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30 of Your Favorite Mystery Series Characters

S. Zainab Williams

Executive Director, Content

S. Zainab would like to think she bleeds ink but the very idea makes her feel faint. She writes fantasy and horror, and is currently clutching a manuscript while groping in the dark. Find her on Twitter: @szainabwilliams.

This giveaway is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio.

When there’s a crime that can’t be solved, listen to the experts. Visit https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/thriller-series/ for a thrilling mystery series that you can get hooked on.

If you are looking for a brassy, independent female protagonist, you’ll love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. If you want an experienced ex-CIA man turned President, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is the man for you. Or, perhaps you’d like a Victorian-era detective; then Clive Cussler’s Isaac Bell is a character you’ll enjoy.

Let us know who your favorite mystery series’ character is and be entered to win a Penguin Random House Audio prize pack including: Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich, Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy, and The Assassin by Clive Cussler.


A thrilling mystery needs a character you can’t stop watching. Someone who compels you to follow them down dark alleyways, across crime scenes, into the thick of danger, and through multiple books. We asked you to tell us your favorite mystery series characters and you answered! Here are 30 of your favorites:

Miss Marple

Mary Russell

Lisbeth Salander

Nancy Drew

Stephanie Plum

Gabriel Allon

Poirot

Phryne Fisher

John Rebus

Anna Pigeon

Flavia De Luce

Easy Rawlins

Amelia Peabody (with Mma Ramotswe 2nd place)

Joe Pickett

Sherlock Holmes

Hercule Poirot

Lord Peter Wimsey

Dr. Watson

Philip Marlowe

Thursday Next

Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins

Barbara Havers

Mikael Blomkvist

Lulu from the Stephanie Plum series

Agatha Raisin

Chief Inspector Gamache

Eve Dallas

Cassie Maddox (Dublin Squad)

Kim Stone

Dr. Kay Scarpetta