Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine Lines | 1994 | Simon Beckett | Buy |
| 2 | Animals | 1995 | Simon Beckett | Buy |
| 3 | Where There’s Smoke | 1997 | Simon Beckett | Buy |
| 4 | Owning Jacob | 1998 | Simon Beckett | Buy |
| 5 | Stone Bruises | 2013 | Simon Beckett | Buy |
Before David Hunter, Simon Beckett wrote four standalone thrillers that established his reputation for psychological tension. Fine Lines (1994) was his debut, set in the art world. Animals (1995) explored a friendship that turns into captivity. Where There’s Smoke (1997) became a two-part ITV drama in 2000. Owning Jacob (1998) dealt with custody and grief after a widow’s death reveals secrets about her autistic son.
Beckett returned to standalone fiction with Stone Bruises in 2013, a thriller set in rural France about a man on the run who hides on a remote vineyard and finds himself trapped in a different kind of danger.