DCI Warren Jones Books in Order

The Recommended Reading Order for DCI Warren Jones

If you want to experience Paul Gitsham’s gritty police procedurals the way they were meant to be read, the chronological order is your best bet. While each book features a self-contained investigation that wraps up by the final page, DCI Warren Jones’s career progression, his relationship with his team, and his home life with his wife Susan develop continuously across the series.

By blending the full-length novels with the bridging novellas, you get the complete narrative arc of the Middlesbury CID. Here is the recommended reading path:

1. The Last Straw (Novel, 2014)
2. No Smoke Without Fire (Novel, 2014)
3. Blood Is Thicker Than Water (Novella #2.5, 2015)
4. Silent as the Grave (Novel, 2015)
5. A Case Gone Cold (Novella #3.5, 2018)
6. The Common Enemy (Novel, 2018)
7. A Deadly Lesson (Novella #4.5, 2019)
8. Forgive Me Father (Novel, 2019)
9. At First Glance (Novella #5.5, 2020)
10. A Price to Pay (Novel, 2020)
11. Out of Sight (Novel, 2021)
12. Time to Kill (Novel, 2022)
13. Web of Lies (Novel, 2023)

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

For the DCI Warren Jones series, the publication order and the chronological order are almost identical. The only minor differences lie in when the bridging novellas were released compared to when they are set. For instance, the novella Blood Is Thicker Than Water was published in 2015, shortly after the third novel, but narrative-wise it fits perfectly as book 2.5. Similarly, A Case Gone Cold, A Deadly Lesson, and At First Glance are designated as half-steps in the numbering to show exactly where they fall between the main novels.

If you prefer to read only the core novels, you can easily skip the novellas and read books 1 through 9 sequentially without losing track of the main plot. However, the shorter works provide deeper insights into the side characters and allow you to spend more time with Warren's investigative team.

The Free Short Stories and Anthologies

Beyond the primary novels and novellas, Paul Gitsham has written shorter fiction that fans of the series will appreciate. On his official website, he has made several short stories featuring Warren Jones available for free to his newsletter subscribers. These include:

• Papering Over the Cracks: A quick, clever short story detailing a smaller case in the Middlesbury jurisdiction.
• A Middlesbury Summer's Nightmare: A seasonal short story capturing the unique atmosphere of the regional police department.

Additionally, Gitsham contributed the short story Writer's Block to the CWA (Crime Writers' Association) Mystery Tour Anthology, showing his versatility in the short mystery format.

What to Know Before You Start

The DCI Warren Jones series stands out in the crowded British crime fiction market for a few reasons. First, Warren is not your typical tortured detective. He isn't battling severe substance abuse or a ruined personal life; instead, he is a refreshingly normal, dedicated family man happily married to Susan, a biology teacher. This grounded domestic life provides a warm contrast to the dark, complex crimes he investigates daily.

Second, author Paul Gitsham brings a high level of technical accuracy to the procedurals. Gitsham holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology and worked as a scientist and teacher before turning to fiction. This background is evident in the meticulous forensic details and the realistic representation of modern scientific evidence in crime-solving.

What's Next for Paul Gitsham?

While the latest DCI Warren Jones novel, Web of Lies, was published in 2023, Gitsham has recently explored new avenues of crime writing. In 2024, he published a standalone domestic thriller titled The Aftermath, which deals with a tense post-crime situation. More recently, in 2026, Gitsham launched a brand-new police procedural series set in Coventry, featuring the investigative duo of Foxe and Kennard. The first book in this new series, Deadly Truths, was released in May 2026, with the follow-up, Home Truths, scheduled for late 2026. Despite these new projects, the world of Middlesbury remains a fan favorite, and readers continue to discover Warren Jones's investigations.