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Mystery
Mysteries center around crimes. The most popular crimes are murders, but missing persons, thefts, and frauds also count. Whatever the crime is, it's a puzzle to be solved. Suspects are interviewed, crime scenes are scoured for clues, and there's a race to see who can solve the puzzle first, the reader or the detective.
Most mysteries run in series, following the same detective throughout the many novels. This list has the beginning case for many of today's popular fictional detectives.
| Detective | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Win Garano, Massachusetts state investigator | At Risk | Patricia Cornwell |
| Caren Gray, Manager of Belle Vie plantation | The Cutting Season | Attica Locke |
| Temperance Brennan, Forensic anthropologist | Deja Dead | Kathy Reichs |
| Irene Huss, Detective Inspector | Detective Inspector Huss | Helene Tursten |
| Lisbeth Salander, Computer Hacker | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Steig Larsson |
| David Rossi, Criminal Scene Investigor | Jump Cut | Max Collins |
| Jack Reacher, Ex-military Policeman | Killing Floor | Lee Child |
| Sean Devine, Police Detective | Mystic River | Dennis Lehane |
| Jesse Stone, Police Chief | Night Passage | Robert B Parker |
| Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter | One for the Money | Janet Evanovitch |
| Joe Pickett, Game Warden | Open Season | C. J. Box |
| Claire Marchand, Police Detective | Red Means Run | Brad Smith |
| Peter Decker, Police Sergeant, and Rina Lazarus | The Ritual Bath | Faye Kellerman |
| Jane Rizzoli, Police Detective | The Surgeon | Tess Gerritsen |
| Alvirah and Willy Meehan, Amateur Detectives | The Lottery | Mary Higgins Clark |
| Max Tudor, Ex-MI5 agent | Wicked Autumn | G. M. Malliet |
| Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, Amateur Detective | Wish You Were Here | Rita Mae Brown |