The following are Uzma Jalaluddin’s recommendations for series and novels featuring memorable amateur sleuths.
*
Miss Marple
Agatha Christie, Miss Marple series
I’ll be honest—as a younger reader, I gravitated towards Christie’s famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, but her second most famous detective, the uncannily observant Miss Marple of St. Mary’s Mead, has grown on me over the years. Each mystery is full of misdirection as Miss Marple charms and manipulates everyone around her to discover the truth, all with a twinkle in her eye.
Susan Ryeland
Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murder series
Anthony Horowitz is a writer’s writer, someone who seamlessly moves from gripping YA thrillers (he is the author of the Alex Rider series), television shows (such as the long-running Foyle’s War) as well as official follow-up books in both the Sherlock Holmes series and the James Bond series.
I love his contemporary adult mystery series, including those featuring Susan Ryeland, a feisty and intelligent book editor who keeps finding herself embroiled in literary mysteries. The magic of this particular series is that the reader is treated to two books in one—the murder that Susan Ryeland is investigating, as well as a “book within a book” story linked to the central mystery.
Mallory Atkinson
Kelley Armstrong, A Rip Through Time series
Highly enjoyable series featuring a Vancouver-based police detective who finds herself trapped in Victorian Scotland through a magical swap. She teams up with local doctor, Duncan Gray, who moonlights as a medical examiner during the nascent emergence of CSI technology, and together they solve mysteries against the backdrop of a society on the brink of incredible change.
Nayir Sharqi and Katya Hijazi
Zoe Ferraris, Finding Nouf series
This series came out in the early 2000’s, and I inhaled all three novels. Set in Saudi Arabia, the books follow Nayir and Katya, two unlikely amateur sleuths, as they solve mysteries unique to this middle eastern country.
Zoe Ferraris, who lived in Saudi Arabia for a time, does a great job providing a fascinating look inside a world most Western readers know nothing about, and does so with great nuance and authenticity.
Vish Puri
Tarquin Hall, The Case of the Missing Servant series
I first picked up this series at Costco, circa the early 2010s, intrigued by fun titles, such as The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken and The Case of the Love Commandos. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was braced for a series heavy on the South Asian exoticism. But Tarquin Hall does a bang-up job capturing the hectic pace of life in New Delhi, and introduces an absolutely delightful detective, the grumpy and intelligent Vish Puri.
I especially loved the references to all the sumptuous snacks Vish Puri eats over the course of his investigation, washed down with copious cups of chai.
Veronica Speedwell
Deanna Raybourn, Veronica Speedwell series
The inimitable Veronica Speedwell is a woman ahead of her time. A lepidopterist (an expert in the study of butterflies) Ms. Speedwell breaks every stereotype of a Victorian woman: she lives an independent life on her own terms, is resolute and suffers no fools.
The adventures she finds herself in, accompanied by smoldering love interest/detecting partner, Stoker (full name Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, who is also a naturalist and taxidermist) are a delight to read and enjoy!
Kausar Khan
Uzma Jalaluddin, Moonlight Murder
I couldn’t help including myself in this list (as per instructions from my publicist), as Kausar Khan is a unique addition to the world of amateur sleuths. A South Asian widow in her late fifties who lives in Toronto, she uses her uncanny observational gifts and unique viewpoint to solve mysteries in her close-knit, diverse Toronto community.
Kausar is a desi Miss Marple, delights in subverting every stereotype about immigrant women of a certain age, and is surrounded by a colorful cast of characters, including her adult daughter Sana, teenage granddaughter Maleeha, and best friend May. Moonlight Murder is the second mystery featuring Kausar Khan, and will be out May 5 in the U.S.
***
