Discover a Detective
You don’t need to be a super sleuth to deduce that we love detectives of every kind here at Dead Good. Grumpy Oxford-based intellectuals, tortured Scandinavians, hard-boiled mac-wearers, feisty old ladies, violin-wielding opium addicts – we adore them all.
And surely there’s nothing better than when you discover a new series and delight at the prospect of what books two, three and four have in store?
Throughout November we’ll be introducing you to some of our best-loved detectives. We’ve hand-picked ten books and compiled the facts to help you find your perfect sleuth. Some feature new favourites who are rising through the ranks and others star old ones we return to again and again.
If you’re still not sure which series is for you, why not take our short quiz? Each title is available at a special discounted price for a limited time only, so grab them while you can!
Discover a Detective
Name: Inspector Kurt Wallander
Jurisdiction: Ystad, Sweden
Profile: Middle-aged senior police officer, lover of Opera and strong coffee, divorced, complicated family relationships notably with father and daughter, tends to solitude.
Notable case: In Faceless Killers, Wallander responds to a routine call out, only to discover a bloodbath when he reaches the isolated farmhouse. An old man and his wife have been tortured and beaten, both victims of a violence beyond reason. When it’s revealed that he perpetrators may have been foreign, a tide of racism is unleashed. Wallander must throw himself into a battle against time and against mounting racial hatred.
Books: 11
Offer available from 21st November – 4th December
Name: Detective Jane RizzoliJurisdiction: Boston, Boston Police Department
Profile: A hard-driving, aggressive homicide detective and the only woman in her unit.
Notable case: A series of horrific murders seem disturbingly familiar to Detective Jane Rizzoli. They remind her and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles of those committed by a killer known as the Surgeon, who they recently put behind bars. While they’re still trying to track down the new killer, the unthinkable happens: the Surgeon escapes. Suddenly, Jane is chasing not one but two brilliant and twisted minds, united by one goal…
Books: 11
Offer available from 14th – 27th November
Name: Chief Inspector Reginald WexfordJurisdiction: Sussex, England
Profile: An intelligent, sensitive, reliable police officer who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Married with two daughters.
Notable case: A man and his daughter die in a car accident; the mother falls into a six-week coma. When she finally awakens, Wexford’s attention has been distracted by the discovery of a bloody body in a new and violent case. But something is bothering Wexford, and just as he begins to wonder if the cases are connected, the unexpected occurs: the daughter, thought to be dead, appears at her mother’s bedside very much alive.
Books: 24
Offer available from 14th – 27th November
Name: Detective Lindsay BoxerJurisdiction: San Francisco Police Department
Profile: Lead homicide investigator, 34 years old, 5’10 almost 6 feet tall with ash blonde hair. Divorced, troubled love life potentially caused by difficult family relationships. Awesome name.
Notable case: A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in blood-red lipstick.
Books: 14
Offer available from 27th November – 4th December
Name: Inspector Erlendur SveinssonJurisdiction: Reykjavik, Iceland
Profile: Anti-social, enigmatic and fiercely private, Erlendur spends his time amidst his strange library of papers regretting his inability to save his little brother from a snowstorm in his childhood. Disconnected from his family, he has two children.
Notable case: When building work in an expanding Reykjavík uncovers a shallow grave in an area that was once all open hills, Erlendur and his team hope this is a typical Icelandic missing person scenario – perhaps someone once lost in the snow, who has lain peacefully buried for decades. But things are never that simple.
Books: 11
Offer available from 14th – 27th November
Name: Detective Inspector Tony McleanJurisdiction: Edinburgh, Scotland
Profile: Newly promoted Detective Inspector keen to prove himself. A complex character with a troubled home life but determined, reliable and focused on his investigation and willing to think outside the box.
Notable case: A young girl’s mutilated body is discovered in a sealed room. Her remains are carefully arranged, in what seems to have been a cruel and macabre ritual, which appears to have taken place over 60 years ago. For newly-appointed McLean, this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority – but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death.
Books: 5
Offer available from 21st – 27th November
Name: David RakerJurisdiction: England
Profile: A missing persons investigator who will go to any lengths to find who he’s looking for. Determined, good hearted and not afraid to take risks.
Notable case: An hour after leaving home, Sam Wren gets onto a tube train – and never gets off again. Six months later, he’s still missing. Out of options and desperate for answers, Sam’s wife Julia hires David Raker to track him down. But in this case the secrets go deeper than anyone imagined, and as Raker starts to suspect that even the police are lying to him, someone is watching – someone who will do anything to keep Sam’s secrets to himself.
Books: 6
Offer available from 21st – 27th November
Name: William Avery & Jeremiah BlakeJurisdiction: India & London
Profile: Blake is a brilliant, taciturn special inquiry agent with a misanthropic, wary shell which hides his gentler feelings and intellectual curiosity. Avery is a young provincial gentleman solider with few prospects, but he is brave, handsome and good with a gun.
Notable case: Avery is sent on a secret mission to track down the East India Company’s most notorious and celebrated son, Xavier Mountstuart. Accompanied by Blake, the search leads them into the territory of the murderous Kali-worshipping Thugs. Fighting for their lives, the pair draw closer to their elusive quarry only to discover the horrifying truth behind their mission.
Books: 2
Offer available from 21st November – 4th December
Name: Detective Constable Tina BoydJurisdiction: London, England
Profile: Also known as the Black Widow, Tina is a ruthless investigator determined to get the job done no matter how hard it is along the way. She has a tough attitude and acts on instinct, even if it goes against authority.
Notable case: When an explosion blasts through a cafe in Central London and an unknown terror group warns that a far greater attack will be launched in 12 hours’ time, Tina Boyd finds herself in a terrifying race against time with DI Mike Bolt as they chase their targets across the city in a desperate bid to stop a major atrocity – before it’s too late…
Books: 7
Offer available from 14th – 27th November
Name: Annika BengtzonJurisdiction: Stockholm, Sweden
Profile: A crime reporter whose investigations take her beyond the news story, and often into harm’s way. Despite a dark background, she is courageous, compassionate and hardworking and fights for truth and justice.
Notable case: Annika is covering the glamorous Nobel Prize Dinner. The world’s notabilities are enjoying themselves on the dance floor when suddenly gunshots break through the din of conversation and music. In the ensuing panic, the presumed assassin wrestles Annika to the ground. Soon, she is caught in the middle of an intricate drama with links to Alfred Nobel — not only as a reporter but also as a key witness.
Books: 10
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