David Hunter Books in Order
David Hunter by Simon Beckett contains 9 books, published between 2006 and 2026. The first book is The Chemistry of Death (2006) and the newest is The Bone Garden (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 2006–2026
- Pages on record
- 2,051 in 5 of 9 books
- Reading time
- 34–51 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,051 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 5 of 9 titles with a page count on record.
David Hunter is a crime series by Simon Beckett whose lead is a forensic anthropologist. Nine books run from The Chemistry of Death (2006) through Written in Bone (2007), The Calling of the Grave (2010), Cat and Mouse (2013), The Restless Dead (2016) and The Scent of Death (2019) to The Bone Garden (2026). Subject headings cover forensic anthropologists, serial murder investigation and British crime fiction.
How many David Hunter books are there?
David Hunter has 9 books, released between 2006 and 2026.
David Hunter Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 9 David Hunter 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.
- 1The Chemistry of Death2006 · 374 pages · confirmed 2/420063742/4
- 2Written in Bone2007 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/420074162/4
- 3Whispers of the Dead2010 · 477 pages · confirmed 2/420104772/4
- 4The Calling of the Grave2010 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/420104162/4
- 5Cat and Mouse2013 · confirmed 2/42013–2/4
- 6The Restless Dead2016 · confirmed 2/42016–2/4
- 7Snowfall & Just Another Day2016 · confirmed 2/42016–2/4
- 8The Scent of Death2019 · 368 pages · confirmed 2/420193682/4
- 9The Bone Garden2026 · confirmed 2/42026–2/4
Is there a chronological order for David Hunter?
No separate chronological order is on record for David Hunter, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read David Hunter books in order?
You should read the David Hunter books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each David Hunter book also stands alone.
Where to start with David Hunter
Start with The Chemistry of Death (2006), the earliest published title.
What is the newest David Hunter book?
The Bone Garden (2026) is the newest David Hunter book released so far.
Is there a new David Hunter book coming?
No next David Hunter book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
David Hunter at a glance
- Still running
- David Hunter is still running, with a title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- David Hunter books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 2,051 pages across the 5 of 9 books with a recorded length, a median of 416 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most David Hunter books, 6 of 9, were published in the 2010s.
What the David Hunter books are about
6 of the 9 David Hunter 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 6 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Suspense 6 of 6 books
- Forensic anthropologists 4 of 6 books
- Thrillers 4 of 6 books
- Anthropologists 3 of 6 books
- Mystery & detective 2 of 6 books
More books by Simon Beckett
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Simon Beckett books in order 15 books
Characters in the David Hunter books
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Dr. David Hunter books in order 9 books