Here are 100 books that The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra fans have personally recommended if you like The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of A Nye of Pheasants: Birder Murder Mysteries

Vicky Earle Author Of What Happened to Frank?

From my list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved stories all my life, not only to read but to write. I have a particular passion for mysteries and will soon be releasing the sixth book in my Meg Sheppard Mystery Series. I read for enjoyment and prefer fast-paced stories with compelling characters. I’ve selected these books because they’re great reads and I hope you find them as entertaining as I did!

Vicky's book list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places

Vicky Earle Why Vicky loves this book

This book is a ‘birder murder’ mystery authored by Steve Burrows–an avid and well-traveled birdwatcher. 

I enjoyed this gripping mystery featuring interesting and complex characters and was fascinated by the exotic setting of Singapore. 

I was drawn into the two parallel, somewhat overlapping stories that form the plot and didn’t anticipate the outcomes of either. 

It was a satisfying read, and as a bonus, this novel includes intriguing facts about birds that are relevant to the story. 

By Steve Burrows ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Nye of Pheasants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When a street brawl abroad turns deadly, Danny Maik faces a charge of manslaughter, but when evidence emerges that he may have planned the victim's murder, he is looking at the death penalty. His only hope is reaching out to those he can trust back in the UK.

In Norfolk, Maik's replacement is trying to resurrect his career after a catastrophic error caused injury to a fellow officer. DCI Jejeune should be monitoring his new charge's progress closely, but he is distracted by Danny's plight. Others are watching, though, and they are disturbed by what they're seeing.

With the situation…


If you love The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra...

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Book cover of Operation Angus

Vicky Earle Author Of What Happened to Frank?

From my list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved stories all my life, not only to read but to write. I have a particular passion for mysteries and will soon be releasing the sixth book in my Meg Sheppard Mystery Series. I read for enjoyment and prefer fast-paced stories with compelling characters. I’ve selected these books because they’re great reads and I hope you find them as entertaining as I did!

Vicky's book list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places

Vicky Earle Why Vicky loves this book

I loved the humor and the fast-moving story–much of it told through zany dialogue. 

I especially enjoyed the quirky character of Angus McLintock, who is a lot of fun.

I liked the uniqueness of the setting. While the plot doesn’t unfold in an exotic country (Canada!), some of the attention is on the (fictitious) Champlain Centre, which Angus describes as an ‘arachnoid abomination.’ 

I was hooked from the first page. 

By Terry Fallis ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Operation Angus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From bestselling author Terry Fallis comes the long-awaited follow-up to The Best Laid Plans and The High Roa d—a comic spy story that heralds the return of Angus Mclintock. Angus McClintock, accidental Member of Parliament, has won re-election and is now the Minister of State for International Relations—or, in other words, he's the junior global affairs minister. In this new post, he and his trusty Chief of Staff, Daniel Addison, are in London to meet with their international counterparts to discuss the upcoming G8 Summit in Washington. Unfortunately, Angus is not in charge of Canada's involvement in the summit—that task…


Book cover of A Knife in the Fog

Vicky Earle Author Of What Happened to Frank?

From my list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved stories all my life, not only to read but to write. I have a particular passion for mysteries and will soon be releasing the sixth book in my Meg Sheppard Mystery Series. I read for enjoyment and prefer fast-paced stories with compelling characters. I’ve selected these books because they’re great reads and I hope you find them as entertaining as I did!

Vicky's book list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places

Vicky Earle Why Vicky loves this book

I loved the creativity and intensity of this mystery, which features Margaret Harness and Arthur Conan Doyle. 

I was captivated by the setting of London, UK, in 1888–the time of the Whitechapel murders (Jack the Ripper). Harper brings fascinating characters to life and paints a vivid scene of abject poverty. 

I was enthralled by this piece of historical fiction and loved Harper’s ingenuity in casting Arthur Conan Doyle as a detective, much like his creation, Sherlock Holmes.  

By Bradley Harper ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Knife in the Fog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of Killer Nashville's 2019 Silver Falchion Award for Mystery and Edgar Finalist for Best First Novel, its audiobook won Audiofile Magazine's Earphone Award for Mystery and Suspense. Recently named as a "Recommended Read" by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate.
 
This debut novel is the first in a series starring the real-life author and suffragette Margaret Harkness, continued in Queen's Gambit.
 
"Ardent feminism and cerebral detection face down the Ripper in the fog-shrouded streets of London: a feast for lovers of historical crime!"
 
--Laurie R. King, author of The Beekeeper's Apprentice and Island of the Mad
 
"Arthur Conan Doyle chasing…


If you love Vaseem Khan...

Book cover of Tangle of Time

Tangle of Time by Maureen Thorpe,

A spellbinding journey through time and cultures.

When Annie Thornton, midwife and apprentice witch, falls through time to a 15th-century Yorkshire village with her telepathic cat, Rosamund, she befriends Will and Jack, two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Mistress Meg, Annie’s ancestral aunt living in the 15th century, is…

Book cover of Stray Bullets

Vicky Earle Author Of What Happened to Frank?

From my list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved stories all my life, not only to read but to write. I have a particular passion for mysteries and will soon be releasing the sixth book in my Meg Sheppard Mystery Series. I read for enjoyment and prefer fast-paced stories with compelling characters. I’ve selected these books because they’re great reads and I hope you find them as entertaining as I did!

Vicky's book list on books with quirky characters in intriguing places

Vicky Earle Why Vicky loves this book

I loved this fast-paced mystery with its suspense and captivating characters. 

Rotenberg’s experience as a criminal lawyer in Toronto, Canada, provides a richness and believability that I found compelling. The courtroom drama is full of intrigue and is thrilling to read. 

I enjoyed the twists and surprises as this captivating whodunit unfolded. 

By Robert Rotenberg ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stray Bullets as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of Old City Hall comes Robert Rotenberg’s third intricate mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto.

In The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically acclaimed author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world.

In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November evening. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses?

With grieving parents and a…


Book cover of A Man Named Doll

Garry Bushell Author Of The Face

From my list on gripping stories from the criminal underbelly.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former rock writer turned television critic, but in my teens, I became hooked on Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled Philip Marlowe detective sagas. The plotting was intricate, the writing exquisite and poetic. I also loved the no-nonsense pulp fiction of Mickey Spillane and his Mike Hammer character. So I’m always on the lookout for authors who combine realism and pace with great prose–like James Crumley, whose writing was like Chandler crossed with Hunter S. Thompson. Through journalism and band management, I came into contact with real gangsters and have always aspired to reflect their three-dimensional reality rather than glorifying them as television and Hollywood tend to do.

Garry's book list on gripping stories from the criminal underbelly

Garry Bushell Why Garry loves this book

Los Angeles private eye Happy Doll is ticking along nicely, subsidising his detective work by protecting the women at a Thai spa massage parlour from over-amorous clients.

Everything is hunky-dory until he gets into a ferocious fight with a customer who ends up dead. Well-crafted crime noir that manages to be witty and quirky as well as occasionally violent, with pleasing echoes of Marlowe and Lew Archer.

By Jonathan Ames ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Man Named Doll as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this deliciously noir novel from the creator of HBO's Bored to Death, idiosyncratic private detective Happy Doll embarks on a quest to help a dying friend in a sun-blinded Los Angeles  as "quirky, edgy, charming, funny and serious" as its protagonist (Lee Child). 

Happy Doll is a charming, if occasionally inexpert, private detective living just one sheer cliff drop beneath the Hollywood sign with his beloved half-Chihuahua half-Terrier, George. A veteran of both the Navy and LAPD, Doll supplements his meager income as a P.I. by working through the night at a local Thai spa that offers its clients…


Book cover of The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club

Sara Rosett Author Of Murder at Archly Manor

From my list on undiscovered 1920s historical mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

My love of mysteries began with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. I moved on to Elizabeth Peters and Mary Stewart before discovering Agatha Christie and other Golden Age authors. My love of mysteries inspired me to try my hand at the genre, first with cozy mysteries then with historical mysteries. The 1920s is my favorite time period to read and write about. I’m fascinated by the way society was changing then, and I can’t resist an English country house murder. I’ve listed some of my favorite undiscovered mystery gems from the 1920s and hope you find them the bee’s knees! 

Sara's book list on undiscovered 1920s historical mysteries

Sara Rosett Why Sara loves this book

Before I read Dorothy L. Sayers’ books, I’d only heard of Strong Poison and Gaudy Night, but as I read through the Lord Peter Wimsey series, I found a favorite 1920s mystery for me, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. Wimsey is a veteran of the Great War with an unusual hobby: dead bodies. It might sound creepy, but it isn’t. He’s called on to fix the time of death of elderly General Fentiman, who “pegged it” on Armistice Day. I loved Lord Peter’s droll and self-deprecating attitude. People underestimate him because of his foppish exterior, but he sees what others miss. The investigation touches on PTSD—called shellshock then—in a way that feels timely to me, even after nearly a century. I loved the tour through aristocratic London with Lord Peter.

By Dorothy L. Sayers ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The fourth book in Dorothy L Sayers' classic Lord Peter Wimsey series, introduced by detective fiction writer Simon Brett - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Margery Allingham's Campion Mysteries.

'D. L. Sayers is one of the best detective story writers' Daily Telegraph

Lord Peter Wimsey bent down over General Fentiman and drew the Morning Post gently away from the gnarled old hands. Then, with a quick jerk, he lifted the quiet figure. It came up all of a piece, stiff as a wooden doll . . .

But how did the general die? Who was the…


If you love The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra...

Book cover of Chasing Light

Chasing Light by Traci Medford-Rosow,

Chasing Light is a lyrical meditation on grief, memory, and the fragile beauty of everyday life. At its core, it is a story of resilience, forgiveness, and the transformational power of human connection. It sheds light on the overlooked realities of homelessness and addiction, while emphasizing the importance of compassion…

Book cover of Hollywood Homicide

Rob Osler Author Of Devil's Chew Toy

From my list on whodunits with highly entertaining amateur sleuths.

Why am I passionate about this?

My first book love was Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The game between author and reader that centers a whodunit has always delighted me. The breadcrumb trail of clues, the misdirection, the inevitable I should have seen it! are my jam. Now an author of whodunits—I have one series published and a second on the way, along with several short stories – I read mysteries with greater scrutiny—in admiration and with a selfish desire to learn from other authors’ envious talents. Each of the books on my list excited me for their excellent storytelling. In the end, I found them just plain entertaining. I hope you do too!

Rob's book list on whodunits with highly entertaining amateur sleuths

Rob Osler Why Rob loves this book

As much as I love this book’s hero, former television commercial star Dayna Anderson, her tight circle of got-your-back friends is what made this mystery really shine.

To say the cast has big personalities is like calling Hollywood’s Dolby Theater a quaint venue. I laughed out loud throughout and wished I could ride along with these ladies (there are some guys involved, a love interest in particular) as they doggedly unravel the deftly plotted mystery.

I am grateful to Garrett that there is a sequel to this first in the series, Hollywood Ending.

By Kellye Garrett ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Hollywood Homicide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dayna Anderson doesn t set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn t the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash. But what starts as simply trying to remember a speeding car soon blossoms into a full-on investigation. As Dayna digs deeper into the victim s life, she wants more than just reward money. She s determined to find the poor woman's killer too. When she connects the accident to a notorious…


Book cover of The Moving Target

Ashley Clifton Author Of Twice The Trouble

From my list on literary novels masquerading as crime novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

Flannery O’Connor once said that all fiction is ultimately about the “mystery of personality.” I agree. In fact, I have always suspected that all good novels, genre-based or otherwise, are secretly mystery novels, if only in the psychological sense. Conversely, many so-called genre novels have just as much depth, insight, and realism as any literary work. I have read a lot of genre and literary fiction in my time, and I have long been fascinated by works that blur the line between the two. My favorite kind of book is one that feels like a genre novel (that is, it has a great plot) but also has the depth and vividness of a literary novel.

Ashley's book list on literary novels masquerading as crime novels

Ashley Clifton Why Ashley loves this book

If there is one central defining quality of noir crime fiction, it is the main character’s struggle to preserve his moral center in a fundamentally corrupt and evil world. The best P.I. novels are able to render this kind of character in brushstrokes that are both beautiful and subtle.

One of my favorites is Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer, first introduced in this novel. When Archer is hired to find a missing rich guy in a tony, Southern California beach town, he finds himself knee-deep in violence, greed, and deceit, uncertain of who is guilty, who he can trust, and even who is worth saving. A moving target, indeed.

By Ross Macdonald ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Moving Target as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first book in Ross Macdonald's acclaimed Lew Archer series introduces the detective who redefined the role of the American private eye and gave the crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity only hinted at before.

Like many Southern California millionaires, Ralph Sampson keeps odd company. There's the sun-worshipping holy man whom Sampson once gave his very own mountain; the fading actress with sidelines in astrology and S&M. Now one of Sampson's friends may have arranged his kidnapping.

As Lew Archer follows the clues from the canyon sanctuaries of the megarich to jazz joints where you get beaten up…


Book cover of In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead

Robin Yocum Author Of The Last Hitman

From my list on mob books from a former crime reporter. Fuhgedaboudit!.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former crime reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. If my byline appeared on a story, you didn’t want your name anywhere in it, because you were most likely in a cell at the county jail, a bed in the ICU, or a cold locker at the county morgue. As a reporter, I often covered the same organized crime that had been so prevalent in my youth. Long before I became a reporter, I had a fascination with organized crime. Growing up in the Ohio Valley, the mob was as much a part of our communities as the steel mills. Those stories helped inspire my upcoming book, The Last Hitman.

Robin's book list on mob books from a former crime reporter. Fuhgedaboudit!

Robin Yocum Why Robin loves this book

If I’m being honest—and I’m guessing Ben Shepherd would like me to be honest—I’d be content to list five Burke books here.

Burke is a national treasure. I don’t aggravate easily, but it aggravates me that he doesn’t have a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. He is one of the best combination writers and storytellers on the planet.

In this book, Burke’s protagonist, Dave Robicheaux, investigates a series of murders of prostitutes. There’s a connection to the murders and New Orleans gangster Julie “Baby Feet” Balboni.

In the book, Robicheaux also has conversations with Confederate General John Bell Hood, which has nothing to do with organized crime, but is a great example of Burke’s prowess as a writer. It was made into a 2009 movie starring Tommy Lee Jones as Robicheaux and John Goodman as Balboni. Robicheaux’s sidekick, Clete Purcell, is one of the best characters in crime fiction.

By James Lee Burke ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The sixth in the New York Times bestselling Dave Robicheaux series delivers a heart-pounding bayou manhunt—and features “one of the coolest, earthiest heroes in thrillerdom” (Entertainment Weekly ).

When Hollywood invades New Iberia Parish to film a Civil War epic, restless specters waiting in the shadows for Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux are reawakened—ghosts of a history best left undisturbed.

Hunting a serial killer preying on the lawless young, Robicheaux comes face-to-face with the elusive guardians of his darkest torments— who hold the key to his ultimate salvation or a final, fatal downfall.


If you love Vaseem Khan...

Book cover of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman by Alexis Krasilovsky,

Kate from Jules et Jim meets I Love Dick.

A young woman filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery, set against a backdrop of the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman, we follow Ana Fried as she faces the ultimate…

Book cover of The Thin Man

Suzanne Stauffer Author Of Fried Chicken Castañeda

From my list on the Roaring Twenties (and how!).

Why am I passionate about this?

I first became aware of the 1920s through movies such as Some Like it Hot and Thoroughly Modern Millie. I was immediately attracted to what I call the “Booze, beads, and boas.” I felt a kinship with the flappers who were experiencing freedom from the restrictions of the Victorian Era and living their best lives. They were making their own rules and doing it with style! As professor of library science, I researched the history of the American public library and of women in the 1850s-1920s. Today, I write historical cozy mysteries to live out my own glamorous flapper dreams.

Suzanne's book list on the Roaring Twenties (and how!)

Suzanne Stauffer Why Suzanne loves this book

I love the setting and atmosphere of the book, first and foremost. New York City in 1932, just before the end of Prohibition, so there are still bootleggers and gangsters and all that jazz (literally).

I love the characters of Nick and Nora Charles – witty, sophisticated, glamorous, and living a life I can only dream of (literally – I was born 50 years too late!). While it has its humorous elements, this is a hardboiled detective story.

I love the contrast between Nick and Nora and the underworld characters that they encounter, as well as the strong undertone of cynicism that runs through it. It feels more like real life than many other detective stories, where everything is resolved by the end. 

By Dashiell Hammett ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Thin Man as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'When I opened my eyes and sat up in bed Nora was shaking me and a man with a gun in his hand was standing in the bedroom doorway.'

Ex-detective Nick Charles attracts trouble like a magnet. He thinks his sleuthing days are over, but when Julia Wolf, a former acquaintance, is found dead, her body riddled with bullets, Nick - along with his glamorous wife, Nora - can't resist making a few enquiries. Clyde Miller Wynant, Julia's lover and boss, has disappeared. Everyone is after him, but Nick is not convinced Wynant is the murderer - and when he…


Book cover of A Nye of Pheasants: Birder Murder Mysteries
Book cover of Operation Angus
Book cover of A Knife in the Fog

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