Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lessons in Murder | 1988 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 2 | Fatal Reunion | 1989 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 3 | Death Down Under | 1989 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 4 | Cop Out | 1991 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 5 | Dead Certain | 1992 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 6 | Body Guard | 1994 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 7 | Double Bluff | 1995 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 8 | Inner Circle | 1996 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 9 | Chain Letter | 1997 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 10 | Past Due | 1998 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 11 | Set Up | 1999 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 12 | Under Suspicion | 2000 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 13 | Death Club | 2001 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 14 | Accidental Murder | 2002 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 15 | Blood Link | 2003 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 16 | Fall Guy | 2004 | Claire McNab | Buy |
| 17 | Lethal Care | 2017 | Claire McNab | Buy |
The Carol Ashton Mysteries is one of the longest-running lesbian mystery series in crime fiction. Claire McNab introduced Detective Inspector Carol Ashton in Lessons in Murder (1988) and continued the character across sixteen more books, ending with Lethal Care in 2017.
Ashton is a senior detective in Sydney, and the cases she works cover a wide range of crimes. The series mixes police procedural plotting with Ashton’s personal life, including her relationships and her navigation of a professional environment that was not always welcoming. McNab kept the books grounded in Sydney settings and Australian culture throughout the series run.
The books are best read in order, as Ashton’s personal relationships and career develop across the series. Lessons in Murder is the starting point, and Fall Guy (2004) marked the end of the original run before Lethal Care appeared thirteen years later.