Police Procedural: Part 3 of 3 Editor: Carol St.Ann 
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| Hello. My name is Carol St.Ann. I joined WDC in September of 2006, and I write for this newsletter once a month. This year, 2026, I plan to focus on ideas, development, and craft. |
Greetings everyone! This will be my last Newsletter before the beginning of WDC's first annual writing season. I don't know about y'all but I've been chomping at the bit to get this puppy going. I hope to see and read many of you in these next 90 days. I imagine it's going to be beyond thrilling! I wish each and every WDC writing warrior the very best experience this can possibly be.
This Newsletter is going to be relatively short, but definitely to the point, and unlike my usual letters. This month I will provide a list of names you may or may not know.
These few authors are considered among the best of the best writers of the police procedural. If you want to write this type of book, or if you simply want another take on how people write mysteries or the police and detective characters in mysteries, consider these authors' books as the best lesson plans you could possibly hope for.
Let's get to it!
Craig Johnson, (created a personal favorite of mine, Sheriff Walt Longmire)
The Cold Dish.
Series debut: 2004
Michael Connelly,
In the Heat of the Night. Series Debut: 1965.
Chelsea Cain, Heartsick
Series Debut: 2007,
Her MC is not only in pursuit, but at the same time perused.
Ed McBain (aka: Evan Hunter), Cop Hater
Series Debut: 1956
*With over 50 novels in this series alone, McBain influenced scores of writers who followed him into the crime genre. (High praise from Google)
Tony Hillerman
The Blessing Way
Series Debut: 1970, Indigenous, Navajo reservation mystery and police work.
Faye Kellerman
The Ritual Bath
Series Debut :1986
Husband and Wife team. She's the cop; he's the brains behind more than one clue or solution.
There are so many more, as we all well know, but these few were on every single list I found of the very best of the best.
I know some of you may be looking for James Patterson. He was on a few of the lists, but he certainly was not on all of them. I'm an agreement with that assessment when compared with the men and women on this list.
While my personal favorite character out of all of these is indeed Longmire, my favorite author on this list is Ed McBain. His stories are riveting to the point of obsessive. I challenge anyone to be able to put his books down. In my opinion, he was the writer we all aspire to be.
I hope this simple little Newsletter and my choices inspire you to go out and check out these books. I think you will find hours of enjoyment within their pages. And any one of them is likely to inspire you to write the book of your dreams.
As always, I hope this has been helpful and inspiring.
See you next month.
Carol St.Ann
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Mystery: September 02, 2026 Issue [#13926]
