Jess Kidd Standalone Novels books in order

Jess Kidd's standalone novels range across literary fiction and historical fiction, each one steeped in atmosphere and threaded with the supernatural, from rural Ireland to Victorian London and the seventeenth-century Dutch East Indies.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Himself 2017 Jess Kidd Buy
2 Mr. Flood’s Last Resort / The Hoarder 2018 Jess Kidd Buy
3 Things in Jars 2019 Jess Kidd Buy
4 The Night Ship 2022 Jess Kidd Buy

Himself, Kidd’s 2017 debut, is set in a small Irish village where a young man named Mahony arrives to find out what happened to his mother years before. The novel unfolds with a cast of eccentric locals, a chorus of the dead who can only be seen by Mahony, and a slow accumulation of dark secrets. It was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards and longlisted for the John Creasey Dagger.

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort (published as The Hoarder in the UK) follows Maud Drennan, a care worker sent to manage a reclusive old man and his chaotic house full of cats. Things in Jars then moves to Victorian London, where female detective Bridie Devine investigates the kidnapping of a child with unusual abilities, accompanied by a ghost boxer who serves as her unlikely companion.

The Night Ship draws on the documented history of the 1629 wreck of the Dutch vessel Batavia off the coast of Western Australia, weaving together the story of nine-year-old Mayken aboard the doomed ship and, three centuries later, a boy named Gil sent to live on the very same island.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Jess Kidd Standalone Novels series?

There are four books in the Jess Kidd Standalone Novels series, published between 2017 and 2022.

What is the first book in the Jess Kidd Standalone Novels series?

The first book in the Jess Kidd Standalone Novels series is Himself, published in 2017.

Are Jess Kidd's standalone novels connected to each other?

No, each of Kidd’s standalone novels is entirely self-contained with its own setting, characters, and time period. They share her distinctive tone and frequent use of the supernatural, but no characters or storylines carry over between them.

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