Over 140 Mysteries Featuring Crime Solving Clergy

Are you looking for mysteries that feature, are investigated by and solved by amateur detectives who are also priests, nuns, vicars, and rabbis? You have come to the right place. Check out these Over 140 Mysteries Featuring Crime Solving Clergy.

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Mysteries Featuring Crime Solving Clergy

This post contains lists of mystery books featuring crime solving clergy from many faiths and denominations, from priests and nuns to rabbis, vicars, and more!

Books and Shows Featuring Detectives Who are Episcopalian Clergy

The Reverend Clare Ferguson series by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2002-

Newly ordained Clare Fergusson works in the small town of Millers Kill in upstate New York.

She is the first female priest of its small Episcopal church and those running the parish covertly demand that she prove herself as a leader.

However, her blunt manner, honed by years as an army pilot, is meeting with a chilly reception from some members of her congregation.

Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne, in particular, doesn’t know what to make of her. Until they have to join forces to solve a murder.

Reverend Clare Fergusson books by Julia Spencer-Fleming in order:

• In the Bleak Midwinter (2002)
• A Fountain Filled With Blood (2003)
• Out of the Deep I Cry (2004)
• To Darkness and to Death (2005)
• All Mortal Flesh (2006)
• I Shall Not Want (2008)
• One Was a Soldier (2011)
• Through the Evil Days (2013)
• Hide from Our Eyes (2020)

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Mysteries With Detectives Who Are Catholic Priests and Nuns

Come on, who doesn’t like a mystery with a nun?

Scorched Grace (Sister Holiday series book one) by Margo Douaihy (2023)

Read my review of this book about an irreverent, crime-solving nun! Sister Holiday is tattooed and queer, and looks into a suspicious death at Saint Sebastian’s school in New Orleans, where she teaches.

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The Eagle Catcher (book one in the Wind River mysteries featuring Father John O’Malley) by Margaret Coel (1995-2016)

This series is set on the Araphao Wind River Reservation in Wyoming and features Father John O’Malley, the pastor of St. Francis Mission, and Vicky Holden, an Arapaho attorney.

Wind River Series books by Margaret Coel in order:

• The Eagle Catcher (1995)
• The Ghost Walker (1996)
• The Dream Stalker (1997)
• The Story Teller (1998)
• The Lost Bird (1999)
• The Spirit Woman (2000)
• The Thunder Keeper (2001)
• The Shadow Dancer (2002)
• Killing Raven (2003)
• Wife of Moon (2004)
• Eye of the Wolf (2005)
• The Drowning Man (2006)
• The Girl With the Braided Hair (2007)
• The Silent Spirit (2009)
• The Spider’s Web (2010)
• Buffalo Bill’s Dead (2012)
• Killing Custer (2013)
• Night of the White Buffalo (2014)
• The Man Who Fell From the Sky (2015)
• Winter’s Child (2016)

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A Morbid Taste for Bones (book one in the Brother Cadfael series) by Ellis Peters (1977-1994)

Brother Cadfael is A Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey in the twelfth century. He spends his time tending the herbs and vegetables in the garden, until there are murders to solve.

• A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977)
• One Corpse Too Many (1979)
• Monk’s Hood (1980)
• Saint Peter’s Fair (1981)
• The Leper of Saint Giles (1981)
• The Virgin in the Ice (1982)
• The Sanctuary Sparrow (1983)
• The Devil’s Novice (1983)
• Pilgrim of Hate (1984)
• An Excellent Mystery (1985)
• The Raven in the Foregate (1986)
• The Rose Rent (1986)
• The Hermit of Eyton Forest (1987)
• The Confession of Brother Haluin (1988)
• A Rare Benedictine (1988)
• The Heretic’s Apprentice (1989)
• The Potter’s Field (1989)
• The Summer of the Dance (1991)
• The Holy Thief (1992)
• Brother Cadfael’s Penance (1994)

Adapted for BBC’s Mystery (1994-1998)

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A Vow of Silence (book one in the Sister Jones series) by Veronica Black (1990-2021)

Set in a Cornwall convent, this series rebellious nun Sister Joan. Coming late to her vocation, she still remembers life outside the convent. When her Mother Superior sends her to the Cornwall House, her loyalties are split — but she knows her ultimate duty is to the truth.

Sister Joan Mysteries by Veronica Black in Order:

• A Vow of Silence
• A Vow of Chastity
• A Vow of Sanctity
• A Vow of Obedience
• A Vow of Penance
• A Vow of Devotion
• A Vow of Fidelity
• A Vow of Poverty
• A Vow of Adoration
• A Vow of Compassion
• A Vow of Evil
  

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A Very Private Grave (book one in the Father Antony series) by Donna Fletcher Crow (2017-2020)

Felicity Howard, an American studying in a remote monastery in England, is devastated when she finds her beloved Father Dominic bludgeoned to death and Father Antony, her church history lecturer, soaked in his blood.

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A Shameful Murder (book one in the Reverend Mother Aquinas series) by Cora Harrison (2015-2023)

In 1923, Ireland has been torn apart by the War of Independence and is now in the throes of sectarian violence and severe flooding. When a body washes up at her convent chapel dressed in evening finery, Mother Aquuinas immediately suspects foul play. She wants justice, and won’t let a murderer slip away unpunished under the cover of war.

Reverend Mother Aquinas Books by Cora Harrison in order:

• A Shameful Murder (2015)
• Shocking Assassination (2016)
• Beyond Absolution (2017)
• Gruesome Discovery (2018)
• Death of a Novice (2018)
• Murder at the Queen’s Old Castle (2019)
• Death of a Prominent Citizen (2020)
• Murder in an Orchard Cemetery (2021)
• Murder in the Cathedral (2022)
• The Deadly Weed (2023)

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Hour of the Fox (book one in the Brother Rodric Chandler series) by Cassandra Clarke (2020-2023)

London, 1399. As rumours spread that his ambitious cousin, has returned from exile in France, King Richard’s grip on the English throne grows ever more precarious. Meanwhile, the body of a young novice from nearby Barking Abbey is discovered. The coroner calls in his friend, Brother Chandler, to investigate.

Brother Rodric Chandler books by Cassandra Clarke in Order:

• Hour of the Fox (2020)
• Day of the Serpent (2021)
• Night of the Wolf (2023)

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Mayhem and Mass (book one in the Sister Lou series) by Olivia Matthews (2017-2019)

Sister Louise “Lou” LaSalle feels right at home in Briar Coast, New York. But while Sister Lou has always played by the rules, she’s about to have her faith in herself tested—by murder.

Sister Lou Mysteries by Olivia Matthews in order:

• Mayhem and Mass (2017)
• Peril and Prayer (2018)
• Alibis and Angels (2019)

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Novena for Murder (book one in the Sister Mary Helen series) by Sister Carol Anne O’Marie (1984-2006)

Sister Mary Helen, a seventy-five-year-old recently retired nun, arrives at San Francisco’s Mount St. Francis College for Women and finds herself investigating the murder of a history professor.

Sister Mary Helen books by Sister Carol Anne O’Marie in order:

• Novena for Murder
• Advent of Dying
• The Missing Madonna
• Murder in Ordinary Time
• Murder Makes a Pilgrimage
• Death Goes on Retreat
• Requiem at the Refuge
• The Corporal Works of Murder
• Murder at the Monk’s Table

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Evil Intent (book one in the Curate Callie Anson series) by Kate Charles (2005-2015)

Life in the clergy is going to be quiet, respectful, peaceful, or so Callie Anson believes when she begins her new job as curate to the Reverend Brian Stanford at All Saints’ Church in Paddington.

Little does she realize how wrong she could be. Women in the clergy are still looked down upon and there are murders to solve.

Curate Callie Anson series books by Kate Charles in order:

• Evil Intent
• Secret Sins
• Deep Waters
• False Tongues

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The Bishop and the Missing L Train (Book seven in the Bishop Blackie Ryan series by Andrew Greeley (2000-2008)

The Vatican assigns the incompetent Bishop Gus Quill to the Archdiocese of Chicago, over the protests of Sean Cardinal Cronin, Archbishop of Chicago, and Bishop Blackie Ryan. When Quill mysteriously vanishes, Blackie Ryan is forced to turn sleuth to find a man that everyone would like to see stay missing.

The Bishop Black Ryan series by Andrew M. Greeley in order:

• Virgin and Martyr (1985)
• Happy Are the Meek (1985)
• Happy Are the Clean of Heart (1986)
• Happy Are Those Who Thirst for Justice (1987)
• Happy Are the Merciful (1992)
• Happy Are the Peace Makers (1993)
• Happy Are the Poor in Spirit (1994)
• Happy Are Those Who Mourn (1995)
• Happy Are the Oppressed (1996)
• White Smoke (1996)
• The Bishop at Sea (1997)
• The Bishop and the Three Kings (1998)
• The Bishop and the Missing L Train
• The Bishop in the Old Neighborhood
• The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain
• The Bishop in the West Wing
• The Bishop Goes to the University
• The Bishop at the Lake
• The Bishop in Andulusia

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The Rosary Murders (book one in the Father Koesler mysteries) by William X. Kienzle

This series is set in Detroit and reflecting the personality of its hero, Father Robert Koesler, a diocesan priest with a penchant for sleuthing.

In The Rosary Murders, Detroit priests and nuns are being methodically murdered; all are found with a plain black rosary entwined between their fingers as a calling card.

From Ash Wednesday, when the murderer first struck, the police seem helpless to solve the string of senseless murders. The weeks that follow become a nightmare for the crack homicide team headed by Lieutenant Walter Koznicki, until Father Koesler breaks the madmen’s code.

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Mysteries Featuring Anglican Clergy (Deacons, Priests and Bishops!)

Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (book one in The Grantchester Mysteries featuring parish priest Sidney Chambers) by James Runcie.

Sidney Chambers, vicar of Grantchester and honorary canon of Ely Cathedral, is a thirty-two-year-old bachelor and an unconventional clerical detective.

Together with his friend inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney inquires into the suspect suicide of a Cambridge solicitor, a scandalous jewelry theft at a New Year’s Eve dinner party, the unexplained death of a jazz promoter’s daughter, and a shocking art forgery that puts a close friend in danger.

Granchester Mysteries by James Runcie in order:

• Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death
• Sidney Chambers and the Peril of the Night
• Sidney Chambers and the Problem of Evil
• Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins
• Sidney Chambers and the Dangers of Temptation
• Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love

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Check out my full list of books to read if you love Grantchester.

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Wicked Autumn (book one in the Max Tudor series) by G.M. Malliet (2011-2018)

Max Tudor books by G.M. Malliet in order:

• Wicked Autumn
• Fatal Winter
• Pagan Spring
• Demon Summer
• Haunted Season
• Devil’s Breath
• In Prior’s Wood

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Twelve Drummers Drumming (book one in the Father Christmas series) by C.C. Benison (2011-2013)

Father Tom Christmas is the wise, warmhearted new vicar of Thornfield Regis, a picturesque English village that seems to be a haven of peace. But appearances can be very deceiving. . . .

Father Christmas series books by C.C. Banison in order:

• Twelve Drummers Drumming
• Eleven Pipers Piping
• Ten Lords A-Leaping

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Mysteries Featuring Crime Solving Clergy Who are Rabbis

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late (book one in the Rabbi Small series) by Harry Kemelman (1964-1996)

Rabbi Small Series by Harry Kemelman in order:

• Friday the Rabbi Slept Late
• Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry
• Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home
• Monday the Rabbi Took Off
• Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red
• Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet
• Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out
• Conversations with Rabbi Small
• Someday the Rabbi Will Leave
• One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross
• The Day the Rabbi Resigned
• The Day the Rabbi Left Town

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Mysteries Featuring Detectives Who are Amish Clergy

What The Bishop Saw (book one in the Amish Bishop Mysteries) by Vannetta Chapman

A fire blazes out of control in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, leaving an elderly Amish bachelor dead. Bishop Henry Lapp rushes to the scene, and he learns the fire was no accident. Someone intended to kill Vernon Frey. But who would want to kill Vernon? Well, practically everyone!

The Amish Bishop series by Vannetta Chapman in order:

• What The Bishop Saw
• What the Bishop Needs
• Who the Bishop Knows

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Mysteries Featuring Detectives Who are Roman/Celtic Christian

Absolution by Murder (book one in the Sister Fidelma series) by Peter Tremayne

In A.D. 664, King Oswy of Northumbria has convened a synod at Whitby to hear debate between the Roman and Celtic Christian churches and decide which shall be granted primacy in his kingdom.

At stake is much more than a few disputed points of ritual; Oswy’s decision could affect the survival of either church in the Saxon kingdoms.

When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic church, is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the Roman faction.

In order to diffuse the tensions that threaten to erupt into civil war, Oswy turns to Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church (Irish and an advocate for the Brehon Court) and Brother Eadulf of the Roman church (from east Anglia and of a family of hereditary magistrates) to find the killer.

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Mysteries Featuring Crime Solving Clergy Who are Shakers

Death of a Winter Shaker (book one in the Sister Rose Callahan series) by Deborah Woodworth (1997-2004)

The Shakers, who believe in hard work, worship and nonviolence, could scarcely believe there was a dead body in their herb house.

Shaker Sister Rose Callahan, with her practical knowledge and worldly experience is assigned to find answers the sheriff refuses to consider, even if it mean discovering one of their own is the killer. But to protect a declining Shaker population, Rose must keep the sinful details hidden from the outside world.

The Sister Rose Callahan books by Deborah Woodworth in order:

• Death of a Winter Shaker
• Deadly Shaker Spring
• Sins of a Shaker Summer
• A Simple Shaker Murder
• Killing Gifts
• Dancing Dead

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If you love Mysteries Featuring Crime Solving Clergy, you pro ably also love the TV shows!

Check out this list of British shows featuring detectives who are priests and vicars. Over here in the U.S. we seem less into this concept, though does anyone remember this classic show?

I had no idea that crime solving clergy were so prevalent or so diverse in their beliefs. If I’ve missed a book, I hope you will let me know in the comments!