Books
9 must-read books for Unforgotten fans
Can’t wait for the next series of Unforgotten? If you devoured series 5 and already miss the sight of DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jessie James on your screen, we have the perfect alternative.
We’ve pulled together nine books that, like Unforgotten, combine police procedure with shocking plot twists, as detectives work to solve cold crimes of disappearance and murder. Some of these detectives work alone, with the same dogged determination as DCI Cassie Stuart (who we sorely missed in the last series!), while others get by with a little help from their friends.
In any case, these crime thrillers should keep us going while we wait for series 6 of Unforgotten.
9 must-read books like Unforgotten:
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Private Investigator Jackson Brodie has been assigned three cold cases: a little girl who disappeared in the night, a young office worker who was attacked by a madman, and a wife whose rage had bloody results. The cases seem unconnected but, as in Unforgotten, the more Brodie investigates, the more he realises the links between them. This pacy novel is shot through with dark humour, and the protagonist is a firm favourite with Atkinson fans.
The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill
The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill
When heavy rainfall hits the small town of Lafferton in the south of England, a shallow grave is exposed – and with it, the skeleton of local girl Harriet Lowther, who was last seen 16 years ago. As cold cases aren’t a priority for the police department, Detective Inspector Simon Serrailler takes the investigation into his own hands. It’s intense work – and then another body shows up. This is the sixth book in Hill’s DI Simon Serrailler series, but it stands up perfectly well on its own.
She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge
She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge
In 1983, six teenagers go camping in the forest. The next morning, as the sun rises, the youngest of the group, Aurora, is nowhere to be found. The investigation into her disappearance goes cold until 30 years later, when her body is found in a secret hideaway that was only known to the group of teenagers. Now, it falls to DCI Jonah Sheens to figure out who murdered Aurora. This novel is a classic police procedural, so perfect for fans of Unforgotten.
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
Ten years ago, a small Texas town was changed forever when teenage homecoming queen Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint. Her brother, Wyatt, was officially cleared of the crime, but the people in the town still have their suspicions. So, when Wyatt finds a lost girl on the side of a road, he hopes to learn what happened to his sister – and to finally clear his name. The stakes are equally high for Odette Tucker, the town’s youngest police officer, who is invested in this cold case for her own reasons.
Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Like Unforgotten’s DCI Cassie Stuart, Detective Carl Morck is a little rough around the edges. It is partly due to his tricky personality that he is reassigned to a new department: one that investigates cold cases. The first case on the agenda? Merete Lynggard, a female politician who went missing five years ago. Morck’s colleagues think he’s wasting his time, but slowly he starts to piece together clues, and eventually uncover what happened.
What Remains by Tim Weaver
What Remains by Tim Weaver
Colm Healy was one of the Met’s best detectives, but when he was unable to solve the murder of Gail Clark and her twin eight-year-old daughters, it cost him his career and personal life. Enter David Raker: the much-loved detective in Tim Weaver’s series. Raker is assigned the cold case of Gail’s murder but, as he closes in on a killer who is trying to hide his tracks, the investigation turns into an obsession.
The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst
The Katharina Code by Jorn Lier Horst
The unsolved missing person case of Katharina Haugen has haunted Chief Inspector William Wisting for 24 years. Katharina disappeared without a trace, only leaving behind a packed suitcase and a page of code – that no expert code-breaker has been able to break. This cold case takes a turn when Katharina’s husband goes missing, and a detective finds a link to the disappearance of another young woman… The author, Jorn Lier Horst, is a former Senior Investigating Officer with the Norwegian police force, so it’s no surprise that this is a gripping police procedural.
If I Fall by Merilyn Davies
If I Fall by Merilyn Davies
Four friends gather on a rooftop in Oxford for a university reunion. But when one woman falls to her death, it is down to crime-fighting duo Detective Sergeant Nell Jackson and Crime Analyst Carla Brown, to figure out if she jumped – or if she was pushed. This gritty crime novel blends psychological suspense with police procedural, with believable characters and a well-plotted storyline that remind us of Unforgotten.
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
Veteran LAPD detective Harry Bosch returns in this fast-paced thriller. But to solve a cold case – the murder of 15-year-old runaway Daisy Clayton – he’s going to need the help of Detective Renée Ballard, who works Hollywood Station’s graveyard shift. The detectives’ rapport, as they work together to solve the crime and overcome City Hall’s misogyny and corruption, should be enough to satisfy the Unforgotten-shaped hole in your life as you wait for the next series.
Have we missed any must-read books like Unforgotten? Let us know in the comments below!
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