Detective J.T. Ellington Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Heartman | 2014 | Buy |
| Wendell Patin’s Pork Pie | 2014 | Buy |
| Standing In The Shadows With The Ghost Of Emmett Till | 2016 | Buy |
| All Through The Night | 2016 | Buy |
| Restless Coffins | 2018 | Buy |
| A Sinner’s Prayer | 2019 | Buy |
| A Traitor to His Blood | 2021 | Buy |
M.P. Wright writes crime fiction set in 1960s Bristol, following J.T. Ellington, a Black British private detective navigating a city marked by racial prejudice and social upheaval. The series began with Heartman in 2014 and quickly established its identity: noir-influenced plotting grounded in the real history of Caribbean communities in postwar England. Wendell Patin’s Pork Pie followed the same year, and Wright maintained a steady publishing pace through Standing In The Shadows With The Ghost Of Emmett Till (2016) and All Through The Night (2016).
The later books, Restless Coffins (2018), A Sinner’s Prayer (2019), and A Traitor to His Blood (2021), continue to place Ellington at the intersection of crime and history. The titles alone carry a weight and rhythm that reflects the series’ literary ambitions within the crime genre. Wright uses the detective story framework to tell stories about race, community, and belonging in mid-century Britain, giving the books a purpose beyond their plots.