How to Read the D.I. Staffe Series
To fully experience the psychological depth and emotional journey of Detective Inspector William "Staffe" Wagstaffe, it is highly recommended to read the series in publication order. The books are serialized procedurals, and the overarching mystery of Staffe's past—specifically the unsolved, brutal murder of his parents—develops and evolves across the books. Reading them out of order will spoil major character developments, personal relationships, and key revelations regarding his tragic family history.
D.I. Staffe Books in Publication Order
Here is the recommended reading order for the D.I. Staffe series, matching their original publication years:
- Suffer the Children (2009) - The debut novel introduces Staffe as he investigates the brutal murder of a suspected pedophile. The case forces Staffe to confront vigilante justice, institutional failures, and his own dark history. Creed's experience working with prison writers heavily influences this exploration of the limits of law enforcement.
- Willing Flesh (2010) - (Also published as Flesh and Blood in some regions). Staffe investigates a series of murders involving high-end prostitutes, Russian oligarchs, and London's elite, diving deep into the city's corrupt underbelly and the dark trade of human trafficking.
- Pain of Death (2011) - This installment deals with forced labor, exploitation, and the complex moral dilemmas of undocumented immigrants in the UK. It shows Staffe's increasingly volatile approach to policing as his personal mental stability begins to slip.
- Death in the Sun (2012) - Staffe leaves the London rain behind for the sun-drenched, dusty hills of Spain. Ostensibly on holiday, he gets drawn into local mysteries that directly echo the tragic death of his parents, who were killed by a bomb in Spain decades prior.
- Kill and Tell (2013) - The fifth novel returns Staffe to the East End of London, where a gangland murder sets off a high-stakes turf war. This book tests the limits of Staffe's loyalties and highlights the conflict between his professional duties and his personal relationships.
Who is Detective Inspector Will Staffe?
Will Wagstaffe is far from your typical police detective. Wealthy due to a real estate inheritance funded by compensation from his parents' tragic deaths, Staffe does not need to work for the money. Instead, his job is a fixation. When he was sixteen, his parents were murdered while on holiday in Spain by a bomb planted by the Basque separatist group ETA. This trauma froze him in a state of emotional arrest, channeling all of his energy, grief, and boiling anger into solving crimes and tracking down his parents' killers.
While his wealth gives him independence, his personal life is fractured. His sister, Juliette, has struggled deeply to cope with the same trauma, creating a tense, complex dynamic between the siblings. Staffe's pursuit of justice is uncompromising, frequently driving him to cross ethical boundaries and put his own life and career at risk.
Television Adaptation: Dark Heart
In 2016, ITV adapted Adam Creed's novels into a crime drama series titled Dark Heart, starring Tom Riley as DI Will Wagstaffe. The pilot episode adapted the plot of the first novel, Suffer the Children. Following the pilot's success, the series returned for a full six-episode run in 2018. Screenwriter Chris Lang expanded the world, creating original storylines rather than adapting the remaining books directly. Notably, lead actor Tom Riley chose not to read the books during production, adhering to the director's advice to separate the televised character from the literary source material.
The Author Behind the Pseudonym: Gareth Creer
Adam Creed is the pen name of Gareth Creer, an accomplished British novelist and academic born in Salford. Before writing crime fiction, Creer published three acclaimed literary fiction novels under his own name: Skin and Bone, Cradle to Grave, and Big Sky. He also served as the Head of Writing at Liverpool John Moores University and has been a passionate advocate for rehabilitation, leading the Free to Write project, which helps prisoners and ex-offenders rehabilitate through creative writing.
What to Know Before You Start
If you are planning to dive into the D.I. Staffe series, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your reading experience:
- Start with Suffer the Children: Do not jump ahead. The character development of Will Wagstaffe and his sister is highly serialized, and the underlying mystery of his parents' death develops across the books.
- Expect a Lyrical, Gritty Tone: Creed's prose is often compared to American noir master James Ellroy. It is poetic, dark, and unflinching, dealing with intense subjects such as child abuse, sex work, and corruption.
- The Spanish Connection: Death in the Sun breaks the London-centric format. It is a vital read for those interested in the backstory of the ETA bombing that took Staffe's parents, as the Spanish setting directly mirrors that pivotal trauma.