Most Recommended Books

Track reading, wishlists & new-book alerts

Get
Skip to content
Share:

Scott Hunter Books in Order

Browse Scott Hunter books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, and simple advice on where to start with his crime, thriller, and fantasy books.

Last updated: June 10, 2026

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).

View

Publication Order

Sort:

18 books

The Ley Lines of Lushbury

by Scott Hunter

2010

When Tim Herring moves to a village near Stonehenge, the countryside turns stranger by the day. A girl in his garden, eerie signs, and an ancient secret pull him into a fight bigger than his own life.

Black December

by Scott Hunter

2011

Recovering from a near-fatal crash, Brendan Moran is called to Charnford Abbey after a murder shatters its silence. Uncooperative monks, a missing relic, and buried history make this a moody start to the series.

The Serpent and the Slave

by Scott Hunter

2011

In AD 367, young councillor Marius is drawn into a plot threatening Roman Britain itself. With fugitive gladiator Fraomar beside him, he heads for the Isle of Mona while enemies close in from every side.

Rattle and Drum

by Scott Hunter

2012

Scott Hunter's memoir tracks his life as a working drummer, from early practice sessions to recording with Jethro Tull. It is full of touring stories, hard knocks, and a grounded sense of humour about the music business.

Creatures of Dust

by Scott Hunter

2013

An undercover officer vanishes, a young man is found mutilated, and Moran is pushed away from the investigation just when he starts to see the pattern. He becomes convinced a serial killer is moving through the city.

The Trespass

by Scott Hunter

2013

Simon Dracup's daughter is kidnapped, and the trail leads into his grandfather's diary of an expedition to Mount Ararat. What was taken from the Ark of Noah may be the key to saving her, if he survives the hunt.

Death Walks Behind You

by Scott Hunter

2015

What should have been a quiet West Country break turns into a missing-person case in a village that does not welcome outsiders. Moran finds family secrets, local menace, and a second investigation unfolding back in Berkshire.

A Crime for all Seasons

by Scott Hunter

2016

This collection brings Brendan Moran and his team into six short cases, from winter digs to summer stakeouts. It is a brisk way to sample the series and spend more time with the detectives between novels.

Long Goodbyes

by Scott Hunter

2016

In 1916, shell-shocked soldier Jack MacLennan and his new wife try to begin again in rural Ireland. The shadow of a decaying mansion turns their quiet refuge into an eerie story of grief, secrets, and murder.

Silent as the Dead

by Scott Hunter

2018

Called back to County Kerry by an old friend, Moran investigates a missing woman and finds old loyalties waiting for him. The search leads toward a paramilitary threat and an enemy tied painfully close to his past.

Gone Too Soon

by Scott Hunter

2019

The body of rising singer Michelle LaCroix turns up in an unmarked grave, with a recording that seems to explain her death. Moran suspects the story is false, and each new clue darkens the case.

The Enemy Inside

by Scott Hunter

2020

Moran steps into a suicide crisis and walks straight into allegations of past misconduct. Clearing his name means reopening old wounds, and by the end of the night the damage could be personal as well as professional.

The Cold Light of Death

by Scott Hunter

2021

A grim discovery reopens a botched murder inquiry from the blistering summer of 1976. Moran takes on a cold case with fresh danger behind it, and the deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes that the killer may still be ready to strike again.

When Stars Grow Dark

by Scott Hunter

2021

A fatal traffic collision reveals that one victim was murdered before the crash, pointing Moran toward a baffling serial case. At the same time, a clue from his past sends him on a dangerous off-book mission to Rotterdam.

Closer to the Dead

by Scott Hunter

2022

A cold case draws Brendan Moran into the forty-year-old murder of a young RAF servicewoman. As the team rebuilds a badly handled investigation, someone keeps watching their every move, and an old adversary edges back into the picture.

The Fragile Cage

by Scott Hunter

2022

After a bullet leaves ex-detective Cameron Kyle changed and dangerously uncertain, an escaped killer drags him back into the hunt. Set in 1968, it mixes damaged relationships, sharp dialogue, and a hard-edged chase.

Winter Solstice

by Scott Hunter

2023

Thirteen years after the strange events at Lushbury, Tim Herring returns home and is pulled back into the old mystery. A familiar enemy is working to seize control of time itself, and the stakes are now enormous.

In the Key of Death

by Scott Hunter

2024

An elderly piano teacher is found murdered, pulling Brendan Moran out of retirement for one more difficult case. As suspects multiply, a commune on the edges of the investigation starts to look far less harmless than it seems.

Where should I start?

If you want the main detective series: Black DecemberCreatures of DustDeath Walks Behind You
If you want Stonehenge, folklore, and fantasy: The Ley Lines of LushburyWinter Solstice
If you want a globe-trotting standalone thriller: The Trespass
If you want Roman Britain and historical action: The Serpent and the Slave
If you want late 1960s crime with espionage in the background: The Fragile Cage

Author bio

Scott Hunter was born in Romford, Essex, in 1956 and grew up there. Long before he had a shelf of novels behind him, he was already drawn to stories, rhythm, and performance. He has said that his writing career really took off after he won first prize in the Sunday Express Short Story Competition, a win that gave him the confidence to keep going.

Music mattered just as much. Hunter spent years working as a drummer, and that part of his life was never some side hobby tucked away in the background. He recorded with Jethro Tull and appeared in concert with Mungo Jerry, experiences he later drew on in Rattle and Drum. He has also balanced writing with IT contract work, which may help explain why even his strangest plots tend to stay grounded in everyday detail.

He doesn't stay in one lane for long.

Many readers first meet him through DCI Brendan Moran, the Irish detective at the center of Black December, Creatures of Dust, and the later books that follow. These novels mix police work with old grief, hidden histories, awkward loyalties, and the kind of places that keep their secrets for decades. Moran is not a flashy hero, and that seems to be part of the appeal. Hunter writes him as tired, stubborn, funny, and deeply human.

But crime fiction is only one part of the picture. The Trespass moves into conspiracy thriller territory, sending Simon Dracup after clues tied to a family diary, Mount Ararat, and a secret linked to Noah's Ark. The Ley Lines of Lushbury shifts again, this time toward younger readers, with Stonehenge, eerie village mysteries, and ancient power under the landscape. Then there is The Serpent and the Slave, which heads back to Roman Britain and shows he is just as happy writing about invasion, pursuit, and the slow collapse of an empire.

That range is one of the interesting things about him.

Across the different genres, some habits stay the same. Hunter likes settings that feel properly lived in, whether that is Berkshire, the West Country, rural Ireland, a village near Stonehenge, or late Roman Britannia. He also returns again and again to the pull of the past. Old crimes, old losses, old promises, old secrets. His characters are often ordinary people pushed into situations bigger than they expected, and the drama usually comes from what they do next rather than from flashy concept alone.

His work has picked up recognition along the way. The Ley Lines of Lushbury was longlisted for the Times and Chicken House children's novel competition. He was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Margery Allingham short mystery competition in 2016, and he went on to win it in 2022. Those details fit the work. He is clearly comfortable moving between full-length novels and shorter, tightly built mysteries.

Hunter lives in Berkshire with his wife, Katherine, and remains active in his local church in Reading. He still divides his time between writing, work, and drumming, which feels exactly right for an author whose books have both momentum and a steady beat. Recent years have seen him continue the Brendan Moran novels while also opening up the Cameron Kyle series, beginning with The Fragile Cage, a darker late 1960s crime story with espionage in the background.

He also keeps a modest collection of drums nearby, which somehow feels like the perfect final detail.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

Comments

Did we miss something? Have feedback?

Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts

We only use your email to notify you about replies.

All comments are moderated.

Discover and track your reading on the go

Track your reading, manage wishlists, and get notified when new books are added.

All 18 Scott Hunter Books in Order (Complete List 2026)