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Hell-bent on avenging her parents’ murders, Saffron Killoran lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—a training ground for elite detectives—with a single goal: to bring the ruthless Bloodmoons to justice. But when Saff’s deception is exposed, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside. Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Each day tests her loyalties further—and one false step could destroy everyone she’s ever loved. |
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I always enjoy when genres collide. Like when a fantasy creature unleashes its magic on a futuristic sci-fi society, or when a lovely romance finds its way into a horror novel. This particular post is about the merging of genres, too: when the detective of crime fiction enters a fantasy setting. Sleuthing amidst dragons and spells? Yes, please, and thank you. In this post, I’ll go over some of the best detectives in fantasy novels.
That said, I want to make a little aside and clarify what I mean by detective here. Sometimes they’re a jaded PI or homicide detective, yes, but just as often they’re a normal person who finds themself thrust into a mystery and breaks out the detective-ing skills to solve it. Because let’s be real, professional detectives are amazing, and literature would not be the same without them (please don’t ever leave me, Monsieur Poirot), but someone beating the odds and solving the mystery when they’re not professionally trained to do so? Amazing. Spectacular. 10/10, no notes.
I chose a mix of famous and lesser-known detectives from fantasy fiction, not necessarily because they are indisputably better than every other fantasy detective (that would be a tall order, considering the breadth and scope of the genre), but because I wanted to give an overview. If you’re not familiar with detectives in fantasy, this is a good place to start. Happy reading!
 October “Toby” Daye from Seanan McGuire’s October Daye seriesOctober “Toby” Daye is a changeling: a child born to a human and a fairy. Don’t let that fool you: that doesn’t make her life perfect and magical. On the contrary, since mortal halfbreeds aren’t exactly loved by the Fae, she tries her luck in the human world, which turns out to be… a disappointment, to say the least. Eventually, a murder drags Toby right back to the world of the Fae, where she has to balance solving the case and staying alive. Start with: Rosemary and Rue. |
 Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files seriesWho doesn’t love Harry Dresden? A professional wizard and private investigator based in Chicago, Harry has an impressive backstory and, more importantly, a great skill for solving cases, many of which are of the supernatural variety. Start with: Storm Front. |
 Acatl, High Priest from the Dead, from Aliette de Bodard’s Obsidian and Blood seriesThis series follows Acatl, High Priest for the Dead, as he splits his time between seeing to the funeral rites of the Aztec Imperial Family and investigating less mystical matters. Set in Tenochtitlan, I admit I had not heard of this series before beginning my research on this post, but you better believe I will fix that ASAP. Start with: Servant of the Underworld. |
 Yusuke Urameshi from Yoshishiro Togashi’s YuYu Hakusho seriesI’ve mostly featured prose fantasy novels here, but I’m including this manga series because it’s still very much fantasy and because I refuse to leave Yusuke Urameshi out of this list. He is a belligerent teenager who, upon his death saving another child, is given the chance to return to life. Once back, he is given the title of Underworld Detective and told to investigate supernatural activity in the human world. Start with: Goodbye, Material World! |
 Garrett from Glen Cook’s Garrett P.I. seriesRemember when I talked about genres colliding? This is a straight-up detective story taking place in a fantasy setting. Garrett is a freelance private investigator whose work takes him all over the kingdom of Karenta, a place where anti-human racism runs rampant. Start with: Sweet Silver Blues. |
 Bree Matthews from Tracy Deonn’s The Legendborn Cycle seriesThis YA series had me at “Arthurian legend”. Sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews is trying to cope with her mother’s death when she enrolls in a prestigious program at UNC-Chapel Hill. But the discovery of magic, a secret society, and the knowledge that there might have been more to her mother’s death than meets the eye all force Bree to embark on a quest to find out what exactly happened. Also, did I mention that she uncovers her own magic in the process? Start with: Legendborn. |
If you can’t get enough of fantasy, why not take a look at 10 of the best magic systems in fantasy? Or, if mysteries are more your thing (and you’re done with 2025), look forward to these 2026 mysteries & thrillers!
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