Order of Book Series
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Simon Beckett Books in Order

Simon Beckett has written 15 books, published between 1994 and 2026. The first book is Fine Lines (1994) and the newest is The Bone Garden (2026). Publication order is the reading order below. 9 of the 15 books listed here are in the David Hunter series, which has its own page: David Hunter books in order.

Books
15
Published
1994–2026
Pages on record
3,168 in 9 of 15 books
Reading time
53–79 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,168 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 9 of 15 titles with a page count on record.

See all 15 books in order Printable Simon Beckett checklist

Simon Beckett, born in 1960, is a British journalist and novelist. His crime series around the forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter has sold 21 million copies worldwide, with especially strong sales in Germany and Scandinavia. The Chemistry of Death (2006) opens that sequence; Jonah Colley is his second. Fifteen catalogued books span Fine Lines (1994) to The Bone Garden (2026).

How many Simon Beckett books are there?

Simon Beckett has 15 books, released between 1994 and 2026. They include 2 series and 5 titles listed outside any series.

Simon Beckett Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 15 Simon Beckett books in the order they were released, 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. Cover of Where There's Smoke by Simon Beckett (1997)
  2. Cover of Owning Jacob by Simon Beckett (1998)
  3. Cover of The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett, book 1 of the David Hunter series (2006)
  4. Cover of Written in Bone by Simon Beckett, book 2 of the David Hunter series (2007)
  5. Cover of Whispers of the Dead by Simon Beckett, book 3 of the David Hunter series (2010)
  6. Cover of The Calling of the Grave by Simon Beckett, book 4 of the David Hunter series (2010)
  7. Cover of Stone Bruises by Simon Beckett (2013)
  8. Cover of The Restless Dead by Simon Beckett, book 6 of the David Hunter series (2016)
  9. Cover of Snowfall & Just Another Day by Simon Beckett, book 7 of the David Hunter series (2016)
  10. Cover of The Scent of Death by Simon Beckett, book 8 of the David Hunter series (2019)
  1. 1
    Fine Lines1994 · 208 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Animals1995 · 248 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995248
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Where There's Smoke1997 · 373 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997373
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Owning Jacob1998 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Chemistry of DeathDavid Hunter #12006 · 374 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006374
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Written in BoneDavid Hunter #22007 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2007416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Whispers of the DeadDavid Hunter #32010 · 477 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2010477
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Calling of the GraveDavid Hunter #42010 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2010416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Cat and MouseDavid Hunter #52013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Stone Bruises2013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Restless DeadDavid Hunter #62016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Snowfall & Just Another DayDavid Hunter #72016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Scent of DeathDavid Hunter #82019 · 368 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019368
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The LostJonah Colley #12022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Bone GardenDavid Hunter #92026 · confirmed 2/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Simon Beckett series and characters in order

Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.

Simon Beckett 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.

Jonah Colley in order

1 book
  1. 1. The Lost

Standalone books

5 books

5 Simon Beckett titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Simon Beckett Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Simon Beckett books run from Fine Lines (1994) to The Bone Garden (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Simon Beckett in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Simon Beckett books in order?

You only need to read Simon Beckett books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Simon Beckett

Start with the first book of the Simon Beckett series you want to read: David Hunter starts with The Chemistry of Death (2006) and Dr. David Hunter starts with The Chemistry of Death (2006). The earliest catalogued title overall is Fine Lines (1994).

What is the newest Simon Beckett book?

The Bone Garden (2026) is the newest Simon Beckett book released so far.

Is there a new Simon Beckett book coming?

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

Simon Beckett at a glance

Still publishing
Simon Beckett published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Simon Beckett books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
3,168 pages across the 9 of 15 books with a recorded length, a median of 373 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Simon Beckett books, 7 of 15, were published in the 2010s.

What the Simon Beckett books are about

11 of the 15 Simon Beckett books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: suspense is tagged on 8 of 11. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.