Crime - TV Detectives
Braille
About this list
The titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Service.
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Booklist
Beaton. M.C.
Death of a bore: a Hamish Macbeth mystery. 2005. Coming soon.
Writer John Heppel has a problem - by all accounts he is a consummate bore. When he's found dead in his cottage, there are plenty of suspects but surely boredom shouldn't be cause for murder? Hamish Macbeth the local bobby is called in to investigate and uncovers Heppel's soap opera script which contains far more than melodrama!
Christie, Agatha.
4.50 from Paddington. 1957. 5v.
A woman on a train sees a man strangling someone in another train. Who was the victim and why was the body not found?
Christie, Agatha.
A Caribbean mystery. 1964. 3v. UK Loan only.
As Jane Marple sits basking in the Caribbean sunshine she feels mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier's yarn about a strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her an astonishing photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finish the story.
Christie, Agatha.
After the funeral. 1953. 4v. UK Loan only.
The suggestion is made by onethat he had been murdered, and investigations begin. Hercule Poirot studies the case, and although suspicion at first rests upon several persons, in the long run the solution is a complete surprise.
Christie, Agatha.
Appointment with death. 1938. 4v.
When the Boynton family come face to face with Death in the rose-red city of Petra, Hercule Poirot must unravel the lies and subterfuges that seem to bedevil the case.
Christie, Agatha.
Curtain: Poirot's last case. 1975. 4v. UK Loan only.
The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly pleasant to Captain Hastings, so it comes as a shock to him when Poirot declares that one of them is a five-time murderer. The ageing detective is crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?
Christie, Agatha.
Dead man's folly. 1956. 3v.
The fete at Nasse House includes a Murder Hunt, with Poirot presenting the prizes. What lies behind it, and what brought Poirot from London at a moment's notice? What part did the little white "folly" in the woods play? An unlikely victim, an incredible disappearance, an impossible murder ... even Poirot is bewildered by a misleading tangle of evidence, but in the end it all makes sense to him!
Christie, Agatha.
Death on the Nile. 1937. 5v.
Poirot investigates a murder on a Nile steamer. All seems obvious at first, but almost at once complications multiply.
Christie, Agatha.
Elephants can remember. 1972. 3v.
Hercule Poirot and Mrs Ariadne Oliver investigate a half-forgotten 'suicide'.
Christie, Agatha.
Evil under the sun. 1941. 4v.
It was not unusual to find the bronzed body of Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, she had been strangled. Ever since Arlena's arrival at the resort, Hercule Poirot had detected tension in the seaside air.
Christie, Agatha.
Halloween party. 1969. 5v. UK Loan only.
Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve a crime perpetrated at a Halloween party in a seemingly peaceful and respectable residential area.
Christie, Agatha.
Hickory dickory dock. 1955. 4v.
Miss Lemon's sister ran a student's hostel in Hickory Road. The thefts there which had upset Miss Lemon intrigued Poirot because of the complete incongruity of the missing articles; he was fascinated and uneasy and his worst fears were fulfilled. By seeing through the irrelevancies, Poirot was able to perceive, when it happened, the inevitable mistake which betrayed the murderer.
Christie, Agatha.
Mrs McGinty's dead. 1952. 5v.
Mrs McGinty died after a brutal blow to the head, and the only suspect is her shifty and destitute lodger, James Bentley. Bentley is duly arrested, tried and condemned to death. However the policeman who arrested him doesn't think he is a murderer and calls in Hercule Poirot.
Christie, Agatha.
Murder on the orient express. 1934. 3v.
The Orient Express is brought to a halt by snow drifts; during the night a passenger is murdered. Which of the twelve passengers still on the train could have been responsible? Poirot investigates.
Christie, Agatha.
Nemesis. 1971. 3v. UK Loan only.
When Miss Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr Rafiel, intrigued her. He had left instructions for her to investigate a crime, but failed to tell her who was involved, or where and when the crime had been committed.
Christie, Agatha.
Peril at end house. 1932. 5v. UK Loan only.
Hercule Poirot is on holiday in Cornwall when he meets young Mademoiselle Nick Buckley. Nick has recently had three near escapes from death. First, a heavy picture fell across her bed, then a boulder narrowly missed her and, finally, the car brakes failed on a steep hill. But the would-be murderer makes a grave mistake when he shoots at his victim while she is talking to Poirot.
Christie, Agatha.
Sleeping murder: Miss Marple's last case. 1976. 4v. UK Loan only.
Miss Marple investigates a murder that happened nearly twenty years ago.
Christie, Agatha.
The moving finger. 1943. 4v.
All was peaceful in a small country town, until the poison pen letter, ridiculous, cruel and always maliciously false, started circulating. The police were informed and by a process of elimination would sooner or later find the culprit. But then the inevitable happened, one letter was near the truth and resulted in death. This was a job for that expert on wickedness, Miss Marple.
Christie, Agatha.
The mysterious affair at Styles. 1995. 3v. UK Loan only.
When Mrs Inglethorp, wealthy mistress of Styles Court, is murdered, the clues seem strangely unrelated - a mysteriously destroyed will, a shattered coffee cup, a splash of candle grease, an old envelope, a newly planted bed of begonias. Small matters to most, but intriguing enough to feed the curiosity of Hercule Poirot.
Christie, Agatha.
The thirteen problems. 1932. 4v.
In this collection thirteen masterpieces of crime are matched by Miss Marples's magnificent detection. The problems range widely from brutal murder, violent and supernatural death, from a thief who committed his crime twice, to the disappearance of gold bars from a galleon. Miss Marple solves each problem, in her inimitable way, by delving into her vast experience of human nature.
Christie, Agatha.
Third girl. 1966. 4v. UK Loan only.
A young girl walks in on Hercule Poirot's breakfast, announcing that she may have committed a murder and leaves him to puzzle out the truth.
Doyle, Arthur Conan.
The adventure of the Sussex vampire. 1927. 1v.
Two letters have reached Mr. Holmes relating to the same curious case. After reading the first cryptic message, the great detective is inclined to dismiss the problem as being too fantastic to be worthy of his superior talents. The second letter however, rouses his keen interest and instant action.
Doyle, Arthur Conan.
The case-book of Sherlock Holmes. 1927. 8v.
Restored to life by popular demand after his last struggle with Professor Moriarty at the ReichenbachFalls, the austere Victorian detective once more dons his cape and takes up his magnifying glass.
Doyle, Arthur Conan.
The hound of the Baskervilles. 1996. 3v.
The Baskerville family is haunted by a phantom beast "with blazing eyes and dripping jaws" which roams the mist-enshrouded moors around the isolated Baskerville Hall on Dartmoor. Is this devilish spectre the manifestation of a family curse? Only Sherlock Holmes can solve this affair.
Fraser, Antonia.
Oxford blood. 1985. 5v.
JemimaShore is making a documentary about the exotic lifestyles of the over-privileged undergraduates at OxfordUniversity, the "Oxford Bloods", when the life of one of the most colourful of them is threatened. Jemima investigates a dead midwife's dark secret, a challenging viscount and the odd corpse.
Fraser, Antonia.
The wild island. 1978. 2v. UK Loan only.
Jemima, TV investigator, arrives on a Scottish island for a holiday, only to find herself involved in the mystery following the drowning of the heir of a Jacobite family, the aristocratic Beauregards.
Gash, Jonathan.
Moonspender: a Lovejoy narrative. 1986. 5v.
When scruffy antiques dealer Lovejoy achieves instant notoriety by accidentally turning everybody's favourite TV programme on antiques into a shambles, it isn't Lovejoy's fault. And he certainly wasn't to blame for faking that exquisite bronze leopard. But it was the death of an unassuming amateur archaeologist which really terrified Lovejoy. He might be next.
Gash, Jonathan.
The grace of older women. 1995. 7v. UK Loan only.
Lovejoy and his contacts are having a hard time of it. One of them turns up dead in the local boating pond so Lovejoy resolves to investigate. Meanwhile, he is persuaded to become fund raiser for a cause and arranges an illegal auction, mounting a large exhibition which he hopes will be a huge success and, force the killer to reveal his hand.
Gash, Jonathan.
The lies of fair ladies. 1992. 6v.
Lovejoy has a new apprentice - the lovely, scatty and seriously rich Mrs. Luna Carstairs, who he willingly guides through the world of antiques. However, not everything is rosy on Lovejoy's home patch. Two grisly murders occur, and the flow of antiques is mysteriously drying up. Behind it all lurks the threatening shadow of Miss R, a harbourer of stolen booty who deals only with women.
Gash, Jonathan.
The sin within her smile. 1995. 5v.
When Lovejoy is auctioned as a "Slave for a day" - a scheme to raise money for charity - two rich women vie for his services. Soon he is part of a scam involving early Romano-Celtic gold finds in Suffolk. What seemed a joke to begin with, becomes deadly earnest as an over-inquisitive friend is murdered. Lovejoy escapes to Wales and the corpses show up in ever-increasing numbers.
Gash, Jonathan.
The tartan ringers: a Lovejoy narrative. 1986. 4v.
Lovejoy follows some missing antiques into Scotland, masquerading as a distant cousin of the Clan McGunn, and ends up on the fringe of the Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival.
Warning: Unsuitable for family reading
Gash, Jonathan.
The very last gambado: a Lovejoy narrative. 1991. 7v.
When famous faker Sam Shrouder is killed, Lovejoy is suspected. But Lovejoy is involved in other things: as an adviser to a film on a robbery at the BritishMuseum, and a robbery at a Russian Exhibition. Considering himself to be in imminent danger Lovejoy becomes a film extra, but on the last day of shooting he finds his one loyal ally has defected, and he is alone.
George, Elizabeth.
A great deliverance. 1990. 8v.
Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley and his assistant, Sergeant Barbara Havers are sent to KeldaleValley in Yorkshire, to solve a particularly savage murder. During their investigations they wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of scandals and uncover a series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley - and affect their own lives as well.
George, Elizabeth.
Deception on his mind. 1997. 15v.
Balford-le-Nez is a dying Essex sea town. But when a member of the town's small but growing Asian community is found dead, the sleepy town ignites. Working without her partner, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, Sergeant Barbara Havers must probe not only the mind of the murderer and a case very close to her own heart, but also the terrible price people pay for deceiving others and themselves.
Graham, Caroline.
Death of a hollow man. 1990. 7v.
Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby is in the audience when the Causton Amateur Dramatic Society see one of their own murdered, and are forced to turn in on themselves in the search for motive and perpetrator. The result is both a study in crime and a whodunit involving an entire cast-list of suspects.
Graham, Caroline.
Murder at Maddingley Grange. 1991. 2v. American Braille. UK Loan only.
Simon Hannaford and his sister, Laurie, short of cash while house-sitting their great-aunt Maude's stately Victorian mansion, invite paying guests for a mystery weekend. The fun and games take a serious turn when a real murder occurs. But is it real?
Hill, Reginald.
An advancement of learning: a Dalziel and Pascoe novel. 1996. 4v. UK Loan only.
Superintendent Dalziel had a cynical view of Higher Education, but the discovery of a body hidden under a statue in the grounds of HolmCoultramCollege surprised even him. With Sergeant Pascoe's help he begins a learning process which expands to include to more bodies before its end.
Hill, Reginald.
Bones and silence: a Dalziel and Pascoe novel. 1990. 7v.
Peter Pascoe returns to Mid-Yorkshire CID after a long convalescence. Uncertain about his job, his marriage, his motives, he must try to divert Detective-Superintendent Andy Dalziel's obsessional pursuit of a probably innocent man; try to make up for the fat man's scornful neglect of a suicidal woman. But even when Dalziel and Pascoe see solutions to their cases, there remain questions with no answers. Only bones and silence.
Hill, Reginald.
Child's play: a Dalziel and Pascoe novel. 1987. 6v. UK Loan only.
Andy Dalziel's solid world is shaken when he suspects that a man he has never rated may become the next Chief Constable. Meanwhile, Peter Pascoe is busy dealing with a case of racial harassment and a dispute involving several claimants to a wealthy estate. A body in the police car-park and a myriad of other apparently unconnected threads are finally woven together.
Hill, Reginald.
Dialogues of the dead. 2002. 9v. UK Loan only.
A man drowns, and another dies in a motorbike crash. Yet the "Mid-Yorkshire Gazette" receive correspondence from someone claiming responsibility for the deaths. But when a third indisputable murder takes place, Dalziel and Pascoe find themselves playing a game no-one knows the rules of.
Hill, Reginald.
Good morning, midnight. 2004. 6v.
Pal Maciver has committed suicide in a manner similar to that of his father several years ago: the death happening in the classic locked room. When a key witness,Madame Dolores, seductive provider of sexual services vanishes, things become very complicated for both detectives - particularly as Pal Maciver's death appears to have many international complications. Will the squabbling Dalziel and Pascoe be able to come to a compromise before further deaths occur?
Hill, Reginald.
A killing kindness. 1980. 5v. UK Loan only.
An intriguing mix of dark violence and quotes from the works of Shakespeare. In the horrific case of the Yorkshire Choker, Sergeant Wield calls in clairvoyants, linguists, psychiatrists and mediums. Detective Superintendent Dalziel is sceptical of his colleague's actions. While confusion and panic reign in the police force, the well-read killer persists in his grisly acts.
Hill, Reginald.
Pictures of perfection. 1994. 6v.
Developers and tourists are causing unrest in the pretty village of Enscombe. And when a policeman goes missing, DCI Peter Pascoe gets worried. Andy Dalziel thinks he's just overreacting, but over two eventful days a pattern emerges of lust and lying, of family feuds and ancient injuries, of frustrated desires and unbalanced minds. Finally, inevitably, everything comes to a bloody climax.
Hill, Reginald.
The death of Dalziel. 2007. Coming soon.
Caught in the blast of a huge semtex explosion, the only thing preventing Superintendent Andy Dalziel from stepping through Death's door might be his own size (and indomitable willpower). As he lies on a hospital bed, it falls on DCI Peter Pascoe to seek justice for Andy. The security services have written it off as an accident - the terrorist suspects have paid for their clumsiness with their lives. Who then are the Knights Templar, a shadowy group exacting summary public justice on their enemies? Pascoe is certain of a conspiracy and the attempted murder of Yorkshire Police's most inept officer only convinces him further. But if the plot is complex, the climax will prove astounding!
James, P.D.
A certain justice. 1997. 10v.
When Venetia Aldridge Q.C. defends Garry Ashe, accused of the brutal murder of his aunt, an unpredictable and terrifying chain of events are set in motion. And when four weeks later, a blood-spattered Miss Aldridge is found dead at her desk, Dalgliesh and his team are called into a case which promises to be as sensitive as it is intriguing - her lover? Her ex-husband? An aggrieved client?
James, P.D.
A taste for death. 1986. 10v. Interline. UK Loan only.
The bodies were discovered at 8.45 on the morning of Wednesday 18 September by Miss Emily Wharton, a 65-year-old spinster of the parish of St Matthews in Paddington, and Darren Wilkes, a 10-year-old waif of no particular parish, her unlikely companion. Both bodies had their throats cut with gaping precision: one is a local tramp, the other an ex-Minister of State. Adam Dalgleish finds himself confronted with the most confused and convoluted case of his career.