The Recommended Reading Order for Simms & Fennimore
For the best reading experience, we highly recommend reading the Simms and Fennimore books in publication order. Because the books follow a tight chronological progression and feature a deeply personal overarching mystery—the disappearance of Fennimore's wife and daughter—reading them out of sequence will spoil major character developments and plot resolutions.
Here is the recommended order for the series:
1. Everyone Lies (2013)
In this series opener, we are introduced to DCI Kate Simms and forensic expert Professor Nick Fennimore. The two share a complicated history and a past relationship that ended badly, but they are forced back together when a string of drug-related deaths and a brutal murder shake Manchester. Simms is fighting to rebuild her career after a demotion, while Fennimore has become a reclusive academic, haunted by the unsolved abduction of his wife and daughter. This debut is a masterclass in forensic procedural detail, introducing the raw chemistry and friction that defines their partnership.
2. Believe No One (2014)
The second installment shifts the action across the Atlantic. DCI Kate Simms has taken a sabbatical with the St. Louis Police Department in the United States, trying to put distance between herself and the fallout of their previous investigation. However, Fennimore follows her. Their reunion is cut short when they get caught up in a multi-state hunt for a serial killer targeting single mothers across Oklahoma and Missouri. The change in location adds a fresh, high-stakes dynamic to the story, testing their forensic methods against the vastness of the American Midwest.
3. Truth Will Out (2016)
Back in the UK, the final novel brings the long-running tragedy of Nick Fennimore's past to a dramatic head. When a new kidnapping case displays striking similarities to an old cold case Fennimore once analyzed, the duo is pulled into an investigation that is painfully close to home. The narrative pushes both characters to their absolute limits as they chase the truth behind the historic abduction of Fennimore's family. It is a powerful, emotionally charged conclusion to the trilogy that wraps up the primary overarching narrative arc.
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
Since the publication order of the Simms and Fennimore series directly mirrors its chronological storyline, there are no complicated timelines to navigate. The story flows straight through from the streets of Manchester in Everyone Lies, to the American Midwest in Believe No One, and back to a personal reckoning in the UK with Truth Will Out. You should stick strictly to the order of release to watch their relationship and the background mysteries develop naturally.
What to Know Before You Start: The Minds Behind the Alias
Understanding who wrote these books adds another layer of appreciation for their unmatched procedural accuracy. A.D. Garrett is actually a pseudonym representing a unique collaboration between award-winning crime novelist Margaret Murphy and world-renowned forensic scientists.
For the Simms and Fennimore series, Murphy partnered with Professor Dave Barclay, a forensic expert who worked on some of the UK's most high-profile real-life investigations. Helen Pepper, a senior policing lecturer and crime scene investigator, also served as a vital consultant and collaborator. This blend of Murphy's storytelling and character work with real-world forensic science is why the forensic details—from DNA sequencing to blood spatter analysis—feel incredibly authentic and never like typical Hollywood fiction.
Are the Books Standalones?
While each book features a self-contained murder investigation that is solved by the final page, they are not true standalones. The emotional core of the series depends heavily on the evolution of Kate and Nick's relationship and the slow unraveling of Fennimore's family mystery. If you jump straight into the later books, you will miss the crucial context of their shared trauma and the career-altering events that set them on their paths.
Looking for More? The Ashley Dyer Connection
If you finish the Simms and Fennimore trilogy and want more of the same realistic, gritty forensic thrills, you should check out the books written under the pseudonym Ashley Dyer. This alias represents a direct collaboration between novelist Margaret Murphy and forensic expert Helen Pepper. Together, they wrote a fantastic duology featuring detectives Greg Carver and Ruth Lake:
- Splinter in the Blood (2018)
- The Cutting Room (2019)
These books feature the same dedication to forensic science and complex, flawed protagonists that made the A.D. Garrett novels so compelling.