Leigh Russell Books in Order

Leigh Russell has written 40 books, published between 2009 and 2026. The first book is Cut Short (2009) and the newest is Silent Ties (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
40
Published
2009–2026
Pages on record
5,988 in 18 of 40 books

Geraldine Steel, a detective inspector, carries Leigh Russell's main police procedural series from Cut Short (2009) onward. DS Ian Peterson leads a second series, and Lucy Hall and the Poppy Mystery Tale books run separately. Russell's 40 catalogued titles reach Silent Ties (2026), taking in Road Closed (2010), Death Bed (2011), Stop Dead (2012), Killer Plan (2014) and Blood Axe (2015). Volumes median 320 pages, at roughly two a year.

How many Leigh Russell books are there?

Leigh Russell has 40 books, released between 2009 and 2026. They include 5 series and 4 titles listed outside any series.

Leigh Russell Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 40 Leigh Russell 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 September 2026.

  1. 1
    Cut ShortDI Geraldine Steel #12009 · 410 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2009410
  2. 2
    Road ClosedDI Geraldine Steel #22010 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2010352
  3. 3
    Dead EndDI Geraldine Steel #32011 · 382 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2011382
  4. 4
    Death BedDI Geraldine Steel #42011 · confirmed 2/4
    2011
  5. 5
    Stop DeadDI Geraldine Steel #52012 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012384
  6. 6
    Cold SacrificeDS Ian Peterson #12013 · 372 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2013372
  7. 7
    Fatal ActDI Geraldine Steel #62013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013
  8. 8
    Race to DeathDS Ian Peterson #22014 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2014320
  9. 9
    Killer PlanDI Geraldine Steel #72014 · 319 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2014319
  10. 10
    Blood AxeDS Ian Peterson #32015 · 336 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2015336
  11. 11
    Journey to DeathLucy Hall #12016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016
  12. 12
    Girl in DangerLucy Hall #22016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016
  13. 13
    Murder RingDI Geraldine Steel #82016 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2016320
  14. 14
    Deadly AlibiDI Geraldine Steel #92016 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2016320
  15. 15
    The Wrong SuspectLucy Hall #32017 · 300 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2017300
  16. 16
    Killer ChristmasDI Geraldine Steel #102017 · confirmed 2/4
    2017
  17. 17
    The Adulterer's Wife2018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018
  18. 18
    Class MurderDI Geraldine Steel #112018 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2018352
  19. 19
    Suspicion2019 · 237 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019237
  20. 20
    Rogue KillerDI Geraldine Steel #122019 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019320
  21. 21
    Death RopeDI Geraldine Steel #132019 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019320
  22. 22
    Deathly AffairDI Geraldine Steel #142020 · 304 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2020304
  23. 23
    Rachel's Story2021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021
  24. 24
    Abigail of Venice2021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021
  25. 25
    Deadly RevengeDI Geraldine Steel #152021 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2021320
  26. 26
    Evil ImpulseDI Geraldine Steel #162021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021
  27. 27
    Deep CoverDI Geraldine Steel #172021 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2021320
  28. 28
    Guilt EdgedDI Geraldine Steel #182022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022
  29. 29
    Fake AlibiDI Geraldine Steel #192022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022
  30. 30
    Barking Up the Right TreePoppy Mystery Tale #12023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023
  31. 31
    Barking MadPoppy Mystery Tale #22023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023
  32. 32
    Poppy Takes the LeadPoppy Mystery Tale #32023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023
  33. 33
    Final TermDI Geraldine Steel #202023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023
  34. 34
    Without TraceDI Geraldine Steel #212023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023
  35. 35
    Poppy's Christmas CrackerA Poppy Mystery Tale #12024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024
  36. 36
    Revenge KillingDI Geraldine Steel #222024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024
  37. 37
    Deadly WillDI Geraldine Steel #232024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024
  38. 38
    Poppy Plays FairA Poppy Mystery Tale #22025 · confirmed 2/4
    2025
  39. 39
    Cold JusticeDI Geraldine Steel #242025 · confirmed 2/4
    2025
  40. 40
    Silent TiesDI Geraldine Steel #252026 · confirmed 2/4
    2026

Leigh Russell characters in order

The character linked below has its own reading-order page.

Leigh Russell 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 Geraldine Steel in order

25 books
  1. 1. Cut Short
  2. 2. Road Closed
  3. 3. Dead End
  4. 4. Death Bed
  5. 5. Stop Dead
  6. 6. Fatal Act
  7. 7. Killer Plan
  8. 8. Murder Ring
  9. 9. Deadly Alibi
  10. 10. Killer Christmas
  11. 11. Class Murder
  12. 12. Rogue Killer
  13. and 13 more in the table above

DS Ian Peterson in order

3 books
  1. 1. Cold Sacrifice
  2. 2. Race to Death
  3. 3. Blood Axe

Lucy Hall in order

3 books
  1. 1. Journey to Death
  2. 2. Girl in Danger
  3. 3. The Wrong Suspect

Poppy Mystery Tale in order

3 books
  1. 1. Barking Up the Right Tree
  2. 2. Barking Mad
  3. 3. Poppy Takes the Lead

A Poppy Mystery Tale in order

2 books
  1. 1. Poppy's Christmas Cracker
  2. 2. Poppy Plays Fair

Standalone books

4 books

4 Leigh Russell titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Leigh Russell books in order?

You only need to read Leigh Russell books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Leigh Russell

Start with Cut Short (2009), the first Geraldine Steel book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.

What is the newest Leigh Russell book?

Silent Ties (2026) is the newest Leigh Russell book released so far.

Is there a new Leigh Russell book coming?

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

Leigh Russell at a glance

Still publishing
Leigh Russell published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Leigh Russell books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
5,988 pages across the 18 of 40 books with a recorded length, a median of 320 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Leigh Russell books, 20 of 40, were published in the 2010s.

What the Leigh Russell books are about

19 of the 40 Leigh Russell books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective, women sleuths is tagged on 9 of 19. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.