I love police procedurals! Here is a list compiled by George Easter, publisher of Deadly Pleasures Online Mystery Magazine, to which I am a proud contributor. I was honored that he ask for my input to the list. We may disagree on the ranking of a few, but it's a great list.
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George’s Top (Favorite) 25 Current Police Procedural/Detection Series
Michael Connelly’s Renee Ballard/Harry Bosch Series (L.A.)
Deon Meyer’s Benny Griessel/Vaughn Cupido Series (South Africa)
Peter Lovesey’s Peter Diamond Series (Bath, U.K.)
Rozlan Mohd Noor’s Mislan/Johan Series (Malaysia)
M. W. Craven’s Poe/Tilly Series (U.K.)
Val McDermid’s Tony Hill/Carol Jordan (Scotland)
David Mark’s Aector McAvoy/Trish Pharaoh Series (U.K.)
Jeffrey Siger’s Andreas Kaldis series (Greece)
Chris Offutt’s Mick Harden Series (Kentucky)
Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy Series (Northern Ireland)
Kim Hays’ Linder/Donatelli Series (Switzerland)
A. A. Dhand’s Harry Virdee Series (U.K.)
Attica Locke’s Darren Mathews Series (East Texas)
A. F. Carter’s Delia Mariola Series (Midwest U.S.)
Javier Cercas’ Melchor Marin Series (Spain)
Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Antonia Scott/Jon Gutierrez Series (Spain)
Stuart MacBride’s Logan McRae Series (Scotland)
Abir Mukherjee’s Sam Wyndam Series (India)
Vanda Symon’s Sam Shephard Series (New Zealand)
Ajay Chowdhury’s Kamil Rahman Series (now an active U.K. Detective)
Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin Series (California)
Andrew Mayne’s Sloane McPherson Series (Florida)
Alan Park’s Harry McCoy Series (Scotland)
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ Bill Slider Series (U.K.)
Honorable Mention (I like a lot of these, but don’t read every entry in series)
William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor Series (Minnesota)
C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett Series (Wyoming)
Archer Mayor’s Joe Gunther Series (Vermont and Northeastern States)
M. J. Arlidge’s Helen Grace Series (U.K.)
Margaret Mizushima’s Mattie Cobb Series (Colorado)
Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire Series (Wyoming)
Karen Odden’s Inspector Corravan Series (London)
Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache Series (Canada)
Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge Series (U.K.)
Jake Needham’s Samuel Tay Series (Singapore and Far East)
Gary Donnelly’s Owen Sheen (Northern Ireland and U.K.)
Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna Series (Sweden)
J. D. Kirk’s Jack Logan Series (Scotland)
Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch Series (Maine)
Ace Atkins’ Quinn Colson Series (Mississippi)
James Patterson’s Alex Cross Series (Washington, DC)
Mark Billingham’s Tom Thorne Series (U.K.)
Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs Series (New York City)
Deborah Crombie’s Kincaid/James Series (U.K.)
Elizabeth George’s Lynley/Havers Series (U.K.)
Martin Cruz Smith’ Arkady Renko Series (Russia)
Lynda La Plante’s Jane Tennison Series (U.K.)
Sharon Bolton (S. J. Bolton) Lacey Flint Series (U.K.)
Keigo Higashino’s Detective Kaga Series (Japan)
James Lee Burke’s David Robicheaux Series (Louisiana)
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s Agent Pendergast Series (USA)
Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope Series (U.K.)
Peter James’ Roy Grace Series (U.K.)
Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti Series (Venice, Italy)
Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan Series (Ireland)
John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport Series (Minnesota)
Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder Series (Amish country)
Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles Series (Boston)
Chris Nickson’s Tom Harper Series (Leeds,U.K.)
Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police Series (France)
Garry Disher’s Paul Hirschhausen Series (Australia)
Steven Havill’s Posadas County Series (New Mexico)
Barbara Nadel’s Inspector Ikmen Series (Turkey)
Brian Freeman’s Jonathan Stride Series (Minnesota)
John Galligan’s Bad Axe County (Sheriff Heidi Kick) Series (Wisconsin)
Ilaria Tuti’s Teresa Battaglia Series (Italy)
Qiu Xiaolong’s Inspector Chen Series (China)
Alex Gray’s William Lorimer Series (Scotland)
Bill James’ Harper/Iles Series (U.K.)
Quentin Jardine’s Bob Skinner Series (U.K.)
Edward Marston’s Colbeck/Leeming Series (U.K.)
Chris Simms’ Jon Spicer Series (U.K.)
George’s Top (Favorite) 20 Police Procedural/Detective Series by Living Authors No Longer Writing Books in the Series or with Series Detectives Who Are No Longer Policemen (one or more of these series may be revived by their authors down the line)
Bruce Coffin’s John Byron Series (Maine)
Barry Maitland’s Brock/Kolla Series (U.K.)
Graham Hurley’s Faraday/Winter Series (U.K.)
John Harvey’s DI Resnick Series (U.K.)
Sally Spencer’s Woodend/Paniatowski Series (U.K.)
Iain Pears’ Flavia di Stefano/Jonathan Argyll Series (Italy)
Peter May’s Li Yan/Margaret Campbell Series (China)
Peter May’s Fin MacLeod Series (Scotland)
Paul Mendelson’s Colonel Vaughn de Vries’ Series (Cape Town, South Africa)
William Shaw’s Breen/Tozer Series (U.K.)
William Shaw’s Alexandra Cupidi Series (U.K.)
Nick Oldham’s Henry Christie Series – Henry is retired but still active in investigations.
Thomas Mullen’s Boggs and Smith Series (Atlanta, Georgia)
Arnaldur Indridason’s Inspector Erlendur Series (Iceland)
Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q Series (Denmark) – last in the series just came out in 2022
Dervla McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly Series (Ireland)
Garry Disher’s Hal Challis’ Series (Australia)
Robert Ellis’ Lena Gamble Series (Los Angeles)
Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk Series – last in the series just came out in 2023
A.D. Garrett (Margaret Murphy) Kate Simms/Nick Fennimore Series
Honorable Mention
Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole Series (Norway) – Harry Hole is no longer a police detective
Rennie Airth’s John Madden Series (U.K.)
Caz Freer’s Cat Kinsella Series (U.K.)
Robert Barnard’s Charlie Peace Series (U.K.)
Andrew Taylor’s Richard Thornhill Series (U.K.)
John McMahon’s P.T. Marsh Series (Georgia)
Stephen Booth’s Cooper/Fry Series (U.K.)
Owen Laukkanen’s Stevens/Windermere Series
Ragnar Jonasson’s Ari Thor Series (Iceland)
Lynda La Plante’s Anna Travis Series (U.K.)
Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite Series (Seattle)
Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad Series (Ireland)
Eliot Pattison’s Shan Tao Yun Series (Tibet)
Ann Cleeves’ Jimmy Perez Series (Shetland, U.K.)
Christopher Brookmyre’s Catherine McLeod/Jasmine Sharp Series (Scotland)
Fred Vargas’ Commissaire Adamsberg Series (France)
Carol O’Connell’s Kathleen Mallory Series (New York City)
Ian Rankin’s John Rebus Series (Scotland) – Rebus is a retired policeman now
Helene Tursten’s Inspector Huss Series (Sweden)
Eva Garcia Saenz’s Inspector Unai Lopez de Ayala Series (Spain)
David Armstrong’s Frank Kavanagh Series (U.K.)
Elizabeth Corley’s Andrew Fenwick Series (U.K.)
Leslie Horton’s Handsford/Kahlid Ali Series (U.K.)
Priscilla Masters’ Joanna Piercy Series (U.K.)
Peter Turnbull’s P Division Series (Scotland)
Peter Turnbull’s Hennessey/Yellich Series (Scotland.)
Patricia Hall’s Ackroyd/Thackeray Series (U.K.)
Brian Panowich’s Bull Mountain (Clayton Burroughs) Series (Georgia)
George’s 10 Top (Favorite) Police Procedural/Detective Series by Deceased Authors
Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe Series (U.K.)
Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse Series (Oxford, U.K.)
R. D. Winfield’s Jack Frost Series (U.K.)
Peter Robinson’s Alan Banks Series (U.K.)
Stuart Pawson’s Charlie Priest Series (U.K.)
E. V. Cunningham’s Masao Masuto Series (California)
Leighton Gage’s Mario Silva Series (Brazil)
Laurence Gough’s Willows/Parker Series (Canada)
Stuart M. Kaminsky’s Porfiry Rastnikov Series (Russia)
Roger Ormerod’s Richard and Amelia Patton Series (U.K.)
Honorable Mention
P.D. James’ Adam Dalgliesh Series (U.K.)
Jon Cleary’s Scobie Malone Series (Australia)
Ruth Rendell’s Chief Inspector Wexford Series (U.K.)
Bill Crider’s Dan Rhodes Series (Texas)
Susie Steiner’s Manon Bradshaw Series (U.K.)
Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May Series (U.K.)
Maj Sjowall/Per Wahloo’s Martin Beck Series (Sweden)
Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander Series (Sweden)
Mo Hayder’s Jack Caffery Series (U.K.)
Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn/Chee Series (New Mexico) continued by Anne Hillerman
Anne Perry’s Thomas & Charlotte Pitt Series (U.K.)
Anne Perry’s Inspector Monk Series (U.K.)
Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano Series (Italy)
Michael Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen Series (Italy)
H.R.F. Keating’s Inspector Ghote Series (India)
June Thomson’s Inspector Finch/Rudd Series (U.K.)
Dorothy Simpson’s Inspector Thanet Series (U.K.)
Catherine Aird’s C. D. Sloan Series (U.K.)
Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct Series (Fictitious U.S. City)
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