The Recommended Reading Path
For the best experience, readers should follow the publication order of the Hakim and Arnold series. Because the personal lives, professional dynamics, and emotional growth of the core characters progress continuously from one book to the next, reading them chronologically prevents spoilers and allows you to fully appreciate the evolving partnership between Lee Arnold and Mumtaz Hakim.
The series is set in modern East London, moving forward in time from the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics in the first book to the winter of 2019 and beyond in the later novels. The timeline runs concurrently with real-world events, making the publication order the definitive chronological sequence.
Hakim and Arnold Books in Publication Order
A Private Business (2012)
The series opens against the backdrop of the 2012 London Olympics. Lee Arnold, a pragmatic ex-soldier running a struggling private investigation agency, hires Mumtaz Hakim, a bright Muslim widow and psychology graduate. Their first major case involves protecting a stand-up comedian targeted by a stalker, which quickly exposes a web of religious extremism and criminal activity in the diverse neighborhoods of Newham.
An Act of Kindness (2013)
In this second installment, the duo is hired to investigate the death of a homeless ex-soldier. The investigation leads Arnold and Hakim deep into the dark underbelly of East London's organized crime networks, revealing how trauma, neglect, and systemic failures affect veterans returning home from conflict zones.
Poisoned Ground (2014)
Focusing heavily on mental health and social prejudice, this novel sees Mumtaz go undercover inside a psychiatric unit to clear a nurse accused of terrorist sympathies. The case forces both investigators to confront systemic abuse, the stigma surrounding mental illness, and cultural divides within the healthcare system.
Enough Rope (2015)
When the daughter of a wealthy family goes missing, Hakim and Arnold find themselves caught in a clash between traditional East End gangster syndicates and the ultra-rich elite gentrifying the area. The book highlights the stark economic disparities reshaping modern London.
Bright Shiny Things (2017)
Lee Arnold is approached by an old military acquaintance whose son has disappeared, feared to have traveled to Syria to join ISIL. Mumtaz uses her psychological expertise and understanding of online spaces to trace the youth's digital footprint, exploring the tragic reality of online radicalization and grooming.
Displaced (2018)
A terminally ill client, Irving Levy, hires the agency to solve two mysteries: finding his estranged mother and locating his sister Miriam, who vanished from her pram at a funfair in the 1960s. The investigation uncovers long-buried secrets connecting East London families to the displaced person camps of post-World War II Europe.
A Time to Die (2020)
In 1976, a young boy named John Saunders disappeared in the Woolwich Foot Tunnel. Over four decades later, a man claiming to be John returns with an American accent, but his sister is highly skeptical. Hakim and Arnold are brought in to verify his identity, uncovering decades of deception and family trauma.
Web of Lies (2022)
Set during the winter of 2019, the narrative begins when two teenagers selling cheap counterfeit goods witness a bloody altercation involving an elderly resident. The PIs are drawn into a chilling case that unearths buried secrets, family abuse, and the skeletal remains of a newborn baby.
The East Ham Golem (2025)
In the ninth novel, a desecrated grave in an East London cemetery leads not to a missing body, but to a clay golem. Lee and Mumtaz investigate the folklore, modern antisemitism, and historic community tensions surrounding the effigy, demonstrating Nadel's signature blend of cultural history and contemporary suspense.
Understanding the Timeline and Reading Caveats
Unlike some crime franchises where the timeline is fluid or static, Barbara Nadel structures the Hakim and Arnold books around a linear progression. Minor characters, local business owners, and family members recur and change over time. Mumtaz Hakim's journey is particularly linear: she begins the series as a grieving widow trying to re-enter the workforce, and over the course of the novels, she transitions into a confident, fully qualified investigator who frequently takes the lead on sensitive, culturally complex cases.
While each mystery is fully resolved by the end of the book, skipping around the series will spoil major character milestones, changes in their business partnership, and personal relationship developments.
Key Themes and Setting
The defining element of the Hakim and Arnold series is its vivid, authentic portrayal of the East End of London. Nadel, who was born and raised in the East End and has a background in psychiatric social work, uses neighborhoods like Newham, Brick Lane, Shoreditch, and East Ham as central elements of the story. Rather than treating the setting as mere backdrop, she explores the shifting demographics, gentrification, poverty, and multicultural coexistence that characterize these communities.
Key themes include the impact of Islamophobia, the complex realities of religious and political radicalization, the challenges faced by immigrants and refugees, and the lingering scars of historical events on modern families. The series is celebrated for avoiding simplistic caricatures, instead offering a nuanced, empathetic, and realistic depiction of working-class London life.
Practical Reader Advice
Can the books be read as standalones? Yes, the main crime plot of each book is self-contained and resolved within its pages. However, the overarching character arcs make starting from the beginning highly recommended.
Best Starting Point: Start with A Private Business. It establishes the initial friction and eventual trust between Lee Arnold—a gruff, traditional PI with military roots—and Mumtaz Hakim—a observant Muslim widow whose psychological training brings a fresh, analytical perspective to their cases.
For Fans of Inspector Ikmen: Readers who know Barbara Nadel from her famous Inspector Ikmen series (set in Istanbul) will find a similar depth of cultural insight, though the Hakim and Arnold series has a distinctly grittier, contemporary urban tone reflective of London's East End.