Time for more items on my reading list. Last Friday, I mentioned Morse and Wexford; here are some more of my top cops:

Inspector Dalgliesh

Adam Dalgliesh is the creation of PD James, a kind and sensitive man, a poet and a sharp weapon in the armoury of the Met. I enjoy reading about the inspector and his companions and I love James’ writing style, which adroitly expands my vocabulary.

Inspector Banks

A more recent discovery was Peter Robinson’s Alan Banks. His world seems to age at roughly the same pace as real life and the people around him, with the ongoing tapestry of their lives, is a strong part of the series. Each novel could be read in isolation but they resonate strongly together. Minor details, such as Banks’ treasured CD collection (regularly consulted, destroyed in a fire and then gradually rebuilt) provide a sound track against which the individual investigations run.

Dalziel and Pascoe

Most of these detective heroes have a more or less regular side-kick but I have recently discovered Reginald Hill’s pair of coppers. I knew there was a TV series of that name but wasn’t aware that this was built on a series of books stretching back more than 40 years. My own investigations presently include digging through the earliest books I can find in the series and starting to piece this duo together.

I could name more but I think these are the five most enjoyable series of police novels I have encountered. Between them, they must include a hundred or more individual books, so more than enough to choose from!

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