Dear Mystery Readers,

Do you have a favorite female sleuth?.......P.I.......investigator........busy-body?  Is it Miss Marple?  Or maybe it's Stephanie Plum or V.I. Warshawski?  Who is your all-time favorite female sleuth?

I love the womens murder club series by James Patterson - I think Lindsey Boxer is one of my favorites- I also enjoy Stepanie Plum for light reading and laugh out loud antics...

My favoite amateur sleuth is actually a tie.  I like both Nell Sweeney from P. B. Ryan's Gilded Age series and Sarah Brandt from Victoria Thompson's Gaslight series. 

I read more cozy/amateur sleuths than the professional type.  At the moment, J.D. Robb's IN DEATH series is the only police procedural I follow.

I'm new to the genre (started last year).

I of course, love Miss Marple.  Newer female sleuths I like are Emily Andrews in Maddy Hunters' Passport series, Lois Meade in Ann Pursers cleaning series, Annie Darling in Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart, Mary Minor Harristeen in Rita Mae Browns' Mrs. Murphy series.  Just read the first of Cynthia Baxter's Reigning Cats & Dogs books with Dr. Jessica Pepper.  There is also that favorite, Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote.

Can I list some favorite male sleuths, too?  Constable Evan Evans in Rhys Bowens series set in Wales, Superintendent Roderick Alleyn in Ngaio Marsh's long series, Perry Mason by Erle Stanley Gardner and Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is great.  Set in the 1930's, the series has recurring characters, but also a lot of depth.

Amateur: Clare Fergusson in the series by Julia Spencer-Fleming and Kate Fansler in the series by Amanda Cross.

Professional: Recently introduced to Kathleen Mallory in the series by Carol O'Connell

I absolutely love Stephanie Plum and Lula but also like...

• Kinsey Milhone from Sue Grafton
• Eve Dallas & Peabody by J.D. Robb
• Goldy Shultz from Diane Mott Davidson

Again, too many to mention. A new favorite, recently discovered, Annie Seymour from Karen E. Olson's series.

Cheryl

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Another vote for  Lindsay Boxer  in  James Pattersons  The Womens Murder Club series

Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone.  Carol Ann

 Lindsay Boxer  in  James Patterson's  The Womens Murder Club series

I'll admit that I haven't read most of the ones mentioned; it's been years since I read much of anything... but:

Nancy Drew will ALWAYS be my favorite. ;-)

Dh has recently introduced me to the Sue Grafton/Kinsey Millhone series, and I'm enjoying that as well.

Cora Felton, from the Puzzle Lady series by Parnell Hall.  =)

Stephanie Plum - author Janet Evanovich

Kinsey Milhone - author Sue Grafton

also, I can not remember the character's names but the lead character in the Ladies No. 1 Detective series is a lady (can't spell her name if I could remember it). I love this series! More like the Mrs. Marples. Solve mysteries using your wits, very little shock value, more old-fashioned- minimal to no blood and guts

And the author is Virginia Lanier - I think her first book was Death In Bloodhound Red. Great female protaginist. I believe she wrote about 5 bloodhound series books. She started writing later in life. I read, sadly, that she died. What a loss.

I like Carrie Carlin in the Deadly Things series by Nancy Tesler.  I also like Lindsey Boxer

Kinsey Millhone (Grafton)

Temperance Brennan (Reichs)

VI Warshawski (Paretsky) (the movie they made years ago STUNK though!!!)

Ophelia Jensen from Shirley Damsgaard's series and Sookie Stackhouse from Charlaine Harris's Dead series.

Amelia Peabody from Eliz. Peter's Egypt mysteries.

Nancy Drew and Miss Marple

Kinsey Millhone

Holly Barker

Joanna Bradley

Sunny Randall

Abby Cooper - psychic eye mysteries

Trixie Belden (long time ago LOL!)

Nancy Drew

Miss Marple for classics' sake!

stephanie plum and lula..they're so funny!

Susanna, my wife asked me to add to the list you made: Cherry Ames, student nurse - right in there with Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. :-)

Les

Lindsey Boxer and Stephanie Plum