DC Ruth Hunter Murder File Books in Order

The DC Ruth Hunter Murder File books rewind the clock on Simon McCleave’s main Snowdonia series. Set in late‑1990s London, they follow Ruth long before she becomes a detective inspector, when she is still a detective constable learning just how messy murder investigations can get.

Where the Snowdonia novels are about leaving the Met behind, these prequels show exactly what Ruth is walking away from: high‑pressure cases, political interference and institutions more worried about headlines than justice. They also give a younger, sharper‑edged version of Ruth, ambitious and principled but not yet hardened by the personal losses we see later.

In Diary of a War Crime, a seemingly routine pensioner’s death in South London links to another elderly victim and then to atrocities committed during the Bosnian war. Ruth becomes convinced that a Serbian war criminal, thought to be dead and buried in Bosnia, is living under a new identity in the UK, and that powerful people are prepared to obstruct the investigation to protect a fragile pre‑election image.

The Razor Gang Murder digs into historic gangland feuds. The discovery of a teenager’s remains from the 1950s sends Ruth and her impulsive partner, DC Lucy Henry, into the old world of South London “razor gangs”, protection rackets and celebrity crooks—with uncomfortable links to a knighted public figure and long‑buried police corruption.

In An Imitation of Darkness, Ruth and Lucy investigate the killing of a young actress and find themselves up against powerful men in the film industry, where sexual exploitation and reputational damage have been quietly covered up for years. London, SE15 then turns the spotlight on the British Army, as the murder of an ex‑soldier outside a Peckham nightclub exposes a toxic culture of bullying, racism and abuse at a training barracks that senior officers are desperate to keep out of the press.

Across the four books, Ruth and Lucy’s partnership is a big part of the appeal. Lucy is fiery where Ruth is controlled; she pushes against rules and sometimes against Ruth herself. Their banter, frustrations and growing trust help to lighten stories that deal with heavy subjects.

Taken together, the Murder File novels flesh out Ruth’s backstory and explain some of the compromises and scars she carries into her later career. They can be read before the Snowdonia books, but many readers enjoy meeting older Ruth first and then coming back here to see how she became that detective.