6 series to read next after you've run out of Louise Penny novels

Years ago, 2 Canadian readers—i a friend, i a blog reader—convinced me to give Louise Penny a try. I was hooked from the start. (Although I will say to new Penny readers: book one is leisurely paced. In books 2 and 3 the murders are kind of weird—not graphic, but weird. I recall Penny hits her stride with book 4.)

Her start volume, Even so Life, was published way back in 1990, but I didn't begin with the series until Penny had been writing for more than a decade. At the time, she had a devoted merely smallish fan base; these days her new releases are instant New York Times bestsellers.

When I began reading the books, there were 5 or 6 published already. I so loved burning through the serial over the class of a summer, catching up to the then-latest installment, and a half dozen books was the perfect number of titles—satisfying, merely not overwhelming. I quickly became enraptured with the Canadian inspector and his town of 3 Pines, and the characters I've gotten to know (and worry near betwixt installments!)

Since the publication of Kingdom of the Bullheaded concluding November, at that place are now fourteen novels in the series, which, I'm sorry to say, you should probably read in order. The mysteries stand alone, just fans love Penny for the way her stories operate on 2 planes: on one level, well-crafted procedurals; on the other, the arresting relational dramas of her characters. If you jump in mid-series, you lot'll miss out on the significance of the relational plots.

I relished catching upward with the series when I outset found it, but at present I'grand in the unenviable position of having to wait a year or more betwixt installments. A small consolation? I'm in good company.

Because I'm not solitary in my plight, I'm sharing authors Penny fans may enjoy reading next while waiting for the next installment in the Inspector Gamache series. Their series are readalikes, in the sense that they also offer mysteries that operate on ii planes and have a stiff sense of identify. I'm sharing more than about the first book of each series beneath.

A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford Mysteries Book 1)

A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford Mysteries Book 1)

Like Maisie Dobbs, this series features an atmospheric, post-WWI England setting and a wartime nurse turned investigator; with the Bess Crawford series, the author's explicitly wanted to bear witness readers the women's side of The Great War. In this commencement installment, Bess is determined to fulfill a promise she fabricated to a dying officer, fifty-fifty though she's been sent abroad from the front with a broken arm. Merely when she meets the man's family unit, something feels off—and she soon realizes she'southward plunged directly into the middle of a spider web of long-buried secrets. Written by the female parent-son writing duo of Caroline and Charles Todd. More than info →

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad Book 1)

In the Forest (Dublin Murder Team Book ane)

This is the first of French's popular Dublin Murder Team, although the series need non be read in club. Tana French writes an amazing psychological thriller, and her story here is tight, twisty, and unpredictable. The story has two primary threads: 1 revolves around a psychopath, the other around a supernatural disturbance, and yous'll be sucked right into both. The murder is seriously grizzly, the book unputdownable—although be warned: the ending is highly controversial. More than info →

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries Series Book 1)

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Mysteries Series Book 1)

This is the get-go installment of the instantly beloved British mystery series set betwixt the wars, and the accents on the audiobooks are to die for. At historic period 13, Maisie became a maid in London, but when her employer notices Maisie keeps sneaking into the library at dark to read philosophy, her employer puts her on the path to Cambridge. When WWI begins, she becomes a nurse, and and then a private investigator. This first novel is a strong start to a strong series: read them in society. Compared to the other mysteries on this listing, the content here is gentler, and recommended reading for high schoolers. More info →

A Share in Death

A Share in Expiry

This might exist my about recommended series for Louise Penny fans; I particularly honey how, as the series progresses, the Scotland Yard police work is only half the content: in improver to their cases, Crombie devotes considerable ink to her detectives' personal dramas and romantic entanglements. (In other words, read these in order.) This get-go installment reminds me of Dorothy Sayers: detective Duncan Kincaid happens to be vacationing at his posh cousin's time share when a trunk is constitute in the resort pool. The local detective rules suicide, simply Kincaid is certain there's more than to the story. Highly recommended for mystery-loving Anglophiles. Get caught upwards now so you're ready when the next installment hits shelves in Oct 2019. More info →

Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

Some critics call the Commissario Brunetti mysteries "the next all-time thing to being in Venice." In this showtime installment, a renowned opera conductor is found dead in his dressing room, a victim of cyanide poisoning. Information technology'south significant that this is a particularly painful mode to die. Equally the investigation unfolds, it'south clear the man had a nighttime past and many enemies, and that the perpetrator wanted to make his victim endure. Only why? Death at La Fenice is an excellent place to begin, but no demand to read this series in order. More info →

A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley Book 1)

A Not bad Deliverance (Inspector Lynley Book one)

You all go along telling me I'll love Elizabeth George, but I'm intimidated by the Xx existing titles—to be read in order. This award-winning series features Scotland Grand members Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. These mysteries feature well-adult characters, intricate plots, psychological depth, and a strong sense of identify, with much of the action unfolding in the gorgeous English countryside. More info →

Are you a Louise Penny fan? What series would You recommend to readers who are all out of Inspector Gamache novels? Do you lot, like me, want to visit Three Pines i solar day? Tell us all almost it in comments.

6 series to read next after you've run out of Louise Penny novels

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