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6 Books to Read if You’re Investigating the Dublin Murders TV Series

by  | October 30

Who, in their right mind, would turn down a good murder mystery story? Not me, that’s for sure. The moment a television adaptation of Tana French’s beloved Dublin Murder Squad book series was announced, I knew I’d be first on the scene, and now it’s (almost) here! Dublin Murders, as the TV series is officially known, debuts November 10 on Starz. Based on French’s award-winning novels In the Woods and The Likeness, the show’s eight-episode first season will find detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox solving cases that bump up against their dark, mysterious pasts. With talented Irish actors Killian Scott and Sarah Greene bringing the two lead characters to life, I can already tell I’m going to want more out of this moody, enthralling show than a single season. But even if that’s all we get, I’m not worried, because these six excellent novels make for perfect companions to the Dublin Murders TV show.

In the Woods

In the Woods

by Tana French

If you’re jonesing for an atmospheric read to complement the show, you obviously have to start with Tana French’s novels, including her debut, In the Woods, which kicks off the Dublin Murder Squad series. Still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of friends 22 years ago, Detective Rob Ryan finds he can’t outrun his past when he’s assigned to investigate the murder of a young girl in the same place the earlier crime occurred. As he and his partner and best friend, Cassie Maddox, work to solve the case and bring the murderer to justice, Rob can’t deny the personal toll it takes on him.

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Bone Deep

Bone Deep

by Sandra Ireland

There’s a reason we read and watch so many British crime dramas here in the U.S., and it’s a simple one: the Brits have an indisputable knack for unsettling mysteries. Case in point is Sandra Ireland’s Scotland-set Bone Deep, in which a retired historian and writer named Mac and her new assistant, Lucie, hunker down on Mac’s property to compile a collection of folktales inspired by local stories. Not at all sure how to feel about each other and fiercely guarding their own secrets, the two women uneasily get to work. Soon it becomes apparent, though, that they’re living in the shadow of two long-gone sisters whose rivalry is now the stuff of local legend. Is history bound to repeat itself?

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In the Bleak Midwinter

In the Bleak Midwinter

by Julia Spencer-Fleming

A big part of my interest in Dublin Murders is the complex relationship between partners Rob and Cassie, who are colleagues, friends, and maybe something more. They remind me a bit of Reverend Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne, two Army veterans who first pair up to find an abandoned baby’s mother and end up regularly solving mysteries together while also navigating an undeniable attraction. Their long-running, satisfying story begins with Julia Spencer-Fleming’s first book, In the Bleak Midwinter, and the series will continue with the ninth book, Hid from Our Eyes, next year.

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The Cuckoo's Calling

The Cuckoo's Calling

by Robert Galbraith

So you want a classic British mystery and a dynamic detective duo with romantic tension? Look no further than the C.B. Strike series by Robert Galbraith, a.k.a. J.K. Rowling. The Cuckoo’s Calling, introduces P.I. Detective Cormoran Strike, a Royal Military Police Special Forces veteran who left the service after losing most of his squadron (and his leg) in a roadside bomb during the war in Afghanistan. Struggling to make a go of his own agency, Strike can barely afford his new office temp, Robin, who throws herself head-first into the case of model Lula Landry’s suspicious death. Before long, Strike realizes he can’t afford not to work with Robin, and a partnership is born. Oh, and did I mention there’s a TV adaptation of this series as well? Three seasons of C.B. Strike are available to watch via Cinemax, with another in the works.

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Lying in Wait

Lying in Wait

by Liz Nugent

The members of the Dublin Murder Squad may have their issues, but they’ve got nothing on the twisted family at the center of Liz Nugent’s Lying in Wait.... Privileged wife and mother Lydia Fitzsimons may look perfect on the outside, but she’s a mess on the inside—because her beautiful Dublin mansion houses a long-held secret, and her beloved son, Laurence, goes missing after discovering it. To say more would be to spoil it, but suffice to note that this deliciously twisted psychological thriller is impossible to put down.

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All the Missing Girls

All the Missing Girls

by Megan Miranda

Are you as fascinated by the cold-case mystery involving Rob as you are about the modern-day case he's working in Dublin Murders? Then you should pick up the psychological suspense novel All the Missing Girls, which revolves around the disappearance of two girls...a decade apart. Ten years ago, Nicolette left home after a traumatic, nightmarish event—the disappearance of her best friend, Corinne. Only the need to care for her ailing father brings her back to town, or so she thinks, until a second girl goes missing. Soon Nic, her brother, her ex-boyfriend, and Corinne’s boyfriend all become suspects once again….

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Photo Credit // Steffan Hill/BBC/Euston Films/Starz

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Heather Waters is an Associate Director of Marketing at Simon & Schuster, where she runs the Get Literary and Tips on Life & Love blogs. She enjoys reading everything from romance to true crime to political memoirs, and in her free time you can often find her binge-watching Netflix, refreshing Twitter every 10 seconds, and listening to the latest episode of the podcast My Favorite Murder.
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