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DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons Books in Order

Part ofRhys Dylan Books in Order

See all DCI Evan Warlow and Black Beacons books by Rhys Dylan in order, with summaries, series background, and a simple place to begin.

Last updated: July 14, 2026

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DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons books in publication order

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21 books

1

The Engine House

by Rhys Dylan

2021

A landslip on the Pembrokeshire coast exposes two bodies missing for eight years. Retired detective Evan Warlow is pulled back into the case that ended his career, as someone works desperately to keep its secrets buried.

2

Caution Death at Work

by Rhys Dylan

2022

DCI Evan Warlow is still unsure he belongs back at work when two mountain bikers are attacked in Brechfa Forest. One is dead, one is badly injured, and the isolated woodland holds more than one old secret.

3

Gravely Concerned

by Rhys Dylan

2022

Six-year-old Osian Howells disappears from his own garden in broad daylight. With the family desperate and the press circling, Warlow must outthink an abductor who seems to enjoy every cruel step of the search.

4

Ice Cold Malice

by Rhys Dylan

2022

A corpse hidden in a mound of kelp turns up on a quiet Welsh beach. As Warlow investigates the victim's ugly past, he finds no shortage of suspects with good reasons to leave the dead undisturbed.

5

Suffer the Dead

by Rhys Dylan

2022

A farmer and his son vanish while pursuing rustlers, leaving DCI Evan Warlow with few clues and a village full of evasions. The deeper he digs, the more dangerous the rural secrets become.

6

A Body of Water

by Rhys Dylan

2023

A delivery driver finds a reclusive author dead near Llyn Brianne dam, with a knife ending any theory of natural causes. Missing walkers, a secretive group and paranormal obsessives complicate Warlow's search for the truth.

7

A Mark Of Imperfection

by Rhys Dylan

2023

Two of Evan Warlow's fiercest critics are abducted and displayed after death in a grotesque scene. The investigation leads back to an old case that has troubled Warlow for years, and its unfinished business.

8

Burnt Echo

by Rhys Dylan

2023

A foul smell from an abandoned mine shaft in the Cambrian hills leads Warlow to a body. When another person disappears, old ghosts and carefully maintained lies suggest that the killer may not be finished.

9

Lines of Inquiry

by Rhys Dylan

2023

A drug dealer and money launderer is murdered on a beach near Tenby, and a police officer is shot in the same attack. For Warlow, criminal betrayal quickly becomes a personal case involving gangs and hidden money.

10

No One Near

by Rhys Dylan

2023

A honeymoon rental high in the Welsh hills comes with a decomposing body in the bedroom. As Warlow investigates the victim's past, another person is attacked and a third vanishes before Christmas.

11

A Matter of Evidence

by Rhys Dylan

2024

A man recently cleared of a wrongful conviction is found dead on military training grounds. Warlow must revisit a decades-old crime, separating a victim's search for justice from a killer's need to hide the past.

12

Dragon's Breath

by Rhys Dylan

2024

A lost man dies in the Black Mountains despite a rescue team's efforts, but Warlow doubts it was an accident. More deaths, a poisonous trade and greed point to a killer who has made the mountains dangerous.

13

The Last Throw

by Rhys Dylan

2024

A petty theft in a west Wales village turns tragic and draws Evan Warlow into a widening web of lies. With one of his own caught in danger, he must move quickly before a ruthless enemy strikes again.

14

The Light Remains

by Rhys Dylan

2024

A beloved sporting legend is left fighting for life after a violent home invasion. DCI Evan Warlow faces a public clamour for justice, but jealousy, rivalry and polished lies make every witness suspect.

15

A Word With The Dead

by Rhys Dylan

2025

A drone spots a dead cyclist in west Wales, but the evidence offers few easy answers. Warlow follows a trail through hospital wards and woodland paths toward power, deceit and a community coming apart.

16

Druid's Moor

by Rhys Dylan

2025

A child emerges from a mist-covered moor whispering about "the old ones." DCI Evan Warlow finds no supernatural answer, only buried crimes, ritual secrets and the frightening damage people can choose to do.

17

One Less Snake

by Rhys Dylan

2025

A morning walk in Solva reveals a burned-out car and a body, executed with chilling care. Warlow traces the crime through fear, power and revenge, where old community sins still have deadly force.

18

The Bowman

by Rhys Dylan

2025

Two bodies in the Cambrian Mountains revive fears of a killer believed long gone. DCI Evan Warlow must decide whether a copycat is at work, or whether the vanished Bowman has returned to kill again.

19
New

Cross Cut

by Rhys Dylan

2026

The body of a teenage boy is found in a quiet Welsh town, and rumour quickly hardens into accusation. To find the killer, Warlow must confront divided loyalties and a truth he has avoided for years.

20
New

Reckless Deceit

by Rhys Dylan

2026

DCI Evan Warlow returns for another Black Beacons investigation in Wales. Details of the case are being kept under wraps, but this forthcoming entry continues the series' focus on crime, secrets and consequences.

21
New

Wilful Cruelty

by Rhys Dylan

2026

A planned street killing puts Jess Allanby at the centre of a politically charged investigation. Elsewhere, Warlow uncovers a manufactured haunting used to control a vulnerable woman, revealing cruelty designed with purpose.

DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Engine House"

    The Engine House

    by Rhys Dylan

    2021DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Caution Death at Work"

    Caution Death at Work

    by Rhys Dylan

    2022DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Ice Cold Malice"

    Ice Cold Malice

    by Rhys Dylan

    2022DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Suffer the Dead"

    Suffer the Dead

    by Rhys Dylan

    2022DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Gravely Concerned"

    Gravely Concerned

    by Rhys Dylan

    2022DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "A Mark Of Imperfection"

    A Mark Of Imperfection

    by Rhys Dylan

    2023DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Burnt Echo"

    Burnt Echo

    by Rhys Dylan

    2023DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "A Body of Water"

    A Body of Water

    by Rhys Dylan

    2023DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Lines of Inquiry"

    Lines of Inquiry

    by Rhys Dylan

    2023DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "No One Near"

    No One Near

    by Rhys Dylan

    2023DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "The Light Remains"

    The Light Remains

    by Rhys Dylan

    2024DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "A Matter of Evidence"

    A Matter of Evidence

    by Rhys Dylan

    2024DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Last Throw"

    The Last Throw

    by Rhys Dylan

    2024DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Dragon's Breath"

    Dragon's Breath

    by Rhys Dylan

    2024DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "The Bowman"

    The Bowman

    by Rhys Dylan

    2025DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "One Less Snake"

    One Less Snake

    by Rhys Dylan

    2025DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 16
  17. Book cover for "A Word With The Dead"

    A Word With The Dead

    by Rhys Dylan

    2025DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 17
  18. Book cover for "Druid's Moor"

    Druid's Moor

    by Rhys Dylan

    2025DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 18
  19. Book cover for "Cross Cut"

    Cross Cut

    by Rhys Dylan

    2026DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 19
  20. Book cover for "Wilful Cruelty"

    Wilful Cruelty

    by Rhys Dylan

    2026DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 20
  21. Book cover for "Reckless Deceit"

    Reckless Deceit

    by Rhys Dylan

    2026DCI Evan Warlow / Black Beacons, Book 21

Series background & context

The Black Beacons books are Welsh police procedurals led by DCI Evan Warlow. The series starts with The Engine House, when a landslip on the Pembrokeshire coast uncovers bodies connected to a case that helped end Warlow's career. Retirement is over, whether he likes it or not.

Warlow is an experienced detective, steady under pressure and not much interested in appearances. He works with a regular team, including DI Jess Allanby, as they investigate murders, disappearances and crimes that have had years to settle into the landscape. The cases are usually complete in each book, but the relationships and consequences carry forward.

West and mid-Wales are vital to the series. The action moves through the Black Mountains, the Cambrian hills, coastal towns, forest tracks, farms and small communities where everyone has heard a version of the story. That closeness can help an investigation, or make it much harder. People protect neighbours, protect family, and sometimes protect the wrong person.

These are not puzzle stories set apart from ordinary life. Warlow's enquiries often begin with a body or a missing person, then widen into old grudges, hidden histories, local power struggles and mistakes that were never properly dealt with.

The books are dark without losing their human side. There is room for team banter, awkward personal lives, Warlow's dog, and the small practical details of police work. Evidence has to be checked, witnesses have to be persuaded, and the obvious answer is often the least reliable one.

Readers can begin with The Engine House for Warlow's full story, but most later cases provide enough background to work as individual crime novels. Reading in order gives the best sense of how the team changes, how Warlow's past catches up with him, and why the landscape never feels entirely empty.

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Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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