Crime fiction focusing on the investigative process is hugely popular, with many books being published and read every year. Called police procedurals, they incorporate elements of forensics, interrogation, evidence gathering, and legal restrictions in their plots to create a more complete story.
In this genre, private investigators and amateur sleuths are not needed. Instead, it focuses on a large cast of characters, often led by one or two detectives, who will crack the case through skill and determination.
Top Police Procedural Books
A lot of books portray the police as incompetent or corrupt, nothing more than side characters to fill up the narrative space. But while police procedurals do feature these kinds of cops, most of them focus on heroes intent on protecting innocents and keeping the peace.
Below is a list of books showcasing the technicalities of a police investigation.
1. Bluebird, Bluebird By Attica Locke
Growing up black in the lone star state has made Texas Ranger Darren Mathews reluctant to come home. But duty tells him to do so.
Arriving at the small town of Lark, he finds the place close to boiling point. The deaths of a black lawyer and a local white woman has brought long-simmering racial tensions to the fore. Can Darren solve the crimes before things completely explode?
2. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
Young girls are going missing and turning up dead. As Edinburgh panics, Inspector John Rebus and his team scramble to find the killer.
Then his former wife and daughter is attacked. Taking hints from anonymous letters, he discovers that the enemy he’s hunting might be one he’s already faced from his haunted past.
3. The Late Show by Michael Connelly
Renee Ballard works the midnight shift in Hollywood, a beat that sees her starting investigations and turning them over to the dayshift to finish and get all the glory. Its her punishment for daring to file a complaint against a supervisor.
Then she finds two cases she’s unwilling to let go. Against orders and her partner’s advice, she works them day and night, no matter where they lead or how dangerous they get.
4. In The Woods by Tana French
In 1984, three children fail to return home. The police only find one of them, bloodied, terrorized, and unable to recall a single thing about what happened.
Twenty years later, Rob Ryan, the surviving kid, is now a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad. When a girl is found murdered, he finds a case chillingly similar to the one he survived. To uncover the mystery before him, he must dig deep into his psyche and finally learn what happened all those years ago.
5. Still Life by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team are called to investigate a suspicious death in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines—a place so peaceful it doesn’t even have its own police force.
How could anyone kill Jane Neal, an artist and beloved member of the community? The locals see it as a hunting tragedy but Gamache suspects something much more sinister.
6. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best detectives until a shootout sees two of his colleagues dead and paralyzed. He blames himself, having failed to draw his own weapon.
Now he’s been “kicked upstairs” to Department Q—out of the way and out of sight. Looking over cold cases isn’t much until one particular file keeps nagging at him. Five years ago, a liberal politician vanished without a trace. Only, Carl doesn’t think so and works to uncover more.
7. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. His superior plans to assign him to a job doing paperwork though—until he accidentally takes a statement from a dead guy, that is.
Now he’s been taken under the wing of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard of Britain. As the first apprentice wizard in fifty years, he’ll be dealing with warring gods, creatures of the night, and a spirit that’s turning everyone into their most psychotic selves.
8. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
When Aisling Conroy’s boyfriend Jack is found floating in the icy river Corrib, the police rule it as suicide. She tries to forget, until Jack’s sister Maude comes home and claims foul play.
Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Cormac Reilly is assigned to re-investigate a case from twenty years ago—the “accidental” overdose of Jack and Maude’s addict mother.
9. Firewatching by Russ Thomas
When financier Gerald Cartwright disappeared, everyone assumed he ran away from his creditors. But six years later, a skeleton is found hidden in Cartwright’s abandoned home.
No one expects Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler to solve the case. After all, he’s the only member of the Cold Case Review Unit. He’s got a suspect though—Cartwright’s own son, and the man he slept with the night before.
10. Dead Simple by Peter Grace
Michael Harrison’s stag night was supposed to be all fun and games. That’s until he finds himself buried in a coffin and those who buried him all dead in a drunk driving accident.
With only three days left before the wedding, Detective Roy Grace is brought in to find where Michael disappeared to. Time’s ticking and the only person who knows something isn’t saying anything.
11. Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon
Inspector Jules Maigret is informed by Interpol that Peitr the Latvian, an infamous conman, is en route to France. Armed with a description, Maigret plans on catching him at the train station.
But when he arrives, he finds multiple suspects—dead and alive—matching the description. Too well, in fact. Chasing after clues leads him to other suspects, all from differing backgrounds. Who is Peitr the Latvian, and can Maigret ever catch him?
12. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
A corpse with a mouth full of sand. An abandoned crime scene with no discoverable tracks and clues. It’s enough to let Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn suspect a supernatural killer.
Rumors of a Wolf-Witch plague the reservation and Leaphorn’s pursuit of it leads him to places where even the courage of brave men fail.
Reading Police Procedurals
The appeal of a police procedural is in how it peels away a mystery through a system. While there is some guesswork involved, you’re treated with a technical investigation of a crime, based on real police work.
Beyond that, the day-to-day realities of law enforcement is also explored. Especially when it comes to the physical and psychological toll that people who work in this career are subjected to.
What’s your favorite police procedural book to read?
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
