Ticket 2 Ride

Mystery fiction is loaded with police detectives, private detectives, insurance investigators, medical examiners, amateur sleuths and many other crime solvers with and without badges.

The likes of Miss Marple, Nancy Drew and Jessica Fletcher are still around in print and on TV, murder is big business. While some crime solvers are sweet, little, old ladies, or inquisitive, precocious kids, or the soccer mom next door who dabbles in baking and solving crime in the HOA, most crime solving happens by those employed to do it. Britbox, Acorn, Hallmark and others supply TV mysteries, and the shelves are full of new and old characters. Crime does pay.

Here are some that I’ve read. I’m also looking to expand my list with more female crime solvers.

Stephanie Plum – Janet Evanovich

Plum stumbled into being a bail bond enforcement officer. She works in Trenton New Jersey, and has two boyfriends, each one wants to marry her. The plum family provides a lot of comic relief to the series, especially the grandmother. Assisted by the bail bond agency file clerk, a rather flamboyant former prostitute, Plum handles a lot of very bizarre cases. Evanovitch has written over 30 Stephanie Plum books. Katherine Hiegel starred in the one film made based on the character. It was not successful, but I didn’t think it was bad.

Renee Ballard – Michael Connelly

Connelly developed Ballard to replace the Harry Bosch character, first in writing, then as a streaming series. Ballard the book character and Ballard the TV character have more an a few subtle differences. Ballard works cold cases and she augments her investigations with volunteers. She used to work the late show, a colorful LAPD assignment. Ballard appears in six books, either as lead or co-lead with Bosch. The Ballard character has a lot of potential, she has the same drive as Bosch, and some of the same internal department challenges, but she is a unique and independent character fighting for those whose cases remain unsolved.

Kinsey Millhone – Sue Grafton

A P.I. in Saint Teresa, California, Kinsey is a loner by nature, twice divorced who enjoys a simple life to balance the complexities that unknown forces seem to throw at her. Grafton died before she could write the final Millhome mystery, which would been Z, to finish the alphabet. Kinsey is written as hardwired, underestimated and a survivor. Her choice of men is a failing and she will retreat from the world in a second. This was my favorite detective character and I miss her.

Precious Ramotswe – Alexander McCall Smith

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is in Botswana, and run by Mma Precious Ramotswe, a “traditionally built” woman who solves mysteries and uncovers the truth for her clients. Mma Ramotswe’s life is populated with a colorful cast of characters, including her associate Mma Makutsi, her husband Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, the director of the local orphanage Mma Silvia Potokwane, and young apprentices Charlie and Fanwell. The books celebrate the strong sense of community, the culture and a deep respect for the history and way of life in Botswana. There was an HBO series about theses books, unfortunately it lasted only one season.

Atlee Pine – David Baldacci

Baldacci gives us an FBI Agent who is a lone wolf in an Arizona office. Pine has spent several books solving cases while trying to find out what happened to her missing sister. Pine has lived with this loss all of her life. Entertaining, but a bit over the top at times, which is pure Baldacci.

Eve Ronin – Lee Goldberg

Goldberg’s Ronin is a detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. She is proving herself in a very resentful male dominated department. It doesn’t help that she got the promotion to detective by taking advantage of publicity in arresting a high profile actor. She’s more than qualified to be a detective. Her partner is supposed to be retiring soon and provides a lot of support and wit. Ronin wages a continual battle with personnel in her own department who would look the other way if she was in trouble, and sometimes do. To complicate her life even further, a television series is being produced about her, drawing the ire of the Sheriff and many others.

V. I. Warshawski – Sara Paretsky

Paretsky earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas, where I also attended. I’ve only read a couple of Warshawski books. She’s a tough Chicago P.I. The one film made with Warshawski as a character was pretty dreadful. Paretsky has a challenging writing style for me. I need to give it another shot.