Twenty-seven years ago, Sheriff Bree Taggert’s father killed her mother, then himself. Now, when Bree finds human bones on the grounds of her abandoned family farm a deadly window opens into her tragic past. The investigation determines the murders occurred thirty years ago and Bree’s dead father becomes a suspect. The only other suspect is an unlikely squatter on the Taggert farm who claims to know secrets about Bree’s past. When he mysteriously disappears and Bree’s niece is kidnapped, the cold case heats up. Now, to protect everyone she loves, Bree must confront a killer, as well as her complicated past. Growing up, I absolutely loved reading The Boxcar Children and Encyclopedia Brown. As such, mystery has always been an important genre for me, and I can’t get enough of the formulaic approach that so many books in this genre employ. Don’t worry though, this list has a great balance between formulaic mysteries and surprising ones, as well. But some of my favorite mysteries and thrillers have always featured female sleuths. Don’t get me wrong, I love Poirot just as much as the next reader. However, being female myself, it’s just easier for me to relate to female sleuths, especially when the victims are themselves female. That said, in my experience, female sleuths stand up with the best male sleuths, meaning that they make excellent main characters of any mystery and thriller. I’ve split up this list into Cozy Mysteries and Traditional Mysteries so that you can more easily select which books fit better into your reading life.
Cozy Mysteries Featuring Female Sleuths
Mysteries don’t always gave to be sinister to be page turners. If you enjoy the chase of the killer without the grit and gore, check out these cozy mysteries featuring some incredibly clever and diverse female sleuths.
Traditional Mysteries Featuring Female Sleuths
On the other hand, if you enjoy pulse-pounding mysteries with all the grit and gore and angst, then check out the following traditional mysteries featuring some truly dogged female sleuths. Want to read more mysteries? Check out some exciting new murder mysteries.
