Val McDermid Books in Order
Val McDermid has written 55 books, published between 1987 and 2026. The first book is Report For Murder (1987) and the newest is Winter: The Story of a Season (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 55
- Published
- 1987–2026
- Confirmed
- 55 of 55 titles
- Pages on record
- 14,394 in 42 of 55 books
- Reading time
- 240–360 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 14,394 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 42 of 55 titles with a page count on record.
Val McDermid, born 4 June 1955, is a Scottish crime writer whose work falls under the Tartan Noir label and is noted for unflinching violence. The catalogue runs to 55 books, from Report For Murder (1987) to Winter: The Story of a Season (2026). McDermid's best-known novels follow clinical psychologist Tony Hill and his colleagues in the police, a sequence televised as Wire in the Blood from 2002 to 2008. Inspector Karen Pirie, Lindsay Gordon and Kate Brannigan are the other named series. Awards on record include the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger and the Cartier Diamond Dagger.
How many Val McDermid books are there?
Val McDermid has 55 books, released between 1987 and 2026. They include 6 separate series.
Val McDermid Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 55 Val McDermid 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.
- 119872653/4
- 219892503/4
- 3Final Edition / Open and Shut / Deadline for MurderLindsay Gordon #31991 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/419912883/4
- 419925473/4
- 519932403/4
- 619932363/4
- 719943023/4
- 819943203/4
- 919953783/4
- 1019952833/4
- 1119962403/4
- 1219962603/4
- 131997–3/4
- 1419975283/4
- 151997–3/4
- 1619982343/4
- 1719994653/4
- 1820004223/4
- 1920024963/4
- 2020034043/4
- 2120033743/4
- 2220042143/4
- 2320043903/4
- 2420061133/4
- 2520064003/4
- 2620074043/4
- 2720083713/4
- 282008–3/4
- 2920094323/4
- 302010–3/4
- 3120103973/4
- 3220114023/4
- 332012323/4
- 3420124383/4
- 3520134163/4
- 36Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About CrimeVal McDermid Non-Fiction #22014 · 310 pages · confirmed 3/420143103/4
- 3720143523/4
- 382014–3/4
- 3920144063/4
- 4020153883/4
- 4120164213/4
- 4220174243/4
- 4320184323/4
- 4420191923/4
- 452019–3/4
- 462020–3/4
- 4720204483/4
- 4820213203/4
- 4920211603/4
- 502022–3/4
- 512023–3/4
- 522024–3/4
- 532024–3/4
- 542025–3/4
- 552026–3/4
Val McDermid series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Kate Brannigan books in order 6 books
Val McDermid books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.
Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books in order
11 books by Val McDermidInspector Karen Pirie in order
8 booksLindsay Gordon in order
7 booksVal McDermid Standalone Novels
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Val McDermid Non-Fiction
4 books4 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Val McDermid Short Story
3 books3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Val McDermid Short Stories/Novellas
3 books3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Allie Burns in order
2 booksAusten Project in order
2 books- 2. Northanger Abbey
- 3. Emma
Darkland Tales in order
2 booksVal McDermid Picture in order
1 bookVal McDermid Graphic Novels in order
1 book- 1. Resistance
Val McDermid Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Val McDermid books run from Report For Murder (1987) to Winter: The Story of a Season (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Val McDermid in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Val McDermid books in order?
You only need to read Val McDermid books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
What order should you read Val McDermid books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Dead Beat (1992), the first Kate Brannigan book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Report For Murder (1987).
What is the newest Val McDermid book?
Winter: The Story of a Season (2026) is the newest Val McDermid book released so far.
Is there a new Val McDermid book coming?
No next Val McDermid book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Val McDermid has won
Wikidata records 9 awards and 3 nominations for Val McDermid. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Barry Award for Best Paperback Original2011Wonfor Fever of the Bone
- Cartier Diamond Dagger2010Won
- Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2006Wonfor The Torment of Others
- Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel2004Wonfor The Distant Echo
- Dilys Award2001Wonfor A Place of Execution
- Anthony Award for Best Novel2001Wonfor A Place of Execution
- Macavity Awards2001Wonfor A Place of Execution
- Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel2000Wonfor A Place of Execution
- Gold Dagger1995Wonfor The Mermaids Singing
- Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2009Shortlistedfor Beneath the Bleeding
- Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2006Shortlistedfor The Torment of Others
- Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2005Shortlisted
Val McDermid at a glance
- Still publishing
- Val McDermid published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Val McDermid books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 14,394 pages across the 42 of 55 books with a recorded length, a median of 376 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Val McDermid books, 16 of 55, were published in the 2010s.
What the Val McDermid books are about
45 of the 55 Val McDermid books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: murder is tagged on 12 of 45. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Murder 12 of 45 books
- Investigation 10 of 45 books
- Mystery & detective 8 of 45 books
- Private investigators 8 of 45 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 8 of 45 books
- England 7 of 45 books
- Police 7 of 45 books
- Doctor Hill, Tony (Fictitious character) 6 of 45 books
- Crimes against 5 of 45 books
- English literature 5 of 45 books
- Kate Brannigan (Fictitious character) 5 of 45 books