Where to Start Reading Alan Jones
Because Alan Jones writes in two completely different genres, your ideal starting point depends entirely on what kind of story you are in the mood for. He has published three gritty crime thrillers and a historical fiction trilogy. The two halves of his bibliography do not overlap, so you can easily choose one path and ignore the other, or read them side by side.
Path 1: The Historical Fiction Route (Recommended)
If you enjoy meticulously researched, emotionally intense historical sagas, you should start with The Gathering Storm, the first book in The Sturmtaucher Trilogy. This trilogy is a continuous, serialized story, meaning you must read the books in order. It follows two families in Northern Germany from the rise of the Nazi party in 1933 through the end of World War II in 1945.
Path 2: The Gritty Crime Route
If you prefer dark, atmospheric police procedurals and crime dramas filled with authentic Glasgow slang and raw emotion, start with his debut novel, The Cabinetmaker. While his crime novels are standalones and feature different protagonists, reading them in publication order lets you see how his style and grit evolved.
The Sturmtaucher Trilogy in Reading Order
Written over five years of intensive historical research, this trilogy is a devastating yet resilient look at the Holocaust and World War II. The title, Sturmtaucher, is the German word for the shearwater seabird, which serves as a recurring metaphor for survival and flight throughout the books. Because the narrative spans a single continuous timeline, they must be read in sequence:
- The Gathering Storm (2021) – The saga begins in 1933 Germany, introducing the wealthy, military Kästner family and the Jewish Nussbaum family, who work as their domestic staff. As the Nazi party rises to power, their lives become tragically intertwined and strained by politics, love, and changing loyalties.
- Flight of the Shearwater (2021) – The second installment follows the characters into the dark heart of the war years. It focuses on the desperate attempts of the characters to survive persecution, escape Germany, and maintain their humanity under the shadow of the death camps.
- The Turn of the Tide (2021) – The final volume tracks the collapse of the Nazi regime, the chaotic aftermath of the war, and the long, painful road toward survival and justice for the remaining family members.
The Standalone Crime Novels
Jones's crime fiction is set primarily in the streets of Glasgow and the dark corners of London. These books are completely independent of one another and can be read in any order. However, they share a signature raw, uncompromising tone, full of strong language, violence, and deep character development.
- The Cabinetmaker (2013) – Spanning several decades from the late 1970s to 2009, this debut novel focuses on Francis Hare, a grieving father whose son is murdered, and John McDaid, the young detective on his first murder investigation. When the killers walk free due to a legal loophole, the two men form an unlikely, decades-long friendship centered around furniture-making and a shared obsession with justice.
- Blue Wicked (2014) – Set in Glasgow's south side, this thriller features Eddie Henderson, a country veterinarian who notices a horrific pattern of animal abuse. When the bodies of vulnerable young drug addicts and alcoholics start turning up with identical injuries, Eddie realizes a serial killer is at work. Dismissed by his peers, he partners with detective Catherine Douglas to track the murderer.
- Bloq (2016) – Shifting focus partly to London, this novel begins when Glasgow father Bill Ingram is left waiting at Central Station for his daughter, Carol, who never arrives for Christmas. Bill travels south and descends into the seedy, dangerous underworld of London's nightclub scene, discovering a web of drugs, exploitation, and corruption.
What to Know Before You Start
Alan Jones's background heavily influences his writing. A retired country veterinarian from Ayrshire, a passionate sailor, and a volunteer lifeboat coxswain for the RNLI, he injects his real-life expertise directly into his books. You will find detailed, authentic descriptions of veterinary medicine in Blue Wicked, woodworking techniques in The Cabinetmaker, and maritime themes throughout the Sturmtaucher trilogy.
Readers should note that his crime novels are not cozy mysteries. They are exceptionally dark, graphic, and realistic. Blue Wicked features depictions of animal cruelty that some readers may find highly upsetting, while Bloq deals heavily with human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Additionally, his crime books rely heavily on authentic Scottish dialect and Glasgow slang, which adds local flavor but may require a bit of patience for international readers.