Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour |
2017 |
Buy |
Craig Hunter Police Thriller Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Missing |
2016 |
Buy |
| Hunted |
2017 |
Buy |
| The Black Isle |
2019 |
Buy |
Cullen & Bain Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| City of the Dead |
2020 |
Buy |
| World’s End |
2020 |
Buy |
| Hell’s Kitchen |
2020 |
Buy |
| Gore Glen |
2020 |
Buy |
| Dead in the Water |
2021 |
Buy |
| The Last Drop |
2021 |
Buy |
| The Broken Line |
2026 |
Buy |
DI Fenchurch Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Hope That Kills |
2016 |
Buy |
| Worth Killing For |
2016 |
Buy |
| What Doesn’t Kill You |
2017 |
Buy |
| In for the Kill |
2018 |
Buy |
| Kill with Kindness |
2018 |
Buy |
| Kill the Messenger |
2019 |
Buy |
| Dead Man’s Shoes |
2020 |
Buy |
| A Hill to Die On |
2021 |
Buy |
| The Last Thing to Die |
2022 |
Buy |
| New York Minute |
2023 |
Buy |
DI Rob Marshall Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Turning of our Bones |
2023 |
Buy |
| Where the Bodies Lie |
2023 |
Buy |
| A Lonely Place of Dying |
2023 |
Buy |
| A Shadow on the Door |
2023 |
Buy |
| With Soul So Dead |
2024 |
Buy |
| His Path of Darkness |
2024 |
Buy |
| Fear of Any Kind |
2025 |
Buy |
| Our Debts to the Past |
2025 |
Buy |
| Cuts Both Ways |
2025 |
Buy |
DS Vicky Dodds/Dundee Law Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Blood and Guts |
2015 |
Buy |
| Tooth and Claw / Snared |
2015 |
Buy |
| Flesh and Blood |
2020 |
Buy |
| Skin and Bone |
2021 |
Buy |
| Guilt Trip |
2022 |
Buy |
Detective Max Carter Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Tell Me Lies |
2020 |
Buy |
| Gone in Seconds |
2020 |
Buy |
| Before She Wakes |
2021 |
Buy |
Police Scotland Edinburgh Crime Thrillers Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Ghost in the Machine |
2012 |
Buy |
| Devil in the Detail |
2012 |
Buy |
| Fire in the Blood |
2013 |
Buy |
| Dyed in the Wool / Stab in the Dark |
2013 |
Buy |
| Bottleneck / Cops and Robbers |
2014 |
Buy |
| Windchill / Liars and Thieves |
2014 |
Buy |
| Cowboys and Indians |
2015 |
Buy |
| Missing |
2016 |
Buy |
| Hunted |
2017 |
Buy |
| Heroes and Villains |
2018 |
Buy |
| City of the Dead |
2020 |
Buy |
| World’s End |
2020 |
Buy |
| Hell’s Kitchen |
2020 |
Buy |
| Gore Glen |
2020 |
Buy |
| Dead in the Water |
2021 |
Buy |
| The Last Drop |
2021 |
Buy |
| The Broken Line |
2026 |
Buy |
| Dead in the Waterserves as a prequel to the series.The Cold TruthandThe Dead Endare omnibus editions, with each included book listed separately. |
- |
N/A |
Rakesh Siyal Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| False Start |
2022 |
Buy |
| False Dawn |
2024 |
Buy |
Scott Cullen Mysteries Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Ghost in the Machine |
2012 |
Buy |
| Devil in the Detail |
2012 |
Buy |
| Fire in the Blood |
2013 |
Buy |
| Dyed in the Wool / Stab in the Dark |
2013 |
Buy |
| Stab In The Dark |
2013 |
N/A |
| Bottleneck / Cops and Robbers |
2014 |
Buy |
| Cops and Robbers |
2014 |
N/A |
| Liars and Thieves |
2014 |
N/A |
| Windchill / Liars and Thieves |
2014 |
Buy |
| Cowboys and Indians |
2015 |
Buy |
| Heroes and Villains |
2018 |
Buy |
| Dyed in the Wool |
2013 |
Buy |
| Bottleneck |
2014 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Shot Through the Heart |
2013 |
Buy |
| Senseless |
2020 |
Buy |
| Lost Cause |
2022 |
Buy |
Ed James began publishing crime fiction in 2012 with Ghost in the Machine, introducing Detective Constable Scott Cullen of Police Scotland. The Edinburgh-based mysteries found a loyal audience, and James continued building out the series through thirteen books, also weaving Craig Hunter and the Cullen & Bain pairing into the same shared fictional world.
His DI Simon Fenchurch series, set in London and running to ten books, takes a grittier approach, with a detective whose personal life is frequently entangled with the cases he works. James also writes DS Vicky Dodds, a Dundee-based detective whose five books have been published under the Dundee Law label. More recent additions include the DI Rob Marshall series and the Rakesh Siyal books.
Across all his work, James writes fast-paced procedurals with a focus on character relationships and institutional politics within the police. His output has been prolific, running to 74 books published between 2012 and 2026, making him one of the more productive writers in British crime fiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Ed James written?
Ed James has written 74 books across eleven series.
What was Ed James's first book?
Ed James’s first book is Devil in the Detail, published in 2012.
Which Ed James series should I read first?
Most readers start with the Scott Cullen Mysteries, which began in 2012 and established the Scottish policing world Ed James returns to across many of his series. The DI Fenchurch books are a good entry point if you prefer London-set crime fiction.