Looking for J. M. Dalgliesh’s books in order? Whether it’s a body discovered on the Norfolk coast, a missing teenager on the Isle of Skye, or a brutal murder on the Yorkshire moors, J. M. Dalgliesh has built a loyal readership with his addictive, atmospheric crime novels.
From the bestselling Hidden Norfolk series featuring DI Tom Janssen, to the Misty Isle mysteries starring DI Duncan McAdam and the Dark Yorkshire books following DI Nathaniel Caslin, his books have sold millions of copies worldwide and have topped book charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
Below, we’ve rounded up all of J. M. Dalgliesh’s books in publication order, including each of his hit series and his forthcoming Orkney series.
The latest title in the Misty Isle series The Missing Dead, was released in July 2026.
Here are all 16 books in J. M. Dalgliesh’s Hidden Norfolk series in order of publication:
1. One Lost Soul (2019)
When a body is found on a lonely cliff top path, the angelic face of a murdered teenager lies facing the rising sun. Strangled by the hands of an unknown killer, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his fledgling team to find out how she came to be there. Destined for a career in medicine, one to rival that of her parents, Holly Bettany’s future was as bright as it had been privileged. Seemingly, all that could threaten this promising teenager’s life was Holly herself.
2. Bury Your Past (2019)
When a violent storm uncovers the remains of an unknown young woman, long buried among the sand dunes, DI Tom Janssen must piece together fragmentary evidence to determine how she came to be there.
In the years she lay undiscovered several young women have disappeared and as the team work through the possibilities they come to an uncomfortable conclusion… is a serial killer stalking coastal Norfolk? Each missing person had a story. Each of them had enemies. Some were more dangerous than others…
3. Kill Our Sins (2020)
When the mutilated remains of a woman are retrieved by local fisherman, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to identify how she came to be in the water and what put her there. Joined on the case by his new permanent boss, DCI Tamara Greave, it remains to be proven if the woman’s death was a result of foul play or a tragic accident.
The victim carried no means of identification, was poorly dressed for the winter and horribly disfigured when pulled from the water. As the case progresses old ghosts return to haunt those living in the present. Matters thought settled a long time ago face intense scrutiny… attention that some hoped would never come to pass. When childhood friends begin to question one another, suddenly the long forgotten past comes to the fore.
4. Tell No Tales (2020)
When the body of an unidentified man is found at the foot of Sheringham cliffs with injuries inconsistent with a fall, DI Tom Janssen must piece together his final days to determine how he fell to his death… or who pushed him…
The investigation quickly reveals a network of locals with ties to the victim, but as for the man himself… he remains something of a mystery. The dead man doesn’t fit in; not with his social circle, not with his business interests and when others come looking for him, the intrigue only deepens.
5. Hear No Evil (2020)
The celebration of the Viking Festival of Scira ensures that thousands descend annually on the small coastal town of Sheringham, but when one man dies amidst the grand finale, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to identify who the victim was and how he met such a grisly end.
The victim was a local man, successful, hard working and well respected. A motive proves to be elusive. As the case progresses it becomes evident that not all is at it seems. Those within the victim’s trusted circle appear unable, or unwilling, to aid the investigation. Someone has a grudge… one strong enough to willingly send a man to his death in the most brutal, and public, manner.
6. The Dead Call (2020)
When a woman’s body is found in the sea at Blakeney Point with a single blow to the head, DI Tom Janssen and his team must work out who wanted her dead and why? What would drive someone to murder an elderly woman in such a savage and callous manner?
A formidable woman, a Watcher of the local nature reserve, who dedicated her life to preserving her natural surroundings has made many friends along the way… and even more dangerous enemies. A veteran campaigner – just how did she manage to succeed against all the odds when facing those with far greater resources than her own.
7. Kill Them Cold (2021)
When the remains of a young woman are discovered near to Branodunum, a Roman archaeological site on the Norfolk coast, DI Tom Janssen and his team must work to discover who she was and how she came to be buried there.
The area is steeped in myth and folklore, a site excavated many times over the years. Just how long has she lain there… and who wishes she’d never been discovered? As the victim’s life comes into sharp focus, it appears there is far more to those who crossed her path than anyone previously realised.
8. A Dark Sin (2021)
When a local journalist is found dead in an isolated spot on Roydon Common, lying beneath a hangman’s noose on the anniversary of a teenager’s suicide, DI Tom Janssen is asked to take on the investigation as a favour to local colleagues and must unpick the deceased man’s life to discover how he came to be there.
The dead man was working on something, a story he was keeping close to his chest and even those closest to him, loved ones and colleagues, were kept in the dark. He had his own secrets, a side to his character that he rarely showed to others unless they were unlucky. But what did he know that was so damaging as to be worth killing for?
9. To Die For (2021)
When the body of a man is found in his remote, isolated home, DI Tom Janssen and his team struggle to understand what motive there could be to murder such an inoffensive, seemingly placid local character.
The man lived alone, was well known in the community but kept his distance from others leading a haphazard way of life. What secrets did he hide in his private life that might be worth killing for?
As the team are about to understand, even the most nondescript of people can exist in a world darker than most of us will ever see…
10. Fool Me Twice (2022)
When the body of a high-profile, semi-retired barrister is found brutally murdered at his Norfolk home, DI Tom Janssen and the team must work to uncover who killed him and why.
With a glittering career, spanning several decades representing the privileged and the wealthy, behind him the focus of the investigation inevitably turns toward cases and clients past and present, but was his death linked to his work or is there another, darker and far more sinister motive at play?
11. The Raven Song (2022)
When the body of a young woman is discovered at the home she shared with her disabled daughter, DI Tom Janssen and his team must investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
The woman was a single mother, well regarded and popular among the group she frequented, but she had a chequered past… a life she kept secret from those around her… a life that may, ultimately, have led to her death. Friends, past lovers, and confidants offer conflicting descriptions of the deceased… did anyone know her at all?
12. Angel of Death (2022)
When the partial remains of a young woman are unearthed during a violent storm, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to discover her identity and what brought her there.
A man is released from prison having been the apparent victim of a miscarriage of justice and returns home to rural Norfolk. Questions are being asked, not only of the police and their flawed investigation, but also of the man himself. A loner, strange and disinterested, is he truly innocent? Convicted without a body, if he didn’t commit the murder he was sent to jail for, then where is she? Has a guilty man managed to evade justice and get away with murder or has a killer been hiding within the community all along?
13. Dead to Me (2023)
When a man’s body is discovered crammed into the boot of an abandoned car in a remote location, DI Tom Janssen and his team must unpick his life to find out how he came to be there.
The victim was a local man, popular with some although hated by others, and he had a habit of making enemies, enemies that any sane man would seek to avoid. For once, the team do not struggle to find a suspect or a motive for his murder, but with several to choose from, how can they determine who delivered the killing blows? Those who despised the man are unrepentant and as the investigation develops there seems to be more going on than a simple act of vengeance.
14. Blood Runs Cold (2023)
When a man’s dismembered body is discovered at an abandoned quarry on the north Norfolk coast, DI Tom Janssen and his team must wade through his secretive life to figure out how he met his end.
The victim was a quiet man, well respected by those who knew him, and someone often willing to help local charities with his free time. Presenting an image of himself to the world of a simple, inoffensive individual, he never allowed anyone close enough to look behind the mask. As his associations become clearer, the team realise that there are others with secrets of their own… but are they willing to kill to keep them that way?
15. Watch and Prey (2024)
When the body of a church warden is discovered hanging from the belfry of a village church, DI Tom Janssen and his team must investigate the circumstances that led to his death.
Whilst navigating the fallout from the conclusion of their previous case, the Norfolk CID team is under intense scrutiny with another police force investigating their recent conduct. Some people would like nothing more than to see the team fail. With no clear motive for murder or a reason to take his own life, the team have little to go on.
16. When Death Calls (2025)
When the body of a man is discovered face down one morning in the swimming pool of his upmarket family home, the team wonder if it is the result of a tragic accident or serious foul play.
DI Tom Janssen is currently suspended pending the outcome of the events at the close of his previous case. Using the time away from the office to consider his future, and how this will impact on his family life, Tom is invited to attend a school reunion which he reluctantly agrees to. Coming face to face with people he hasn’t seen in years leads to more than a reunion of old friendships. Some people find it hard to let go of the past while others foster long-held grudges. It isn’t long before Tom finds old feuds rekindled and scores that aim to be settled… one way or another.
17. Keep No Secrets (Coming October 2026)
When a young man’s body is discovered on a remote stretch of farmland in Norfolk, DI Tom Jannsen’s quiet morning is shattered. He is surprised to learn that the victim was a stable hand at Vale Racing – a yard steeped in tradition, where reputation and credibility are everything.
It isn’t long before Tom finds bitter rivalries hidden beneath the surface of the Vale family estate. Whispers spread that the yard’s future is at risk. And the victim’s private life – which he kept secret, even from those closest to him – begins to emerge.
Here are all seven books in J. M. Dalgliesh’s Misty Isle series in order of publication:
1. A Long Time Dead (2023)
A group of high school students gather on the Isle of Skye’s remote Coral Beach for a party to celebrate the passing of their finals. Their future beckons, promising new hope and a fresh wind of optimism.
In the coming days, many will leave the island for work or to study on the mainland, whereas others will remain on Skye and forge a more traditional path much as their families have done for centuries before them. That is, all but one…
2. The Dead Man of Storr (2024)
When the owner of a Portree gallery is found dead, lying in the snow at the foot of the Storr, DI Duncan McAdam and his small team must piece together who killed him and why. An ambitious man who liked to flirt, he had no shortage of enemies … and there are many who would willingly kill him themselves.
As Duncan reveals the long-held secrets of the man’s life, his own ghosts come back to haunt him. The course of the investigation will not only put others in danger, but Duncan himself will have to face up to his past – whether he likes it or not…
3. The Talisker Dead (2024)
A teenage boy goes missing on Burns Night. A woman’s body is found in Talisker Bay. And it’s DI Duncan McAdam’s job to find the killer before someone else turns up dead.
A closely guarded secret, lying in a shallow grave for years, is under threat of being revealed and no one seems willing to face up to their past… least of all Duncan McAdam.
He has a decision to make, one that will impact not only his life but the lives of those he cares about the most. Does he have the courage to follow his instincts? And who will he choose – the people he loves, or himself?
4. The Cuillin Dead (2024)
Life is full of choices. Death is chosen for you…
When the body of a missing tourist is discovered slain in the foothills of the Cuillin Mountain range beside Loch Coruisk, it falls to DI Duncan McAdam and his small team to discover how he came to be there and who had a motive to kill him.
The summer season is a welcome distraction following a long and challenging winter. Here, on the inner Hebridean island, long-held secrets, past crimes and burning resentment will be unveiled in the most brutal fashion.
5. A Dead Man on Staffin Beach (2025)
When the body of a celebrity author is found on Staffin beach, DI Duncan McAdam is left with a mystery to solve.
The victim had recently returned to the island to live out his remaining days, so how did he meet his end alone on the sands at dawn?
The case creates a media storm that puts Duncan in the spotlight. And he soon begins to realise just how many people have been keeping secrets on the island. Secrets that some thought – and many hoped – would never come to light.
6. Death at Neist Point (2025)
As the Skye Ball comes to an end, a group of teenagers throw caution to the wind and leap together into Portree Harbour – to mark their journey from adolescence into adulthood. Only they don’t all make it back to shore alive…
When the missing teenager’s body is discovered at Neist Point close to the famous lighthouse, DI Duncan McAdam must determine how he died.
7. The Missing Dead (2026)
D.I. Duncan McAdam is called to a cemetery to investigate a desecrated grave. The deceased was the skipper of a trawler with a chequered past. Its crew all died in mysterious circumstances – one man fell to his death; the second took his own life; the third jumped from a rocky clifftop. Only one crewman remains.
When Duncan goes to interview the skipper’s widow, he finds her house ransacked, blood on the floor, and a body in the boot of her car. He soon realises that everyone on board that trawler was hiding something – and it all leads back to one stormy night at sea years ago.
Here are all six books in J. M. Dalgliesh’s Dark Yorkshire series in order of publication:
1. Divided House (2018)
DI Nathaniel Caslin’s life is a mess. He works the minimum, abuses substances to survive the day and drinks his nights away. A once-promising career is in freefall. Investigating the death of an ex-serviceman in police custody, reveals the disappearance of a young family. No-one noticed. No-one seems to care.
In the grip of a bitter, Yorkshire winter, a family home reluctantly offers up its grisly secrets. Out on the moors, a murder scene of horrific brutality demands Caslin’s focused attention. In the search for answers, is anyone who they claim to be? Haunted by the ghosts of the past, Caslin is pushed to his limits. Will this case break him or be his path to redemption?
2. Blacklight (2018)
DI Nathaniel Caslin is in conflict with his inner demons. His career is resurgent but the greater battle, that with his addiction, is still raging… and he is losing.
An abandoned car and a desperate call to the police, lead Caslin into the heart of two families where secrets and lies are a way of life. What links the fate of an MP’s granddaughter and that of a recovering drug addict, working in the sex trade?
Past horrors and personal scandals tag with the present, as the tension mounts. Trust in those closest to him is brought into question, as Caslin pursues a deadly adversary. Lives hang in the balance and all the while, the clock is ticking…
3. The Dogs in the Street (2018)
DI Nathaniel Caslin is stable, for the first time in years. Now, he can look to the future, or so he thought. Granting a small favour to a friend, can often be anything but simple…
When the only link between two apparently random murders appears to be an aging, Catholic priest, Caslin is thrust into a world of long-buried secrets. Drawing unwanted attention from the intelligence services, he must consider if the man he once trusted above all others, is now playing by his own rules. With professional killers circling, Caslin must face uncomfortable truths about those seeking redemption. Sometimes, justice is best served from the wrong side of the law.
4. Blood Money (2018)
DI Nathaniel Caslin is spiralling toward a professional crisis. His biggest case in years has collapsed amid accusations of police intimidation. A rebuilt reputation is now facing ruin… As the extremes of nationalist hate descend upon York, a refugee is tortured to death while a straightforward case of a bankrupt’s suicide proves to be anything but simple.
How does an enigmatic campaigner with a secret to keep link these two disparate worlds? Shining a light onto corporate finance draws Caslin to those who prefer to live in the shadows.
5. Fear the Past (2019)
DI Nathaniel Caslin is heading up a specialist unit, an opportunity to make a real difference. Little does he know, decisions taken decades previously are about to threaten all that he holds dear… Gangland tensions are on the rise as an uneasy peace is fractured in spectacular fashion. Two warring factions are lining up to unseat the other. Old adversaries rekindle their passion to exact revenge whilst the next generation seek to make a name for themselves.
6. The Sixth Precept (2019)
Reluctantly agreeing to a joint investigation alongside a detective from the Drug Squad, Caslin is perplexed by the multiple homicides of a number of addicts. Poisoned by their own supply with no apparent motive, the killings appear gang related. The crime scene is filthy and forbidding with each victim having the index finger removed from their right hand after death.
A planned mutilation? A trophy? Strategically placed among the dead is a blooming pink flower, the only beauty within a dark, macabre scene. When a bank employee vanishes only to be found dead at the hands of a medieval stoning, Caslin’s team are left with a puzzle to unpick. An index finger is missing and inside the victim’s mouth, carefully placed and undamaged, are the petals of a small pink flower…
Here are the books in J. M. Dalgliesh’s upcoming Orkney series in order of publication:
1.Murder in the Cathedral (Coming January 2027)
A reverend is found dead on the alter of St Magnus cathedral in Orkney, his white robes stained in blood. Every door into the building is locked – the keys are all still inside – so how was the murder committed?
Detective Inspector Jack McNaughton is assigned to the case. He recently moved with his young family back to the Orkney islands after a botched Edinburgh police operation, so this is his chance to prove that he still has what it takes to catch a killer.
What order should I read J. M. Dalgliesh’s books in?
J. M. Dalgliesh’s books are best read by series, as each series follows a different detective and setting. The Hidden Norfolk books centre on DI Tom Janssen, the Misty Isle series follows DI Duncan McAdam, the Dark Yorkshire novels introduce DI Nathaniel Caslin, and the forthcoming Orkney series will follow Detective Inspector Jack McNaughton.
Each book features a self-contained mystery, so you don’t need to read Dalgliesh’s entire backlist in publication order. However, the characters’ personal lives, relationships and team dynamics develop across each series, so we’d recommend starting at book one of whichever series appeals to you most.
Where should I start?
If you’re completely new to J. M. Dalgliesh, we’d recommend starting with One Lost Soul, the first book in the Hidden Norfolk series. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the north Norfolk coast, it introduces DI Tom Janssen and is a brilliant entry point into Dalgliesh’s bestselling crime world.
If you’re drawn to remote island mysteries, start with A Long Time Dead, the first Misty Isle book. For darker, grittier police procedurals, begin with Divided House, the opening novel in the Dark Yorkshire series.
What should I read next?
If you’re at a loss with what to read after J. M. Dalgliesh’s addictive murder mysteries, we’d recommend authors such as LJ Ross or JD Kirk. They’re all brilliant choices for readers who love fast-paced investigations, atmospheric settings and detectives with secrets of their own.
There you have it – all of J. M. Dalgliesh’s books in order! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…
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