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Women have shaped crime fiction from the golden age to now. These are my favorites — puzzles that respect your intelligence, with heart underneath the whodunit.
Golden-age greats
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. The best-selling mystery of all time, and still the one to beat. Ten strangers, one island.
Cover Her Face by P.D. James. The debut of Adam Dalgliesh from the queen of the literary mystery.
“A” Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. The start of the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series. Wisecracking and addictive.
Modern masters
Still Life by Louise Penny. Inspector Gamache #1 — a village murder that’s really about goodness. Sublime.
In the Woods by Tana French. Atmospheric, literary Dublin crime. French writes mystery like art.
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. A WWI nurse turned 1920s investigator. Elegant and moving.
Atmospheric and twisty
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. The Shetland series opener — bleak islands, warm humanity.
A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George. The first Inspector Lynley. Rich, character-driven British crime.
A last word
Clear an evening and pick one. The best mysteries aren’t about the body — they’re about the people around it.