The DS Cross Mysteries Books in Order

The DS Cross Mysteries follow Detective Sergeant George Cross of the Avon and Somerset police, working major crime in and around Bristol. Cross is brilliant with evidence but uneasy with people. Diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, he relies on routine, rules and logic to make sense of chaotic crime scenes and the equally messy lives of victims and suspects.

Across the novels, Cross is usually paired with DS Josie Ottey, a warm, sharp colleague who both interprets him for others and challenges his blind spots. At home, he looks after his widowed father Raymond, whose stubborn independence and quiet pride mirror his son's. That mix of demanding work and fragile family life runs underneath every investigation.

Each book takes on a different corner of contemporary Britain. In The Dentist, a murdered homeless man pulls Cross back to a long cold case the force would rather forget. The Cyclist uncovers a world of amateur racing, performance enhancing drugs and a family restaurant full of secrets. In The Patient, a grieving mother begs Cross to prove her daughter's supposed overdose was actually murder.

The Politician sends him into the bruising world of local politics and online opinion, as a former mayor and controversial blogger is found dead in what looks like a burglary gone wrong. The Monk starts with a body in a habit on the edge of Bristol and digs into the past life of a man who once had wealth and walked away from it. In The Teacher, an apparently kindly pensioner turns out to be a former schoolmaster with a long trail of people he has harmed.

Later books such as The Bookseller step into the niche world of rare and antiquarian books, where collectors, dealers and families all have competing claims on items that are worth far more than they seem. However unusual the setting, the cases are always grounded in painstaking interviews, careful forensics and Cross's refusal to make assumptions about anyone.

What ties the series together is Cross's stubborn belief that every victim, no matter how marginal, deserves the full attention of the law. The stories give space to people who are often sidelined in crime fiction, from the homeless community to recovering addicts, care home residents and isolated older men.

Readers can dip into any volume, but following the DS Cross Mysteries in order lets you watch Cross, Josie and Raymond change over time as new colleagues arrive, loyalties are tested and Bristol itself becomes a familiar backdrop to each new puzzle.