How to Read the Dead Cold Mystery Series
If you love fast-paced police procedurals with a classic noir atmosphere, Blake Banner’s Dead Cold Mystery series is a must-read. The books follow Detective John Stone, a grizzled, old-school veteran often described as a detective dinosaur, and his fiery, sharp-tongued partner Detective Carmen Dehan. Together, they handle the most complex cold cases for the 43rd Precinct in the Bronx, working under their captain, Jennifer Cuevas.
Because the series heavily emphasizes the evolving partnership, personal chemistry, and eventual marriage of Stone and Dehan, the best way to read these novels is in publication order. While the individual investigations are resolved within each book, the character arcs, romantic tension, and long-term subplots run continuously from one story to the next.
Dead Cold Mystery Publication Order
The series launched in 2017 with An Ace and a Pair, setting off a prolific run that spanned 30 primary novels by late 2023. A prequel novel was later published in late 2025. Here is the full publication order of the books:
- An Ace and a Pair (2017) - The duo investigates the decades-old murder of three men at a poker game in Hunts Point.
- Two Bare Arms (2017) - A case focusing on a pair of severed arms discovered in a Bronx lockup twelve years prior.
- Garden of the Damned (2017) - A deep dive into mafia ties following the murder of a prominent attorney.
- Let Us Prey (2017) - A petty criminal's mysterious death exposes a web of systemic corruption.
- The Sins of the Father (2017)
- Strange and Sinister Path (2018)
- The Heart to Kill (2018)
- Unnatural Murder (2018)
- Fire From Heaven (2018)
- To Kill Upon a Kiss (2018)
- Murder Most Scottish (2018)
- The Butcher of Whitechapel (2018)
- Little Dead Riding Hood (2018)
- Trick or Treat (2019)
- Blood Into Wine (2019)
- Jack in the Box (2019)
- The Fall Moon (2019)
- Blood In Babylon (2019)
- Death in Dexter (2019)
- Mustang Sally (2019)
- A Christmas Killing (2020)
- Mommy's Little Killer (2020)
- Bleed Out (2020)
- Dead and Buried (2020)
- In Hot Blood (2020)
- Fallen Angels (2021)
- Knife Edge (2021)
- Along Came A Spider (2021)
- Cold Blood (2023)
- Curtain Call (2023) - Serves as the high-stakes finale to the main narrative arc.
- The Dead Don't Lie (2025) - A prequel exploring Detective John Stone's early career before the cold case squad.
Chronological Order Caveat: The Prequel
In December 2025, Blake Banner published The Dead Don't Lie. Although it is the 31st book released in the series, it is chronologically a prequel. The story steps back in time to explore John Stone’s early days on the force before he was paired with Carmen Dehan. It depicts Stone as a young, somewhat naive officer learning the hard way that the truth in New York City is highly dangerous.
New readers can technically start with the prequel, The Dead Don't Lie, to see Stone's solo origins. However, established readers recommend starting with An Ace and a Pair to enjoy the signature banter and chemistry between the two leads first, saving the prequel as a satisfying flashback once you are invested in Stone's character.
Subseries, Spin-offs, and Co-authored Books
Unlike some thriller authors who write sweeping shared universes, Blake Banner keeps the Dead Cold Mystery series self-contained. There are no official spin-off series focusing on secondary characters, nor do Stone and Dehan crossover into Banner's other popular series, such as the action-heavy Harry Bauer (Cobra) books.
Additionally, while Blake Banner frequently collaborates with co-author David Archer on thriller series like Alex Mason, Mason's Law, and Odin, the Dead Cold Mystery novels are written entirely by Banner alone. This gives the series a highly consistent voice, style, and pacing across all thirty-plus volumes.
What to Know Before You Start
The series is famous for its atmospheric depiction of New York City, particularly the rain-soaked streets and dark corners of the Bronx. It leans heavily into a gritty, hardboiled noir style, meaning cases are often violent, bloody, and deal with dark themes like organized crime, political corruption, and personal revenge. The grim cases are balanced by the sharp, humorous dialogue and slow-burn romance between the two protagonists. While the books are technically procedural mysteries, the action sequences in later novels occasionally lean into high-octane thriller territory, keeping the pace fast and addictive.