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What to read next if you love Dept. Q

What to read next if you love Dept. Q

18 September 2026

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If you’re anything like us, you binge-watched the entire Dept. Q series in one sitting, and have been on the hunt for a substitute show ever since. However, if you’re looking for an even more immersive experience, we recommend losing yourself in a crime novel.

The following books have similar themes to the Dept. Q series – think missing persons cases, disgruntled detectives, and a moody Edinburgh setting. They might not feature Matthew Goode, but they’re the next best thing…

Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Did you know that the Netflix show Dept. Q was based on a book? Mercy is the first in Jussi Alder-Olsen’s Department Q series, and introduces Carl Mørck, a detective in charge of a new department of unsolved crimes. His first cold case is that of Merete Lynggaard, who disappeared five years ago – much like in the show. There are some differences between the book and show (most notably, the book is set in Copenhagen), but both stories are equally gripping. If you want to delve into a slightly different plot, however, we recommend starting with the second book in the series, Disgrace.

Crime by Irvine Welsh

Like DCI Carl Morck in Dept. Q, Irvine Welsh’s novel centres on an embittered detective who is processing trauma and facing his own personal demons while trying to solve a case. In Crime – which inspired a 2021 TV series of the same name – DI Ray Lennox is shaken by a child abuse and murder case in Edinburgh, and takes a trip to Miami to try to escape. But while there, he meets another young victim and finds links between the cases.

Want to know where to start reading Irvine Welsh? Check out our article here.

The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst

In this cold case mystery, Katharina Haugen has been missing for 26 years. Every year, Chief Inspector William Wisting reviews the case and visits the husband he was never able to help. But this year, the husband has gone missing, too – and the police are convinced he is involved in another local woman’s disappearance. It’s Wisting’s job to track down the husband, but will he finally get answers to the case that has eluded him for more than two decades?

Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

Introducing Detective John Rebus: a jaded detective who smokes too much, drinks too much, and has a personal life messy enough to rival Dept. Q’s DCI Morck. In Knots and Crosses, which is also set in Edinburgh, two young girls have been abducted and murdered. A third girl has gone missing, and the detective is in a race against time to decipher the strange clues that have been left for him: knotted string and matchstick crosses. Can he work out their meaning before it’s too late?

In a Place of Darkness by Stuart MacBride

In this 2024 mystery – which we ranked one of the best detective novels of last year – a detective is hunting a serial killer who targets a new couple every two weeks. While the premise is different to the Dept. Q series, they share a macabre tone that is shot through with light humour. Plus, both focus on dogged detectives who go to extreme lengths to solve a seemingly unsolvable case.

Missing Pieces by Tim Weaver

If you were particularly moved by the brother-sister bond in Dept. Q, you’ll enjoy this book from the master of the missing persons mystery, Tim Weaver. Rebekah and her brother Jonny take a trip to the remote Crow Island but things take a turn when they are attacked. When Rebekah wakes up, Jonny has vanished. Stranded on an island with no phone, no boats and no people, Rebekah must find a way back to the mainland – and a way to stay alive. If you’re interested in more missing persons cases, we also recommend Tim Weaver’s popular David Raker series.

The Next Girl by Emiko Jean

This missing persons mystery and psychological thriller is as addictive as Dept. Q – if you don’t believe us, Stephen King himself said he “couldn’t put it down.” Detective Chelsea Calhoun is haunted by a cold case: the disappearance of her sister 20 years ago. Many girls have gone missing since, and Detective Calhoun has never been able to save them – until local teenager Ellie Black emerges from the woods, two years after her disappearance. Where has she been, and why won’t she help the police with their investigation?

The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill

As in Dept. Q, this instalment of Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler series revolves around a cold case that has been long overlooked. Teenager Harriet Lawthor went missing 16 years ago, and her disappearance was never solved. But when heavy rainfall hits the town of Lafferton, a shallow grave containing Harriet’s remains is uncovered. As cold cases aren’t a priority for his police department, DI Simon Serrailler will have to strike out on his own to solve this mystery.

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