Writer	Who	Where	When	How Much	Why
Macallister, Greer	Kate Warne	Chicago, IL and other locations	1850s, 1860s		Kate Warne was a real person and the first woman to work as a detective at the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The story is fiction, but it is based on the few facts known about Kate Warne.
MacDonald, John D.	Travis McGee	Florida			GG
Macdonald, Marianne	Dido Hoare	London, England	Present		Dido is antiquarian bookseller
MacDonald, Ross	Lew Archer	Los Angeles, CA	1950s, 1960s, 1970s
MacInnes, Helen		Austria	1968
MacLeod, Charlotte	Peter Shandy	Western Massachusetts	Present		Peter is faculty member at Balaclava Agricultural College
MacLeod, Charlotte	Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn	Boston, MA	Present		Author also writes as Alisa Craig
MacNeal, Susan Elia	Maggie Hope	England and Washington, D.C. USA	1941		Maggie, a British citizen but raised by an aunt in Boston after her parents were killed in an accident, is living in London and obtains a job as a typist for Winston Churchill. After she breaks a Nazi code and is kidnapped by Nazi sympathizers, her skills come to the attention of MI5 and she begins to work for them.
MacNeal, Susan Elia	Veronica Grace, daughter, and Violet Grace, mother	Los Angeles, CA	1940		Veronica finds a job as a typist for a small Los Angeles magazine, and she discovers the magazine is operated by Nazi symphathizers. She locates a group that is monitoring Nazi activity in the USA, and the organization asks Veronica to continue to work at the magazine and report what she learns, Violet obtains a job making custom clothing. She discovers the group of women she works with are Nazi symphathizers, and she reports on them. Based on a true-life mother and daughter who reported on Nazi sympathizers during WWII.
MacPherson, Rett	Tori O'Shea	New Kassel, MO	Present
Maitland, Barry	Kathy Kolla and David Brock	London, England
Malliet, G. M.	Max Tudor	Nether Monkslip, England	Present		Max is a former MI5 agent. who, after losing his partner, becomes an Anglican priest. The writing is excellent, and the descriptions are hilarious, but the plot was a bit weak.
Maney, Mabel	Jane Bond	England	Present		Jane is James Bond's sister and a lesbian PI
March, Hannah	Robert Fairfax	London, England	1760		Robert is tutor to Matthew Helmsley and must ensure Matthew stays out of trouble during his first season in London
March, Nev	James Agnihotri	Bombay, India	1892		James is the son of an Indian mother and an English father; he made a career of the army, but after being badly injured in a battle in Karachi, he becomes a detective and is hired by Adi Framji. Adi wants James to discover why his wife and sister fell to their deaths from the University's clock tower. After much investigation and close shaves, James does discover who pushed the women off the tower.
Maron, Margaret	Deborah Knott	North Carolina	Present		Deborah is attorney and judge
Maron, Margaret	Sigrid Harald	New York, NY	Present
Marsh, Kate	Karma Marx	Olympic Peninsula, WA	Present		Karma is 1/2 human and 1/2 poltergeist
Marsh, Ngaio	Roderick Alleyn	London, England	1960s
Marston, Edward	Nicholas Bracewell	England	1500s
Martin, Julia Wallis	Superintendent Rigby	Thames Valley, England	Present		depressing
Martin, Rosemary	Elizabeth (Bebe) Bennett	New York, NY	1964		Bebe, a graduate of secretarial school in Richmond, VA is now in New York and has landed her dream job as secretary to the dishy (and single) vice-president of talent at Rip City Records.
Mason, Tim	Charles Field	London, UK and Scuturi, Crimea, Ottoman Empire	1851-1869		Charles is Chief Detective Inspector of the Municipal Police. Someone is attempting to assassinate Prince Albert because the Prince wants to nominate Charles Darwin for knighthood. In the novel set in the Crimean War, the story includes discussion of how angry the doctors and military officers were about Florence Nightengale and the nurses "butting into men's business". Excellent writing although a bit much GG.
Massey, Sujata	Parveen Mistry	Bombay and Calcutta, India	1916 - 1921		Parveen is the first female solicitor in Bombay. While settling a will, she discovers that the manager appointed by the deceased man is embezzling from the man's three wives. The wives have no understanding of the outside world because they observe purdahnashin, i.e., they never leave their home, and they speak to men only through a grill.
Massey, Sujata	Rei Shimura	Tokyo, Japan	Present		Rei is former San Franciscan who is antiques dealer
Matera, Lia	Willa Jansson	San Francisco, CA	1980s		Willa's parents are old lefties, and Willa is attorney at liberal law firm; very funny commentary about both political left and right
Matetsky, Amanda	Paige Turner	New York, NY	1954		Paige is editorial assistant at Daring Detective magazine
Maxwell, A. E.	Fiddler and Fiona Flynn	Los Angeles and Napa Valley, CA	Present
Maxwell, Alyssa	Emmaline Cross	Newport, RI	1896		Emma, a Vandebilt cousin and society reporter in her hometown of Newport, RI, investigates when socialite, Virgil Monroe, mysteriously disappears from his yacht during a race.
Maxwell, Alyssa	Lady Phoebe Renshaw and Eva Huntford, Lady Phoebe's maid	Foxworth Hall, Cotswolds, UK	1921		Lady Phoebe convinces her grandparents to allow a public tour of the ancestral Foxworth Hall--because they need the money. Unfortunately, one of the guests is murdered in the library during the public tour. Lady Phoebe and Eva find out who dunnit.
May, Peter	Fin Macleod	Lewis Island, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK	1990s		Fin is ex-Edinburgh police officer, and he has returned to Lewis Island to work in security. So good I didn't want to stop reading, but very noir.
Mayor, Archer		Vermont
McCrumb, Sharon	Elizabeth McPherson and others	Scotland and southern USA	Present
McDermid, Val	Tony Hill	London, England	Present		Tony is forensic psychologist (profiler)
McElwain, Julie	Kendra Donovan	London and rural England	1815-1816		Kendra is FBI agent in 21st-Century USA; however, while visiting Aldridge Castle in England, Kendra goes into a stairwell, and when she exits, she is in 1815 England. The Duke of Aldridge (in 1815) "adopts" Kendra, and Kendra falls in love with the Duke's nephew, Alexander Morgan, Marquis of Sutcliffe. Kendra becomes friends with the Duke's goddaughter, Lady Rebecca Blackburn, and Kendra, Alec, Lady Rebecca, and Bow Street Runner Sam Kelly, become involved in solving a number of mysteries together.
McHugh, Laura	Arden Arrowood	Keokuk, IA	Present		Arden Arrowood grew up in Arrowood House, a Victorian house in Keokuk, IA that was built by her ancestors. When she was 8 years old, she was watching her twin 2-year-old sisters, and while she was distracted, they were kidnapped. Despite massive searches by law enforcement agencies, the twins were never found, and the loss destroyed the Arrowood family. The story begins when a lawyer informs Arlen she has inherited Arrowood House, and she drops out of graduate school to return to Keokuk. Many strange things happen, but Arlen eventually discovers what happened to the twins. VERY gothic, but very readable. Author also wrote novel about opiod overdoses in Blackwater, KS, but small town loyalties and secrets hinder the investigation.
McKevett, G. A. (pen name for Sonja Massie)	Savannah Reid	Seattle and Alaska	Present		Savannah and the entire Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency (of San Carmelita, CA) are thrilled when they are offered the job of protecting mystery author, Natasha Van Cleef, on a cruise to Alaska, but when Natasha and her husband sneak off the boat and die in a suspicious crash, Savannah and the rest of the agency have to discover who wanted to harm Natasha and why.
McIlvanney, William (completed by Ian Rankin)	Jack Laidlaw and Bob Lilley	Glascow, Scotland, UK	1972		Jack and Bob are members of Glascow PD. When Bobby Carter, a lawyer known to be part of Cam Colvin's crime organization is found murdered behind a pub, Jack and Bob go on alert. The pub where Bobby Carter was found was part of the territory "belonging" to a on rival gang boss, John Rhodes. Jack and Bob believe someone is trying to start a war between the two gangs. Very gritty but very good writing.
McInerny, Ralph	Father Dowling
McMillan, Ann	Narcissa Powers and Judah Daniel	Richmond, VA	1850s, 1860s		Naricissa is Civil War nurse and Judah is Africa-American healer
McShane, Mark	Norman Pink	Killyboro, Scotland	1960s		Norman is retired detective-sergeant of Birmingham, UK police force and now employee of Peerless Enquiry Agents, Ltd.
McTiernan, Dervla	Cormac Reilly, Carrie O'Halloran, Peter Fisher	Galway, Ireland	Present		Cormac, Carrie, and Peter are Garda Detectives. Excellent plot, characters, and setting--difficult to stop reading.
Mead, Tom	George Flint, Scotland Yard Inspector and Joseph Spector, conjurer and friend of Flint	London, England, UK	1936		Famous Austrian psychiatrist Ansel Rees, who has recently moved his practice to London, is found with his throat slit inside his locked study. Joseph helps his friend solve the mystery. Story includes references to several early British mystery authors.
Meier, Leslie	Lucy Stone	Tinker's Cove, ME	Present		Lucy is mother of four and part-time reporter for the Tinker's Cove Pennysaver
Melanek, Judy and T. J. Mitchell	Dr. Jesse Teska, Medical Examiner, and her beagle, Bea	San Francisco, CA	present		Jesse is called when a dead body is found in a building site in SoMa. The death appears to an accident, but Jesse's autopsy shows it was not an accident.
Mentink, Dana	Ruth Budge	Finny, CA	Present		Ruth is vermiculturist. Good, but a little too "inspirational"--publisher is a Christian publishing company.
Meredith, D. R.	Mystery Readers Club	Texas	Present
Meyers, Charles	Lucas Holt	Austin, TX	Present		Lucas is former prison chaplain; his crew is former prisoners called the "God Squad"
Meyers, Annette	Leslie Wetzen	New York, NY	Present		Leslie is Wall Street headhunter; her firm is Smith and Wetzen
Meyers, Annette	Olivia Brown	New York, NY	1920s
Meyers, Maan	Pieter and Raquel Tonneman	New York, NY	1675		Pieter is former sheriff of Dutch New Amsterdam and now businessman in English New York; Raquel, his wife, is member of Sephardic Jewish community, who settled in New Amsterdam; Maan Meyers is pen name for Annette and Martin Meyers
Michaels, Fern	The Men of the Sisterhood (Charles, Abner, Jack, Dennis, and Harry) assisted by reporters Maggie and Ted, and Avery Snowden	rural Virginia, Washington, D.C., Chula Vista, CA, Tijuana, Mexico	present		CIA Agent Allison Bannon walks away from her job and her CIA Agent husband when kidnappers steal her children for a child sex trafficking cartel and she discovers her husband is a traitor. She receives help from the Men of the Sisterhood, who—helped by an extraordinary dog—have already discovered her children after they escaped from the fake mortuary where they were being held. The Men help Allison "die" and be "buried" and move with her children to a new life. The Men also locate and capture the cartel's kingpin and his two assistants.
Miles, Margaret	Charlotte Willets	Bracebridge, MA	1700s
Millar, Margaret		Santa Barbara, CA
Mills, Kyle	Quinn Barry	Washington, DC	Present		GG
Mills, Wendy Howell	Callie McKinley	Nags Head, NC	Present		Callie manages restaurant on North Carolina's Outer Banks
Milne, A. A.		England	1922 and 1939
Minichino, Camille	Gloria Lamerino	Revere, MA	Present		Gloria is physicist; author also writes as Margaret Grace
Mitchell, Kirk	Anna Turnipseed and Emmett Parker	Las Vegas, NV	Present		Anna is FBI agent and a member of the Modoc; Emmett is BIA investigator and a member of the Comanche Nation.
Monbrun, Estelle					Murder Chez Proust
Monfredo, Miriam Grace	Glenys Tryon, Kathryn and Bronwen Llyr	Seneca Falls, NY and other	1850s
Moody, Susan	Penny Wanawaki		1980s
Morice, Anne		England
Laura Morrigan	Grace Wilde and Moss, her wolf/dog hybrid	Jacksonville, FL	present		Grace is an animal behaviorist who can communicate with animals
Mosley, Walter	Easy Rawlins	Los Angeles, CA	1960s-1970s
Moss, Tara	Ms. Billie Walker	Sydney, Australia, London, UK, and Paris, France	1947		Billie follows in her father's footsteps to operate Walker Private Enquiries in Sydney. A client hires Billie and Billie's assistant, Sam Butler, to travel to London and Paris to locate the client's husband, who disappeared while representing his advertising agency at an event in Paris. The client wants to marry again and needs either a divorce or proof of widowhood. Billie has another reason to go to Europe; her husband, war correspondent, Jack Rank, disappeared during the Siege of Warsaw. Billie and Sam find both men.
Mountain, Fiona	Natasha Blake	Snowshill, England	Present		Natasha is genealogist
Moyes, Patricia	Henry Tibbott	England and Virgin Islands
Muir, T. Frank	DCI Andy Gilchrist and DS Nancy Wilson	St. Andrews and Glasgow, Scotland, UK	present		Body parts with strange inscriptions thrown onto St. Andrews' famous golf courses involve Andy and Nancy in a frightening case. Well-written, compelling plot, but rated 5 instead of 6 because too violent.
Muller, Marcia	Sharon McCone	San Francisco, CA	Present
Murphy, Shirley Rousseau	Joe Grey and Dulcie	Molena Point, CA	Present		Joe Grey and Dulcie are cats
Murray, Donna Huston	Ginger Barnes	Philadelphia, PA	present
Myers, Amy	Auguste Didier	England and France	early 1900s		Auguste is chef
Myers, B. R.	Genevieve Timmons	London and rural England, UK	1852		Orphaned Genevieve supports herself by holding sèances and also steals jewels during her readings. When Genevieve is arrested with stolen jewels, a lawyer bails her out, and says he will represent her in court after she does a job for him. The lawyer's friend, Gareth Pemberton, is in deep grief because his intended bride died--apparently by suicide--before their wedding, and Genevieve's job is to give Gareth peace of mind. Genevieve finds that Gareth did not love his bride, and he and she discover that the bride was murdered, and who dunnit.