DI Ruth Hunter Books in Order
Part ofSimon McCleave Books in OrderFind the DI Ruth Hunter Snowdonia crime thrillers by Simon McCleave in order, with short summaries, series background and ideas on where to start reading.
Last updated: December 19, 2025
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Publication Order
23 books
The Liverpool Killings
by Simon McCleave
2026
DI Ruth Hunter faces a new investigation that takes her deep into Liverpool, where a series of brutal killings tied to the city’s criminal underworld will test her team and expose loyalties that stretch far beyond North Wales.
The Bala Lake Killings
by Simon McCleave
2025
A far-right gang assassinates a local MP in Snowdonia, and when a key witness’s family is hidden at a remote safe house near Bala Lake, a leak exposes their location, forcing Ruth Hunter into a desperate chase across North Wales.
The Abersoch Killings
by Simon McCleave
2025
Movie producer Jack Rush collapses in his beachside mansion after his step-daughter’s lavish wedding, poisoned with cyanide instead of cocaine, leaving Ruth Hunter to sift through a houseful of resentful relatives and explosive family secrets.
The Wirral Killings
by Simon McCleave
2024
When a Wrexham businessman is found murdered in Heswall on the Wirral, Ruth Hunter must work with Merseyside Police to trace a gang stealing heavy machinery from building sites before they silence anyone who can identify them.
The Llangollen Killings
by Simon McCleave
2024
A farmer is shot dead near Llangollen and more victims soon follow, pulling Ruth Hunter into a case that links marital infidelity on the surface to illegal firearms trafficking and violent Liverpool gangs in the background.
The Chester Killings
by Simon McCleave
2024
In historic Chester, young men are being murdered along the canal by a predator the press dub the Towpath Ripper; Ruth Hunter’s pursuit into North Wales turns deadly as the hunters risk becoming the hunted.
The Wrexham Killings
by Simon McCleave
2023
A young woman is found in Wrexham drenched in someone else’s blood with no memory of who she is or what happened, and Ruth Hunter must uncover the truth before the unknown killer tied to her lost night strikes again.
The Llandudno Pier Killings
by Simon McCleave
2023
A boat-tour operator is found dead on the beach beside Llandudno Pier, first pointing Ruth Hunter toward a bitter business rivalry before a hidden relationship and a second body on a boat twist the investigation in a darker direction.
The Denbigh Asylum Killings
by Simon McCleave
2023
Teenagers exploring the derelict Denbigh Asylum discover a body tied to a modern slavery ring trafficking young people into the UK, drawing Ruth Hunter into a case where toxic relationships and organised crime blur victim and perpetrator.
The Colwyn Bay Killings
by Simon McCleave
2023
A fire at a seaside holiday park leaves one young man dead, and what looks like a tragic accident becomes murder as Ruth Hunter unpicks his tangled love life and the drug dealing threaded quietly through the caravans.
The Portmeirion Killings
by Simon McCleave
2022
When a London journalist probing plans for a nuclear plant is forced off the road and killed, Ruth Hunter investigates shadowy corporate interests and old village grudges, hunting a killer whose motive may lie in a dispute from decades earlier.
The Lake Vyrnwy Killings
by Simon McCleave
2022
A local husband disappears near Lake Vyrnwy and grisly remains are found at the water’s edge, leaving DI Ruth Hunter and DS Nick Evans to decide whether they’re chasing a gangland execution or something far more personal.
The Chirk Castle Killings
by Simon McCleave
2022
After a small-time dealer is shot dead at Chirk Castle in front of his young son, DI Ruth Hunter must protect the terrified boy while unraveling a tangle of stolen drugs, buried childhood secrets and ruthless killers closing in.
The River Seine Killings
by Simon McCleave
2021
Still haunted by her partner Sarah’s disappearance, Ruth Hunter follows fresh clues to Paris, where a web of political corruption and sex trafficking forces her to risk her career—and her life—to bring the woman she loves home.
The Menai Bridge Killings
by Simon McCleave
2021
A young couple vanish after a brutal killing near the Menai Bridge, and DI Ruth Hunter fears Snowdonia has its own Bonnie and Clyde—until a trail of abuse and betrayal suggests the pair might be running for their lives instead.
The Conway Harbour Killings
by Simon McCleave
2021
A popular rugby coach is stabbed and a young woman disappears in Conway, dragging Ruth Hunter into a close-knit community full of lies, hidden affairs and dangerous secrets that put a single vulnerable witness in the killer’s sights.
The White Forest Killings
by Simon McCleave
2020
Tasked with escorting a dangerous terror suspect through the Snowdonia mountains to a remote safe house, Ruth Hunter and Nick Evans are ambushed on hostile ground and must keep both themselves and their prisoner alive.
The Solace Farm Killings
by Simon McCleave
2020
Local teenagers vanish around an isolated religious community at Solace Farm, drawing Ruth Hunter and Nick Evans into a closed world of devotion, control and hidden violence where one charismatic leader may be ready to sacrifice anyone.
The Harlech Beach Killings
by Simon McCleave
2020
When a millionaire’s body washes up on Harlech beach, Ruth Hunter’s hunt for a killer collides with a notorious Merseyside drug lord and her partner Nick Evans’s thirst for revenge, threatening to tear their investigation apart.
The Devil's Cliff Killings
by Simon McCleave
2020
Sixteen-year-old Rosie vanishes near Devil’s Cliff, and Ruth Hunter’s search leads into a violent struggle for control of a local prison, where corruption, trafficking and intimidation threaten everyone who dares to speak out.
The Dee Valley Killings
by Simon McCleave
2020
A missing-persons enquiry in the Dee Valley spirals into a hunt for a sadistic serial killer who seems to know Ruth Hunter personally, turning the investigation into a deadly game that targets her family as much as her team.
The Berwyn River Killings
by Simon McCleave
2020
Two apparent suicides along the Berwyn River pull Ruth Hunter into historic abuse inside the music industry, as she and Nick Evans chase a killer with decades of grievances and every reason to strike again.
The Snowdonia Killings
by Simon McCleave
2019
Newly arrived from London and grieving a missing partner, DI Ruth Hunter expects a quieter life in Snowdonia until a teacher is found murdered with strange symbols on her body and a second killing proves a serial predator is hunting.
Series background & context
The DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thrillers follow a seasoned London detective who uproots her life for what she hopes will be a quieter posting in rural North Wales. Instead, she walks straight into some of the darkest cases of her career.
At the start of The Snowdonia Killings, Ruth is approaching fifty, worn down by big‑city policing and haunted by the unexplained disappearance of her partner, Sarah. Moving to a small station beneath the Snowdonia mountains looks like a chance to slow down, heal and do solid work without constant political pressure. It doesn’t last long.
Ruth quickly discovers that murder in a village can be just as brutal as murder in London. Each book in the series tackles a self‑contained investigation—teachers left with strange symbols carved into their skin, businessmen washed up on lonely beaches, cults on remote farms, gangland hits, historical abuse scandals and far‑right violence that spills into the valleys. The cases often reach out toward Liverpool, London or Paris, but they always come back to Snowdonia’s farms, harbours and market towns.
A big part of the draw here is Ruth herself. She’s a lesbian detective who doesn’t make a fuss about it, loyal to her team but blunt when she needs to be. The unresolved mystery of Sarah’s fate runs under many of the early books and comes to the surface in The River Seine Killings, where Ruth risks her career to chase new leads in France.
Her main partner in North Wales is DS Nick Evans, a smart local officer whose own demons—particularly his struggle with alcohol and his history with Merseyside drug gangs—often collide with the work they’re meant to be doing. Their relationship shifts over time from wary colleagues to something closer to family, and the books give space to his relapses, attempts at recovery and complicated love life as well as Ruth’s.
McCleave uses the setting as more than just a backdrop. Mountain passes, coastal roads, tourist towns and old industrial sites all play into how investigations unfold, whether it’s a safe house hidden in thick forest, a body found at a ruined asylum or a killer using the sea and weather to cover their tracks. Local folklore and community politics regularly bump up against the hard edges of modern crime.
You can read most of the novels as standalones, but there is a clear emotional arc if you go in order: Ruth settling into Llancastell CID, the search for Sarah, shifting friendships within the team, and the way long‑running enemies resurface years later. Readers who enjoy that continuity often start at The Snowdonia Killings and work forward, then circle back to the DC Ruth Hunter prequels to see where she began.
Overall, the series mixes traditional police‑procedural detail with strong character work and a vivid sense of place. Expect twisty plots, some tough subject matter and an ongoing reminder that even the quietest valley can hide very dangerous people.
Edited by
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