How to Read the Stefan Gillespie Series
If you are looking to dive into the atmospheric and politically charged world of Michael Russell’s historical crime series, the path is straightforward: always read these books in publication order. The series follows Dublin detective Stefan Gillespie in a strictly linear, year-by-year progression starting in 1934 and moving through the dark landscape of World War II up to the immediate aftermath in 1945.
While each book delivers a self-contained murder mystery or espionage plot that can technically stand alone, the character development and historical backdrop are highly sequential. Reading them in order allows you to fully experience Stefan's personal journey—from a grieving young widower and Garda Detective Sergeant in Dublin to a seasoned investigator caught in international intelligence operations—as well as the unfolding drama of a continent on the brink of and plunged into total war.
The Stefan Gillespie Books in Order
Here is the complete list of Stefan Gillespie novels by Michael Russell, structured by their publication and chronological sequence:
1. The City of Shadows (2012)
The series opens in 1934. Detective Sergeant Stefan Gillespie is working in Dublin, dealing with local issues, the heavy influence of the Catholic Church, and domestic politics. The case of a missing Jewish woman soon pulls him into a complex web that stretches all the way to the free city of Danzig (modern-day Gdańsk), where the rising tide of Nazism is starting to reshape Europe. It is the perfect introduction to the series' blend of domestic policing and international intrigue.
2. The City of Strangers (2013)
Set in 1938 and 1939, the second novel sees Stefan sent across the Atlantic. When a body is discovered in the Dublin hills, the investigation leads him to New York City. Against the backdrop of the World's Fair, Irish-American politics, and the looming threat of a global conflict, Stefan must navigate a city of immigrants and spies to find a killer and prevent a diplomatic catastrophe.
3. The City in Darkness (2016)
Set during Christmas 1939, this installment highlights the start of the Emergency (as World War II was known in Ireland). As Ireland maintains a fragile state of neutrality, Stefan investigates a murder that takes him from the damp, quiet valleys of West Wicklow directly into the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in Spain. It is a deeply personal novel that explores Stefan's grief over his late wife.
4. The City of Lies (2017)
By 1940, the war is in full swing. Stefan is sent to Berlin to deliver a sensitive message to the Irish legation. In the heart of the Third Reich, he must carry out a delicate diplomatic task while trying to locate a missing young Irishwoman, all while navigating the dangerous, paranoiac surveillance of the Gestapo and British intelligence.
5. The City in Flames (2019)
Also set in 1940, this novel places Stefan in London during the height of the Blitz. Investigating a murder with ties to Irish republican circles, he has to work alongside British police officers in a city under daily bombardment, highlighting the tense relations between neutral Ireland and a desperate, war-weary Britain.
6. The City Under Siege (2020)
By 1941, the theater of conflict expands. Stefan is sent to the heavily bombarded island of Malta. Officially there to coordinate the return of Irish citizens, he is quickly drawn into the hunt for a brutal serial killer targeting servicemen, set against the backdrop of one of the most intense aerial sieges of the war.
7. The City Underground (2022)
Remaining in 1941, Stefan returns to Dublin. He is tasked by the Garda Special Branch to track down a German spy who has escaped from Dublin's Mountjoy Prison. The search takes Stefan into the border regions and war-torn Northern Ireland, revealing deep divisions within the IRA and the complex tightrope Irish intelligence walked to preserve neutrality.
8. The City of God (2023)
Set in the autumn of 1943, this novel takes Stefan to Rome, which is under German occupation following the fall of Mussolini. Shielded by the Vatican's neutrality, Stefan must navigate the occupied city to protect Irish interests and locate missing diplomats, dealing with fascist collaborators, Allied agents, and the German military command.
9. The Dead City (2024)
In 1944, as the Allied forces advance and the Nazi regime begins its final, chaotic collapse, Stefan is sent back to Berlin. Charged with delivering highly sensitive instructions to the Irish ambassador, Stefan must also hunt down a rogue Irish citizen who has betrayed his country, all while the city is reduced to rubble around them.
10. The City in Year Zero (2026)
The tenth and final book of the series takes place in 1945, the historic "Year Zero." As Germany lies in ruins and the Allied powers divide the country, Stefan is operating under the watchful eye of British Intelligence. When he is pulled into a murder investigation in a German town he visited in his youth, Stefan must confront the physical and moral devastation of the post-war world.
What to Know Before You Start
Michael Russell, a former scriptwriter for hit television shows like Midsomer Murders and A Touch of Frost, brings a cinematic and highly detailed eye to his historical settings. The series stands out for its meticulous research. Rather than focusing on simple thriller tropes, Russell integrates real historical events and figures—such as Adolf Mahr, the real-life head of the Nazi Party's external organization in Ireland—to highlight the complex, sometimes uncomfortable realities of Irish neutrality during the war.
Stefan Gillespie himself is a standout protagonist: a decent, quiet Garda detective whose German-Irish ancestry gives him a unique, personal perspective on the conflict. The novels are slow-burn, atmospheric mysteries that rely heavily on historical immersion, making them perfect for fans of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series or the historical novels of C.J. Sansom.