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Val McDermid Books in Order

Find every Val McDermid book in order, including standalone titles and complete series reading orders with publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 79 books / 15 series

Scottish author Val McDermid is best known for the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan crime series, as well as the standalone psychological thriller *The Mermaids Singing*. Her books have sold over 17 million copies worldwide and won multiple awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger. This page lists Val McDermid’s books in order, including both chronological publication and series reading order.

All Val McDermid Books in Chronological Order

1987 Report For Murder POoLGB / 1 Buy
1989 Common Murder POoLGB / 2 Buy
1991 Final Edition / Open and Shut / Deadline for Murder POoLGB / 3 Buy
1992 Dead Beat POoKBB / 1 Buy
1993 Kick Back POoKBB / 2 Buy
1993 Union Jack / Conferences Are Murder POoLGB / 4 Buy
1994 A Suitable Job for a Woman POoNB / 1 Buy
1994 Crack Down POoKBB / 3 Buy
1995 The Mermaids Singing POoTHJB / 1 Buy
1995 Clean Break POoKBB / 4 Buy
1996 Blue Genes POoKBB / 5 Buy
1996 Booked For Murder POoLGB / 5 Buy
1997 Writing on the Wall and Other Stories POoSSC / 1 Buy
1997 The Wire In The Blood POoTHJB / 2 Buy
1997 Final Edition(With: V.L. McDermid) POoLGB / 6 Buy
1998 Star Struck POoKBB / 6 Buy
1999 A Place of Execution POoSN / 1 Buy
2000 Killing the Shadows POoSN / 2 Buy
2002 The Last Temptation POoTHJB / 3 Buy
2003 The Distant Echo POoIKPB / 1 Buy
2003 Hostage To Murder POoLGB / 7 Buy
2004 Stranded POoSSC / 2 Buy
2004 The Torment of Others POoTHJB / 4 Buy
2006 Cleanskin POoSS / 1 Buy
2006 The Grave Tattoo POoSN / 3 Buy
2007 Beneath the Bleeding POoTHJB / 5 Buy
2008 A Darker Domain POoIKPB / 2 Buy
2008 Happy Holidays POoSS / 2 Buy
2009 Fever of the Bone POoTHJB / 6 Buy
2010 Life's Too Short POoSS / 3 Buy
2010 Trick of the Dark POoSN / 4 Buy
2011 The Retribution POoTHJB / 7 Buy
2012 My Granny Is a Pirate POoPB / 1 Buy
2012 The Vanishing Point POoSN / 5 Buy
2013 Sense & Sensibility(By: Joanna Trollope) POoAPB / 1 Buy
2013 Cross and Burn POoTHJB / 8 Buy
2014 Northanger Abbey POoAPB / 2 Buy
2014 Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime POoNB / 2 Buy
2014 Emma(By: Alexander McCall Smith) POoAPB / 3 Buy
2014 The Skeleton Road POoIKPB / 3 Buy
2015 Splinter the Silence POoTHJB / 9 Buy
2016 Murder under the Christmas Tree POoMCSB / 1 Buy
2016 Eligible(By: Curtis Sittenfeld) POoAPB / 4 Buy
2016 Out of Bounds POoIKPB / 4 Buy
2017 Honor & ...(By: C.J. Box,Sandra Brown) POoTMCB / 1 Buy
2017 Murder on Christmas Eve POoMCSB / 2 Buy
2017 Deserves to Be Dead(By: John Sandford,Lisa Jackson) POoTMCB / 2 Buy
2017 Getaway(By: Lisa Scottoline,Nelson DeMille) POoTMCB / 3 Buy
2017 Insidious Intent POoTHJB / 10 Buy
2018 A Very Murderous Christmas POoMCSB / 3 Buy
2018 Midnight Flame(By: Christopher Rice,Lara Adrian) POoTMCB / 4 Buy
2018 Broken Ground POoIKPB / 5 Buy
2019 My Scotland POoNB / 3 Buy
2019 Murder at Christmas POoMCSB / 4 Buy
2019 Short Story(By: Karin Slaughter,Michael Koryta) POoTMCB / 5 Buy
2019 Past Prologue(By: Diana Gabaldon,Steve Berry) POoTMCB / 6 Buy
2019 Faking a Murderer(By: Lee Child,Kathy Reichs) POoTMCB / 7 Buy
2019 Dig Here(By: Charlaine Harris,Andrew Gross) POoTMCB / 8 Buy
2019 Taking the Veil(By: J.A. Jance,Eric Van Lustbader) POoTMCB / 9 Buy
2019 Rambo on Their Minds(By: Gayle Lynds,David Morrell) POoTMCB / 10 Buy
2019 Footloose(With: Peter James) POoTHJB / 11 Buy
2019 How the Dead Speak POoTHJB / 12 Buy
2020 Christmas is Murder POoSSC / 3 Buy
2020 Murder in Midwinter POoMCSB / 5 Buy
2020 Still Life POoIKPB / 6 Buy
2021 Resistance POoGN / 1 Buy
2021 Rizzio(By: Denise Mina) POoDTB / 1 Buy
2021 1979 POoABB / 1 Buy
2021 Murder on a Winter's Night POoMCSB / 6 Buy
2022 1989 POoABB / 2 Buy
2022 Hex(By: Jenni Fagan) POoDTB / 2 Buy
2022 Murder in the Falling Snow POoMCSB / 7 Buy
2023 Nothing Left to Fear From Hell(By: Alan Warner) POoDTB / 3 Buy
2023 Columba's Bones(By: David Greig) POoDTB / 4 Buy
2023 Past Lying POoIKPB / 7 Buy
2024 Queen Macbeth POoDTB / 6 Buy
2025 Benbecula(By: Graeme Macrae Burnet) POoDTB / 7 Buy
2025 Silent Bones POoIKPB / 8 Buy
2026 Winter: The Story of a Season POoNB / 4 Buy

Val McDermid Book Series Reading Orders / browse all ->

Standalone Books in Reading Order 5 books / 1999-2012
01 A Place of Execution 1999 Buy
02 Killing the Shadows 2000 Buy
03 The Grave Tattoo 2006 Buy
04 Trick of the Dark 2010 Buy
05 The Vanishing Point 2012 Buy
01 Cleanskin 2006 Buy
02 Happy Holidays 2008 Buy
03 Life's Too Short 2010 Buy
01 A Suitable Job for a Woman 1994 Buy
02 Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime 2014 Buy
03 My Scotland 2019 Buy
04 Winter: The Story of a Season 2026 Buy
01 My Granny Is a Pirate 2012 Buy
01 The Distant Echo 2003 Buy
02 A Darker Domain 2008 Buy
03 The Skeleton Road 2014 Buy
04 Out of Bounds 2016 Buy
05 Broken Ground 2018 Buy
06 Still Life 2020 Buy
07 Past Lying 2023 Buy
08 Silent Bones 2025 Buy
01 The Mermaids Singing 1995 Buy
02 The Wire In The Blood 1997 Buy
03 The Last Temptation 2002 Buy
04 The Torment of Others 2004 Buy
05 Beneath the Bleeding 2007 Buy
06 Fever of the Bone 2009 Buy
07 The Retribution 2011 Buy
08 Cross and Burn 2013 Buy
09 Splinter the Silence 2015 Buy
10 Insidious Intent 2017 Buy
11 Footloose(With: Peter James) 2019 Buy
12 How the Dead Speak 2019 Buy
01 Rizzio(By: Denise Mina) 2021 Buy
02 Hex(By: Jenni Fagan) 2022 Buy
03 Nothing Left to Fear From Hell(By: Alan Warner) 2023 Buy
04 Columba's Bones(By: David Greig) 2023 Buy
06 Queen Macbeth 2024 Buy
07 Benbecula(By: Graeme Macrae Burnet) 2025 Buy
01 Resistance 2021 Buy
01 Honor & ...(By: C.J. Box,Sandra Brown) 2017 Buy
02 Deserves to Be Dead(By: John Sandford,Lisa Jackson) 2017 Buy
03 Getaway(By: Lisa Scottoline,Nelson DeMille) 2017 Buy
04 Midnight Flame(By: Christopher Rice,Lara Adrian) 2018 Buy
05 Short Story(By: Karin Slaughter,Michael Koryta) 2019 Buy
06 Past Prologue(By: Diana Gabaldon,Steve Berry) 2019 Buy
07 Faking a Murderer(By: Lee Child,Kathy Reichs) 2019 Buy
08 Dig Here(By: Charlaine Harris,Andrew Gross) 2019 Buy
09 Taking the Veil(By: J.A. Jance,Eric Van Lustbader) 2019 Buy
10 Rambo on Their Minds(By: Gayle Lynds,David Morrell) 2019 Buy
01 Sense & Sensibility(By: Joanna Trollope) 2013 Buy
02 Northanger Abbey 2014 Buy
03 Emma(By: Alexander McCall Smith) 2014 Buy
04 Eligible(By: Curtis Sittenfeld) 2016 Buy
01 Report For Murder 1987 Buy
02 Common Murder 1989 Buy
03 Final Edition / Open and Shut / Deadline for Murder 1991 Buy
04 Union Jack / Conferences Are Murder 1993 Buy
05 Booked For Murder 1996 Buy
06 Final Edition(With: V.L. McDermid) 1997 Buy
07 Hostage To Murder 2003 Buy
01 Murder under the Christmas Tree 2016 Buy
02 Murder on Christmas Eve 2017 Buy
03 A Very Murderous Christmas 2018 Buy
04 Murder at Christmas 2019 Buy
05 Murder in Midwinter 2020 Buy
06 Murder on a Winter's Night 2021 Buy
07 Murder in the Falling Snow 2022 Buy
01 1979 2021 Buy
02 1989 2022 Buy
01 Writing on the Wall and Other Stories 1997 Buy
02 Stranded 2004 Buy
03 Christmas is Murder 2020 Buy
01 Dead Beat 1992 Buy
02 Kick Back 1993 Buy
03 Crack Down 1994 Buy
04 Clean Break 1995 Buy
05 Blue Genes 1996 Buy
06 Star Struck 1998 Buy

Where to start with Val McDermid

What is the best order to read Val McDermid books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

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Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.