Bulman Books in Order

The Bulman books are crime-story tie-ins set in the world of the British television drama about George Bulman. Robert Holdstock wrote two novels connected to the series, Bulman and One of Our Pigeons is Missing. They offer a different side of his career, one built around investigations, odd corners of modern Britain, and a detective who has supposedly left police work behind.

George Bulman is a retired ex-policeman with a sharp, awkward way of looking at people. He has tried to make a quieter life for himself, repairing clocks, but mysteries have a habit of finding him. His assistant, Lucy McGinty, helps draw him back into cases that become more dangerous and complicated than they first appear.

Retirement does not last long.

The tone is more offbeat than a standard police procedural. Bulman is observant, persistent, and not especially interested in making others comfortable. He follows small details, talks to people who are usually ignored, and is willing to go undercover when a case requires it. The stories mix murder, security concerns, old grudges, and the strange practicalities of everyday life.

In Bulman, a fresh start is overshadowed by crime and the pull of Bulman's old habits. One of Our Pigeons is Missing sends him into a more eccentric investigation involving the murder of a homeless acquaintance and secrets carried across Cold War lines. The title gives a fair warning about the series' sense of humor. These are mysteries, but they are not afraid to be peculiar.

The two books are short and can be enjoyed separately, although Bulman is the natural place to begin because it introduces the series atmosphere and Bulman's new life. Read One of Our Pigeons is Missing next for a case that leans harder into disguise, espionage, and the unlikely information hidden in overlooked places.

Readers expecting Holdstock's mythic fantasy should adjust their expectations. This is grounded crime fiction, shaped by television storytelling and an unusual detective character. Still, Holdstock's interest in hidden motives and people haunted by their past is easy to spot. The mysteries may be urban and contemporary, but the feeling that a small clue can open into a much larger problem is very much his.