The Recurring Cast
Imagined crossovers · 73 featured pairings

What If They Met?

Fictional character crossovers that could work brilliantly if the writers ever cooperated: detectives, spies, soldiers and wizards from different authors who share a city, an era or a calling. How would they meet, how would they help each other, and where would they clash?

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These meetings never happen in the books: they are crossovers we would love the writers to try. For characters who really do appear in each other's stories, see the Crossover explorer. All artwork here is our own.

Artwork: Harry Bosch meets Alex Delaware
Forensics and profilers

The homicide detective and the psychologist

Both men are loners who cannot let a case go, and both care most about the victims nobody else remembers. Bosch would respect Delaware’s patience; Delaware would find Bosch a fascinating study.

1 of 73
Artwork: The Los Angeles Crossover
Crossover event · 24 characters · 10 matchups

The Los Angeles Crossover: Michael Connelly meets Jonathan Kellerman

Two of crime fiction’s great Los Angeles universes share one city, one police department and decades of the same streets, yet their characters have never met. Here is how one case could bring twelve characters from each world together: the detectives, their partners, their investigators and the people they go home to.

Explore the crossover

See every crossover at a glance

73 imagined meetings between 108 characters. Explore them as a web, on a map, or by how well each pair would get along.

Each line joins two characters who could meet. Choose a name to light up their crossovers and filter the list below, or choose a line to open that matchup.

Golden AgePrivate eyesPolice detectivesForensics and profilersSpies and actionLawmen of the WestMagic and fantasyNordic noirHarry Bosch meets Alex Delaware: The homicide detective and the psychologistJack Reacher meets Harry Bosch: Two hard men, one cityJack Reacher meets Lincoln Rhyme: The drifter and the criminalistJohn Rebus meets Karen Pirie: Old school meets cold caseCormoran Strike meets Peter Grant: The private eye and the police wizardMax Wolfe meets Tom Thorne: Two London detectives, two very different beatsSpenser meets Patrick Kenzie: Boston’s private eyesVera Stanhope meets Maxwell Ryan: Northumbria’s finestLucas Davenport meets Cork O’Connor: The city cop and the north woods sheriffV.I. Warshawski meets Harry Dresden: Chicago’s toughest investigatorsJoe Pickett meets Walt Longmire: Wyoming lawmenCarl Mørck meets Thomas Ravnsholdt: Copenhagen’s cold case menDave Robicheaux meets Tante Lulu: The bayou detective and the bayou matchmakerTemperance Brennan meets Kay Scarpetta: The forensic queensSherlock Holmes meets Hercule Poirot: The great detective meets the little grey cellsLord Peter Wimsey meets Phryne Fisher: Two aristocrats who solve crimes for funAlbert Campion meets Roderick Alleyn: The gentleman adventurer and the gentleman detectiveHercule Poirot meets Jules Maigret: The Belgian and the commissaireNero Wolfe meets Hercule Poirot: The two vainest geniuses in detectionPhilip Marlowe meets Sam Spade: The founders of the hardboiled private eyePhilip Marlowe meets Easy Rawlins: Two Los Angeles detectives, two different citiesEasy Rawlins meets Coffin Ed Johnson: Watts meets HarlemHarry Bosch meets Elvis Cole: The detective and the world’s greatest detectiveJoe Pike meets Jack Reacher: Two quiet giantsKinsey Millhone meets V.I. Warshawski: The first ladies of the private eye novelStephanie Plum meets Myron Bolitar: Jersey’s most accident-prone investigatorsWin Lockwood meets Hawk: The best friends a hero could haveSookie Stackhouse meets Harry Dresden: The telepath and the wizardPeter Grant meets Harry Dresden: Two wizards, two police forcesDave Robicheaux meets Sookie Stackhouse: Two kinds of Louisiana ghostsClaire Fraser meets Diana Bishop: The time-walkersJoe Leaphorn meets Walt Longmire: Two lawmen of the high countryCork O’Connor meets Jim Chee: The Ojibwe sheriff and the Navajo officerJack Irish meets Aaron Falk: Melbourne’s lost causesPrecious Ramotswe meets Agatha Raisin: Two very different ladies’ detectivesRichard Sharpe meets Jack Aubrey: The army and the navyHoratio Hornblower meets Jack Aubrey: Two captains, one MediterraneanLisbeth Salander meets Carl Mørck: The hacker and the cold case copHarry Hole meets Kurt Wallander: Scandinavia’s most troubled detectivesErlendur Sveinsson meets Harry Hole: The quiet Icelander and the restless NorwegianGuido Brunetti meets Salvo Montalbano: Italy’s two favourite commissariAurelio Zen meets Salvo Montalbano: The outsider and the localJames Bond meets George Smiley: The two faces of British intelligenceJack Ryan meets George Smiley: The analyst and the spymasterJackson Lamb meets Cormoran Strike: Slough House meets Denmark StreetJack Ryan meets Mitch Rapp: The thinker and the hunterGabriel Allon meets Mitch Rapp: Two agents, one targetTony Hill meets Alex Cross: The profilersLincoln Rhyme meets Temperance Brennan: The science of the deadMaura Isles meets Kay Scarpetta: The medical examinersSara Linton meets Temperance Brennan: The doctor and the anthropologistJane Tennison meets Vera Stanhope: Two women who fought their way to the topTom Thorne meets Roy Grace: The London cop and the Brighton copAlan Banks meets Andy Dalziel: Yorkshire’s finestInspector Morse meets Adam Dalgliesh: The crossword and the poemJimmy Perez meets Logan McRae: The islands and the Granite CityThomas Lynley meets Peter Grant: The earl and the apprentice wizardTom Barnaby meets Reg Wexford: Two gentle men of the county policeJohn Rebus meets Jackson Brodie: Festival seasonHamish Macbeth meets Karen Pirie: The Highland bobby and the cold case queenGandalf meets Albus Dumbledore: The two great wizardsKatniss Everdeen meets Tris Prior: Two girls who stood upHermione Granger meets Annabeth Chase: The cleverest girls in the roomPercy Jackson meets Artemis Fowl II: The demigod and the criminal mastermindHarry Bosch meets Milo Sturgis: Two LAPD homicide veteransMickey Haller meets Alex Delaware: The Lincoln Lawyer and the expert witnessRenée Ballard meets Petra Connor: Hollywood’s day shift and night shiftRachel Walling meets Alex Delaware: The profiler and the psychologistJack McEvoy meets Milo Sturgis: The reporter and the detective who hates reportersTerry McCaleb meets Moe Reed: The retired profiler and the young detectiveCisco Wojciechowski meets Aaron Fox: The investigatorsKiz Rider meets Milo Sturgis: Two survivors of LAPD politicsJerry Edgar meets Eric Stahl: The partnersHercule PoirotSherlock HolmesLord Peter WimseyJules MaigretPhryne FisherAlbert CampionRoderick AlleynNero WolfeCoffin Ed JohnsonSam SpadePatrick KenzieMyron BolitarWin LockwoodAaron FalkStephanie PlumAaron FoxCisco WojciechowskiHarry BoschJack IrishPhilip MarloweHawkSpenserElvis ColeV.I. WarshawskiKinsey MillhoneEasy RawlinsJimmy PerezVera StanhopeTom BarnabyInspector MorseJohn RebusEric StahlMilo SturgisPetra ConnorJackson BrodieMaxwell RyanJane TennisonHamish MacbethTom ThorneJack McEvoyJerry EdgarKiz RiderRenée BallardAdam DalglieshRoy GraceAlan BanksAndy DalzielReg WexfordLogan McRaeMax WolfeKaren PirieAlex CrossLincoln RhymeAlex DelawareMoe ReedSara LintonTemperance BrennanMickey HallerRachel WallingTerry McCalebKay ScarpettaMaura IslesTony HillGabriel AllonJames BondGeorge SmileyJack ReacherJackson LambJoe PikeCormoran StrikeJack RyanMitch RappJoe PickettWalt LongmireLucas DavenportJim CheeJoe LeaphornCork O’ConnorPeter GrantSookie StackhouseDiana BishopClaire FraserThomas LynleyArtemis Fowl IIAlbus DumbledoreHermione GrangerGandalfDave RobicheauxHarry DresdenAnnabeth ChasePercy JacksonKatniss EverdeenTris PriorErlendur SveinssonKurt WallanderHarry HoleCarl MørckThomas RavnsholdtLisbeth SalanderSalvo MontalbanoGuido BrunettiAurelio ZenRichard SharpeHoratio HornblowerJack AubreyPrecious RamotsweAgatha RaisinTante Lulu
  • Golden Age
  • Private eyes
  • Police detectives
  • Forensics and profilers
  • Spies and action
  • Lawmen of the West
  • Magic and fantasy
  • Nordic noir
  • Mediterranean
  • Historical adventure
  • Cosy crime

Featured crossovers

Characters from different authors whose worlds, cities or eras could bring them together: how they would meet, what each would bring and where the sparks would fly.

Artwork: Harry Bosch meets Alex Delaware
Forensics and profilers The Los Angeles Crossover

The homicide detective and the psychologist

Harry Bosch Michael Connelly meets Alex Delaware Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry8/10
Friction6/10

Both men are loners who cannot let a case go, and both care most about the victims nobody else remembers. Bosch would respect Delaware’s patience; Delaware would find Bosch a fascinating study.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A killing in the Hollywood Hills leaves a frightened child as the only witness. Detective Harry Bosch of the LAPD needs the child to talk, and the department calls in its favourite consulting psychologist, whose friend Milo Sturgis is away.
What each brings
Bosch brings a homicide detective’s dogged procedure, a feel for the city’s streets and a refusal to be told no. Delaware brings insight into what makes killers and witnesses tick, and a gift for drawing out the vulnerable.
Where they would clash
Bosch distrusts anyone who talks about feelings, and would bristle at being analysed. Delaware would worry that Bosch’s single-mindedness runs roughshod over the people he is meant to protect.
Artwork: Jack Reacher meets Harry Bosch
Spies and action

Two hard men, one city

Jack Reacher Lee Child meets Harry Bosch Michael Connelly

Chemistry7/10
Friction8/10

Both are veterans with an unbending sense of justice and little patience for politics or rank. Each would recognise the other within minutes.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Reacher passes through Los Angeles on the trail of an old army friend, and the body he finds in the hills lands on Bosch’s desk.
What each brings
Bosch knows the system and how to make it work. Reacher knows how to get answers outside it, and how to finish a fight.
Where they would clash
Bosch works inside the law, however reluctantly; Reacher answers to nobody. Bosch would spend half the case trying to keep Reacher out of handcuffs, and the other half wondering whether he should put them on him himself.
Artwork: Jack Reacher meets Lincoln Rhyme
Forensics and profilers

The drifter and the criminalist

Jack Reacher Lee Child meets Lincoln Rhyme Jeffery Deaver

Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

Two brilliant, stubborn minds who notice everything, one who thinks with evidence and one who thinks with instinct and experience.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A stranger who witnessed a deadly incident on the subway is the only lead in Rhyme’s latest case, and that stranger turns out to be Reacher.
What each brings
Rhyme can read a crime scene from a speck of dust; Reacher can read people, threats and odds in a heartbeat, and act on them.
Where they would clash
Rhyme wants everything bagged and analysed; Reacher leaves no paperwork behind. Amelia Sachs would be caught in the middle.
Artwork: John Rebus meets Karen Pirie
Police detectives

Old school meets cold case

John Rebus Ian Rankin meets Karen Pirie Val McDermid

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Two of Scotland’s great fictional detectives, both stubborn, both driven by the dead who have been forgotten.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Pirie’s Historic Cases Unit reopens a decades-old Edinburgh murder, and the retired detective whose name is all over the file has strong opinions about it.
What each brings
Rebus has a memory of every villain in Edinburgh and the contacts to match. Pirie is methodical, modern and relentless with old evidence.
Where they would clash
Rebus bends rules and rarely forgives; Pirie plays it straight and has no patience for old boys’ habits. Expect sharp words in the Oxford Bar.
Artwork: Cormoran Strike meets Peter Grant
Magic and fantasy

The private eye and the police wizard

Cormoran Strike Robert Galbraith meets Peter Grant Ben Aaronovitch

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Both are outsiders who know London intimately, and both have dry, observant humour.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A client hires Strike to investigate a death that the Met has quietly passed to a strange little unit at the Folly.
What each brings
Strike is a patient, old-fashioned investigator with a soldier’s eye. Grant is a curious, tech-savvy copper with very unusual training.
Where they would clash
Strike believes in evidence and nothing else; Grant knows there is more to London than evidence can explain. Strike would not believe a word of it, at first.
Artwork: Max Wolfe meets Tom Thorne
Police detectives

Two London detectives, two very different beats

Max Wolfe Tony Parsons meets Tom Thorne Mark Billingham

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Both are dedicated, morally serious detectives with strong ties to the people around them.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A killer working across the city links a case at West End Central with one in north London.
What each brings
Wolfe brings energy and a knowledge of central London’s streets; Thorne brings dark experience and a gift for pursuing killers others underestimate.
Where they would clash
Thorne’s habit of going it alone would test Wolfe’s sense of teamwork, and both would want the last word.
Artwork: Spenser meets Patrick Kenzie
Private eyes

Boston’s private eyes

Spenser Robert B. Parker meets Patrick Kenzie Dennis Lehane

Chemistry8/10
Friction6/10

Both are sharp-tongued Boston PIs with fierce loyalty to friends and a code of their own.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A missing persons case pulls two Boston private investigators onto the same trail through Dorchester and Back Bay.
What each brings
Spenser brings wit, cooking and the formidable Hawk. Kenzie brings neighbourhood roots, Angie Gennaro’s nerve and Bubba Rogowski.
Where they would clash
Two big personalities who both like to be the smartest man in the room, and two very different views of the city they love.
Artwork: Vera Stanhope meets Maxwell Ryan
Police detectives

Northumbria’s finest

Vera Stanhope Ann Cleeves meets Maxwell Ryan L.J. Ross

Chemistry6/10
Friction7/10

Both are dedicated to the north-east and its people, and both lead loyal, mismatched teams.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A body found on the Northumberland coast sits right on the edge of both detectives’ patches.
What each brings
Vera reads people with uncanny accuracy and never lets anyone off the hook. Ryan is methodical, determined and drawn to the history behind a crime.
Where they would clash
Vera does not share her cases or her biscuits. Ryan would find her as exhausting as he found her impressive.
Artwork: Lucas Davenport meets Cork O’Connor
Lawmen of the West

The city cop and the north woods sheriff

Lucas Davenport John Sandford meets Cork O’Connor William Kent Krueger

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Two Minnesotan investigators with very different styles who would come to respect each other.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A fugitive from Minneapolis heads for the Boundary Waters, and Davenport needs a guide who knows Tamarack County and its people.
What each brings
Davenport is a ruthless, resourceful hunter of criminals with political cunning. O’Connor knows the land, the Ojibwe communities and the long memory of the north woods.
Where they would clash
Davenport’s city swagger meets O’Connor’s quiet conscience, and they would not always agree on what justice looks like.
Artwork: V.I. Warshawski meets Harry Dresden
Magic and fantasy

Chicago’s toughest investigators

V.I. Warshawski Sara Paretsky meets Harry Dresden Jim Butcher

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Both are stubborn, wisecracking Chicago investigators who take on powerful enemies to protect the vulnerable.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A corporate fraud V.I. is investigating turns out to involve something Harry Dresden would call very much his business.
What each brings
V.I. knows the city’s money, politics and courts inside out. Harry knows its magic, and can take on threats no gun will stop.
Where they would clash
V.I. does not believe in wizards, and Harry’s habit of burning buildings down would test her patience and her insurance.
Artwork: Joe Pickett meets Walt Longmire
Lawmen of the West

Wyoming lawmen

Joe Pickett C.J. Box meets Walt Longmire Craig Johnson

Chemistry9/10
Friction3/10

Two decent, stubborn lawmen of the modern West who care about the land and the people on it.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A poaching case in the Bighorn Mountains crosses from Joe’s district into Absaroka County.
What each brings
Joe knows the backcountry, wildlife law and how to survive alone in it. Walt knows his county, has a long memory and the help of Henry Standing Bear.
Where they would clash
Joe’s dogged honesty and Walt’s laconic independence would mostly get along, but both would want to do things their own way.
Artwork: Carl Mørck meets Thomas Ravnsholdt
Nordic noir

Copenhagen’s cold case men

Carl Mørck Jussi Adler-Olsen meets Thomas Ravnsholdt Michael Katz Krefeld

Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

Two damaged Copenhagen detectives who cannot leave the past alone.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
An old missing persons file in the basement of Department Q matches a disappearance Ravn has been chasing on his own.
What each brings
Carl has Department Q’s archive and the help of Assad and Rose. Ravn has street knowledge, contacts in the underworld and nothing left to lose.
Where they would clash
Carl is lazy until he is not; Ravn is reckless. Their partnership would be explosive.
Artwork: Dave Robicheaux meets Tante Lulu
Cosy crime

The bayou detective and the bayou matchmaker

Dave Robicheaux James Lee Burke meets Tante Lulu Sandra Hill

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Both are steeped in the bayou country of south Louisiana, its food, faith and long family memories.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Tante Lulu decides that Dave needs feeding, and a talking-to, and turns up at his bait shop with a gumbo and a problem.
What each brings
Dave brings a detective’s eye and a fierce sense of justice. Tante Lulu knows everyone, everything and everybody’s business.
Where they would clash
A brooding detective and a relentless optimist with a statue of St Jude: she would never stop trying to fix him.
Artwork: Temperance Brennan meets Kay Scarpetta
Forensics and profilers

The forensic queens

Temperance Brennan Kathy Reichs meets Kay Scarpetta Patricia Cornwell

Chemistry7/10
Friction8/10

Two pioneering forensic investigators who speak for the dead with science and stubbornness.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Remains found on the border between North Carolina and Virginia bring two forensic experts to the same scene.
What each brings
Tempe reads bones and time; Kay reads the body and the scene. Together little would get past them.
Where they would clash
Both are used to being the expert in the room, and neither takes kindly to being second-guessed.
Artwork: Sherlock Holmes meets Hercule Poirot
Golden Age

The great detective meets the little grey cells

Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle meets Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie

Chemistry8/10
Friction9/10

The two most famous detectives in fiction, one in retirement and one just beginning his English career. Each would recognise a mind as sharp as his own.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A Belgian refugee with a magnificent moustache writes to the retired beekeeper of the Sussex Downs about a poisoning that the police have closed too quickly.
What each brings
Holmes reads mud, ash and tobacco; Poirot reads people, order and psychology. Between them, no clue and no lie would survive.
Where they would clash
Both are vain, both like to reveal the answer with a flourish, and only one of them can gather the suspects in the drawing room.
Artwork: Lord Peter Wimsey meets Phryne Fisher
Golden Age

Two aristocrats who solve crimes for fun

Lord Peter Wimsey Dorothy L. Sayers meets Phryne Fisher Kerry Greenwood

Chemistry9/10
Friction4/10

Both are wealthy, witty and brave, with a taste for jazz, fast cars and justice for people who cannot afford it.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Phryne returns to London for a season and finds that a friend’s sudden death has already attracted the interest of a monocled younger son of the Duke of Denver.
What each brings
Wimsey brings scholarship, Bunter’s quiet efficiency and Scotland Yard friends. Phryne brings daring, a pearl-handled pistol and no fear of anyone.
Where they would clash
Wimsey can be gallant; Phryne has no need of rescuing, and would tell him so, charmingly.
Artwork: Albert Campion meets Roderick Alleyn
Chemistry8/10
Friction3/10

Two well-bred, understated sleuths of the Golden Age who mix easily in high society and the theatre world.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
An actor collapses on opening night in a West End theatre, with Campion in the stalls and Chief Inspector Alleyn called in from the Yard.
What each brings
Campion has shadowy connections, Lugg and a talent for being underestimated. Alleyn has the full weight of Scotland Yard and a patient, methodical mind.
Where they would clash
Alleyn plays strictly by the rules; Campion would rather not explain where he was last night.
Artwork: Hercule Poirot meets Jules Maigret
Golden Age

The Belgian and the commissaire

Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie meets Jules Maigret Georges Simenon

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Two French-speaking giants of crime fiction with completely opposite methods, who would come to admire each other.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A wealthy Englishman is murdered in a Paris hotel, and Poirot, staying two floors above, offers his help to a large, silent detective from the Quai des Orfèvres.
What each brings
Poirot’s order and method meet Maigret’s patient absorption of a place and its people. One reasons, the other feels his way to the truth.
Where they would clash
Poirot cannot stand disorder; Maigret lives on beer, sandwiches and long silences. Neither would hurry for the other.
Artwork: Nero Wolfe meets Hercule Poirot
Golden Age

The two vainest geniuses in detection

Nero Wolfe Rex Stout meets Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie

Chemistry6/10
Friction9/10

Two brilliant, fastidious armchair detectives who rarely need to leave the room to solve a case.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Poirot crosses the Atlantic for a case and insists on consulting the famous Mr Wolfe, who refuses to leave his brownstone, so Archie Goodwin brings the Belgian to him.
What each brings
Wolfe has Archie’s legwork and a network of operatives; Poirot has an eye for psychology and the patience to wait for a mistake.
Where they would clash
Each believes he is the greatest detective alive. Dinner would be superb, and very tense.
Artwork: Philip Marlowe meets Sam Spade
Private eyes

The founders of the hardboiled private eye

Philip Marlowe Raymond Chandler meets Sam Spade Dashiell Hammett

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

The two great private eyes of American noir, both cynical, both honest in their own way.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A client who skipped out on Spade in San Francisco turns up in Los Angeles and hires Marlowe, and Spade drives south to collect.
What each brings
Marlowe has a knight’s sense of honour and a poet’s eye; Spade has a gambler’s nerve and no illusions at all.
Where they would clash
Spade will cut any deal that suits him; Marlowe would rather take a beating than sell out a client.
Artwork: Philip Marlowe meets Easy Rawlins
Private eyes

Two Los Angeles detectives, two different cities

Philip Marlowe Raymond Chandler meets Easy Rawlins Walter Mosley

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Both are decent men in a corrupt city, working the same years from opposite sides of its colour line.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A missing woman links a mansion in the hills to the clubs of Central Avenue, and Marlowe needs someone who can ask questions where he cannot.
What each brings
Marlowe knows the rich, the police and the gangsters. Easy knows Watts, its people and its secrets, and has Mouse at his back.
Where they would clash
Easy has learned not to trust white men with badges or licences, and Marlowe would need to earn every bit of his help.
Artwork: Easy Rawlins meets Coffin Ed Johnson
Private eyes

Watts meets Harlem

Easy Rawlins Walter Mosley meets Coffin Ed Johnson Chester Himes

Chemistry6/10
Friction7/10

Two essential voices of Black American crime fiction, from the West Coast and the East.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A man Easy is searching for has fled from Los Angeles to Harlem, where two very tough detectives already have their eyes on him.
What each brings
Easy brings patience, street sense and a gift for getting people to talk. Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones bring authority, reputation and a great deal of firepower.
Where they would clash
Easy works quietly; Coffin Ed’s methods are anything but quiet, and Easy would worry about the people caught in the crossfire.
Artwork: Harry Bosch meets Elvis Cole
Private eyes

The detective and the world’s greatest detective

Harry Bosch Michael Connelly meets Elvis Cole Robert Crais

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Two Los Angeles veterans who both live in the hills, work the same streets and care about the forgotten.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A teenager Elvis Cole has been hired to find is connected to a body Bosch is working in the Hollywood Hills.
What each brings
Bosch has the LAPD’s resources and a lifetime of homicide experience. Cole has charm, freedom from the rules and Joe Pike.
Where they would clash
Cole’s Mickey Mouse clock and jokes would drive Bosch to distraction, and Bosch’s silences would drive Cole to more jokes.
Artwork: Joe Pike meets Jack Reacher
Spies and action

Two quiet giants

Joe Pike Robert Crais meets Jack Reacher Lee Child

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Two former soldiers of very few words, with absolute loyalty to the people they protect.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Reacher is hitching across the Mojave when he crosses paths with a man in dark glasses tracking the same people he is.
What each brings
Pike brings tactical precision, weapons expertise and a network of private military contacts. Reacher brings investigative instinct and the habit of always being one move ahead.
Where they would clash
Neither likes to take orders and neither talks much, so the hardest part would be deciding who leads.
Artwork: Kinsey Millhone meets V.I. Warshawski
Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

The two women who changed the private eye novel, both independent, stubborn and funny.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A Chicago company’s fraud trail leads to a sleepy Californian coastal town, where V.I. needs a local investigator who knows every insurance file in the county.
What each brings
Kinsey is meticulous, patient and good with index cards. V.I. is fearless, political and knows how big money works.
Where they would clash
V.I. charges straight in; Kinsey prefers to have all the facts first, and both would rather work alone.
Artwork: Stephanie Plum meets Myron Bolitar
Private eyes

Jersey’s most accident-prone investigators

Stephanie Plum Janet Evanovich meets Myron Bolitar Harlan Coben

Chemistry9/10
Friction3/10

Two warm, funny New Jersey heroes surrounded by loud families and even louder friends.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A sports star Myron represents skips bail, and Trenton’s least likely bounty hunter is sent to bring him in.
What each brings
Stephanie has persistence, Lula and Ranger. Myron has a sports agent’s contacts, Esperanza and Win.
Where they would clash
Very little: they would get along famously, but cars would explode and Grandma Mazur would take a shine to Myron.
Artwork: Win Lockwood meets Hawk
Private eyes

The best friends a hero could have

Win Lockwood Harlan Coben meets Hawk Robert B. Parker

Chemistry8/10
Friction6/10

Two impeccably dressed, utterly fearless sidekicks, each the calm centre of his friend’s chaotic life.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Spenser and Myron are both away, and their two most dangerous friends find themselves protecting the same frightened witness.
What each brings
Win has a fortune, martial arts and a cold intellect. Hawk has street authority, unshakeable cool and a reputation that opens doors.
Where they would clash
Both are used to being the most dangerous man in the room. They would size each other up for a long time, with impeccable manners.
Artwork: Sookie Stackhouse meets Harry Dresden
Magic and fantasy

The telepath and the wizard

Sookie Stackhouse Charlaine Harris meets Harry Dresden Jim Butcher

Chemistry8/10
Friction4/10

Two decent people with dangerous gifts who keep finding themselves in the middle of supernatural politics.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A vampire war spills out of Chicago and into Louisiana, and the White Council sends its least diplomatic wizard to investigate.
What each brings
Sookie can hear thoughts and knows the local vampires and shifters. Harry has fire, wizardry and a stubborn refusal to back down.
Where they would clash
Harry’s magic and Sookie’s tavern would not mix well, and Harry has a habit of wrecking buildings.
Artwork: Peter Grant meets Harry Dresden
Magic and fantasy

Two wizards, two police forces

Peter Grant Ben Aaronovitch meets Harry Dresden Jim Butcher

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Two magical investigators with a wry sense of humour and a habit of working with, and around, the police.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A Chicago wizard visiting London to consult an old book stumbles into the Folly’s latest case, and the Met is not amused.
What each brings
Peter is curious, scientific and properly trained. Harry is powerful, experienced and very good in a fight.
Where they would clash
Peter asks how magic works; Harry just wants it to work. Nightingale would have views on Harry’s methods.
Artwork: Dave Robicheaux meets Sookie Stackhouse
Magic and fantasy

Two kinds of Louisiana ghosts

Dave Robicheaux James Lee Burke meets Sookie Stackhouse Charlaine Harris

Chemistry6/10
Friction6/10

Dave has always felt the presence of the dead in Louisiana, and Sookie can hear what the living are hiding.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A body found in the bayou near New Iberia shows signs that the coroner cannot explain, and a waitress from Bon Temps knows who did it.
What each brings
Dave brings a detective’s experience and a deep feel for the land and its history. Sookie brings telepathy and contacts in a world Dave half believes in.
Where they would clash
Dave is a recovering alcoholic who distrusts easy answers; vampires would test his patience and his faith.
Artwork: Claire Fraser meets Diana Bishop
Magic and fantasy

The time-walkers

Claire Fraser Diana Gabaldon meets Diana Bishop Deborah Harkness

Chemistry9/10
Friction3/10

Two brilliant, determined women who have crossed time for love, and paid for it.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A seventeenth-century manuscript in the Bodleian Library mentions standing stones in the Highlands, and Diana writes to the Scottish doctor who wrote the footnote.
What each brings
Claire is a surgeon and a healer with battlefield experience. Diana is a historian and a witch with a scholar’s patience.
Where they would clash
Claire trusts science and her own hands; Diana’s magic would fascinate and worry her in equal measure.
Artwork: Joe Leaphorn meets Walt Longmire
Lawmen of the West

Two lawmen of the high country

Joe Leaphorn Tony Hillerman meets Walt Longmire Craig Johnson

Chemistry9/10
Friction2/10

Two thoughtful, patient lawmen who respect the people and traditions of the land they police.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A Navajo man goes missing on his way to a powwow in Montana, and the retired lieutenant drives north to find him, through Walt Longmire’s county.
What each brings
Leaphorn is a master of logic and pattern, with deep knowledge of the Navajo Nation. Walt has his county, his instincts and Henry Standing Bear.
Where they would clash
Very little. They would talk slowly, think carefully and probably enjoy each other’s company enormously.
Artwork: Cork O’Connor meets Jim Chee
Lawmen of the West

The Ojibwe sheriff and the Navajo officer

Cork O’Connor William Kent Krueger meets Jim Chee Tony Hillerman

Chemistry7/10
Friction4/10

Two lawmen who live between two worlds, each with roots in his own people’s traditions and a duty to the law.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A young Ojibwe woman Cork is searching for was last seen at a trading post near Shiprock, on Officer Chee’s patch.
What each brings
Cork knows how to find people and how far a family will go to hide them. Chee is a trained tracker and a student of Navajo ceremony.
Where they would clash
Cork is an outsider here, and Chee is wary of outsiders who think they understand the reservation.
Artwork: Jack Irish meets Aaron Falk
Private eyes

Melbourne’s lost causes

Jack Irish Peter Temple meets Aaron Falk Jane Harper

Chemistry8/10
Friction4/10

Two quiet, damaged Victorians who stay with a case long after everyone else has given up.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A missing man Jack Irish is hired to find has been moving money through a country town that the AFP’s financial investigator knows all too well.
What each brings
Jack knows Melbourne’s pubs, racecourses and barristers. Falk knows how money moves and how small towns keep their secrets.
Where they would clash
Jack’s methods are informal and sometimes illegal. Falk is a federal agent who would prefer not to know.
Artwork: Precious Ramotswe meets Agatha Raisin
Cosy crime

Two very different ladies’ detectives

Precious Ramotswe Alexander McCall Smith meets Agatha Raisin M.C. Beaton

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Two warm, determined women who run their own detective agencies and solve crimes by understanding people.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Mma Ramotswe visits England for a cousin’s wedding in Carsely, and a guest dies before the cake is cut.
What each brings
Mma Ramotswe has patience, kindness and a fine sense of human nature. Agatha has energy, nerve and no shame at all about asking questions.
Where they would clash
Agatha bulldozes; Mma Ramotswe would suggest, gently, that a cup of bush tea might help everyone think.
Artwork: Richard Sharpe meets Jack Aubrey
Historical adventure

The army and the navy

Richard Sharpe Bernard Cornwell meets Jack Aubrey Patrick O'Brian

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Two of historical fiction’s greatest fighting men, one risen from the ranks and one born to the quarterdeck.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Captain Aubrey is ordered to land a cargo of gold for Wellington’s army, and the rifleman sent to guard it does not trust sailors.
What each brings
Sharpe knows land war, skirmishing and survival. Aubrey knows ships, guns and seamanship, and has Stephen Maturin’s intelligence work behind him.
Where they would clash
Sharpe distrusts gentlemen officers, and Aubrey is very much a gentleman. Harper and Killick would get along much better.
Artwork: Horatio Hornblower meets Jack Aubrey
Historical adventure

Two captains, one Mediterranean

Horatio Hornblower C. S. Forester meets Jack Aubrey Patrick O'Brian

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

The two greatest fictional captains of the Royal Navy, both brilliant, both brave, both very different men.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Two frigates arrive in Port Mahon on the same day, and their captains are ordered to share a dangerous mission along the French coast.
What each brings
Hornblower is a strategist and mathematician who plans every move. Aubrey is a born fighting seaman with an instinct for weather and battle.
Where they would clash
Hornblower is reserved and full of self-doubt; Aubrey is jovial and confident. Each would quietly believe the other was lucky.
Artwork: Lisbeth Salander meets Carl Mørck
Nordic noir

The hacker and the cold case cop

Lisbeth Salander Stieg Larsson meets Carl Mørck Jussi Adler-Olsen

Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

Two prickly outsiders who cannot let injustice stand.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A cold case in Department Q involves a Swedish company that Lisbeth Salander has been watching for years.
What each brings
Lisbeth can find anything that is hidden in a computer. Carl has patience for old files and the help of Assad and Rose.
Where they would clash
Lisbeth does not trust police, and Carl does not trust anyone. Assad would get on with her best.
Artwork: Harry Hole meets Kurt Wallander
Nordic noir

Scandinavia’s most troubled detectives

Harry Hole Jo Nesbø meets Kurt Wallander Henning Mankell

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Two brilliant, lonely, haunted detectives, each the best investigator in his country.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A killer working across Norway and Sweden leaves a trail from the Oslo docks to the ferry at Ystad.
What each brings
Harry is an intuitive hunter of serial killers. Wallander is a dogged, thorough investigator with a conscience that never rests.
Where they would clash
Both would rather work alone, and neither looks after himself. Each would see his own worst habits in the other.
Artwork: Erlendur Sveinsson meets Harry Hole
Nordic noir

The quiet Icelander and the restless Norwegian

Erlendur Sveinsson Arnaldur Indriðason meets Harry Hole Jo Nesbø

Chemistry6/10
Friction5/10

Two melancholy detectives obsessed with the missing and the dead.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A Norwegian found dead in Reykjavík was a suspect in one of Harry’s old cases, and the Oslo police send him north.
What each brings
Erlendur has endless patience and a feel for the past. Harry has intuition and a hunter’s instincts.
Where they would clash
Erlendur would find Harry reckless; Harry would find Erlendur’s silences maddening, at first.
Artwork: Guido Brunetti meets Salvo Montalbano
Mediterranean

Italy’s two favourite commissari

Guido Brunetti Donna Leon meets Salvo Montalbano Andrea Camilleri

Chemistry8/10
Friction4/10

Two humane, food-loving Italian police officers with a cynical view of the bureaucracy above them.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A Sicilian businessman is found dead in a Venetian canal, and Montalbano is sent north to help, to his deep dismay.
What each brings
Brunetti has a classical education and the formidable Signorina Elettra. Montalbano has a gift for improvisation and an ear for a lie.
Where they would clash
Montalbano would hate the cold, the fog and the food. Brunetti would wonder why Montalbano never fills in a form.
Artwork: Aurelio Zen meets Salvo Montalbano
Mediterranean

The outsider and the local

Aurelio Zen Michael Dibdin meets Salvo Montalbano Andrea Camilleri

Chemistry6/10
Friction7/10

Two clever, sceptical policemen who know how power works in Italy.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Rome posts Aurelio Zen to Sicily to investigate a killing that Montalbano is already quietly solving.
What each brings
Zen is a Venetian navigating Rome’s political games. Montalbano knows every family, every fisherman and every favour in Vigàta.
Where they would clash
Zen is an outsider sent by Rome, and Montalbano dislikes Rome on principle.
Artwork: James Bond meets George Smiley
Spies and action

The two faces of British intelligence

James Bond Ian Fleming meets George Smiley John le Carré

Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

The glamorous and the grey: two opposite visions of what a British spy is.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A defector in East Berlin will speak only to the Circus, and Smiley needs a man who can get him across the Wall.
What each brings
Bond has courage, nerve and lethal skill. Smiley has patience, memory and the ability to see a traitor in a filing cabinet.
Where they would clash
Smiley would think Bond reckless and conspicuous; Bond would think Smiley dull, until he saw him work.
Artwork: Jack Ryan meets George Smiley
Spies and action

The analyst and the spymaster

Jack Ryan Tom Clancy meets George Smiley John le Carré

Chemistry8/10
Friction4/10

Two thinkers rather than fighters, who win by working out what the other side wants.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A young CIA analyst on attachment in London is sent to ask a retired British spymaster about a Soviet officer they both know by reputation.
What each brings
Ryan brings American confidence and a talent for analysis. Smiley brings decades of experience of the Cold War’s shadows.
Where they would clash
Ryan believes in his country and his cause; Smiley has seen what such certainty costs.
Artwork: Jackson Lamb meets Cormoran Strike
Spies and action

Slough House meets Denmark Street

Jackson Lamb Mick Herron meets Cormoran Strike Robert Galbraith

Chemistry6/10
Friction9/10

Two shabby, sharp, unexpectedly decent men who are far better at their jobs than they look.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
One of Strike’s clients turns out to be a former spook, and Jackson Lamb wants to know why.
What each brings
Lamb knows every secret in the intelligence world. Strike is a patient, methodical investigator with an army investigator’s training.
Where they would clash
Lamb is rude, lazy and rarely sober. Strike would put up with exactly one insult before walking out, and Robin would have to broker a truce.
Artwork: Jack Ryan meets Mitch Rapp
Spies and action

The thinker and the hunter

Jack Ryan Tom Clancy meets Mitch Rapp Vince Flynn

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Two American heroes devoted to protecting their country, from the analyst’s desk and from the field.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A threat against the President reaches Langley, and Ryan needs someone who can act fast without asking permission.
What each brings
Ryan sees the big picture and the politics. Rapp is the CIA’s most effective counter-terrorism operative.
Where they would clash
Ryan believes in rules and oversight; Rapp believes in results. Irene Kennedy would have her hands full.
Artwork: Gabriel Allon meets Mitch Rapp
Spies and action

Two agents, one target

Gabriel Allon Daniel Silva meets Mitch Rapp Vince Flynn

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Two of the toughest operatives in modern thrillers, both dedicated to defending their countries.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Both have been tracking the same terrorist financier, and they meet face to face in a hotel corridor in Istanbul.
What each brings
Gabriel is a patient planner, an art restorer and a master of long operations. Rapp is fast, direct and relentless.
Where they would clash
Gabriel would want to wait; Rapp would want to move tonight. Each would think the other’s service was too slow.
Artwork: Tony Hill meets Alex Cross
Forensics and profilers

The profilers

Tony Hill Val McDermid meets Alex Cross James Patterson

Chemistry8/10
Friction4/10

Two clinical minds who understand killers by thinking like them, at some cost to themselves.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
At an FBI conference on serial offenders, a British psychologist and a Washington detective realise they are hunting the same killer.
What each brings
Tony has an uncanny empathy for the minds of killers. Alex brings a detective’s experience and the FBI’s resources.
Where they would clash
Alex is a family man with a firm moral compass; Tony is awkward, isolated and not always easy to trust.
Artwork: Lincoln Rhyme meets Temperance Brennan
Forensics and profilers

The science of the dead

Lincoln Rhyme Jeffery Deaver meets Temperance Brennan Kathy Reichs

Chemistry8/10
Friction6/10

Two forensic scientists who believe evidence never lies.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Bones found on a construction site in Manhattan are too old for the coroner and too strange for the police, and Rhyme sends for the best forensic anthropologist he knows.
What each brings
Rhyme reads trace evidence and crime scenes. Tempe reads bones, decay and time.
Where they would clash
Rhyme insists on being right, all the time. Tempe would not let that pass.
Artwork: Maura Isles meets Kay Scarpetta
Forensics and profilers

The medical examiners

Maura Isles Tess Gerritsen meets Kay Scarpetta Patricia Cornwell

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Two meticulous, brilliant pathologists who speak for the dead.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A body found on the Charles River falls between two jurisdictions, and both chief medical examiners claim the autopsy.
What each brings
Maura is precise, rational and calm. Kay is experienced, determined and has a lifetime of difficult cases behind her.
Where they would clash
Two queens of the morgue with very firm ideas about procedure.
Artwork: Sara Linton meets Temperance Brennan
Forensics and profilers

The doctor and the anthropologist

Sara Linton Karin Slaughter meets Temperance Brennan Kathy Reichs

Chemistry9/10
Friction3/10

Two compassionate, highly skilled women of science who refuse to let the dead go unnamed.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Remains found in the mountains on the Georgia border need both a medical examiner and a forensic anthropologist.
What each brings
Sara is a paediatrician turned medical examiner with a sharp clinical eye. Tempe reads bones like a book.
Where they would clash
Very little: they would argue about details and agree about everything that matters.
Artwork: Jane Tennison meets Vera Stanhope
Police detectives

Two women who fought their way to the top

Jane Tennison Lynda La Plante meets Vera Stanhope Ann Cleeves

Chemistry7/10
Friction8/10

Two pioneering, uncompromising women in a police force that was not built for them.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A senior Met detective is sent north to review a sensitive case, and Northumbria’s most stubborn DCI does not take kindly to being reviewed.
What each brings
Jane is a disciplined, ambitious investigator who knows how to manage a murder team. Vera reads people with uncanny accuracy.
Where they would clash
Both are proud, both dislike interference, and neither suffers fools.
Artwork: Tom Thorne meets Roy Grace
Police detectives

The London cop and the Brighton cop

Tom Thorne Mark Billingham meets Roy Grace Peter James

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Two dedicated detectives who never give up on a victim.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A killer moving between London and Brighton brings Thorne down the A23 and into Roy Grace’s incident room.
What each brings
Thorne has dark experience and an instinct for killers. Grace is thorough, methodical and an innovator in police methods.
Where they would clash
Thorne breaks rules; Grace bends them only as far as his superintendent will allow.
Artwork: Alan Banks meets Andy Dalziel
Police detectives

Yorkshire’s finest

Alan Banks Peter Robinson meets Andy Dalziel Reginald Hill

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Two great Yorkshire detectives with completely different styles.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A case that spans the Dales and Mid-Yorkshire brings the quiet DCI from Eastvale into Fat Andy’s territory.
What each brings
Banks is thoughtful, musical and good with people. Dalziel is shrewd, blunt and nobody’s fool.
Where they would clash
Dalziel would mock Banks’s music and his London past, and Banks would quietly prove him wrong.
Artwork: Inspector Morse meets Adam Dalgliesh
Police detectives

The crossword and the poem

Inspector Morse Colin Dexter meets Adam Dalgliesh P.D. James

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Two cerebral, solitary, cultured detectives with a love of poetry and music.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A visiting poet is found dead at an Oxford college, and Commander Dalgliesh of the Yard is asked to help a prickly local inspector.
What each brings
Morse has intuition and a love of puzzles. Dalgliesh has calm authority and a poet’s understanding of people.
Where they would clash
Morse resents Scotland Yard; Dalgliesh would find Morse brilliant but undisciplined. Lewis would buy the beer.
Artwork: Jimmy Perez meets Logan McRae
Police detectives

The islands and the Granite City

Jimmy Perez Ann Cleeves meets Logan McRae Stuart MacBride

Chemistry7/10
Friction4/10

Two detectives of Scotland’s far north, one quiet and thoughtful, one battered and darkly funny.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A body is found on the overnight ferry from Lerwick to Aberdeen, and both police forces claim it.
What each brings
Jimmy knows the islands and their people. Logan knows Aberdeen’s streets, its villains and how to survive his bosses.
Where they would clash
Logan’s world is chaotic and noisy; Jimmy’s is slow and careful. They would both be glad to get off the ferry.
Artwork: Thomas Lynley meets Peter Grant
Magic and fantasy

The earl and the apprentice wizard

Thomas Lynley Elizabeth George meets Peter Grant Ben Aaronovitch

Chemistry7/10
Friction5/10

Two officers of the Metropolitan Police from opposite ends of society, with the same dedication to the truth.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A death at a Belgravia party baffles Lynley and Havers, and the Met quietly suggests they call the Folly.
What each brings
Lynley has breeding, intelligence and Barbara Havers. Peter has curiosity, magic and a copper’s instincts.
Where they would clash
Lynley is a sceptic of the highest order; Peter would enjoy proving him wrong.
Artwork: Tom Barnaby meets Reg Wexford
Police detectives

Two gentle men of the county police

Tom Barnaby Caroline Graham meets Reg Wexford Ruth Rendell

Chemistry9/10
Friction2/10

Two humane, cultured chief inspectors who see the darkness under England’s prettiest villages.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A village fete straddles the county line between Midsomer and Kingsmarkham, and so does the body found behind the tea tent.
What each brings
Barnaby is patient, sceptical and kind. Wexford is well read, liberal and an acute observer of social change.
Where they would clash
None to speak of, except whose sergeant does the legwork.
Artwork: John Rebus meets Jackson Brodie
Police detectives

Festival season

John Rebus Ian Rankin meets Jackson Brodie Kate Atkinson

Chemistry7/10
Friction6/10

Two big-hearted, troubled, music-loving men who keep stumbling into other people’s tragedies.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
During the Edinburgh Festival, a road rage incident Jackson Brodie witnesses leads to a body, and the local DI has questions.
What each brings
Rebus knows Edinburgh’s underworld. Brodie is a former soldier and policeman with a talent for finding the missing.
Where they would clash
Brodie is an outsider who keeps turning up where he should not, and Rebus does not like coincidences.
Artwork: Hamish Macbeth meets Karen Pirie
Police detectives

The Highland bobby and the cold case queen

Hamish Macbeth M.C. Beaton meets Karen Pirie Val McDermid

Chemistry8/10
Friction3/10

Two Scottish police officers who care more about justice than promotion.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A decades-old disappearance points to Lochdubh, and Karen Pirie needs the local constable who knows everyone.
What each brings
Hamish knows every croft, poacher and gossip in Sutherland. Karen is relentless with old evidence and modern science.
Where they would clash
Hamish is in no hurry; Karen is always in a hurry. His dog would win her over.
Artwork: Gandalf meets Albus Dumbledore
Magic and fantasy

The two great wizards

Gandalf J. R. R. Tolkien meets Albus Dumbledore J. K. Rowling

Chemistry9/10
Friction3/10

Two wise, kind and quietly powerful mentors who guide young heroes against great darkness.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A door at the back of the Room of Requirement opens onto a road in the Shire, and an old man in grey is waiting with a pipe.
What each brings
Gandalf has ancient power and long patience. Dumbledore has deep knowledge of magic and of the human heart.
Where they would clash
Both keep secrets from the people they protect, and each might question the other’s choices.
Artwork: Katniss Everdeen meets Tris Prior
Magic and fantasy

Two girls who stood up

Katniss Everdeen Suzanne Collins meets Tris Prior Veronica Roth

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Two young women who refused to accept the rules of an unjust society.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A train out of the ruins of Chicago reaches the borders of Panem.
What each brings
Katniss is a hunter and archer with a survivor’s instincts. Tris is brave, selfless and hard to categorise.
Where they would clash
Katniss distrusts everyone; Tris is quick to take risks. Both would need time to trust each other.
Artwork: Hermione Granger meets Annabeth Chase
Magic and fantasy

The cleverest girls in the room

Hermione Granger J. K. Rowling meets Annabeth Chase Rick Riordan

Chemistry9/10
Friction5/10

Two brilliant, loyal and determined young women who are always prepared.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
On a school trip to the British Museum’s Greek galleries, a statue moves, and two girls are the only ones who notice.
What each brings
Hermione knows every spell and every book. Annabeth knows architecture, strategy and Greek myth.
Where they would clash
Both are used to being right, and both would want to make the plan.
Artwork: Percy Jackson meets Artemis Fowl II
Magic and fantasy

The demigod and the criminal mastermind

Percy Jackson Rick Riordan meets Artemis Fowl II Eoin Colfer

Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

Two teenage heroes with very different ideas about what heroism means.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Artemis plans to steal something from a Greek god, and Percy is sent to Ireland to stop him.
What each brings
Percy has power over water, courage and loyal friends. Artemis has genius, money and Butler.
Where they would clash
Percy acts first and thinks later; Artemis plans everything, and both would find the other very annoying.
Artwork: Harry Bosch meets Milo Sturgis
Police detectives The Los Angeles Crossover

Two LAPD homicide veterans

Harry Bosch Michael Connelly meets Milo Sturgis Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry8/10
Friction6/10

Two of the most experienced homicide detectives in Los Angeles fiction, both outsiders in their own department, both relentless.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A cold case Bosch reopens turns out to share a signature with an unsolved killing on Milo’s patch in West LA, and the department pairs them up to stop two egos from working the same suspect.
What each brings
Bosch has the cold case files and a nose for the overlooked. Milo has bulk, wit, political survival skills and a psychologist on speed dial.
Where they would clash
Both are used to running their own cases. Milo would tease; Bosch would not laugh; Delaware would end up refereeing over a very large lunch.
Artwork: Mickey Haller meets Alex Delaware
Forensics and profilers The Los Angeles Crossover

The Lincoln Lawyer and the expert witness

Mickey Haller Michael Connelly meets Alex Delaware Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry6/10
Friction9/10

Two clever professionals who read people for a living, from opposite sides of the courtroom.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Mickey Haller’s client says he is innocent, and the prosecution’s star witness is a child Alex Delaware has been treating. Haller needs to know whether to trust the psychologist, or take him apart on the stand.
What each brings
Haller knows juries, deals and the weak points in any case. Delaware knows when someone is lying, and why.
Where they would clash
Delaware protects the vulnerable; Haller protects his client. In cross-examination, the sparks would fly.
Artwork: Renée Ballard meets Petra Connor
Police detectives The Los Angeles Crossover

Hollywood’s day shift and night shift

Renée Ballard Michael Connelly meets Petra Connor Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry8/10
Friction6/10

Two tough, independent women detectives working the same Hollywood streets and fighting the same department.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A body found at dawn starts on Ballard’s late show and ends on Petra Connor’s homicide desk, and neither is willing to hand it over.
What each brings
Ballard knows the city at night and refuses to let a case go when her shift ends. Petra is methodical, artistic and unflinching.
Where they would clash
Ballard does not like handing over her cases; Petra does not like people working hers.
Artwork: Rachel Walling meets Alex Delaware
Forensics and profilers The Los Angeles Crossover

The profiler and the psychologist

Rachel Walling Michael Connelly meets Alex Delaware Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry7/10
Friction7/10

Two experts in the minds of dangerous people, one trained by the Bureau and one in the clinic.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
The FBI sends Agent Walling to Los Angeles when a series of letters to the police echoes a case she once worked, and the LAPD’s psychologist has already written his own profile.
What each brings
Walling has the FBI’s resources and experience of the worst offenders. Delaware has deep clinical insight and the trust of the LAPD.
Where they would clash
Each would think the other’s profile was wrong in one crucial detail.
Artwork: Jack McEvoy meets Milo Sturgis
Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

Both are stubborn investigators who smell a pattern long before anyone else will admit it.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Jack McEvoy is chasing a story about a string of deaths that the police say are unrelated, and the detective on the latest case is Milo Sturgis, who would rather talk to anyone than a journalist.
What each brings
Jack has sources, persistence and the power of the press. Milo has the badge, the files and the authority to act.
Where they would clash
Milo distrusts the press on principle, and Jack has a habit of printing things before the police are ready.
Artwork: Terry McCaleb meets Moe Reed
Forensics and profilers The Los Angeles Crossover

The retired profiler and the young detective

Terry McCaleb Michael Connelly meets Moe Reed Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry8/10
Friction4/10

An experienced investigator who cannot quite retire, and a young detective learning how to read a case.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
A missing woman’s car is found at the ferry terminal in Long Beach, and young Detective Moe Reed takes the boat to Catalina to ask the former FBI profiler who lives there for help.
What each brings
McCaleb brings a profiler’s insight and the patience of a man who lives by the sea. Reed brings energy, discipline and Milo Sturgis’s training.
Where they would clash
Reed follows procedure; McCaleb follows instinct, and has nothing to lose by bending the rules.
Artwork: Cisco Wojciechowski meets Aaron Fox
Private eyes The Los Angeles Crossover

The investigators

Cisco Wojciechowski Michael Connelly meets Aaron Fox Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry6/10
Friction8/10

Two private investigators who know Los Angeles from the street up, working for clients who want very different answers.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
Cisco is working for the defence and Aaron Fox for the victims’ family, and both turn up at the same witness’s door on the same morning.
What each brings
Cisco is a former biker with contacts in every corner of the city. Aaron is polished, expensive and quietly ruthless about the truth.
Where they would clash
They want the same witness for opposite reasons, and neither likes to come second.
Artwork: Kiz Rider meets Milo Sturgis
Police detectives The Los Angeles Crossover

Two survivors of LAPD politics

Kiz Rider Michael Connelly meets Milo Sturgis Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry8/10
Friction5/10

Both have learned to work a department that has not always welcomed them, and both put the case first.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
The chief’s office wants the case split up, and the only people who can stop it are a former Hollywood detective who rose through the ranks and the West LA lieutenant who knows where the bodies are buried.
What each brings
Kiz has rank, polish and the ear of the chief. Milo has decades of results and a reputation nobody wants to test.
Where they would clash
Kiz plays the long game; Milo prefers to lean on a door until it opens.
Artwork: Jerry Edgar meets Eric Stahl
Police detectives The Los Angeles Crossover

The partners

Jerry Edgar Michael Connelly meets Eric Stahl Jonathan Kellerman

Chemistry8/10
Friction2/10

Two partners of brilliant, difficult detectives, who know exactly what that takes.

How they would meet, and where they would clash
How they might meet
While Bosch and Petra argue over who owns the case, their partners quietly compare notes over coffee and solve half of it.
What each brings
Jerry knows Hollywood’s people and how to keep a case moving. Eric is precise, private and misses nothing.
Where they would clash
Very little, which is exactly why they would get things done.

Build your own matchup

Choose any two characters with a profile and see how they compare: strengths, chemistry, friction and whether their books were ever in print together.

More possible meetings

Found automatically: recurring characters from different authors whose books are set in the same real city during overlapping years. Vote for the ones you would most like to see.

London

Los Angeles

  • Milo Sturgis (Jonathan Kellerman) and Peter Decker (Faye Kellerman)Both active in Los Angeles between 1986 and 2022
  • Harry Bosch (Michael Connelly) and Peter Decker (Faye Kellerman)Both active in Los Angeles between 1992 and 2022
  • Milo Sturgis (Jonathan Kellerman) and Elvis Cole (Robert Crais)Both active in Los Angeles between 1987 and 2025
  • Harry Bosch (Michael Connelly) and Joe Pike (Robert Crais)Both active in Los Angeles between 1992 and 2025

Washington, D.C.

  • Alex Cross (James Patterson) and Mitch Rapp (Vince Flynn)Both active in Washington, D.C. between 1999 and 2026
  • Alex Cross (James Patterson) and Jack Ryan (Tom Clancy)Both active in Washington, D.C. between 1993 and 2013
  • Irene Kennedy (Vince Flynn) and Jack Ryan (Tom Clancy)Both active in Washington, D.C. between 1999 and 2013
  • John Sampson (James Patterson) and Mitch Rapp (Kyle Mills)Both active in Washington, D.C. between 2015 and 2022

San Francisco

New York

Boston

Atlanta

  • Joe Quinn (Iris Johansen) and Will Trent (Karin Slaughter)Both active in Atlanta between 2006 and 2011
  • Joe Quinn (Iris Johansen) and Kate Daniels (Ilona Andrews)Both active in Atlanta between 2007 and 2011
  • Will Trent (Karin Slaughter) and Kate Daniels (Ilona Andrews)Both active in Atlanta between 2007 and 2018
  • Amanda Wagner (Karin Slaughter) and Simon Spier (Becky Albertalli)Both active in Atlanta between 2015 and 2020

Copenhagen

Dublin

Seattle

Edinburgh

Melbourne

Stockholm

Reykjavík

Chicago

Newcastle upon Tyne

Oslo

Toronto

Minneapolis

Galway

Glasgow

Suggest a crossover

Which two characters from different authors should meet? Tell us who, and why.