Introduction

Most readers of crime fiction¹ have ‘followed’ a series: many have also at some point abandoned that series, in all likelihood to begin reading another. In print form, public library shelves provide an ever-increasing selection of serial crime novels originally written in a range of languages, made available through what is probably the busiest sector of literary translation. A glance at any television programming guide will quickly reveal that crime series in all their denominations—from private eye fiction to police procedurals,² from whodunit to hardboiled narratives³—dominate the small screen.