The DCI Ryan books in order begin with Holy Island, LJ Ross’s Northumberland-set mystery about Detective Chief Inspector Maxwell Ryan. The series is best read in publication order the first time through, even though Ryan now has a prequel-era spin-off called The Met Years.
That’s where the list can get a little confusing. The Infirmary is a prequel story, Time of Death goes back to Ryan’s London years, and the main DCI Ryan mysteries keep moving forward across the North East of England. This guide keeps the main series first, then shows how the wider Ryan timeline fits together.
If you want Ross’s full bibliography beyond Ryan, I also have a complete LJ Ross books in order guide covering Dr. Alexander Gregory, Summer Suspense, short fiction, and her other series.
Jump to:
- DCI Ryan Books in Publication Order
- DCI Ryan: The Met Years
- DCI Ryan Chronological Reading Order
- Where Does The Infirmary Fit?
- DCI Ryan Short Stories
- Do You Need to Read DCI Ryan in Order?
DCI Ryan Books in Publication Order
For new readers, publication order is the best way to read DCI Ryan. It follows the way Ross built the series, gives the team relationships room to develop, and keeps later character moments from landing too early.
The only unusual entry is The Infirmary. It’s a prequel story, but Ross’s own book list places it after Longstone and notes that it can be read any time after book five. That makes publication order the simplest choice for a first read.
- Holy Island (2015)
- Sycamore Gap (2015)
- Heavenfield (2016)
- Angel (2016)
- High Force (2017)
- Cragside (2017)
- Dark Skies (2017)
- Seven Bridges (2018)
- The Hermitage (2018)
- Longstone (2018)
- The Infirmary (2019, prequel story)
- The Moor (2019)
- Penshaw (2019)
- Borderlands (2019)
- Ryan’s Christmas (2019)
- The Shrine (2020)
- Cuthbert’s Way (2020)
- The Rock (2021)
- Bamburgh (2022)
- The Mystery of the Vanishing Mayor (2022, short story)
- Lady’s Well (2023)
- Death Rocks (2024)
- Poison Garden (2024)
- Belsay (2025)
- Berwick (2026)
- Raby (2028)
DCI Ryan: The Met Years
DCI Ryan: The Met Years is a separate Ryan prequel series set during Max Ryan’s early police career in London. The first book takes place in 2003, when Ryan is still a trainee detective constable and gets pulled into a case tied to the Palace of Westminster.
- Time of Death (2027)
Some older book-list material used the working title A Mystery in Westminster. Ross’s current series page and retailer listings now use Time of Death.
DCI Ryan Chronological Reading Order
Chronological order is useful once you already know the series or want the full Ryan timeline from his London years into the Northumberland cases. For a first read, publication order still works better.
In this version, The Met Years comes first, then The Infirmary, then the main DCI Ryan mysteries. After that, the main series follows the same order as publication.
- Time of Death (2027, The Met Years)
- The Infirmary (2019, prequel story)
- Holy Island (2015)
- Sycamore Gap (2015)
- Heavenfield (2016)
- Angel (2016)
- High Force (2017)
- Cragside (2017)
- Dark Skies (2017)
- Seven Bridges (2018)
- The Hermitage (2018)
- Longstone (2018)
- The Moor (2019)
- Penshaw (2019)
- Borderlands (2019)
- Ryan’s Christmas (2019)
- The Shrine (2020)
- Cuthbert’s Way (2020)
- The Rock (2021)
- Bamburgh (2022)
- The Mystery of the Vanishing Mayor (2022, short story)
- Lady’s Well (2023)
- Death Rocks (2024)
- Poison Garden (2024)
- Belsay (2025)
- Berwick (2026)
- Raby (2028)
Where Does The Infirmary Fit?
The Infirmary is the book that causes the most confusion in the DCI Ryan reading order. It happens before Holy Island, but it was released later and works better once Ryan, Anna, and the wider team already mean something to you.
The best first-read option is simple: read Holy Island through High Force first, then read The Infirmary any time after that. You can also leave it exactly where it appears in publication order, after Longstone.
If you’re rereading the series, move The Infirmary ahead of Holy Island in the chronological order. That gives you Ryan’s earlier story before the main Northumberland cases begin.
DCI Ryan Short Stories
The DCI Ryan series also has a short story called The Mystery of the Vanishing Mayor. It was written for the Durham Book Festival Big Read and is optional for the main series.
- The Mystery of the Vanishing Mayor (2022, short story)
Completionist readers can place it after Bamburgh by publication date. Readers who only want the novels can skip it without losing the main Ryan storyline.
Do You Need to Read DCI Ryan in Order?
Yes, publication order is the better choice. Many of the mysteries have their own cases, but Ryan’s personal life, the team dynamics, and the emotional stakes build across the series.
You can probably understand an individual book on its own, but the series is more satisfying when you watch Ryan and the Northumbria CID team develop from the beginning. Start with Holy Island, then continue from there.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.