Inspector Lucas Rocco books in order

The Inspector Lucas Rocco series by Adrian Magson features a Parisian detective transplanted to 1960s rural Picardy, solving crimes in a setting often compared to Maigret.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Death on the Marais / Rocco and the Echoes of War 2011 Adrian Magson Buy
2 Death on the Rive Nord 2011 Adrian Magson N/A
3 Death on the Rive Nord / Rocco and the Stranger 2011 Adrian Magson Buy
4 Death on the Pont Noir / Rocco and the Black Bridge 2012 Adrian Magson Buy
5 Death at the Clos Du Lac / Rocco and the Lake of Secrets 2013 Adrian Magson Buy
6 Death at the Clos du Lac: 4 2013 Adrian Magson N/A
7 Rocco and the Snow Angel 2015 Adrian Magson N/A
8 Rocco and the Nightingale 2017 Adrian Magson Buy
9 Rocco and the Price of Lies 2019 Adrian Magson Buy
10 Death at the Old Asylum 2021 Adrian Magson Buy
11 Death on the Marais 2011 Adrian Magson N/A
12 Death on the Pont Noir 2012 Adrian Magson N/A
13 Death at the Clos Du Lac 2013 Adrian Magson N/A

Inspector Lucas Rocco is Adrian Magson’s most popular creation, and for good reason. The series drops a tough Parisian detective into the muddy, quiet countryside of Picardy in the early 1960s, where he has to solve crimes while navigating a community still scarred by the German Occupation. The first book, Death on the Marais, sets the tone when the discovery of a young woman’s body in a Gestapo uniform brings wartime secrets rushing back to the surface.

Over thirteen books, Magson builds a rich world around Rocco and his colleagues. The 1960s French setting gives the series a distinctive atmosphere, and the procedural detail is strong without slowing the stories down. Rocco himself is a straightforward, no-nonsense investigator, but his fish-out-of-water status in rural France adds a layer of tension and dry humor to every case. Readers who enjoy atmospheric crime fiction in the tradition of Maigret will find this series well worth their time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Inspector Lucas Rocco series?

There are thirteen books in the Inspector Lucas Rocco series, published between 2011 and 2021.

What is the first book in the Inspector Lucas Rocco series?

The first book in the Inspector Lucas Rocco series is Death on the Marais / Rocco and the Echoes of War, published in 2011.

Why is Inspector Rocco transferred to rural Picardy?

Rocco is sent from Paris to the fictional village of Poissons-les-Marais as part of a government policing initiative. The transfer puts a big-city detective in a rural community where he must adapt to local politics, wartime secrets, and a very different pace of life while solving serious crimes.

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