The snow has turned to rain and without the sun there is a chill in the air. The wood stove is burning nicely. I feel the warmth as I sit in my comfortable chair pondering my next article. I think maybe a list of good detective stories. Many of the classics take place around the globe, so you can travel without leaving home.

Agatha Christie's Inspector Hercule Poirot (Belgium). Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, (London). Dashiell Hammett's P.I. Sam Spade (San Francisco). Ian Rankin's Detective John Rebus (Scotland). Tana French's Detective Cassie Maddox (Ireland). Michael Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch (Los Angeles). Robert Galbraith's (pseud. For R.K. Rowling) Detective Cormoran Strike (London).

They’re all great, but now we have one close to home: Bruce James Coffin's Detective Sergeant John Byron (Portland, ME).

Bruce Coffin is a former Detective Sergeant with more than 20 years in law enforcement. He supervised all homicide and violent crime investigations while working for Maine's largest city --- Portland. Following the terror attack of Sept. 11, he spent four years working counter-terrorism with the FBI, earning the Directors Award, the highest honor a non-agent can receive.

Coffin's Detective Byron series was first published in 2016. Although new to the mystery scene, his series has been well received by mystery fans and critics alike. “Among the Shadows” was quoted “a first rate novel both suspenseful and highly entertaining.” Of “Beneath the Depths,” it was said “only a cop turned story teller could write it.” After reading his fourth book, “Within Plain Sight,” author Douglas Preston wrote, “These books are absolutely superb and beautifully plotted. I can't recommend them enough.”

Coffin is a member of the International Thriller Writers, The Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Maine Crime Writers and Murder Books, blog.

Bruce James Coffin has been added to the I Love a Mystery Book Club's favorite Maine authors list.

Happy reading mystery lovers!

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