Tooth and nail

These series feature troubled police detectives who are melancholy, hard drinking, and mavericks who see the dark side of society. The mysteries are intricately plotted with violence and ugly crimes as major parts of each story. -- Merle Jacob

Finnish detective Kimmo Joentaa and British inspector John Rebus are thoughtful, brooding police investigators who are deeply troubled but good at their jobs. Though the Rebus mysteries have a stronger sense of place, both gritty series are menacing and bleak. -- Mike Nilsson

Set in Scotland and Australia, these dark police procedurals feature moody, hard-boiled detectives who must deal with crime and their own troubled lives. The plots are complex, violent, and action filled, yet the characters are fully rendered. -- Merle Jacob

The Varg Veum and Inspector John Rebus mysteries are dark police procedurals set in Norway and Scotland. Their policemen are tormented loners who flout the rules in their search for justice. The tension-filled stories explore the darker aspects of society. -- Merle Jacob

These series have the appeal factors bleak, strong sense of place, and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; the subjects "detectives" and "police"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."

These series have the appeal factors strong sense of place, atmospheric, and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genres "police procedurals" and "mysteries"; the subjects "detectives" and "police"; and characters that are "flawed characters" and "well-developed characters."

These series have the appeal factors bleak, strong sense of place, and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genres "police procedurals" and "mysteries"; the subjects "detectives" and "police"; and characters that are "flawed characters."

These series have the appeal factors bleak, gritty, and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genres "police procedurals" and "mysteries"; the subjects "detectives," "police," and "murder investigation"; and characters that are "flawed characters."

These series have the appeal factors bleak, gritty, and disturbing, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; the subjects "detectives," "police," and "policewomen"; and characters that are "brooding characters."

George P. Pelecanos does for the ordinary people of Washington, DC what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh's punters. Both put crime in the context of poverty and despair while unflinchingly portraying violence. Their humor runs from sardonic to gentle, lightening the atmosphere despite the grim situations. -- Katherine Johnson

Ridley Pearson and Ian Rankin both write novels with multiple, twisted storylines that converge at the end, complex characters, and well-researched details of the crimes and settings. -- Krista Biggs

Starring imperfect men seeking to solve society's problems one crime at a time, the gritty police procedurals of Nick Oldham and Ian Rankin have a similar tone as well: dark and disturbing, with a menacing threat of violence. -- Shauna Griffin

Both Denise Mina and Ian Rankin are Scottish writers of the hardboiled style, telling gritty, dark, and disturbing stories. -- Victoria Fredrick

Both William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin write dark police procedurals featuring tough police detectives with personal problems. The complex men are abrasive and consistently ignore orders but are dogged in their pursuit of justice. The bleak, violent stories highlight the dark underbelly of Scotland's cities in intricately plotted books. -- Merle Jacob

Wilson's mysteries have much in common with Rankin's. Wilson's complex and intelligent mysteries reveal the darkness at the core of even the most successful citizens, and his investigators are often isolated from their colleagues and tormented by personal problems. He employs a variety of settings, but his protagonists will attract Rankin's fans. -- Katherine Johnson

Wambaugh's cop stories go beyond the resolution of crime to look at the effects of The Job on the men and women who see too much crime and too few visible results. His genuinely confused and often sympathetic, though flawed, characters also will appeal to Rankin's readers. -- Katherine Johnson

Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin produce gripping stories of tenacious investigators with hard-living, hard-working qualities and fierce resistance to authority. Their independent heroes, whose obsession with justice comes at great personal cost, feature in police mysteries with complex plots, psychological depth, harsh realism, and a touch of wistful poetry. -- Katherine Johnson

Ian Rankin and John Harvey write gritty police procedurals (set in Edinburgh and the English midlands, respectively) featuring troubled lead detectives who must sort through personal problems as they solve intricate crimes--simultaneously dealing with unsympathetic superiors and colleagues. The complex storylines show the moral ambiguity involved in police work. -- Katherine Johnson

Minette Walters writes a blend of psychological suspense and mystery that will appeal to Ian Rankin's fans willing to go beyond the police procedural subgenre. Her plots are more convoluted, and her characters are even more disturbing than Rankin's, but the realistic portrayal of contemporary British society will please his readers. -- Katherine Johnson

Henning Mankell and Ian Rankin portray similar aging, anxious police detectives who are so committed to police work that they screen out other parts of their lives. Their landscapes feature miserable weather, and their investigations focus on horrible crimes of the dark side of modern society. Mankell's non-mystery novels may also appeal to Rankin's readers. -- Katherine Johnson

These authors' works have the appeal factors gritty, strong sense of place, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives" and "police."