DI Rowan Jackman & DS Maria Evans Books in Order

Recommended Reading Path: Where to Start

For the best reading experience, it is highly recommended to read the DI Rowan Jackman & DS Marie Evans series in publication order. While each novel presents a self-contained police investigation, the personal lives of the detectives, their team dynamics, and recurring adversaries evolve significantly from book to book. Crucially, the menacing presence of their serial killer nemesis, Alistair Ashcroft, spans multiple books, making chronological reading essential to fully appreciate the tension and character arcs.

Your journey should begin with the debut novel, The Murderer's Son, which establishes the atmospheric setting of the Lincolnshire Fens and introduces the core team.

DI Rowan Jackman & DS Marie Evans Books in Order

1. The Murderer's Son (2016) — The debut novel introduces the partnership as they investigate a confessed killer with a fractured memory whose past hides a dark secret.
2. Their Lost Daughters (2017) — A complex case involving a missing girl found wandering the Fens and a separate investigation into a tragic drowning.
3. The Fourth Friend (2017) — The team investigates the suspicious deaths of a group of friends, uncovering dark secrets in a tight-knit community.
4. The Guilty Ones (2018) — A search for a missing young man leads the duo into a web of cult-like manipulation and psychological torment.
5. The Stolen Boys (2018) — Jackman and Evans hunt a criminal mastermind who is training vulnerable youths to execute sophisticated crimes.
6. The Patient Man (2020) — The long-running cat-and-mouse game with serial killer Alistair Ashcroft reaches a gripping peak.
7. They Disappeared (2020) — The team is called to investigate the sudden, inexplicable disappearances of citizens across the region.
8. The Night Thief (2021) — A mysterious figure targeting homes in the dead of night leads to a far more dangerous conspiracy.
9. Solace House (2022) — A family moves into a house with a dark history, leading Jackman and Evans to reopen a cold case that holds secrets to a fresh wave of terror.
10. The River's Edge (2023) — The discovery of a body by a remote riverbank pulls the detectives into a gritty, atmospheric mystery filled with local folklore and secrets.
11. Black Notice (2025) — The discovery of five skeletal remains in a World War II pillbox prompts Jackman to seek Interpol assistance via a "Black Notice," while Marie handles a frantic missing person case.

Chronological Order vs. Publication Order

The chronological timeline of the narrative tracks directly with the publication order of the books. There are no prequels or timeline jumps that disrupt the sequence. However, readers may occasionally encounter minor publication year discrepancies in online libraries and databases. For example, The Murderer's Son is sometimes cataloged under 2014 (likely due to early drafts or catalog registry entries), though its wide commercial release by Joffe Books took place in September 2016. Similarly, The Patient Man was widely released in early 2020, though some pre-order listings associate it with 2019.

What to Know Before You Start: Characters and Setting

The Detectives

The emotional core of the series is the platonic partnership between DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans. Unlike many crime fiction duos, their relationship is defined by deep mutual respect, shared grief, and professional trust rather than romantic tension. Rowan Jackman is Cambridge-educated, highly intellectual, and uses his background in sociology to understand the psychological motivations of criminals. DS Marie Evans is a pragmatic, highly dedicated detective who relies heavily on her sharp gut instincts, operating as the perfect anchor to Jackman's cerebral style. She carries the emotional weight of having lost her husband in a tragic motorcycle accident before the events of the series.

The Lincolnshire Fens Setting

The eerie, isolated landscape of the Lincolnshire Fens plays a vital role in the series. Joy Ellis masterfully uses the misty marshes, winding waterways, and remote villages to build atmosphere. The landscape functions almost as a silent character, emphasizing the isolation of both the victims and the criminals who hide within its damp terrain.

Spelling Discrepancy

While the official spelling of the detective's name in Joy Ellis's novels is DS Marie Evans, some retail platforms, library systems, and bibliographic databases incorrectly refer to her as "DS Maria Evans." Both spellings refer to the exact same character.

Crossovers and the Fenland Constabulary Universe

Joy Ellis's other major police procedural series features DI Nikki Galena. Both series are set in the same fictionalized version of the Fenland Constabulary. While Jackman and Galena lead separate divisions and tackle distinct cases, they share the same universe. Readers will notice shared support staff, including the same Home Office pathologists, forensic teams, and force psychologists. Furthermore, characters from the Jackman & Evans series occasionally make cameo appearances in the DI Nikki Galena books (such as in Graves on the Fens), providing a rewarding continuity for dedicated fans of Joy Ellis's work.

Audiobooks and Adaptations

For fans of audiobooks, the series has achieved massive acclaim due to the narration of actor Richard Armitage, whose performance has been widely praised for capturing the dark and atmospheric tone of the Fens. The TV adaptation rights for the series have been optioned under the title The Fens, with Richard Armitage attached to star as DI Rowan Jackman.