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I've decided to talk about my 'Favorite Couples in Mystery Series'. Some of these are partners or friends or 'more than friends' or married. Some have moved through those steps. Yes, there can be a bit of romance in crime novels!
I worried a little bit about spoilers here, but honestly, if you read many of the blurbs for these ongoing series, you'll get the idea about the couples. And, as I said above, many of them moved through several steps before they got to the true 'couple' status. I read many mystery series because I enjoy visiting the characters over and over and finding out what is next in their lives. Sometimes, love is next.
1. Eve Dallas and Roarke - J.D. Robb - Eve is a homicide lieutenant in the New York Police. Roarke is an ex-criminal who has more money than he knows what to do with (billions). 50 books in the series. Naked in Death is the first.2. Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache - Louise Penny - Armand is with the Sûreté du Québec and he's held several positions over the course of the series. Reine-Marie is a retired librarian. They are a lovely, lovely couple who anchor these books through the storms. 15 books in the series. Still Life is the first.
3. Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson - Elizabeth Peters - Amelia is an Egyptologist and Emerson is an archaeologist in late 19th and early 20th century England and Egypt. A very devoted and 'equal' couple. 20 books in the series. Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first.
4. Daisy Dalrymple and Alec Fletcher - Carola Dunn - Daisy is a well born woman who becomes a journalist in the 1920's. Alec Fletcher is a Detective Inspector with Scotland Yard. 23 books in the series. Death At Wentwater Court is the first.
5. Alafair and Shaw Tucker - Donis Casey - The Tuckers own a large farm in rural Oklahoma in the early 1900's. They have 10 children. Alafair is the sleuth, with Shaw to keep her grounded. 10 books in the series. The Old Buzzard Had It Coming is the first. The author has started a new series that features one of the Tucker's daughters, Blanche. There is one book so far.
6. Deborah Knott and Dwight Bryant - Margaret Maron - Deborah is a district court judge in Colleton County, North Carolina. Dwight is a deputy sheriff in the same county. Deborah has a very large family - 11 older brothers - and her father was a bootlegger. 20 books in this now completed series. Bootlegger's Daughter is the first.
7. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne - Julia Spencer-Fleming - Clare is an Episcopal priest and Russ is the Chief of Police in Millers Kill, New York. Their relationship is complicated and goes through many stages over the course of the stories. 9 books in the series. In the Bleak Midwinter is the first.
8. Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James - Deborah Crombie - Both Duncan and Gemma work for Scotland Yard. He is a Detective Superintendent and she is at first his Detective Sergeant. Her career progresses over time. 18 books in the series. A Share in Death is the first.9. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt - Anne Perry - Set in Victorian times, Thomas is a police inspector and Charlotte is his well-born wife. Charlotte's family and social connections are often valuable in solving the crimes that Thomas investigates. 32 books in this series. The Cater Street Hangman is the first. Additionally, Thomas and Charlotte's son, Daniel, now has his own series with 3 books.
10. Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti - Linda Castillo - Kate is the Chief of Police in Painters Mill, Ohio, which has a significant Amish population. Tomasetti is an agent with the state police. 11 books in the series. Sworn to Silence is the first.
There are many more couples in mystery series, but these are the ones that come to mind first. Enjoy!
I love Armand and Reine-Marie! I like that they're a long-wed, well-established couple who are kind to and supportive of each other. Their love is understated, but totally apparent in the gentle way they treat each other. I love that :)
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with all you said, Susan.
DeleteEek! There are so many of my favorite series on this list! I've got most of the other series on my TBR as well...I probably should just go ahead and the rest :)
ReplyDeleteAlways glad to add to your TBR, Sam. You often add to mine. LOL
DeleteI agree with several of these (the rest I haven't read). And funnily enough I've just started A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, that's lovely, Cath. I hope you enjoy A Share in Death. That series is one that definitely became a 'must read' for me.
DeleteI like the Louise Penny series and hope to read #5 in the series soon. But I have not been reading long enough to encounter Reine-Marie Gamache that much.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series at one time but I stopped after 9 or 10 books. I thought the first books in the series were excellent.
I am going to give the Deborah Knott series another try sometime soon.
Glad to hear about all your comments here, Tracy. All three of these series are dear to my heart.
DeleteThere are so many series here I haven't read and that sound good, which is great, because a new for me series is just what I need right now!
ReplyDeleteWell, take your pick, Jill. I love all of them.
DeleteGreat list! I would add Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy from Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mystery series. They're favorites of mine. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you recommend those, Lark. Do you know that I haven't read any of that series though I've met Victor Thompson at a couple of mystery conferences? I need to rectify that.
DeleteWhat a fun post. I may have to do one like this too as I love series books too. I'm a bit in shock at how many books are in the J.D. Robb series though. Wow.
ReplyDeleteI know. I thought maybe she was going to stop with 50, which was published in February I think. No, she has 51 coming out in the fall. LOL
DeleteFive out of 10 for me. My favorite mystery couple on old movies are Nick and Nora Charles. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised, Gayle.
DeleteNo, they are not from a book, but I just had to throw in the couple from the Thin Man series. They are delightful.
ReplyDeleteGood pick, Deb!
DeleteI see a lot of favorites in here! I love Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid though I do miss them working together. I had forgotten about Deborah Knott. That's a series I should pick back up. It's been years since I read it. And I really need to read JD Robb. I love her books under Nora Roberts but have never read any of the Robb books.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, the J.D. Robb books are different from Roberts' other books - very much more crime novel, but I love them.
DeleteOh, thanks for this post! I'm trying to find a few mystery / crime series that I can love and read for a good long while, so I've noted some good finds in your list.
ReplyDeleteAthira, these are such good series if series are your jam. LOL
DeleteThis is such a fun post, Kay! I am completely captured by Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James right now, but look how many more wonderful couples I will get to know!
ReplyDeleteI recommend all of these, Robin.
DeleteI've only listened to a couple of Robb's novels and am still not completely sold on Eve and Roarke. But I have a lot of books to get through, so you never know. :-) I love Thomas and Charlotte. It's been years since I last visited with them.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think a couple will work for you or they won't. Eve and Roarke suit me. And now there's a series with Charlotte and Thomas' son, Daniel.
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