Best Sleuthing Couples in Mystery Novels: Classic & Modern Whodunits

❣️ Valentine’s Day is coming up, so what better time to talk about romantic couples who just happen to solve mysteries. 

I explore the enduring appeal of romantic detective pairings, breaking down why mysteries with relationship arcs and witty banter keep fans turning the pages. You'll hear how opposites attract, expert/novice combos, and slice-of-life moments bring these stories to life.

Get a curated tour through time, from Victorian Egypt to 1920s drawing rooms to modern art heists, as I share my list of couples—from Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson to Nick and Nora Charles. 

Add a few titles to your TBR stack and see how dynamic duos make whodunits twice as intriguing.

Get a printable PDF of the list here. 

🕵️‍♀️ 📦 Cozy Books Corner Subscription Box (affiliate code), a book box curated for cozy mystery readers.

➡️ Use code SaraR5 and get 15% off! ⬅️

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Welcome to Mystery Buffer Podcast. I'm Mr. Bunker Sarah Losette. This is season seven, episode one of the Happy Valentine's Day coming up, everyone. It's February, so I figured this was a great time to talk about romantic couples who just happen to solve mysteries. But first, I'll give you an update on the podcast. This year I'm planning on doing monthly episodes. So I won't do a release every other week for a limited time. I'm just going to have one episode a month. And this month, it's because it's February, Valentine's Day, we're talking about sleuthing couples. All right, why are these so popular? This is such a common element or trope, you might say, of mysteries. And I think there's several reasons. One is that it blends two really popular genres. You've got mystery and romance, which are the two top two or three best-selling genres out there of popular fiction. And in my experience, mystery readers like a little romance, not an overwhelming amount, but enough to keep things interesting. So you have almost this base layer of mystery, and then the romance is like a little light icing on the cake. It's just a little something to add a new element besides the mystery. Another reason is that there's more at stake. You get the who done it, and you get the will they or won't they get together. And in a long-running series, usually the romantic couple does get together. And then you've got other issues that they face. How will they deal with the pressures as a couple? And how will they deal with work and children, even some in some series? So there's lots of everyday slice-of-life type moments that get added to a story that has a romantic couple that goes on in a long series. And then if they're just getting together, there's the tension of will they get together. And that can be very compelling. Sometimes readers pick up a mystery for the Who-Done It, and then they are drawn into the relationships and are actually more interested in the relationships sometimes than the mystery. I think there's a third reason that it's very popular, and that's this balance of really light and dark tones to the story. So a mystery has normally a murder, something very serious that happens, and that can be dark and kind of grim, and you've got to deal with the death and the grief that comes with that. But if you have a romantic couple, there's also banter and flirting, and that kind of balances out the light and darkness of the story because you need the highs and the lows of the light and dark tones. So the story doesn't become too heavy and it doesn't become too fluffy and light. A fourth reason that this is really popular to use this sleuthing couple trope is that it combines or it uses this opposites attract trope a lot of the time. You're often pairing different temperaments or backgrounds, and you get humor out of that, usually as you know, a default result. And you also get relationship arcs. So here's some examples. You have the buy the book personality versus buy the seat of their pants personality. And you put those two together, and you know, chaos ensues, and hilarity oftentimes too. Another example is the expert and novice pairing. Usually each of them have some special knowledge, though. So this is often seen in police procedural type stories where you've got the detective who knows how to solve crimes according to detective procedures, but your consultant has some sort of special knowledge. They don't know anything about crime solving, but they have some special knowledge related to the case. And even though they're a novice with detective things, they're an expert in this other area. And sometimes those worlds cross. Um, there's a TV show, Art of Crime. It's a French show where the detective is actually working in an art crime unit. He has no knowledge of art. And so he has a consultant who helps him. So he also needs her to understand some of the crimes. So that's a good example of how the two worlds cross, and they're both experts in their own area, but they need each other to complete the investigation. Another reason these are so popular is the romantic element gives a really satisfying relationship arc, usually. The characters are learning from each other. Oftentimes they start out at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as liking. They're more enemies to lovers type dynamic. It may become mutual respect and then eventually love. So you've got this dynamic of a change in the relationship, which is always interesting to watch. So that's some of the reasons that this type of setup is so popular in mysteries. And let's take a look at some specific examples. I have a really long list, it's sorted by time period. So we're going to look at each uh time period where some of these books are set, and I'll give you some examples and hopefully it will help you add to your to be read list. I will have a link in the show notes where you can go to get this list. I will also send it out in my updates. So if you're signed up for Sarah's notes and news updates, it will go out this month as well, and you can get the link there. If you're not on my list, I'll have a link where you can sign up to get that. First up, we're going to start with the Victorian Edward. That's hard to say. We're going to start with the Victorian and Edwardian era sluice. So these stories take place in historical settings from the late 19th to the early 20th century, and they blend a lot of period details like social class, interest of the day, like archaeology or international intrigue with the classic who done it puzzles. The partnerships often look at and provide social commentary on the social norms from that time period. A lot of modern authors use this looking back, let's say a Victorian time period, as a commentary on current time period. And I think that's one reason historical mysteries are popular. It lets you look back at a time period that you were not a part of, but you can still see reflections and similarities to your own time period and the things that were happening then. Some of those issues we're still dealing with. Either they've evolved and changed, or it's exactly the same thing. It's just we've never solved a certain problem. And so it lets you look at these different things and these different time periods. So here's my list of Victorian and Edwardian sleuthing couples. First up has to be at the top of the list: Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. So this is from the Amelia Peabody Mysteries. It starts with Crocodile on the Sandbank, which was published in 1975. And the author is Elizabeth Peters. You've got this confident Amelia, and her self-assurance is off the charts. And she meets up with Radcliffe Emerson, who also is very confident and sure of himself, and sparks fly. She gets involved in an investigation into some criminal wrongdoings. And then she also gets involved in archaeology. And the whole series has elements of archaeology throughout it. Amelia and Emerson sparks fly between them throughout the whole series. So it involves Egyptian digs, uh, lots of banter, uh, lots of adventure history in this series, and it's very long running. So if you enjoy the first one, there's plenty more for you to enjoy. Next up, I have Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. Now, this series is the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. It starts with the Catter Street Hangman, that's C-A-T-E-R Street Hangman. It was published in 1979. The author is Ann Perry. So this is a another Victorian-era couple. Uh Thomas is a police inspector, and Charlotte is a different social class than him. She comes from the upper class. Thomas is not from the upper class. And so their connection is like this across the classes type, across the tracks type setup. And it really adds tension and depth to this who don't structure. And she has the knowledge of the upper class that he does not have, and she has the entree to all these places that he has a hard time going, and she can get the behind-the-scenes story while he's working the case in the police detective type way. Another really popular Victorian series is the Lady of Julia Gray Mysteries. It starts with Silent in the Grave, which was published in 2006. The author is Deanna Rayburn, and the main character, Lady Julia, is a Victorian widow. She becomes involved in an investigation and has a relationship with a private inquiry agent. They form this investigative alliance. And this one I would say has some humor, but not as much humor as like an Amelia Peabody type series. It's a little more serious. Then you've got Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves. This is the Lady Emily Mystery, starting with And Only to Deceive, published in 2005. The author is Tasha Alexander. And you have another Victorian aristocrat and her agent husband. And as the series goes on, they become a married couple and they tackle international intrigue. A lot of this series, it seems to alternate. Some of it takes place in England, and then other stories take place in other international destinations. So if you like that international mix, this is a good series to pick up because Lady Emily and Colin, they like to travel. Next up, I have Charles and Kate Sheridan, it's another sleuthing couple. It starts with Death at Bishop's Keep in 1994, was when that was published. The author is Robin Page. And now this is interesting because this is a couple writing this series. It's Susan Whitting Albert and Bill Albert. So they collaborated together. Susan Whitting Albert has written several other mystery series, but she collaborated with her husband on this one. It is about a Victorian baronet, and he's a photographer and an American writer. It's two amateur sleuths, basically. And their different backgrounds, you know, are part of that opposite's attract. So this is a good one to pick up if you don't really want the police inspector side of it. If you'd rather have two amateur sleuths, this is a good one to go for. Now let's talk about golden age-inspired sleuthing couples. So this is from the time period of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. And a lot of these sleuths are in Britain or America, and they have witty dialogue, country houses, social satire, class dynamics, a lot of glamorous lifestyle things going on. First up, the classic Tommy and Tuppence Breezeford. Now, this is from Agatha Christie, and the first book in the series is The Secret Adversary, and it was published in 1922. Now, this is the book that got me started reading 1920s Mysteries. And I've read this, devoured as many as I could find from that time period, and then began thinking about writing a book which actually became Murder at Archley Banner. So this is the book that kind of started me on that path. This is about a young couple that they've had a longtime connection. They've known each other for a long time. They meet up after the war, and they eventually become partners in crime, is actually what they call themselves, and they run a detective agency. Um, the first book is The Secret Adversary, but there's also many short stories about them too. So if you want to really dig into this couple, you can read the short stories as well. These books have just, especially the early books, it's a very lighthearted tone. There's a lot of espionage and intrigue. I would say more so than Who Dunnits in the beginning. There's a lot of um spy craft stuff going on and hints of things that, you know, sinister things that are going on. The other interesting thing about this series is that it follows the sluice in real time. So you see them as a young couple, you see them later on, in more middle age, and the time period that the books came out were matched to the couple aging with the books, if that makes sense. Like in the 20s, they're young, and then the other later books in the series, they're older and they sort of match up with where they would be naturally if they were naturally aging, which is not the case with mini mystery series. You know, usually you're stuck in whatever world they were in, and you don't get these snapshots of their relationship as the time goes by. All right, next up for the 1920s and 30s, classic couple that we cannot forget, Lord Peter Whimsey and Harriet Vane. Harriet isn't in the earlier books. She comes along in strong poison in the 19th century, I think it was published in 1930, and that's where they meet. The author is Dorothy L. Sayers. Whimsey is an aristocratic sleuth. We have had a lot of books where the aristocrat is the woman, in this one, it's the man, he's the aristocrat, and he courts Harriet Vane, who is a mystery writer. And their relationship progresses over several books. They're both amateur sleuths. It's a really slow burn romance, and um the puzzles in these books are really, really good. So if you're not as interested in the kind of spy-related stories from Tommy and Tuppence, then Lord Peter Whimsey and Harriet Vane might be more to your liking. Another sleuthing couple with a story set in the 20s and 30s is Amory and Milo Ames. So this is the Amory Ames Mysteries, and it starts with murder at the Brightwell, which was published in 2014. And the author is Ashley Weaver. So this is a very glamorous setting. It's 1930s Socialites. This is another case of no police detective is involved. They go to the Seaside Resort, and it's very much, you know, a throwback to this 1920s, 1930s classic mysteries with plenty of romance involved. And then I also have to include Olive Belgrave and Jasper Remington. This is the High Society Lady Detective series, my series that starts with murder at Archley Manor, which was published in 2018. And in this series, Olive is a young woman who comes from an affluent family, status-wise, but as far as money-wise, zero. She has very little money. In the beginning, in the first book, she is trying to make her own way in the world. She doesn't want to get married right away to the choices that she has available to her. And so she teams up with Jasper Remington, an old family friend, and they take on these high society crimes, and their relationship has a lot of banter, a lot of humor in the books, and sort of takes you into the world of Downtown Abbey, but with mystery. Another 1920s, 1930s sleuthing couple is Daisy Dalrymple and Alec Fletcher. It starts with Death at Wentwater Court, which is published in 1994, and the author is Corolla Dunn. So these are set in 1920s England. Daisy is a journalist, and she teams up with Scotland Yard detective Alec to solve country house murders, and their relationship develops over the course of the series, and it's sort of a modern take on golden age cozies with that kind of light-hearted tone that was common in the books about the 1920s. The last sleuthing couple I have from the 20s and 30s is Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man, which was published in 1934 by Dashell Hammett. His books are normally more hard-boiled, but this one I would say is the most cozy-ish of his books because of this relationship between these two. The banter in this, wonderful. They're a very witty, sophisticated couple, I would say. They stumble into murders, and it's kind of the screwball mystery, is another way you might describe it. Um, there's a little bit of a hard-boiled edge to it, though. So it's a nice blending of these different genres. I think there's actually only one book in this series, but it was made into a movie, which is made into multiple movies. You can find more movies than books, but the Thin Man book I would recommend as a good 1920s, 1930s romantic sleuthing couple. Now we are to the mid-20th century and beyond. So this section has detective romantic duos that span from about the 1940s to contemporary times. And they often incorporate more modern elements like urban life, international travel, cultural themes, while still keeping the classic hoodone structure as the main core of the story. First up, we have a very famous married couple, Pam and Jerry North, in the Mr. and Miss North Mysteries. And the first one is the North's Meet Murder in 1940. And the authors were another couple, Frances and Richard Lockridge, this husband and wife writing team, and they're writing about a husband and wife who solve mysteries in mid-20th century New York. So 40s, 1950s. Pam is more intuitive, and Jerry is more practical, I guess you'd say. And so you've got that opposite of the track setup. These books were actually made into a TV show, I believe. So you may have heard of the TV show, but there's plenty of books in this long-running series. Another more modern sleuthing couple is Annie Lawrence and Max Darling. Now, this is the Death on Demand mystery series, and it starts with Death on Demand in 1987. The author is Carolyn Hart. So this is about a bookstore owner named Annie. She lives on Browts Rock, which is a small island off Carolinas, and it's such a cozy setting. It's got the bookstore, it's got the quirky islanders. And Annie being a bookstore owner, she is so well-versed in mysteries that a lot of the stories have allusions to and mentions of classic books. It's all very tightly woven together in the stories. So if you pick these up, you'll understand how intricately the classic mysteries influence the story and the plotting of these books. This was actually one of the first cozy mystery series that I ever read. I stumbled across, I think, in a used bookstore, and I went to find as many of the other books as I could because this was an American setting with a Who Done It in a classic style. I just loved it. So I highly recommend this series. Then I have to include Zoe Hunter and Jackie Andrews. They're in The On the Run Mysteries, starts with Elusive in 2012. This is my series about a globe-trotting couple who are involved in danger. There's lots of intrigue, there's conspiracies that they're unraveling. There's some more thriller elements in this, but it does have a Who-Done It element to it as well, where there's clues and things that they're trying to piece together. So a lot of heavier on the suspense than the whodunit, but there is a lot of mystery elements, and there's a strong relationship arc between Zoe and Jack. They have a complicated backstory, a second chance romance type situation, and they become more of a team as the series goes on. And then another series that is very similar to the On the Run series is the Vicky Bliss series, and that has the sleuthing couple of Vicki Bliss and Sir John Smith. Smythe, I'm not sure how you pronounce that actually. It's S-M-Y-T-H-E. It's the Vicky Bliss mysteries. The first one is called Borrower of the Night, and it was published in 1973. And the author is Elizabeth Peters. So this features art historian named Vicki. She's very academic. She meets up with this charming, mysterious man named John, and they pair up for treasure hunts and solving crimes. And it is very funny, very adventurous, lots of travel. So if you like international travel, I would recommend this series along with the on-the-run mysteries, which are more destination mysteries and thrillers. And then I also have to mention Kate and Alex Norcut. That's my murder and location series. And it starts with Death in English Countryside in 2014. This is another sleuthing couple that it becomes a romantic pair. Kate is a location scout on assignment looking for locations for Jane Austen adaptations across the English countryside. So she, of course, has to visit all these beautiful English country homes and estates. And she meets up with another location scout, and they end up investigating murders in these picturesque English villages. And it's got a modern setting with some tribal elements, and it's got the traditional whodunit type mistakes. The core of each story. And finally, we have one more that is a husband and wife writing team. This is the Alex London Mysteries. It starts with A Dangerous Talent published in 2012. And this is by Charlotte and Erin Elkins. They both have mystery series that they write, but this is one that they collaborated on together. So I wanted to be sure and include this in the list as well. It is about Alex London. That's spelled A-L-I-X. She is an art consultant and she has this complicated background because of some of her father's issues and actions in the past. And she teams up with an FBI agent and they collaborate on investigations into art crimes, forgeries. It blends industry and crime in the art world. It's kind of a high-stakes world. So it's an interesting setting and it's a lot of fun as well. So that is also on the list for sleuthing couples, and that's the last one I have, which I think we have plenty for you to choose from. I hope you enjoyed this sort of compendium of sleuthing couples. If you want a printable list of the couples and the book titles that I mentioned, I will have a link in the show notes where you can download that. I hope this podcast has given you some new possibilities for your to be red pile. If you've enjoyed it, I hope you'll tell a fellow mystery reader about it. If you can't get enough of 1920s Who Dunnits, check out my High Society Lady Detective or My Lady Traveler in Egypt series, which are all available in ebook, audio, or print at Sarah Rosettebooks.com. Happy sleeping, and I'll see you next time.