Kat Royle Books in Order

The Kat Royle series begins with Murder On Account, a private-eye mystery set in Lewford, on the south bank of the River Thames. Kat Royle works at RK Investigations, where she has learned to deal with difficult clients, unusual jobs, and a boss who is not always easy to work for.

Then Roy is found dead in his home. The police think it was a burglary gone wrong, but his daughter is not convinced. She asks Kat to take over the agency and find out who killed him.

Kat does not hesitate.

That decision leaves her with a murder inquiry, a business to keep running, and the other cases already on the agency's books. Kat is streetwise and blunt, with enough experience of the local police to know they would prefer she stayed out of their way. She has no intention of doing that when a killer may still be close.

The story is a more conventional detective setup than Abbott's Witch P.I. books. There is no magical world to navigate. Instead, the pressure comes from Kat's new responsibility, the growing list of leads, and the need to decide whom she can trust. Lewford supplies a varied supporting cast, and Kat's work brings her into contact with both everyday clients and people with reasons to hide the truth.

Zero, a young man who says his hacking days are behind him, joins Kat when she realizes she cannot manage everything alone. Their partnership gives the agency a new shape as Kat tries to honor Roy's memory without simply copying the way he ran things.

The tone remains quick and funny, even when the case turns serious. Kat is capable, impatient with nonsense, and determined to get answers. Readers who like the investigative side of the Witch P.I. books, but prefer a grounded crime story, can start here.

Begin with Murder On Account. It introduces Kat, RK Investigations, Roy's murder, Zero, and the personal stakes behind Kat's first major case.