The Recommended Reading Order for DCI Grace Macallan
To fully appreciate the evolution of DCI Grace Macallan's character and follow the underlying story arcs, the series is best read in order of publication. Author Peter Ritchie crafted each book to build upon the last, taking Grace from the aftermath of a career-damaging incident through complex, multi-layered investigations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Here is the recommended reading path for the main series:
- Cause of Death (2017) - Grace joins the Lothian & Borders Major Crime Team to solve the murder of an Edinburgh sex worker, while facing off against a high-profile suspect.
- Evidence of Death (2018) - Grace investigates Belfast gangsters moving their drug operations into Edinburgh, forcing her to confront gangland rivalries and deep-rooted loyalties.
- Shores of Death (2018) - The discovery of a traumatized woman on the Berwickshire coast drags Grace into a complex web involving an undercover officer and a ruthless crime boss.
- Where No Shadows Fall (2019) - A prison suicide linked to a notorious Glasgow crime syndicate challenges Grace as she digs into institutional corruption.
- Our Little Secrets (2019) - A cold case involving a missing teen is reopened, exposing secrets that powerful individuals would prefer remain buried.
- Where Angels Rest (2021) - The arrest of a Finnish contract killer leads Grace into a dark web of international crime and military secrets spanning Edinburgh and the Irish Republic.
The Grace den Herder Connection: Publication History Explained
Readers researching this series online may encounter references to another protagonist: Grace den Herder. Before the mainstream DCI Grace Macallan books were published by Black & White Publishing, Peter Ritchie self-published an original trilogy featuring the same core plots but with the protagonist named Grace den Herder. In these earlier versions, den Herder was a lawyer who joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
When Ritchie signed with Black & White Publishing, he heavily revised, updated, and renamed these novels to launch the DCI Grace Macallan series. Understanding this overlap resolves common reader confusion regarding identical plots with different character names:
- Noble Cause (2014) became Cause of Death (2017).
- The Shortest Days of the Year (2014) became Evidence of Death (2018).
- Red Sky in the Morning (2015) became Shores of Death (2018).
For modern readers, the revised DCI Grace Macallan editions are the definitive versions of the stories and represent the standard continuity.
What to Know Before You Start
Peter Ritchie was a retired senior police officer whose law enforcement career spanned decades, including work in CID, murder squads, counter-terrorism in Northern Ireland, and serving as a UK Liaison Officer to Europol. This background infuses the series with a raw, uncompromising realism. You will not find stylized, clean puzzles here; instead, the books depict the frustrating realities of police bureaucracy, compromised ethics, and the psychological toll of investigating violent crime.
While each book features a self-contained main case, the personal life, professional struggles, and overarching character growth of DCI Grace Macallan carry over directly between novels. For the best experience, starting with Cause of Death is highly recommended.