Michael Hambling Books in Order

A couple moving a shrub in their Dorchester garden uncover the carefully buried skeletons of two children. DCI Sophie Allen investigates the old deaths, tracing family secrets whose lingering consequences threaten to bring further tragedy to the community.

A young woman is stabbed on a deserted Dorset footpath, and her mother is found strangled the next morning. DCI Sophie Allen investigates their hidden histories, questioning an apparent suspect as evidence points toward violence, intimidation, and revenge.

A mutilated body on Studland Heath points DCI Sophie Allen toward a trafficking gang. Meanwhile, the discovery of her father's remains in an abandoned mineshaft exposes a painful personal mystery that complicates her relationship with the team.

A music festival visitor is found dead on the shoreline at Peveril Point, and her injuries suggest foul play. DCI Sophie Allen returns to duty while investigating the woman's contacts, as a new constable faces dangers of her own.

A young man's body is spotted in rough seas off Dorset, raising questions about an apparent accident. DCI Sophie Allen finds connections to an earlier suicide and a female student, then probes the disturbing relationships behind both deaths.

A retired couple disappear after mistakenly attending the wrong funeral, and their bodies are later found in a car. DCI Sophie Allen questions the apparent suicide as another death and links to a shady business organization deepen the investigation.

An undercover detective disappears while a retired prison guard is found dead, amid growing concern about contraband entering local prisons. DCI Sophie Allen searches for connections and races to locate her colleague as influential suspects protect their interests.

Sophie Allen's daughter discovers a reclusive man's body in Dorset woodland, leaving detectives with little information about his life. A hidden package and inquiries about the victim lead the team toward the troubling history of a former Somerset commune.

A commuter train stabbing leaves Sophie Allen's team unable to establish the victim's past, and another killing presents similar difficulties. Questions about a government-owned house, a women's refuge, and migrants arriving on Dorset beaches complicate the investigation.

A child witnesses men dumping a body into an abandoned clay pit while Sophie Allen's team faces a disappearance and a serious hit-and-run. Further discoveries suggest dangerous connections, leaving the detective uncertain whom she can trust.

A woman's body is found near a Wiltshire village after police fail to locate the source of a scream. Newly promoted Sophie Allen investigates the seemingly well-liked victim, whose son's disappearance puts pressure on her first major case.

A beaten body on a Lyme Regis coastal path follows an attempted carjacking and a mysterious break-in. With Sophie Allen recovering in hospital, Barry Marsh investigates a ruthless killer whose next victim brings a disturbing turn to the case.

A child's mummified body and a student's drug-induced coma reveal a connection to events twenty years earlier. Sophie Allen's team investigates the secrets of a Bournemouth house while someone works desperately to keep the old truth buried.

A lecturer who reported being stalked is found dead in Christchurch Harbour. When another woman’s body surfaces nearby, Sophie Allen searches for the connection, pursuing a killer who studies his victims before striking.