Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Private Business | 2012 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 2 | An Act of Kindness | 2013 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 3 | Poisoned Ground | 2014 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 4 | Enough Rope | 2015 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 5 | Bright Shiny Things | 2017 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 6 | Displaced | 2018 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 7 | A Time to Die | 2020 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 8 | Web of Lies | 2022 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
| 9 | The East Ham Golem | 2025 | Barbara Nadel | Buy |
The Hakim and Arnold series pairs two very different private investigators working together in London’s East End. Lee Arnold is a former police officer and army veteran dealing with his own personal demons, while Mumtaz Hakim is a British-Bangladeshi woman with a complicated family situation. Their partnership, which begins in A Private Business (2012), works because their different backgrounds and connections open doors the other could not.
Each novel tackles crime within the varied communities of East London, touching on issues of culture, religion, and class without becoming preachy about it. Nadel draws on her years working in the area to create cases that feel rooted in real social dynamics. The series has continued through nine books so far, with the relationship between the two leads developing naturally over time.