Where to Start Reading the Kate Redman Mysteries
For the best reading experience, you should start with the first novel in the series, Hushabye (2013). This book introduces Detective Sergeant Kate Redman as she returns to her hometown of Abbeyford in the West Country of England. It establishes the central characters, the atmospheric local setting, and the overarching personal plotlines—including Kate’s troubled childhood and her complicated relationships within the police force—that develop across the series. Fortunately for new readers, Hushabye is frequently offered for free on major digital book platforms.
Kate Redman Mysteries: Chronological & Publication Order
Reading the series in order allows you to follow the natural progression of Kate Redman’s career and the evolution of her personal life. The main series novels and seasonal novellas (which are collected in The Kate Redman Mystery Novellas, Volume 1) should ideally be read in the following sequence:
- Hushabye (Book 1, 2013)
- Requiem (Book 2, 2013)
- Imago (Book 3, 2013)
- Snarl (Book 4, 2014)
- Chimera (Book 5, 2014)
- Echo (Book 6, 2015)
- Creed (Book 7, 2015)
- Sanctuary (Book 8, 2015)
- Joy (Christmas Novella, 2015)
- Siren (Book 9, 2016)
- Pulse (Book 10, 2016)
- Valentine (Valentine's Novella, 2016)
- Descent (New Year's Novella, 2017)
- Fury (Book 11, 2018)
- Tasteful (Novella, 2019)
- Scimitar (Book 12, 2020)
- Performance (Book 13, 2021)
- Hunt (Book 14, 2022)
- Muse (Book 15, 2023)
- Undertow (Book 16, 2024)
- Mercy (Book 17, 2025)
- Gospel (Book 18, 2026)
Understanding the Novellas and Tie-ins
Celina Grace has interspersed several shorter novellas between the full-length novels. While the main novels focus on primary police investigations, the novellas offer intimate glimpses into Kate's life during holidays and transitions. You can read the novels standalone, but the novellas flesh out key character arcs—such as Kate's complex relationship with her DCI. The four primary novellas (Joy, Valentine, Descent, and Tasteful) are bundled together in The Kate Redman Mystery Novellas, Volume 1 for convenient reading.
Are There Spin-offs or Co-authored Works?
Celina Grace is a prolific indie author who has written other popular series, including Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate (a 1930s historical cozy mystery series) and The Asharton Manor Mysteries. While these historical series showcase Grace's signature plotting and engaging character dynamics, they are set in entirely different eras and do not feature any crossovers or tie-ins with the modern-day procedural world of Kate Redman. Additionally, some online retailers and databases occasionally misattribute co-authors (such as Stephan Pastis) due to metadata glitches, but the Kate Redman series is solely written by Celina Grace.
What to Know Before You Start
The Kate Redman Mysteries strike a fine balance in the crime fiction genre. While they are police procedurals dealing with serious crimes (ranging from kidnappings to serial killers and terrorism), they focus on psychological suspense and character vulnerability rather than graphic, explicit violence. This makes them highly appealing to fans of classic British detective dramas and character-driven crime fiction alike. Abbeyford itself is fictional, but it is deeply rooted in the geography and atmosphere of England's West Country, providing a vivid, moody backdrop to Kate's cases.