Rhona MacLeod books in order

The Rhona MacLeod series by Lin Anderson follows a Glasgow-based forensic scientist through 22 crime novels set across Scotland, from 2003 to 2025.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Blood Red Roses 2005 Lin Anderson Buy
2 Driftnet 2003 Lin Anderson Buy
3 Torch 2006 Lin Anderson Buy
4 Deadly Code 2006 Lin Anderson Buy
5 Dark Flight 2007 Lin Anderson Buy
6 Easy Kill 2008 Lin Anderson Buy
7 Final Cut 2009 Lin Anderson Buy
8 The Reborn: Rhona Macleod Book 7 2010 Lin Anderson N/A
9 The Reborn 2010 Lin Anderson Buy
10 Picture Her Dead: Rhona Macleod Book 8 2011 Lin Anderson N/A
11 Picture Her Dead 2011 Lin Anderson Buy
12 Paths of the Dead 2014 Lin Anderson Buy
13 The Special Dead 2015 Lin Anderson Buy
14 None But the Dead 2016 Lin Anderson Buy
15 Follow the Dead 2017 Lin Anderson Buy
16 Sins of the Dead 2019 Lin Anderson Buy
17 Time for the Dead 2019 Lin Anderson Buy
18 The Innocent Dead 2020 Lin Anderson Buy
19 The Killing Tide 2022 Lin Anderson Buy
20 The Wild Coast 2023 Lin Anderson Buy
21 Whispers of the Dead 2024 Lin Anderson Buy
22 The Dead and the Dying 2025 Lin Anderson Buy

The Rhona MacLeod series by Lin Anderson has been running since 2003, with Driftnet as the first entry. Rhona is a forensic scientist whose work takes her from her Glasgow lab to crime scenes across Scotland, including remote Highland locations and island communities where the landscape itself can be as dangerous as the criminals.

The series has grown to 22 books through 2025, with The Dead and the Dying as the most recent. Anderson uses the forensic process as the backbone of each plot, but the books are equally interested in the places where the crimes occur and the communities affected by them. Scotland’s geography, weather, and tight-knit rural populations are constant factors in both the investigations and Rhona’s personal story.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Rhona MacLeod series?

There are 22 books in the Rhona MacLeod series, published between 2003 and 2025.

What is the first book in the Rhona MacLeod series?

The first book in the Rhona MacLeod series is Blood Red Roses, published in 2005.

Who is Rhona MacLeod?

Rhona MacLeod is a forensic scientist based in Glasgow who works with the Scottish police on murder investigations. Her expertise in physical evidence drives the cases, but the series also follows her personal life and her connections to the Highland community where she grew up. The combination of lab work and fieldwork across Scottish landscapes gives the series its identity.

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