The Recommended Reading Order
For the best experience, we recommend reading the City of London series in publication order. This allows you to experience the natural evolution of the characters, particularly the shift from everyman Josh Hammond to close-protection bodyguard Dee Conrad (later Dee Hammond) and the team at Vastrick Security.
- 48 Hours (2010)
- Chameleon (2011)
- Fogarty (2012)
- Ring Ring (2015) - Novella
- Remnants of Deceit (2019)
- Follow the Leader (2019 / 2021)
- Fall Out (2022) - Prequel Short Story
- When the Hammer Falls (2023)
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
While the publication order is the cleanest path, readers who want a strictly chronological timeline can make a few adjustments:
- Ring Ring (2015): This novella features DCI Rosalie Barry and deals with stolen identities and government secrets. While published fourth, it works well as a standalone mystery that can be read at any point after Fogarty.
- Fall Out (2022): This short story acts as a direct prequel to the series finale, When the Hammer Falls. Chronologically, it should be read right before the final novel. Conveniently, it is often printed as a bonus story at the end of the When the Hammer Falls physical editions.
Key Characters and Themes
The series starts in 48 Hours with Josh Hammond, a loss adjuster who receives an extortion message demanding £250,000 in 48 hours or he dies. Skittish but desperate, Josh hires Dee Conrad, a fierce bodyguard from Vastrick Security. As the series progresses, Dee becomes the primary protagonist, taking on assignments protecting foreign stateswomen in Chameleon and dealing with personal vendettas in the final novel, When the Hammer Falls, against art-world criminal Lucas Kovacic.