Kate O'Donnell Books in Order

The Kate O'Donnell mysteries follow a young woman determined to make her own way in 1960s London. Kate has come from Liverpool to build a career as a photographer, a goal that puts her in studios, newspapers, clubs, streets, and private rooms where she sees far more than she expects.

She is bright, stubborn, and not especially willing to let other people decide what she should do. That matters in a period when women are still routinely underestimated at work and judged for wanting independence. Kate's camera gives her a reason to go places, ask questions, and notice details that others miss.

Her closest link to the police is Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard. Harry works in and around Soho, where nightlife, vice, petty crime, and organized crime overlap. He can be charming and capable, but he is also part of an institution Kate has reason to question. Their relationship brings warmth and sparks, especially when a case puts them on opposite sides of a decision.

London is not just a backdrop here. The series takes in the energy of the Swinging Sixties, from fashion shoots and new music to crowded flats and changing streets, while keeping an eye on its darker edges. Racial prejudice, homophobia, exploitation, police corruption, and the lasting shadow of the Second World War all shape the people Kate and Harry meet.

The mysteries have a lively period feel, but the stakes are serious.

Begin with Dead Beat. Kate arrives in London hoping to find work and trace her missing brother, then gets drawn into a murder investigation. Death Trap moves into Notting Hill and a case shadowed by racism and property speculation. In Dressed to Kill, Kate's fashion photography assignment opens onto a frightening pattern involving vulnerable young women.

The later books widen the series further. Blood Brothers brings Kate and Harry close to a gangland case, while Deep Waters links a missing Soho club owner to an older disaster. Cover Up returns Kate to Liverpool, and Playing with Fire heads into Soho's changing music and club scene.

Read in order if you can. The cases stand on their own, but Kate's growth as a photographer and her shifting relationship with Harry make more sense from the beginning.