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Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives: from screen to novels
1st September - 30th November 2026


Many crime thrillers featuring fictional detectives (such as those above) have been adapted into popular movies and TV series which many of us enjoy. If you've always meant to read or continue reading the original novels, this is your chance!

This Challenge is in two parts. Complete one or both.
General Challenge Rules

Part 1: Read a novel featuring the detectives from the popular TV crime shows depicted above or complete a related challenge. Choose 4-10 detectives or combine any number with part 2 or alternatively complete Part 2 alone.

Part 2: Spell-it-out Choose one of the detectives above or your own choice of screen detective and select books to spell out their name.

Levels:
Detective Sergeant: 4-6 books
Detective Inspector: 7-9 books
Detective Chief Inspector: 10 or more books

Part 1. Choose your detectives
1. Sherlock Holmes was created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1891. Not the first fictional detective, but certainly the best known, featuring in four novels and several collections of short stories. Spin-offs and homages reimagining Sherlock and other characters from the novels have also become popular (eg. Nancy Springer, Anthony Horowitz, Laurie R. King, Richard T. Ryan).
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch created by Michael Connolly in 1992 is a tenacious detective with a strong sense of right and wrong in seeking justice for victims which often often brings him into conflict with authority.
🔍Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice

3. Rizzoli and Isles This dynamic duo of Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Laura Isles was created by Tess Gerritsen in a series of 13 novels (2001-2022).
🔍Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner

4. Kurt Wallender was created by Henning Mankell. The series of 10 novels was originally published in Swedish. Wallender lives near Mälmo, which has cold, snowy and windy winters. Separated from his wife, with a difficult relationship with his daughter, he drinks heavily, is physically unfit and takes crime personally. His colleagues find his brusque manner and aggressive style difficult, especially as he often goes against his superiors' orders.
🔍Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

5. Miss Jane Marple created by Agatha Christie featured in 13 novels and numerous short stories. Living in the small village of St Mary Mead, she was an intelligent observer of village life with sufficient means to live an independent life. Her nephew Raymond, her only close relative, features in some of the novels.
🔍Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village

6. Precious Ramotswe is the creation of Alexander McCall Smith with 27 books in the series to date. A resident of Botswana, she established the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency and with her assistant Mma Makutsi solves cosy crimes in her community, applying a sense of morality, cunningness and an understanding of people.
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

7. Carl Mørck was created by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Originally written in Danish, Mørck lives in Copenhagen, although the TV adaptation translocated him to Edinburgh. A brilliant but deeply cynical and abrasive homicide detective, he was sent to work on cold cases in the basement, after a shooting left his partner paralyzed. His team is staffed by an assortment of brilliant misfits who do not fit into mainstream policing.
🔍Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

8. Vera Stanhope created by Ann Cleeves is a DCI with the Northumberland and City Police. She is portrayed as an obsessive, prickly, loner with little social life who dresses shabbily, but nevertheless cares deeply about her colleagues and the victims of crime.
🔍Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

9. Will Trent created by Karin Slaughter is a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who suffers from dyslexia but nevertheless is highly observant with a high clearance rate for cases. The 12 book series later crosses over with the author's Grant County series featuring medical examiner Dr Sara Linton.
🔍Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

10. Karen Pirie created by Val McDermid is a young, fearless Scottish investigator with a sharp tongue and an unrelenting drive for the truth, making a fresh contrast to the grizzled, hard boiled style of TV detective.
🔍Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective


Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a favourite detective from a series or stand-alone novel made into a movie or TV series and spell out their name (first or second or both) with your choice of books to read (any genre), using the first letter of a book title (can ignore a, an, the) or the first letter of the author's first or second name.

For example: BOSCH
B Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky
O One False Move by Harlan Coben
S The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
C City of Bones by Michael Connelly
H The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

Here is a shorter template you can use for your challenge:

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level:
Books read: 0/?

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice

3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village

6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective


Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a detective's name to spell out.

Challenge participants:

Carolyn
Pam
Mike
Lorraine
Sheyanne
Elisabeth
Neha

Here are my choices for the challenge:

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level: Chief Inspector
Books read: 0/10 books

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel
Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner
Body Double by Tess Gerritsen

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters
Sidetracked by Henning Mankell

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village
At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency
The Colours of all the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character
The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward
Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability
Unseen by Karin Slaughter

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective
Silent Bones by Val McDermid

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level: Not Yet Started
Books read: 0/?

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice

3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner
(TBR) Until She Dies by Kendra Elliot - Features Deschutes County Oregon Detective Noelle Marshall

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village

6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective


Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a detective's name to spell out.

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level: Beginning in September
Books read: 0/?

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice

Vicious Circle by C.J. Box

3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

The Girl with Ice in Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective

Not the Ones Dead by Dana Stabenow
*****************************

That's the plan. We'll see how many of them get read by the end of November.

Welcome to the challenge Pam and Mike! Your names are linked to your challenges in msg 3 so you can check off your books as you read them. Good luck!

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level: Detective Inspector: 7-9 books
0/9

Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a detective's name to spell out.

A - Alice Feeney - Good Bad Girl k
L - Las Vegas Night: The 10th Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller by Stephen Leather
E - Nicholas Evans - The Loop n
X - The Exchange by John Grisham p
C - Isabel Cañas - The Hacienda a
R - Kelly Rimmer - The Things We Cannot Say a
O - Out in Nowhere by Fleur McDonald a
S - The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan k
S - Snow by Ronald Malfi a/k

Welcome Lorraine! Your name is linked to your challenge in msg 3.

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level: Not Yet Started
Books read: 0/?

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice

3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village

6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective


Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a detective's name to spell out.

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level:
Books read: 0/?

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly
The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly


3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village
A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie


6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective


Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a detective's name to spell out.

H Dear Departed by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
A A German Requiem by Philip Kerr
R
R
Y

B A Body in the Bath House by Lindsey Davis
O
S Slow Horses by Mick Herron
C Chasing Darkness by Robert. Crais by Robert Crais
H Holly by Stephen King

Welcome to the challenge Sheyanne and Elisabeth!
Your names are linked to your challenge in msg 3.

Quarterly Challenge: TV Detectives from Screen to Novel
Duration: 1st September - 30th November 2026
Level: Not Yet Started
Books read: 0/?

Part 1. Choose your detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes
🔍 Read a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle OR read a novel reimagining Sherlock or a related character or reimagining a Sherlock novel

2. Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch
🔍 Read a novel from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connolly OR read a novel featuring a tenacious detective or main character with a strong sense of justice

3. Rizzoli and Isles
🔍 Read a novel from the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen OR read a novel featuring a female homicide detective or a medical examiner

4. Kurt Wallender
🔍 Read a novel from the Kurt Wallender series OR read a novel set in a foreign country that experiences cold, snowy winters

5. Miss Jane Marple
🔍 Read a novel from the Miss Marple series OR read a novel featuring an amateur detective OR read a novel set in a small village

6. Precious Ramotswe
🔍 Read a novel from Number 1 Ladies detective Agency series OR read a mystery or thriller set in Africa OR featuring a private detective agency

7. Carl Mørck
🔍 Read a book in the Department Q series OR read a novel featuring a quirky detective or main character

8. Vera Stanhope
🔍 Read a novel from the Vera Stanhope series OR read a novel where the detective or main character is a loner or socially awkward

9. Will Trent
🔍 Read a novel from the Will Trent series OR read a novel where a detective or main character has a disability

10. Karen Pirie
🔍 Read a novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series OR read a thriller set in Scotland OR featuring a young, feisty, female detective


Part 2: Spell-it-out
Choose a detective's name to spell out.

Welcome to the challenge Neha!

Great work, great books, a great success