John Carson Books in Order

John Carson has written 58 books, published between 2014 and 2026. The first book is Crash Point (2014) and the newest is Killing Time (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
58
Published
2014–2026
Pages on record
1,754 in 6 of 58 books

Police thrillers make up John Carson's 58 catalogued books, organised around a run of named detectives: DCI Harry McNeil, DI Frank Miller, DCI James Craig, DCI Sean Bracken, DCI Liam Brodie, DCI Ewan McCall and Calvin Stewart. Crash Point (2014) opens the catalogue, with Silent Marker (2015), Rain Town (2016) and Watch Me Bleed (2016) after it. Killing Time is the 2026 entry.

Source: composed

The DCI Harry McNeil novels are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, and center on cold cases that are reopened years after the original investigations.

How many John Carson books are there?

John Carson has 58 books, released between 2014 and 2026. They include 9 separate series.

John Carson Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 58 John Carson books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.

  1. 1
    Crash PointDI Frank Miller #12014 · confirmed 2/4
    2014–
  2. 2
    Silent MarkerDI Frank Miller #22015 · 344 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2015344
  3. 3
    Rain TownDI Frank Miller #32016 · 334 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2016334
  4. 4
    Watch Me BleedDI Frank Miller #42016 · 290 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2016290
  5. 5
    Broken WheelsDI Frank Miller #52016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016–
  6. 6
    Sudden DeathDI Frank Miller #62017 · 300 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2017300
  7. 7
    Under the KnifeDI Frank Miller #72017 · confirmed 2/4
    2017–
  8. 8
    Trial and ErrorDI Frank Miller #82017 · confirmed 2/4
    2017–
  9. 9
    Final StepsMax Doyle #12018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
  10. 10
    Code RedMax Doyle #22018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
  11. 11
    The October ProjectMax Doyle #32018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
  12. 12
    Warning SignDI Frank Miller #92018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
  13. 13
    Cut ThroatDI Frank Miller #102018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
  14. 14
    Blood from a StoneDI Frank Miller #112018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
  15. 15
    Old HabitsScott Marshall #12019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  16. 16
    Sticks and StonesDCI Harry McNeil #12019 · 246 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019246
  17. 17
    Back to LifeDCI Harry McNeil #22019 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019240
  18. 18
    Return to EvilDCI Harry McNeil #32019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  19. 19
    Time of DeathDI Frank Miller #122019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  20. 20
    God ComplexDI Frank Miller #132019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  21. 21
    Starvation LakeDCI Sean Bracken #12020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  22. 22
    Dead Before You DieDCI Harry McNeil #42020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  23. 23
    Hour of NeedDCI Harry McNeil #52020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  24. 24
    Blood and TearsDCI Harry McNeil #62020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  25. 25
    Devil to PayDCI Harry McNeil #72020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  26. 26
    Point of no ReturnDCI Harry McNeil #82020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  27. 27
    Rush to JudgementDCI Harry McNeil #92020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  28. 28
    Think TwiceDCI Sean Bracken #22021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  29. 29
    Crossing OverDCI Sean Bracken #32021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  30. 30
    Life ExtinctDCI Sean Bracken #42021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–

John Carson series in order

Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.

John Carson books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

DI Frank Miller in order

13 books
  1. 1. Crash Point
  2. 2. Silent Marker
  3. 3. Rain Town
  4. 4. Watch Me Bleed
  5. 5. Broken Wheels
  6. 6. Sudden Death
  7. 7. Under the Knife
  8. 8. Trial and Error
  9. 9. Warning Sign
  10. 10. Cut Throat
  11. 11. Blood from a Stone
  12. 12. Time of Death
  13. and 1 more in the table above

DCI Sean Bracken in order

5 books
  1. 1. Starvation Lake
  2. 2. Think Twice
  3. 3. Crossing Over
  4. 4. Life Extinct
  5. 5. Over Kill

Max Doyle in order

3 books
  1. 1. Final Steps
  2. 2. Code Red
  3. 3. The October Project

DCI Liam Brodie in order

3 books
  1. 1. Broken Bones
  2. 2. False Witness
  3. 3. Silent Embers

DCI Ewan McCall in order

3 books
  1. 1. Second Chance
  2. 2. Fallen Angels
  3. 3. Killing Time

Calvin Stewart Thrillers in order

2 books
  1. 1. Final Warning
  2. 2. Hard Case

Scott Marshall in order

1 book
  1. 1. Old Habits

Do you have to read John Carson books in order?

You only need to read John Carson books in order within each series: the books listed here span 9 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with John Carson

Start with the first book of the John Carson series you want to read: DCI Harry McNeil starts with Sticks and Stones (2019) and DCI James Craig starts with Ice Into Ashes (2024). The earliest catalogued title overall is Crash Point (2014).

What is the newest John Carson book?

Killing Time (2026) is the newest John Carson book released so far.

Is there a new John Carson book coming?

No next John Carson book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

John Carson at a glance

Still publishing
John Carson published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
John Carson books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
1,754 pages across the 6 of 58 books with a recorded length, a median of 295 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John Carson books, 38 of 58, were published in the 2020s.

When John Carson books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when John Carson titles appeared. 2020s was the most productive decade with 38 titles.

2010s
20
2020s
38

58 books total across 2 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.