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- Dark Currents: 10 Addictive Crime Series That Will Keep You Guessing
Dark Currents: 10 Addictive Crime Series That Will Keep You Guessing
Twists, secrets, and betrayals you’ll want to follow to the very end.
Some stories pull you in quietly. Others grip you with a secret on every page, daring you to read just one more chapter — and then another, and another.
As 2025 unfolds, there’s no better time to lose yourself in a crime series built for late nights, lingering questions, and the thrill of not knowing who to trust.
Here are ten addictive detective and mystery series that promise sharp twists, emotional stakes, and stories that won't let go — perfect for a year of reading that keeps you guessing to the very end.
One Lost Soul by J.M. Dalgliesh
"In small towns, every secret has a keeper. And some will kill to keep them."
Detective Inspector Sam Cobbs returns to his native Lake District only to be immediately thrust into the disappearance of a teenage girl. As rain-slicked hills and mist-covered valleys hide crucial evidence, Cobbs must navigate both his own painful past and a community reluctant to reveal its darkest corners.
This atmospheric British crime series excels in its evocative sense of place—you can almost feel the damp chill seeping through the pages as Cobbs unearths layers of deception in seemingly idyllic villages.
Goodreads: 4.08 | Amazon UK: 4.2
Perfect for fans of: Ann Cleeves, brooding landscapes, complex community dynamics
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Shadow Falls by Wendy Dranfield
"She knows what it's like to be the one left behind. Now she's determined no one else will suffer the same fate."
Ex-detective Madison Harper emerges from wrongful imprisonment with a singular focus—using her investigative skills to help others find justice. When a woman vanishes from the close-knit town of Shadow Falls, Colorado, Madison's search reveals that picture-perfect small-town America often hides the deadliest secrets.
Dranfield crafts a series where emotional wounds drive the investigation forward, creating a detective whose personal stakes elevate every case into something deeply human and urgent.
Goodreads: 4.34 | Amazon UK: 4.5
Perfect for fans of: Karin Slaughter, resilient protagonists, small-town suspense
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The Dead of Night by Robert Enwright
"In small towns, everyone is watching. But no one sees everything."
When the mutilated body of a local teenager is discovered in the woods outside a seemingly peaceful English village, Detective Sergeant Jack Townsend finds himself leading an investigation that peels back layers of respectability to reveal the rot beneath. As more secrets emerge from the shadows, Townsend realizes that this single act of violence connects to decades of carefully maintained lies—and that the killer may be someone whose face he sees every day.
Enright masterfully builds tension through psychological insight rather than cheap thrills, creating a murder investigation that feels both methodical and deeply unsettling. His gift for depicting the suffocating intimacy of small-town life—where ancient grudges simmer beneath polite smiles and everyone knows too much about their neighbours, except what truly matters—elevates this series beyond standard procedurals into something more haunting and profound.
Goodreads: 4.42 | Amazon UK: 4.5
Perfect for fans of: Tana French's atmospheric depth, Jane Harper's rural mysteries, character studies wrapped in crime
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The Silent Dolls by Rita Herron
"Deep in the Appalachian forest, old traditions hide even older sins."
Detective Ellie Reeves knows the mountains of North Carolina better than anyone—but when a child's body is discovered alongside a disturbing signature, even she is shaken. Drawn deeper into the investigation, Reeves must confront both her community's deeply rooted suspicions and a killer who understands the power of the wilderness.
Herron masterfully blends the claustrophobia of close-knit mountain communities with the vastness of Appalachian wilderness, creating a setting that feels both beautiful and threatening.
Goodreads: 4.26 | Amazon UK: 4.4
Perfect for fans of: Rural gothic, female detectives, atmospheric tension
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Silent Scream by Angela Marsons
"Five bodies. One detective who won't back down. No matter who stands in her way."
When human remains are discovered at an abandoned children's home, Detective Inspector Kim Stone faces a case that stretches back decades. Fierce, damaged, and relentlessly determined, Stone pursues justice with little regard for protocol or self-preservation—making her both an exceptional detective and a liability to those with secrets to protect.
Marsons has created one of crime fiction's most compelling protagonists in Kim Stone—a detective whose personal demons fuel rather than hinder her pursuit of justice.
Goodreads: 4.07 | Amazon UK: 4.3
Perfect for fans of: Val McDermid, damaged detectives, institutional corruption
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The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza
"Beneath London's frozen surface, a killer waits. And Detective Erika Foster is about to disturb the ice."
When the daughter of a wealthy family is found murdered beneath a frozen London lake, Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster is assigned the high-profile case. Still reeling from a personal tragedy, Foster's abrasive determination puts her at odds with both colleagues and suspects—but her instincts might be the only thing that can stop a predator hiding in plain sight.
Bryndza combines the gritty reality of modern London with a protagonist whose sharp edges and emotional wounds make her uniquely equipped to hunt monsters.
Goodreads: 3.96 | Amazon UK: 4.3
Perfect for fans of: Fast-paced investigations, urban settings, uncompromising detectives
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Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza
"She caught a killer once. Now he's catching up to her."
Fifteen years after barely surviving an encounter with the Nine Elms Cannibal, former detective Kate Marshall has rebuilt her life as a university lecturer. When a copycat killer emerges, Marshall is reluctantly drawn back into the case that ended her career—forcing her to confront both old wounds and new threats as the body count rises.
This psychological thriller series delves deeper than most, examining not just the hunt for a killer but the lasting impact of violence on those who confront it professionally.
Goodreads: 4.12 | Amazon UK: 4.5
Perfect for fans of: Psychological depth, survivor stories, cat-and-mouse games
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The Burning by Jane Casey
"In a department full of veterans, she's the rookie. She may also be the only one who can see what others miss."
Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan wants to prove herself in London's competitive murder investigation team. When a serial killer targeting young women claims another victim, Kerrigan's different perspective might be crucial to stopping the murders—if her colleagues will listen.
Casey crafts investigations that feel authentic in both their procedural details and office politics, creating a series that balances the thrill of the hunt with the reality of modern policing.
Goodreads: 3.87 | Amazon UK: 4.3
Perfect for fans of: Tana French, workplace dynamics, methodical investigations
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Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan
"Every small town has secrets. Denton's could get her killed."
Police Chief Josie Quinn knows her Pennsylvania hometown isn't as innocent as it appears. When a young girl disappears under circumstances that echo Josie's own troubled past, her investigation uncovers generational secrets and present dangers that threaten everything she's built.
Regan excels at creating investigations that feel both expansive in their implications and intensely personal to her protagonist, raising the emotional stakes with each new revelation.
Goodreads: 4.20 | Amazon UK: 4.5
Perfect for fans of: Lisa Gardner, emotional intensity, small-town secrets
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Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase
"The victims can't speak for themselves. She'll make sure their stories are heard."
Former military K-9 handler Katie Scott returns to her hometown hoping for peace after traumatic tours in Afghanistan. Instead, she's drawn into the investigation of missing children when her uncle, the Sheriff, asks for her help. With her specialized training and PTSD service dog at her side, Scott brings unique skills to a case with disturbing similarities to long-buried crimes.
Chase leverages her background in criminology to create investigations that feel authentic, while exploring how trauma shapes both victims and those who fight for them.
Goodreads: 4.14 | Amazon UK: 4.4
Perfect for fans of: Forensic details, working K-9s, psychological elements
The best crime fiction doesn't just present a puzzle—it creates an emotional investment in justice being served. These series excel not just in their twists and revelations, but in creating investigators whose personal stakes make each case matter on a deeper level.
With protagonists ranging from rookies with something to prove to veterans carrying their own scars, these series offer different windows into the same compelling question: How far would you go to uncover the truth?
Looking for your next reading obsession? These series offer not just individual mysteries but evolving characters and relationships that deepen with each new book—the perfect companions for late nights when "just one more chapter" becomes your midnight mantra.
You might also enjoy our collection: 10 Sharp and Suspenseful Crime & Mystery Novels to Read This Spring (2025)
Until next time, happy investigating.
— The Page Sage
Thumbnail Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash
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