J.M. Dalgliesh books in order

The public face. A private reality. Sometimes, the dead have a lot to hide...

DI Nathaniel Caslin’s life is a mess. He works the minimum, abuses substances to survive the day and drinks his nights away. A once-promising career is in freefall. Investigating the death of an ex-serviceman in police custody, reveals the disappearance of a young family. No-one noticed. No-one seems to care.

In the grip of a bitter, Yorkshire winter, a family home reluctantly offers up its grisly secrets. Out on the moors, a murder scene of horrific brutality demands Caslin's focused attention. In the search for answers, is anyone who they claim to be? Haunted by the ghosts of the past, Caslin is pushed to his limits. Will this case break him or be his path to redemption?

Two women are missing. One who has it all. The other, has lost everything…

DI Nathaniel Caslin is in conflict with his inner demons. His career is resurgent but the greater battle, that with his addiction, is still raging…and he is losing.

An abandoned car and a desperate call to the police, lead Caslin into the heart of two families where secrets and lies are a way of life. What links the fate of an MP's granddaughter and that of a recovering drug addict, working in the sex trade?

Past horrors and personal scandals tag with the present, as the tension mounts. Trust in those closest to him is brought into question, as Caslin pursues a deadly adversary. Lives hang in the balance and all the while, the clock is ticking…

A murdered family-man. A young woman tortured and set on fire. A face from the past…

DI Nathaniel Caslin is stable, for the first time in years. Now, he can look to the future, or so he thought. Granting a small favour to a friend, can often be anything but simple...

When the only link between two apparently random murders appears to be an aging, Catholic priest, Caslin is thrust into a world of long-buried secrets. Drawing unwanted attention from the intelligence services, he must consider if the man he once trusted above all others, is now playing by his own rules. With professional killers circling, Caslin must face uncomfortable truths about those seeking redemption. Sometimes, justice is best served from the wrong side of the law.

With the net tightening, the level of threat increases. Will Caslin, along with those closest to him, be the last victims of a forgotten conflict?

A businessman found hanged. A tortured and mutilated loaner. High finance has never been so deadly…

DI Nathaniel Caslin is spiralling toward a professional crisis. His biggest case in years has collapsed amid accusations of police intimidation. A rebuilt reputation is now facing ruin… As the extremes of nationalist hate descend upon York, a refugee is tortured to death while a straightforward case of a bankrupt’s suicide proves to be anything but simple.

How does an enigmatic campaigner with a secret to keep link these two disparate worlds? Shining a light onto corporate finance draws Caslin to those who prefer to live in the shadows.

Making money, concealing wealth, protecting what you have...comes at a price. Your enemies - your friends - may find the true cost is underwritten in blood…

A murder without motive. A downtown bombing. The sins of the past revisited…

DI Nathaniel Caslin is heading up a specialist unit, an opportunity to make a real difference. Little does he know, decisions taken decades previously are about to threaten all that he holds dear… Gangland tensions are on the rise as an uneasy peace is fractured in spectacular fashion. Two warring factions are lining up to unseat the other. Old adversaries rekindle their passion to exact revenge whilst the next generation seek to make a name for themselves.

Meanwhile, Caslin is asked to investigate the mysterious murder of a private detective, revealing the vested interests of a multitude of figures. Finding himself walking the line between upholding the law and delivering justice, Caslin sees the past returning to haunt those around him. A crime perpetrated years previously sends ripples far and wide. Some people have much to gain whilst others have so much to lose…none more so than Caslin himself…

A killer stalks his prey. The five precepts are laid down. The sixth will be his own...

DI Nathaniel Caslin has earned the freedom to run his case load as he sees fit, bypassing the hierarchical constraints with his specialist unit. Little does he know a deadly adversary is walking the streets of York. One who will push the team to their psychological limits...

Reluctantly agreeing to a joint investigation alongside a detective from the Drug Squad, Caslin is perplexed by the multiple homicides of a number of addicts. Poisoned by their own supply with no apparent motive, the killings appear gang related. The crime scene is filthy and forbidding with each victim having the index finger removed from their right hand after death. A planned mutilation? A trophy? Strategically placed among the dead is a blooming pink flower, the only beauty within a dark, macabre scene. 

When a bank employee vanishes only to be found dead at the hands of a medieval stoning, Caslin's team are left with a puzzle to unpick. An index finger is missing and inside the victim's mouth, carefully placed and undamaged, are the petals of a small pink flower...

A serial killer is on a mission. Caslin must reach into the darkness in order to confront the most dangerous and determined killer of the age. One who seeks to build a monument to his efforts. One who desires to see the world perish in flames...

The darkest secrets often hide in plain sight…

When a body is found on a lonely cliff top path, the angelic face of a murdered teenager lies facing the rising sun. Strangled by the hands of an unknown killer, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his fledgling team to find out how she came to be there. Destined for a career in medicine, one to rival that of her parents, Holly Bettany’s future was as bright as it had been privileged. Seemingly, all that could threaten this promising teenager’s life was Holly herself.

In an idyllic coastal setting, Janssen must unpick the layers of deceit within a close-knit community that threaten to reveal scandal at every turn. Holly had a secret… and she knew the secrets of others…

Who was prepared to kill in order to keep them hidden? What happens if another comes to know what she did? One thing is certain…a brutal killer has no boundaries…

A secret worth dying for is a secret worth killing…

When a violent storm uncovers the remains of an unknown young woman, long buried among the sand dunes, DI Tom Janssen must piece together fragmentary evidence to determine how she came to be there.

In the years she lay undiscovered several young women have disappeared and as the team work through the possibilities they come to an uncomfortable conclusion... is a serial killer stalking coastal Norfolk? Each missing person had a story. Each of them had enemies. Some were more dangerous than others...

They appealed to the same men, dabbled in the occult and came to the attention of powerful figures who would brush them aside without a second thought. But who had the motivation to kill? Where is the killer now? When the past is brought into the light will they be willing to ensure their closely guarded secrets remain buried?

To do so, they will have to kill again...

What would you do to keep your past a secret?

When the mutilated remains of a woman are retrieved by local fisherman, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to identify how she came to be in the water and what put her there. Joined on the case by his new permanent boss, DCI Tamara Greave, it remains to be proven if the woman's death was a result of foul play or a tragic accident.

The victim carried no means of identification, was poorly dressed for the winter and horribly disfigured when pulled from the water. As the case progresses old ghosts return to haunt those living in the present. Matters thought settled a long time ago face intense scrutiny...attention that some hoped would never come to pass. When childhood friends begin to question one another, suddenly the long forgotten past comes to the fore.

The misadventure of youth can have grave consequences. No matter how much time passes nor how deep you bury them, your sins will always return to haunt you. But who has the most to lose and what else are they willing to sacrifice in order to keep what they have? Is someone prepared to kill for their sins?

Janssen must reveal and catch a killer without a conscience before they strike again...

In a world of lies, one truth remains. Dead men tell no tales…

When the body of an unidentified man is found at the foot of Sheringham cliffs with injuries inconsistent with a fall, DI Tom Janssen must piece together his final days to determine how he fell to his death... or who pushed him...

The investigation quickly reveals a network of locals with ties to the victim, but as for the man himself... he remains something of a mystery. The dead man doesn't fit in; not with his social circle, not with his business interests and when others come looking for him, the intrigue only deepens.

Joined in the investigation by his new Detective Sergeant, Cassie Knight, Janssen uncovers closely guarded secrets alongside long-held grudges. Any one of them could be a motivation for murder. This man had powerful enemies and even more dangerous friends...

As the inquiry develops it is clear that someone wanted him dead but, a formidable character in his own right, who would dare to take him on? One death threatens to unravel a wider conflict where neither the innocent... or the guilty... can feel truly safe. Janssen must bring down the wall of silence encircling his childhood town, coming up against old antagonists as well as facing new adversaries, or risk an escalation in the violence.

Secrets are kept... Deceit is commonplace... And dead men Tell No Tales...

When the bonds of brotherhood are strained, who do you turn to?

The celebration of the Viking Festival of Scira ensures that thousands descend annually on the small coastal town of Sheringham, but when one man dies amidst the grand finale, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to identify who the victim was and how he met such a grisly end.

The victim was a local man, successful, hard working and well respected. A motive proves to be elusive. As the case progresses it becomes evident that not all is at it seems. Those within the victim's trusted circle appear unable, or unwilling, to aid the investigation. Someone has a grudge... one strong enough to willingly send a man to his death in the most brutal, and public, manner.

The answer must lie in the victim's past; a past that sees highly decorated military service. The past shapes our future and the consequences of our actions catch up with us. Those with the darkest secrets...with the most to hide...will face their day of reckoning.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time...

When a woman's body is found in the sea at Blakeney Point with a single blow to the head, DI Tom Janssen and his team must work out who wanted her dead and why? What would drive someone to murder an elderly woman in such a savage and callous manner?

A formidable woman, a Watcher of the local nature reserve, who dedicated her life to preserving her natural surroundings has made many friends along the way… and even more dangerous enemies. A veteran campaigner – just how did she manage to succeed against all the odds when facing those with far greater resources than her own.

Meanwhile, a man is found murdered in his kitchen showing no signs of having put up a fight. This second case brings murder a little too close to home for the entire team. Tom finds himself questioning the motives of those closest to him and he must face the uncomfortable reality that you never truly know those around you.

The team must keep secrets from one another, straining their bonds of friendship in order to catch a ruthless killer before they are able to strike again...

One lie requires commitment... Multiple lies require dedication...

When the remains of a young woman are discovered near to Branodunum, a Roman archaeological site on the Norfolk coast, DI Tom Janssen and his team must work to discover who she was and how she came to be buried there.

The area is steeped in myth and folklore, a site excavated many times over the years. Just how long has she lain there... and who wishes she'd never been discovered? As the victim’s life comes into sharp focus, it appears there is far more to those who crossed her path than anyone previously realized.

Uncovering dark secrets at every turn, DI Janssen must unravel the web of deceit in order to unmask a killer; possibly the most cold blooded and dangerous murderer he has ever faced.

Our darkest secrets are best left buried...

When a local journalist is found dead in an isolated spot on Roydon Common, lying beneath a hangman's noose on the anniversary of a teenager's suicide, DI Tom Janssen is asked to take on the investigation as a favor to local colleagues and must unpick the deceased man's life to discover how he came to be there.

The dead man was working on something, a story he was keeping close to his chest and even those closest to him, loved ones and colleagues, were kept in the dark. He had his own secrets, a side to his character that he rarely showed to others unless they were unlucky. But what did he know that was so damaging as to be worth killing for?

As the team delve into his life, past and present, the investigation pulls in successful business people, grieving family members, and a local celebrity with fascinating stories to tell. As the investigation develops it becomes clear that more than one person is harboring a secret... but are they secrets that are worth a man's life? As past sins threaten to be exposed, will someone be forced into killing again?

What line would you cross for the one you love?

When the body of a man is found in his remote, isolated home, DI Tom Janssen and his team struggle to understand what motive there could be to murder such an inoffensive, seemingly placid local character.

The man lived alone, was well known in the community but kept his distance from others leading a haphazard way of life. What secrets did he hide in his private life that might be worth killing for?

As the team are about to understand, even the most nondescript of people can exist in a world darker than most of us will ever see...

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Me Twice, shame on me...

When the body of a high-profile, semi-retired barrister is found brutally murdered at his Norfolk home, DI Tom Janssen and the team must work to uncover who killed him and why.

With a glittering career, spanning several decades representing the privileged and the wealthy, behind him the focus of the investigation inevitably turns toward cases and clients past and present, but was his death linked to his work or is there another, darker and far more sinister motive at play?

No matter how successful, privileged or elevated in society one person can be, one universal rule applies...we all bleed the same...

One song for the dying...sung by the dead...

When the body of a young woman is discovered at the home she shared with her disabled daughter, DI Tom Janssen and his team must investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

The woman was a single mother, well regarded and popular among the group she frequented, but she had a chequered past... a life she kept secret from those around her...a life that may, ultimately, have led to her death. Friends, past lovers, and confidants offer conflicting descriptions of the deceased...did anyone know her at all?

The team realize the daughter is missing and, away from her medication, the little girl's life hangs in the balance. Unless the team can solve a seemingly calculated murder, an innocent life will be lost...

An innocent man has everything to fear...

When the partial remains of a young woman are unearthed during a violent storm, it leaves DI Tom Janssen and his team to discover her identity and what brought her there.

A man is released from prison having been the victim of a miscarriage of justice and returns home to rural Norfolk. Questions are being asked, not only of the police and their flawed investigation, but also of the man himself. A loner, strange and disinterested, is he truly innocent? If he didn't kill the girl he was sent to jail for, then where is she? Has a guilty man managed to evade justice and get away with murder or has a killer been hiding within the community all along?

Tensions are running high among the locals, people are split, with some threatening to take justice into their own hands. Old wounds, still to fully heal, are reopened and everyone wants resolution. But will Tom and his team be able to offer it, or will the investigation reveal dark secrets, long harbored, that will tear families apart?