how to spend my credits each month can feel a little daunting. I want to download a book I’ll love, one that makes me run an extra block or—dare I say—look forward to doing a load of laundry. I know I’m not alone, so I’m planning to to share more of my favorite listening experiences on the blog to help you find just the right audiobook for you.
Today I’m sharing ten mystery series that not only feature fabulous voice performances, but also provide hours upon hours of listening material. For me, police procedural mysteries work well on audio because they tend to be more HSP-friendly. Even when dealing with grisly crimes, the steady pattern of investigation is reassuring. No thriller-like scares to make me jump in my earbuds, please.
Compelling characters truly make these series worth listening to. Once you get to know the investigators, you simply must keep listening to find out what happens next. These well-written procedurals are worth using up a monthly audiobook credit or placing a hold in your library’s audiobook app.
Truly Devious: A Mystery
The Unquiet Dead (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak Book 1)
Bluebird, Bluebird (Highway 59 Book 1)
Two Girls Down
The Likeness
In the second of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, which can be read in any order, detective Cassie Maddux is pulled off her current beat and sent to investigate a murder. When she arrives at the scene, she finds the victim looks just like her, and—even more creepy—she was using an alias that Cassie used in a previous case. The victim was a student, and her boss talks her into trying to crack the case by impersonating her, explaining to her friends that she survived the attempted murder. The victim lived with four other students in a strangely intimate, isolated setting, and as Cassie gets to know them, liking them almost in spite of herself, her boundaries—and loyalties—begin to blur. A taut psychological thriller that keeps you guessing till the end.
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Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries, No. 1)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Flavia de Luce is a precocious 11 year-old chemist and amateur sleuth. In the summer of 1950, she finds a dead bird on the doorstep of her family's crumbling manor house, a stamp affixed to its beak. Later that day, she comes across a dead man in the garden. For Flavia, these mysterious events are both frightening and exciting. She says, "I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn't. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life." Thus follows her investigation, a delightful coming-of-age mystery starring one of the most charming heroines ever written. This series is FABULOUS on audio; narrated by Jayne Entwistle.
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Murder on the Orient Express
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries Series Book 1)
Iron Lake (Cork O’Connor Book 1)
Which genre works best for you on audio? I’d love to hear your thoughts—and audiobook recommendations—in the comments.
P.S. Modern Mrs. Darcy readers can get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with Libro.fm—choose an independent bookstore to support when you sign up. Or give Audible a try, and get two free audiobooks of your choosing.
P.P.S. My favorite audiobooks of 2019, 20 extra-long audiobooks so you can get the most out of those credits, and 15 audiobooks that enhance your reading experience. For your convenience, we’ve also gathered these What Should I Read Next episodes for audiobook lovers in this playlist.
87 comments
Another great mystery series is The Shetland Island series by Ann Cleeves (good in print or audio, it’s also been turned into a series on BBC). Very strong sense of place and great characters.
Absolutely! Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series is magnificent.
I read them while in the Shetlands.Superb!
I have a read all but 3 of these books! Excellent choices! We are heading out on a road trip from South Eastern B.C. Canada to Oceanside, CA…so one of those 3 I haven’t read will be coming with us as an audiobook! Or a “re-read” might happen!
Another great mystery series that is the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King – both print and audio are good.
I love this series, too! The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is such a great start to this wonderful series.
We love the Louise Penny series and the Jacqueline Spears and my husband likes the “Robert Galbraith” books. We listen via Audible. Two other series that we REALLY enjoy are Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police and Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge books. There are a lot of Rutledge books (20 maybe?), but we are about to finish the last one. Bluebird Bluebird is in our library, so we might start it next. We lived in Houston for most of our lives, so that should be a fun listen.
The Bruno series is an absolute delight!!! Takes place in the Perigord / Dordogne area of France. Besides the mysteries, there is always good cooking. There are actually Martin Walker tours in France that go to the various places and villages in his books. Characters develop throughout the series, so best to read in order.
I recently discovered and fell in love with Martin Walker’s Bruno series also. The audio narration is great, the characters and setting are so enjoyable to spend time with, and the focus on food and community is balm for my soul in our troubled times. I highly endorse Cindy’s recommendation for this series!
For no-nonsense police/detective procedural books, Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series. I have read and/or listened to every one. Then there is the ever wonderful J.D. Robb “In Death” series. The characters and dialogue are a hoot!
I love Michael Connelly and Harry! I was late to the game but have been slowly working my way through them. I think I’m still on books published in about 2006. I haven’t listened to any of them though. I’ll add JD Robb to my list of audiobooks to check out.
Me too! I was logging on to suggest the same series. Especially the ones narrated by Titus Welliver who plays Bosch on the tv series!
I too, love the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. Other great series that I have enjoyed include the cork O’Connor mystery series by William Kent Krueger and the Joe Pickett series by CJ Box. Both of these series were so compelling that I had to binge read both of them.
I really like the solidity of a book in my hand. But I have been an audio fan for years and even joined Audible recently. I love old fashioned British mysteries, police procedurals or private investigators. I have found many of Catherine Aird’s Calshire Police mysteries on Audible. They have had several readers but my all time favorite is Robin Bailey who is a Shakespearean actor and makes a wonderful Inspector C. D. Sloan who has a very dry wit.
Back when books on actual cassette tapes were a thing, my mother and I would listen to Rumpole of the Bailey books. I love a good mystery, especially with some humor thrown in. I was in a lull in my reading life, especially with audio but I dove into the Robert Galbraith books after reading your post about quintessentially British audiobooks. I love a good British accent 🙂 I listened to Cuckoo’s Calling in December and I’m now on the 4th one, I have about 6 hours left on Lethal White and I wish I didn’t have to be at work today! Luckily I haven’t had to wait too long on hold from the library for any of them.
Truly Devious jumps out from this list as one I’d like to listen to next. Bluebird, Bluebird is also right up there. Too many books, not enough time!
I love the Rebus series by Ian Rankin… it always makes me want to go to Scotland!
Another great book is White Heat by M.J. McGrath. It is the 1st of a series and it is about an female Inuit hunter named Edie Kiglatuk. I can’t say enough good things about it. And the main victims are not women! I plan on reading the rest of the series this year.
Haha… I just started the Unquiet Dead last evening and was lucky that the stars aligned for me to get it in both print and audio from my library. I’m excited to dive in!
I’m also a big Michael Connolly, Louise Penny and Lee Child fan. Thanks for the list!
Great timing!
I recently picked up four of the Flavia de Luce books and also the first Maisie Dobbs mystery at my local secondhand bookstore. I’m excited to get to them!
I love Flavia de Luce!! Those books just get better and better!!
I read “Still Life” and then quickly started reading the rest of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache’s series. All caught up now, I am anxiously awaiting the next one. For a fun, light mystery series, I have tried Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series and Ashley Weaver’s Amory Ames audibles. Love the British accents. I tried to switch up my audibles and these books are great to listen to after listening to a long “heavier” toned book. I drive a lot of work and have found audibles so enjoyable. I feel like I often remember these books better. Thanks for the recommendations.
I love the Elly Griffiths books – 2 series, one featuring archaeologist and amateur detective Dr Ruth Galloway, and the Stephens and Mephisto series set in the 50s. ‘The Stranger Diaries’ is a stand-alone story with gothic overtones. The cover information actually put me off, but I decided to read it as I’d read all the other Elly Griffiths books available at the time and was desperate – and I loved it. I’m happy to say there are now another couple out that I haven’t yet read.
I love the Dr. Ruth Galloway books! Superfast reads, I haven’t listened to them on audio. I haven’t read any of her other books or series.
I love the Ruth Galloway series. It is probably my favorite mystery series. I have only read one of the magician series but I’d like to try those on audio.
I have been gobbling up Sheila Connolly’s County Cork mysteries, A Body in the Bog is the first of series. Just finished Just st published #8. Protagonist is poor, South Boston girl going to Ireland to say her Gran’s goodbyes who discovers she has inherited a pub in a tiny village and a stone cottage in nearby hills, where a body is found in the bog near her ancient, new home. I like her writing style and definitely Will go looking for her other series.
Completely different are the mysteries of Ariana Franklin, beginning with Mistress of the Art of Death in 1171, when Simon of Naples a multilingual Jew, Mansur, a Moor posing as a doctor, and Adelia, a woman and gifted forensicist trained at the Salerno School of Medicine are sent by the King of Sicily to Henry II of England to discovering who is murdering small children in Cambridge. Sequels: the Serpent’s Tale, Grace Goods, and A Murderous Procession.
Third old series I adore are Ellis Peter’s Brother Cadfael mysteries(23!) set on the Welsh borderlands near Shrewsbury, England when King Stephen and the Empress Matilda are warring to determine who will reign over England. Ex-crusader now herbalist monk, but with an insatiable curiousity and barely controlled wanderlust.
I’m definitely going to have to check these out. They all sound really good!
Me too! I like to have an audiobook for driving in the car, exercising at the gym and knitting. I never know what to pick so now I have 10 options after I finish Ready Player One.
I have listened to ALL the Inspector Gamache books. It’s the only way to read them! I also love the Cormoron Strike books on audio. I started listening to the Maisy Dobbs book and really didn’t like it at all. I thought she was a bit of a twit. But may have to give it another try. I haven’t read any of the others on the list, but they sound intriguing. I will definitely check them out.
I grew up on Agatha mysteries. Love Jane Marple. Then I met Louise Penny and fell in love again. I enjoy cozy mysteries too. An old short series was “Fax me A Bagel” by Sharon Kahn. A mystery that wasn’t a series but so engaged me and was a fast read was “Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore” by Matthew Sullivan. He did a good job weaving the unexpected. Can’t wait to try some of these out. Thank you.
I love Chief Inspector Gamache on audio, though it was a wrench when the original narrator died. I adore Robert Bathurst, but he just “isn’t” Gamache to me, though I now am used to him. The Unquiet Dead series is going on my TBR.
Exactly my thoughts on the Gamache audibles! They’re my favorites still, but not quite the same.
Agreed. I just finished the last (so far) in the Gamache series. Looking for my next book addiction. Glad for all the suggestions in today’s post and comments!
Do I need to read Tana French’s first book in the series before reading The Likeness?
Not really. The lead in this one was a secondary character in the first one. There are a few details that matter, but I’m fairly certain she incorporates into the story in The Likeness. I have read most of Tana French’s books and the first of the series is probably my least favorite one.
Good to know! Thanks Sophie.
Based on recommendations here on MMD that it didn’t matter which order you read them in, I started with the 3rd Tana French book (Faithful Place), then went back to the first- In the Woods, of which I read about half then put down. Determined not to give up on the author, as I like Faithful Place, I read The Likeness and loved it, and there were just enough references back to In the Woods, that I went back and finished it to get the whole story. Definitely liked Faithful Place and The Likeness much more than In the Woods!
I think you should because it’ll give you some insight into Cassie’s character. I loved the first book too I have to say!
Anthony Horowitz’ books are all fabulous as audiobooks. Magpie Murders, along with The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death. I even enjoyed The House of Silk and I’m not a Sherlock Holmes fan.
Michael Connelly and John Sandford both have excellent series. Sandford is perfect for when you want something humorous along with a good mystery.
Yes! The Hawthorne series by Anthony Horowitz are great on audio!
I enjoy listening to non-fiction on audio. I pay more attention than if it’s fiction. For some reason, I can’t focus on fiction on audio as well, especially when I’m driving. Although I did do well with The Dutch House on audio, perhaps because Mr. Tom Hanks was the narrator? 😉
Jennifer, we share some tips here that may or may not be useful to you. (I’m saying this as someone who struggles with listening to non fiction on audio.) https://modernmrsdarcy.com/discover-audiobook-style/
I’m so glad you enjoyed The Dutch House!
I adore the Flavia de Luce series – especially on audio. The narrator Jayne Entwistle IS Flavia to me. Just the perfect voice. She also narrates Charlie Lovett’s First Impressions and I see she did Lovely War which is on my audio TBR!
Wow! What a list!!!!! Thanks a million!!! I have 8 credits on audible!!!
Gwyn, I hope you have fun putting those credits to good use!
I absolutely adore Julia Keller’s Bell Elkins series. They are brilliantly written and are a searing portrait of the devastation the opioid epidemic is wreaking in rural West Virginia. Although they are quite different in theme, they remind me of Margaret Maron’s Deborah Knott series because setting is a such a crucial part of the story. The characters are real and flawed and Keller isn’t afraid to take risks with them. Read them in order!!
I haven’t heard of this series, but it sounds fantastic and I love a rural setting. Thank you!
I read the first one for my “set in Appalachia” reading prompt in the Reading Women Challenge last year—one of the good reads that I probably would not have found otherwise. Thanks for reminding me!
I’ve really enjoyed Ellery Adams’s Secret, Book, and Scone Society series (the third book came out a week or so ago). It’s definitely a cozy mystery series which isn’t always my jam, but I’ve really enjoyed the relationships between the women whose friendship circle ends up helping to solve murders in their tiny town. They have their own secrets and challenges, but they learn and grow in believable ways. The audiobook narrator isn’t the best that I’ve heard, but there is something comforting about her voice and she does a pretty good job of differentiating the characters. I think the first book was an Audible daily deal and since then, I’ve only listened to the books. They’re the audio equivalent of page turners; I often don’t want to stop listening!
My favorite mystery series on audio is Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody mysteries. The narrator for most of them is just fantastic, and the books are so enjoyable. Also really love Her Royal Spyness on audio.
I’ve read almost all of these, and I’m especially happy to see The Unquiet Dead on the list. I like that all her books include a human rights angle, so I feel like I learn something at the same time as I follow the mystery. The most recent one, A Deadly Divide, was excellent.
Melyssa, I’m so glad to hear you’ve continued to enjoy the series. (My husband just picked up The Unquiet Dead at the library yesterday for himself!)
I wanted to pipe in on Two Girls Down by Louise Luna, I listened to it and it was FANTASTIC. I can’t recommend it highly enough, but the crime involves kids and I think could be pretty upsetting for some readers. I wrote about it on my blog for my top books of 2019 if you want to read more: https://www.bookfare.space/home/end-of-the-year-lists-are-hard
I am working my way through the Wesley Peterson murder mystery series by Kate Ellis. The first book is The Merchant’s House. The books are set it Devon and involve recent murders alongside a older murder discovered by Wesley’s friend who is a archeologist. I discovered these books while on a trip to Scotland.
I am really impressed with John Le Carre’s George Smiley series of books. Top notch writing.
I have enjoyed both reading and listening to the V.I. Warshawski series by Sara Paretsky. The detective – V.I. Warshawski is a strong female character. The books are based in Chicago and I have found them all fun to read
Try Virginia Lanier’s bloodhound mysteries. A search and rescue dog trainer has to solve mysteries. Her personal life adds to the storyline. I loved them. Wish there were more! I believe there were 4 or 5 in series.
Sara Rosett’s High Society Lady Detective series are very good on audio. “Lighter” detective/mystery stories with a female protagonist, english accented narrator, early 1900’s setting. Very enjoyable!
I was delighted to see Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series. I’ve read all the books thus far and cannot wait to read the nextbook, which comes out in June. To those who haven’t entered the world of Three Pines, be prepared to fall in love with all the finely-drawn characters. The plots of the books are wonderfully twisty and the writing is superb. How I wish Three Pines and the Gamaches and all their friends were real – I’d be thrilled to be a part of it all.
I’m pretty sure the next Gamache book actually comes out in September. At least, that’s what Louise Penny said in this month’s newsletter.
I’m currently listening to The Likeness, and it’s brilliant in audio form! I highly recommend it.
No!! Not The Likeness. In the Woods!
Loved the Cooper and Fry series by Stephen Booth and series by Deborah Crombie.
I have been recommending Attica Locke everywhere and am so excited to see her featured here! Pick Bluebird, Bluebird and Heaven, My Home up asap, they are so good. I also listened to a standalone mystery of hers, The Cutting Season, on audio and really enjoyed it. The Unquiet Dead looks right up my alley, can’t wait to check it out.
Loved The Cutting Season! One of my favorite mysteries last year. I’m saving her latest to enjoy on a long road trip or sometime when I need something really good.
I’ve read and loved most of these but I should try Maisie Dobbs again. The two I haven’t read I have been hesitant to pick up. The Unquiet Dead and The Janes. Are they really not gruesome to listen to? I can handle references to hard things, but listening to them as they happen (I’ve started calling it “open door”) is too much for me sometimes and the descriptions made me worry they might fall into this category.
Longmire series by Craig Johnson, The Murder List by Hank Ryan Phillippi, Just One Look by Harlan Coben, Redemption Road by John Hart, and The Poet by Michael Connelly.
I’ve been enjoying the Ruth Galloway series by Ely Griffiths, about an archaeologist who gets pulled into investigations. Tim Johnston’s The Current was also amazing.
Agreed! I have very much enjoyed the Inspector Ganache and Maisie Dobbs series, all audiobooks which I have borrowed for free from the library.
The D.C. Smith investigations by Peter Grainger are fantastic! They are only available on audiobook right now – come on publishers! Intelligent, well written, fantastic characters, interesting plots and no gratuitous nastiness. I’m on book 6 and highly, highly recommend.
So glad to see this series mentioned. These are great characters. Grainger has a new one out 4/23 I think.
For a different experience, try JD Kirk’s Scottish series: DCI Jack Logan. The dialog is fabulous. Serious murders to solve but a crew to solve them like no other.
The Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger is great on audio. David Chandler reads all the books, and other than a little mangling of Ojibwe/Anishinabe words, he does a nice job. As a Minnesotan, I guarantee that you will be transported to Minnesota when listening. Krueger does such a fine job of evoking the small town, the boundary waters, the lakes and the woods. I am only on book 4 and there are 17 or 18? I am enjoying seeing the evolution of the characters, so I highly recommend listening in order even though each book can stand alone.
I’m glad to hear that! My husband just picked up the second book in the series from the library.
Has anyone listened to Rhys Bowen’s books? Thoughts? Suggestions on which book of hers to listen to first?
The Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen is addicting. Nice and light. I blew through them all lickety split!! Her Constable Evans series is cute too. I adore cozy mysteries in between hefty literary fiction. Good palate cleansers! 😉
Definitely check out the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni.
My top 3 automatic-buy authors: Louise Penny, Craig Johnson, Peter Grainger. I’m looking forward to trying some of the authors on your list. Thanks for posting it.
I read through most of your comments and had to cross off many authors. It seems we read the same books. How about Cara Black and her Aimee LeDuc series set in the various aggrandizement s of Paris;Deanna Rayburn books( which I found on MMD) Veronica Speedwell. LauraChild tea shop mysteries set in Charleston, South Carolina and of course Donna Leon. Happy reading!
Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk Series is only two books so far, but if you like the recommendations here you’ll really enjoy it. She has a third standalone in the same universe that’s also a great listen.
I love Craig Johnson’s series with Walt Longmire as the sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Alex Grecian’s Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad Series is great, too.
Great List! I love the Louise Penny series. I am also enjoying Peter Grainger’s DC Smith series (and the continuation, called The Kings Lake series.) The series starts with An Accidental Death. It is better read in order, as the detective and his cohorts develop their relationships over time.
I have a couple of favorites that I didn’t see mentioned here. Karin Fossum, a Norwegian author, writes the Inspector Sejer series, which starts with In the Darkness. Sejer reminds me a bit of Inspector Gamache – quiet and thoughtful and more than a match for the bad guys. I’ve read the first eight of them and really enjoy the characters and the setting. Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series takes place in Denmark and has a great cast of misfit characters. Carl Morck heads up the department after he to exiled there, and he and his gang get stuck with the cold cases nobody else wants to bother with.
Wondering if you’ve read or listened to Stephen L. Carter’s mysteries.
The Emperor of Ocean Park is the first.
A HSP can really enjoy these. =)
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox is excellent. Characters are full and quirky. Story is compelling and tight. The audio is superb! Great narrator. 3 so far!
Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan series is my favorite new discovery. The mysteries are tight and the characters phenomenal. She is married to a criminal barrister who is an auxiliary policeman so she writes with accuracy and confidence.
I am always on the look for good mysteries for my mum. She is 94 and has been losing her sight for a few years so audiobooks are perfect for her. She is a voracious “reader” though so finding a steady stream of good mysteries that dont depend on pages of unnecessary descriptions of sexual acts or violent acts is difficult. It really angers me to find a good narrative that is building a perfect tale and suddenly we are in the middle of some bodice ripper soft core. Seriously. WTF. We need a new genre. A classification of a complex story plot that doesnt include gratuitous sex and violence. Rant over
I’m late to this party, but I heartily recommend The Killings at Badger’s Drift, written by Caroline Graham and read by John Hopkins. This is the first book in the Midsomer Murder series.
I generally don’t read mysteries, but I couldn’t put down Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner (her debut).
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Karen Baugh Menuhin and her wonderful Lennox series