Ryan Jarrod Books in Order
Part ofColin Youngman Books in OrderExplore the Ryan Jarrod series by Colin Youngman in order, with book summaries, Tyneside crime background, and where to start reading.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
13 books
The Angel Falls
by Colin Youngman
2020
Special Constable Ryan Jarrod finds a badly beaten taxi driver on Tyneside just as a bombing throws Newcastle into chaos. When letters seem to predict more attacks, Ryan pushes into a case others want to dismiss.
The Girl On The Quay
by Colin Youngman
2020
A missing woman, an abandoned boat, and a body in the mud pull rookie detective Ryan Jarrod into the underworld of trafficking and organized crime. The case soon becomes personal, dangerous, and hard to contain.
The Lighthouse Keeper
by Colin Youngman
2020
When Chelsea Birch's body washes ashore near St Mary's Island, Ryan Jarrod faces a case with too many suspects and too many secrets. A strange occupation, local fear, and political shadows complicate the hunt.
High Level
by Colin Youngman
2021
A wealthy entrepreneur is found dead at the foot of a lift shaft in Newcastle's Byker Wall estate. For Ryan Jarrod, a case that should be simple exposes greed, poverty, and secrets on both sides.
Operation Sage
by Colin Youngman
2021
A drive-by shooting, a quiet kidnapping, and a failed suicide intervention seem unrelated until DS Ryan Jarrod finds the same gang behind them. Worse, their real target appears to be Ryan himself.
Low Light
by Colin Youngman
2022
Under protection after a credible threat, DS Ryan Jarrod is dragged into the hunt for a vigilante killer. A mutilated body at North Shields fish market suggests the murderer has only just begun.
The Tower
by Colin Youngman
2022
When Ryan Jarrod is lured into a trap below Newcastle's tallest building, a colleague pays the price. With drugs lord Benny Yu back in town, the case becomes a brutal test of nerve.
Bones Of Callaley
by Colin Youngman
2023
Human remains found in a quiet garden tear open a neighbourhood's hidden history. As residents turn on one another, Ryan Jarrod learns one secret may reach back into his own past.
The Graveyard Shift
by Colin Youngman
2023
Halloween brings a body to the ancient graveyard at Tynemouth Priory, and it is not the first. The ritual staging points toward something sinister, leaving Ryan Jarrod to separate horror from human evil.
Sand Dancer
by Colin Youngman
2024
Performer Semilla Rachman vanishes in front of a full theatre during a return to her hometown. Ryan Jarrod must decide whether it is a stunt, an abduction, or something darker.
Metro
by Colin Youngman
2025
A young woman is found murdered and posed inside a deserted Tyneside Metro carriage. When a schoolgirl dies in a similarly disturbing way, Ryan Jarrod's team follows the trail through transport, art, and obsession.
Wall's End
by Colin Youngman
2025
A dead man in a derelict community building looks like an overdose victim until Ryan Jarrod's phone number is found tattooed on his arm. The case leads into county lines crime and police corruption.
NE1
by Colin Youngman
2026
Acting DI Ryan Jarrod investigates influencer Xander McStay after a tip-off about abuse of power and predatory behavior. As undercover city-centre parties come into focus, fame begins to look like cover.
Series background & context
The Ryan Jarrod series is Colin Youngman's main crime series, set around Tyneside and the north-east of England. It starts with The Angel Falls, where Ryan is still a special constable at the end of a wet winter shift. A brutal assault and a major explosion pull him toward a case far bigger than anyone first understands.
That first book also brings in DCI Stephen Danskin, the senior officer who sees something useful in Ryan's stubbornness. Their relationship helps give the series its spine. Ryan moves from eager outsider to working detective, then into more senior roles, but the books keep asking the same basic question: how much can one person carry before the job changes him?
The setting matters a lot here. Newcastle, the River Tyne, North Shields, St Mary's Island, Byker Wall, Tynemouth Priory, the Metro, South Shields, and quiet residential pockets all become part of the cases. Youngman uses familiar north-east places not just as scenery, but as pressure points. A body turns up in a garden. A performer vanishes from a packed theatre. A train carriage becomes a crime scene.
The crimes are usually standalone, but Ryan's life is not.
Across the series, the cases move through terrorism, people trafficking, serial killing, organized crime, police corruption, county lines drug gangs, online celebrity, and old secrets buried close to home. Some entries lean into procedural work. Others push harder on Ryan's private life, his loyalty to colleagues, and the danger that follows him outside office hours.
The tone is dark, fast, and very local. These are not cozy mysteries. They are police thrillers with rough edges, tense set pieces, and a recurring interest in how public institutions, families, criminals, and communities fail people when nobody is watching closely enough.
You can read many Ryan Jarrod books as individual cases, but the series works best in order. Ryan's career, friendships, enemies, and home life build from book to book, so starting with The Angel Falls gives the later twists more weight.
Edited by
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