Judith O'Reilly Books in Order

Judith O'Reilly came to books after years inside British newsrooms, and she now publishes her thrillers as Jude O'Reilly. She worked as a political producer for BBC2's Newsnight and ITN's Channel 4 News, then as education correspondent at The Sunday Times, where she also covered politics, general news, and undercover investigations. That background gave her a sharp eye for power, spin, and the messy human details that sit underneath public life.

She knew how institutions talk, and how they hide.

Her first big turn toward books came after a change at home rather than a neat career plan. In 2006, after moving from London to rural Northumberland with her family, she started the blog that became Wife in the North. What began as a funny, unvarnished record of culture shock, marriage, motherhood, and country life grew into a bestseller. The book reached number three in the UK charts, became a top ten seller in Germany, and was chosen as a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.

She stayed with memoir for A Year of Doing Good, built around a simple idea that turned out to be anything but simple: do one good deed every day for a year. Readers who like O'Reilly's nonfiction usually come for the wit and stay for the honesty. She writes well about family noise, village politics, good intentions, and the way everyday life can be both ridiculous and moving at the same time.

Then she changed lanes.

Writing as Jude O'Reilly, she created Michael North, the battered hero at the center of Killing State, Curse the Day, and Sleep When You're Dead. These books pull together a lot of what she knows well: political pressure, secretive institutions, media glare, and the speed of modern crisis. Readers often mention the pace first, but the real hook is North himself, a bruised, morally uneasy operator whose cases keep circling questions of loyalty, power, and who gets sacrificed when governments decide the rules no longer apply.

She is also an award-winning short story writer, and In Our Crime gathers nine crime and mystery stories in one place. The collection moves from puzzle-like mystery to darker material, which fits a writer who is interested in both tension and character. Even when she shifts mode, from memoir to thriller to short fiction, her writing stays grounded and alert to the way ordinary lives can collide with bigger forces.

O'Reilly now lives in Durham with her family and a miniature poodle called Joey. That detail feels about right. Her books, even the high-stakes ones, never lose sight of domestic life, stubborn personalities, or the comedy that turns up in the middle of stress. Whether she is writing about a move to Northumberland, a year of trying to do better, or a conspiracy buried deep in the British state, she keeps one foot in the real world. That is a big part of her appeal.