If you like Alexander McCall Smith's "
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" books, you might also enjoy these other mystery series (on display downstairs in the Fiction section):
- China Bayles Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert - China Bayles is a herbalist and loveable amateur sleuth. The books work well alone, but for those readers who are sticklers about series order, start with 1992's Thyme of Death, available for pick up at Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Library via loan from other Suffolk County libraries.
- Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie - A truly classic series featuring an unflappable upper-class British heroine, who solves mysteries over a cup of tea. The first title, A Murder at the Vicarage, was published in 1930 and has since been re-released.
- Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown - Mrs. Murphy is a clever housecat with a nose for trouble; starting with the publication of 1990's Wish You Were Here, she helps her owner solve crimes. For other murder mysteries involving cats, try Lilian Jackson Braun's "Jim Qwilleran" feline whodunit series, starting with 1966's The Cat Who Could Read Backwards.
- Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle - Clare Cosi, the manager of a small coffeeshop, gets drawn into amateur crime solving. The series started in 2003 with On What Grounds.
- Maxie and Stretch by Sue Henry - Independent retiree Maxie McNabb is 63 and as sharp as ever; she solves crimes with the help of her loveable dachshund Stretch. Start with 2004's The Serpent's Trail.
- Someday Quilts by Clare O'Donohue - Nell Fitzgerald and her knitting club, "Someday Quilts," somehow get themselves entangled in mysteries that they alone can solve. Series newcomers should start with 2008's The Lover's Knot.
