Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skinner’s Festival | 1994 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 2 | Skinner’s Rules | 1993 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 3 | Skinner’s Round | 1995 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 4 | Skinner’s Trail | 1994 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 5 | Skinner’s Ordeal | 1996 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 6 | Skinner’s Mission | 1997 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 7 | Skinner’s Ghosts | 1998 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 8 | Murmuring the Judges | 1998 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 9 | Gallery Whispers | 1999 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 10 | Thursday Legends | 2000 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 11 | Autographs in the Rain | 2001 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 12 | Head Shot | 2002 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 13 | Fallen Gods | 2003 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 14 | Stay of Execution | 2004 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 15 | Lethal Intent | 2005 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 16 | Dead and Buried | 2006 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 17 | Death’s Door | 2007 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 18 | Aftershock | 2008 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 19 | Fatal Last Words | 2009 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 20 | A Rush of Blood | 2010 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 21 | Grievous Angel | 2011 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 22 | Funeral Note | 2012 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 23 | Pray for the Dying | 2013 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 24 | A Hint of Death | 2014 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 25 | Hour of Darkness | 2014 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 26 | Last Resort | 2015 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 27 | Private Investigations | 2016 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 28 | Game Over | 2017 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 29 | State Secrets | 2017 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 30 | Skinner’s Elves | 2017 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 31 | Cold Case | 2018 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 32 | A Brush with Death | 2018 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 33 | The Bad Fire | 2019 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 34 | The Roots of Evil | 2020 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 35 | Deadlock | 2021 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 36 | Open Season | 2022 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
| 37 | The Cage: the brand new Bob Skinner mystery | 2023 | Quintin Jardine | N/A |
| 38 | Secrets and Lies | 2024 | Quintin Jardine | N/A |
| 39 | The Cage | 2023 | Quintin Jardine | Buy |
The Bob Skinner series is Quintin Jardine’s longest and most popular work. It follows Bob Skinner, a senior Edinburgh police officer who tackles crimes across Scotland and occasionally beyond. Starting with Skinner’s Rules in 1993, the series has grown to more than 30 novels. Skinner is a tough, principled cop whose career advances through the books, and his personal life (including multiple marriages and family complications) develops alongside the cases he works.
The early books in the series focus on Edinburgh-based crimes, but as Skinner rises in rank, the cases become larger in scope. Political corruption, terrorism, and organized crime all feature prominently. Jardine draws on his knowledge of Scottish institutions and Edinburgh geography to give the series a strong sense of place. The supporting cast, including officers like Andy Martin, Maggie Rose, and Neil McIlhenney, recur throughout the series and carry their own subplots.
New readers should start with Skinner’s Rules or Skinner’s Festival. While each book contains a self-contained mystery, the character arcs and ongoing relationships build over time, so reading in publication order gives the fullest experience.