Confessions of a Serial Reader – The ones with the British Detectives

I have several series I read that feature British Detectives. For some reason they’re among my favorite series.

The Inspector Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson.

Alan Banks is a former London Detective who now works in the Yorkshire town of Eastvale. His children and his marriage are definitely a part of the ongoing storylines in this series and while the books can be read out of order there are elements of his private life that wouldn't quite play out chronologically. Banks is a music lover and generally what most would consider a good guy. The investigations are always interesting and well done in this series. I've read eleven of the books and still have plenty more to enjoy (the series currently stands at 20 books)

The Detective Inspector Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham

I started reading this series late in 2011 and read the first six books within about 8 months. It's been a while and I really want to get back to the series and get caught up. I've got four to read to do that but at least I already own the next two. Thorne works in London and has problems toeing the line his bosses would prefer he not cross. He gets himself in trouble but manages to solve his cases. These can get pretty gritty and Thorne isn't exactly likeable at times but it's a great series.

The Jack Caffery series by Mo Hayder

Mo Hayder can write some seriously disturbing stuff. Her books are definitely not for the faint of heart. Jack is as much of a mess as some of the victims and criminals he deals with. He's got some demons from his childhood that still affect him. Set in London (at least for the first two) this series deals with some pretty nasty criminals.

The Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George

I've only read the first two of this series and hope to get back to it soon. Thomas Lynley is an aristocrat and his partner Barbara Havers is in many way his opposite in both background and personality. The development of thier partnership in the first two books was something I enjoyed a lot. The mysteries are interesting and I want to get back to this series to find out where things will go. I've got plenty (15 right now) of books to read so even thinking about catching up with this series is unlikely.

The Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill

Simon Serrailler is a Chief Inspector in the first book. He works in the city of Lafferton which is somewhere in the South of England. The first book has a great map in the front that provides a way of getting oriented to this fictional place. Simon comes from a privileged family background and is the only member of his immediate family to choose a career other than medicine. His family relationships are somewhat strained because of that and very much a part of the books. I've read two of the current six of this series


What about you? Who are your favorite British detectives? Which series you recommend?