Mystery series worth reading in order?

I just finished reading the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters and before that I read the William Monk mystery series, both in order which is not essential, but certainly made it much more pleasurable. So now I’m looking for other series that would be worth reading in some sort of order. I’ve read all of Louise Penny’s and all of Elizabeth George’s and so I’m hoping someone has some brilliant ideas.

>1 VictoriaJZ:

Sara Paretsky's V. I. Warshawski series is a good one to read in order.

And, of course, Dorothy L. Sayers' Wimsey-Vane novels (actually, the entire Lord Peter Wimsey series.

The Commissario Ricciardi series by Maurizio De Giovanni should be read in order, as well.

It's a short series, unfortunately, but Viviana Valentine is worth reading in order for the development of Viv's Nick & Nora Charles type relationship in the background.

Ann Cleeve's Shetland series with Jimmy Perez is a definite read-in-order series.

Personally I feel that continuing plot lines are often an indication that the author is increasingly bored with the mystery genre but can’t afford to abandon a best-selling franchise. With both Elizabeth George and Louise Penny I think this focus on plot and character eventually comes at the expense of the mystery.

I think it depends on how involved with a series you want to get. Some have become stupendously long over time, but others are short. For me they only need to be read in order if there is a longer story arc to be sorted out (such as a tragedy in the life of the protagonist), or if there is a continual shift in the circumstances of the stakeholders. Here are some I enjoy -

Elvis Cole and of course Joe Pike who got a semi-spinoff run of his own. Just let go of the fact that these guys would at least be in their 70s now and the cat is like, 30.

Carlotta Carlyle - not a very long series, but good mysteries and I really like Carlotta as a person. There are other relationships that morph and change as the books progress.

Kenzie & Gennaro - only six in the series, but I would have been ok with only five. Dynamic, violent and ever changing situations. Gritty as hell.

DI Barton - more heart and camaraderie than most police departments, but with unexpected deaths, really bad villains and a larger story line with the officers that's quite engaging.

Ok that's all I can come up with for now, but I read a lot of this so I might add more.

We have to admire Freeman Wills Crofts’ chutzpah in beginning a series that went on to number 30 books with the title Inspector French’s Greatest Case. Fortunately the title is inaccurate, as Crofts’ mystery-writing skills improved over time. In any event, plot details about Inspector French rarely occur, so reading order is unimportant.

So far I have enjoyed Ellery Adams Secret, Book and Scone Society series

Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series about a homicide detective in Nazi-era Berlin.

Andrea Camilleri’s excellent Commissario Montalbano series has a continuing plot-line, although well in the background.

All great ideas - some new - some "old" I read most of the Montalbano series and enjoyed it! Right now I'm in the midst of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series = a lighter and shorter-book series and perfect for right now = but thanks for ALL the great ideas == will check into them!!!

I don't disagree with you entirely but I do enjoy the development of the people along the way - for me, that's part of why I enjoy reading these series == by the way, I didn't do that in the past 50-60 years I've been reading but I do find it enjoyable and helpful to watch characters and stories develop. Thanks much for your thoughts.

Most of the modern series are built to work both for new readers and do long time fans. I enjoy the characters development through the series so I tend to read all my mystery series in order - even when it is subtle, it is still worth seeing where things go and how people change. Plus that way you catch nice cameos and Easter eggs with secondary characters later in the series. :)

>13 AnnieMod: Of course it’s also interesting to see the author’s talent develop—or in some cases lose momentum.

Last year I started reading Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian (Philadelphia former FBI agent) series and have sped through 19 of the 30 books. Definitely recommend reading in order; Demarkian's personal life develops gradually, and there are recurring characters in both the mystery and non-mystery aspects of the stories.

The "mysteries" are more background in this series, as it's really about the relationships between the characters. But reading in order is essential to see how those relationships develop over time.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series should probably be read in order. Flavia is eleven years old at the beginning and ages each book; she lives in a decrepit mansion in a small English village and is fascinated with chemistry and murder. I find them fun, but have a high tolerance for whimsey.

I haven't read Jacqueline Winspear's Masie Dobbs, but it covers both World Wars, so I would guess there's some progression there, too..

>17 vicwong: I found that the Maisie Dobbs series suffers from a problem common to a lot of mysteries set in a period before that in which they were written viz the author’s tendency to explain things s/he thinks the reader might not be familiar with. “She picked up the telephone receiver and used her finger to turn the dial” kind of thing. Tedious.

Three favorites: Martha Grimes' Richard Jury, P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh and Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge.

Some runners-up: Catherine Aird's Sloan and Crosby, Margery Allingham's Albert Campion, Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May, E.X. Giroux's Robert Forsythe, Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy, Michael Innes' Inspector Appleby, Laurie R. King's Mary Russell, Jane Langton's Homer Kelly Mysteries, Patricia Moyes' Inspector Henry Tibbett Mysteries, Dorothy Simpson's Inspector Luke Thanet Mysteries

Surprised nobody has added Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series, featuring a lecturer in archaeology based in Norfolk (UK, not VA).

Martin Walker's Bruno Chief of Police series benefits from reading in order, as character and relationships develop, and is a lovely escape to the cuisine and culture of the Dordogne, in rural France.

Lindsay Davis did an ancient Rome soap opera/ crime series about Falco, a noir-ish P.I. in a toga. I feel it jumped shark when his daughter became the protagonist, but it is a lot of fun.

The series by Christopher Fowler about Bryant and May, octogenarian policemen In London. Often looks as if the solution is occult during the book, but all is resolved. They are supported by a gang of misfits.

Iain Pears has a series of fairly cosy art fraud stories. Tbh I read them in random order but going in series order would be better. Still good read higgledy-piggledy.

Oh and how could I forget the Pendergast series by Lincoln Child & Doug Preston. When you click to the series page, you'll notice a few sub-series that are runs within the whole that really can't be broken out since the specific story arc takes all the books to complete. There's lots to discover and I highly recommend it if you like your mysteries flavored with a little supernatural and a lot of conspiracy rabbit holes. Definitely start with Relic and get hooked, although now I think about it, I started with Cabinet of Curiosities as I didn't know it was part of a series, but I'm glad I did.