DCI Jack Logan is a foul-mouthed, very funny Scottish cop who is in charge of a major investigations team. The three books so far written in the series: A Litter of Bones, Thicker than Water, and The killing Code focus on serial killers, which may be a turn-off for some people but is fairly common in British police procedurals. Each story is different enough that you don’t get the feeling of reading the same story three times.

Over the course of the books, you come to know each of the team and their relationships, quite well. But it is Logan, larger than life and well aware of it, who makes the books worth reading. I would take them on in order because there are some backward references. If you like British procedurals, definitely give these a try.

This is the fifth book in the Detective Lavender series. Set in the early 1800’s in England, this series features Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Ned Brooks. As with all of the other books in this series that I have read so far, the plot is complex but well thought through, and the sense of time and place is accurate without being intrusive.

The main characters are well developed, and their personal and family lives evolve throughout the series. If you enjoy historical fiction and mysteries, these are books well worth considering.

Joy Ellis, THE MURDERER’S SON

This is the first novel is a series that is so far composed of five books featuring DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans. Jackman is a well-off, smart, and extremely organized leader, who does a good job of getting the most out of his team. Evans is a widow. Her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident. The two are good friends, but as a nice change from such situations, there is no romantic relationship. Other members of the team have recurring roles in the novels. The stories frequently involve serial murders, but are more focused on solving the crimes than delving into the minds of the mentally ill. I have read all five of the novels in this series, and would highly recommend them. Then have a wonderful sense of place, and over the course of the series many of the police characters were extremely well developed. The plots are clever and often contain a surprise twist.