Ben Cooper & Diane Fry books in order

The Ben Cooper & Diane Fry series by Stephen Booth is a twenty-book British police procedural series set in the Peak District, following two detectives with very different methods and personalities.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Black Dog 2000 Stephen Booth Buy
2 Dancing with the Virgins 2001 Stephen Booth Buy
3 Blood on the Tongue 2002 Stephen Booth Buy
4 Blind to the Bones 2003 Stephen Booth Buy
5 Ei metsää puilta 2003 Stephen Booth N/A
6 One Last Breath 2004 Stephen Booth Buy
7 The Dead Place 2005 Stephen Booth Buy
8 Scared To Live 2006 Stephen Booth Buy
9 Dying to Sin 2007 Stephen Booth Buy
10 The Kill Call 2009 Stephen Booth Buy
11 Lost River 2010 Stephen Booth Buy
12 Claws 2007 Stephen Booth Buy
13 The Devil’s Edge 2011 Stephen Booth Buy
14 Dead and Buried 2012 Stephen Booth Buy
15 Already Dead 2013 Stephen Booth Buy
16 The Corpse Bridge 2014 Stephen Booth Buy
17 The Murder Road 2015 Stephen Booth Buy
18 Dead in the Dark 2017 Stephen Booth Buy
19 Secrets of Death 2017 Stephen Booth Buy
20 Fall Down Dead 2018 Stephen Booth Buy

The Ben Cooper & Diane Fry series by Stephen Booth is one of the longest-running British police procedural series, spanning twenty novels from Black Dog (2000) to Fall Down Dead (2018). The series is set in and around the fictional town of Edendale in the Peak District of Derbyshire, where the two lead detectives investigate crimes shaped by the isolated, rural landscape.

Ben Cooper grew up in the area and understands its people, while Diane Fry arrived from Birmingham with her own troubled past and a determination to prove herself. Their contrasting styles and personalities create a dynamic that evolves across the full run of the series. Cases range from murders in remote villages to cold cases buried in the moorland, all anchored by the atmospheric Peak District setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Ben Cooper & Diane Fry series?

There are twenty books in the Ben Cooper & Diane Fry series, published between 2000 and 2018.

What is the first book in the Ben Cooper & Diane Fry series?

The first book in the Ben Cooper & Diane Fry series is Black Dog, published in 2000.

Do Ben Cooper and Diane Fry get along?

Not easily. Cooper is local, empathetic, and rooted in the community, while Fry is an outsider who is ambitious and emotionally guarded. Their professional rivalry and personal friction drive much of the series’ internal tension, though they develop a grudging respect for each other over twenty books.

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