David Jackson Books in Order
Explore David Jackson books in order, with series lists, concise summaries, background on his Liverpool and New York crime novels, and simple tips on where to start.
Last updated: January 16, 2026
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Publication Order
13 books
Love Kills
by David Jackson
2024
Franklin B Goodman believes broken relationships are like sick animals that must be cured or put down, and he is prepared to use lethal methods. As Liverpool detectives Nathan Cody and Megan Webley investigate the murder of a wealthy woman, their search puts them squarely in Franklin's sights.
One Good Deed
by David Jackson
2023
Quiet, kind hearted Elliott Whiston manages a charity shop and lives alone with his cat until he walks a frightened young woman, Rebecca, home to shake off a stalker. Pretending to be her boyfriend drags him into a spiral of lies, obsession and escalating violence.
No Secrets
by David Jackson
2022
Izzy Lambert can read emotions with unsettling clarity, a gift that has already torn her family apart. When local girls start to vanish and she recognises an old school caretaker on the news, Izzy becomes convinced he knows more than he admits and begins her own dangerous inquiry.
The Rule
by David Jackson
2021
Daniel is a vulnerable twenty three year old with a child's understanding but a man's strength, raised to follow one strict rule about physical contact. When he kills to protect his father, his parents hide the body and spark a dangerous hunt from police and criminals.
The Resident
by David Jackson
2020
Fugitive serial killer Thomas Brogan slips into an empty terrace house and discovers he can move between neighbouring homes through the shared loft. As he spies on the residents and plays cruel games, hidden tensions on the quiet street begin to explode.
Your Deepest Fear
by David Jackson
2019
After Sara Prior receives a final, cryptic message from her estranged husband, he is found murdered in a particularly brutal way. DS Nathan Cody must decipher the clue while Sara runs her own risky investigation, drawing them both toward a personal and disturbing confrontation.
Don't Make a Sound
by David Jackson
2018
Malcolm and Harriet Benson look like an ordinary couple, but the little girl they keep hidden in their house was abducted years ago. When six year old Poppy Devlin disappears, DS Nathan Cody races to find her before the Bensons can expand their stolen family.
Hope to Die
by David Jackson
2017
On a freezing night in Liverpool, a man is murdered in the shadow of the Anglican Cathedral, and everyone insists he had no enemies at all. DS Nathan Cody digs into the victim's secret life as a second killing forces him to confront his own fraying sanity.
A Tapping at my Door
by David Jackson
2016
A woman alone in a Liverpool suburb investigates a strange tapping at her back door and is later found murdered with a raven and a macabre message beside her body. DS Nathan Cody hunts a killer who seems obsessed with the police and with Cody's own buried fears.
Cry Baby
by David Jackson
2014
Erin Vogel wakes after a vicious attack to find her six month old daughter, Georgia, missing from their apartment. Offered a chance to get the baby back at an unthinkable price, she steps onto a dark path that draws the attention of New York detective Callum Doyle.
Marked
by David Jackson
2013
In New York's East Village, a young woman is found brutally assaulted and murdered, and detective Callum Doyle is sure he knows who did it. Without hard proof, every move he makes against his prime suspect invites retaliation, while an old enemy returns with dangerous demands.
The Helper
by David Jackson
2012
After a murder in a New York bookshop, Callum Doyle receives a phone call from someone who clearly knows far too much about the crime. The anonymous caller offers clues to prevent more killings, but only if Doyle keeps their twisted partnership secret from everyone else.
Pariah
by David Jackson
2011
Detective Callum Doyle's partner is gunned down and people close to him begin to die in calculated attacks. Anonymous messages warn that anyone he approaches will be killed, forcing Doyle into isolation as he chases an enemy who always seems one step ahead.
Where should I start?
If you want a Liverpool based police series: A Tapping at My Door → Hope to Die → Don't Make a Sound → Your Deepest Fear → Love Kills.
If you prefer gritty New York procedurals: Pariah → The Helper → Marked → Cry Baby.
If you like standalone psychological thrillers: The Resident → The Rule → No Secrets.
If you want a recent twisty standalone: One Good Deed → No Secrets.
Author bio
David Jackson grew up in Liverpool and spent much of his working life in lecture theatres and computer labs before his crime novels ever saw a bookshelf. For years his writing life meant academic papers, reports and conference deadlines rather than car chases and interrogations.
Fiction crept in slowly. After trying his hand at short stories and entering a few competitions, he sent the opening chapters of a crime novel to the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Awards. The manuscript was shortlisted and then Highly Commended, a result that changed everything and led to the publication of his debut novel, Pariah.(compulsivereaders.com)
Pariah introduced New York detective Callum Doyle and set the tone for much of Jackson's work: high pressure investigations, sharp dialogue and ordinary people pushed into extreme situations. The book also showed his interest in isolation and loyalty, asking what happens when just being near someone might put you in danger.(barnesandnoble.com)
From there he divided his fictional time between two cities. One strand of novels follows Doyle through the streets and back alleys of New York. The other returns home to Merseyside with the DS Nathan Cody series, starting with A Tapping at My Door, a Liverpool based police procedural that mixes gritty investigation with a strong psychological streak. Across both sequences you can feel his fascination with how place shapes people, from cramped apartments to the echoing spaces of cathedrals and docks.(barnesandnoble.com)
Alongside the series, Jackson has written several stand alone thrillers, including The Resident, The Rule, No Secrets and One Good Deed. These books often start from a simple, unsettling idea, then follow it through all the messy consequences: a killer hiding in your attic, parents covering up a terrible mistake, a woman who can read emotions too clearly, or an ordinary man who helps a stranger and finds his life blown apart.(davidjacksonbooks.com)
Readers tend to talk about his pacing and his dark sense of humour. Even in the bleakest moments there is usually a line or small observation that feels very human, a reminder that these characters exist outside the worst day of their lives. His detectives crack jokes, lose their tempers and make bad choices, which only makes them feel more real.
What runs through many of his stories are questions about responsibility. How far should a detective bend the rules to catch a killer. What would a parent sacrifice for a child. What does it cost to keep a secret, and what does it cost to tell the truth. The plots are twisty, but the emotional stakes are always clear.
Away from the novels, Jackson still works as a university academic in Liverpool and continues to draw on that analytical background in his fiction. He lives on the Wirral with his wife and two daughters, plus a British Shorthair cat called Mr Tumnus, and keeps adding to a body of crime fiction that is grounded, tense and quietly compassionate.(profilebooks.com)
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