Where to Start Reading Barry J. Hutchison
Barry J. Hutchison is a prolific Scottish author who writes across two very different styles. Under his real name, he is famous for hilarious, Douglas Adams-style comedy sci-fi adventures. Under the pen name JD Kirk, he writes dark, gritty, and gripping police procedural thrillers set in Scotland. Because these two styles are completely separate, your best starting point depends entirely on what genre you want to dive into first.
If you want fast-paced, laugh-out-loud space comedy, start with Space Team, the first book in his flagship science fiction series. It introduces conman Cal Carver and a chaotic crew of alien misfits.
If you prefer gritty detective thrillers with a healthy dose of dark Scottish humor, start with A Litter of Bones, the first book in the DCI Jack Logan series written under the JD Kirk name.
The Space Team Universe Combined Reading Order
The Space Team series is Hutchison's biggest sci-fi success. While you can read the 13 main Space Team novels in order, the author has created a larger, interconnected Space Team Universe. This universe includes a noir-style detective spin-off series called Dan Deadman Space Detective, along with short stories and companion novellas. Reading them in chronological order ensures you catch all the character crossovers, returning jokes, and universe-building moments.
Here is the official combined chronological reading order for the Space Team Universe:
- Space Team (2016)
- Space Team: The Wrath of Vajazzle (2016)
- Space Team: The Holiday Special (Short story, collected in A Lot of Weird Space Shizz)
- Space Team: The Search for Splurt (2017)
- Space Team: Song of the Space Siren (2017)
- Space Team: The Guns of Nana Joan (2017)
- Space Team: Return of the Dead Guy (2017)
- Dial D for Deadman (Dan Deadman Book 1 - 2017)
- Dead Men Don't Get Paid (Dan Deadman short story, collected in A Lot of Weird Space Shizz)
- Space Team: Planet of the Japes (2017)
- Dead Inside (Dan Deadman Book 2 - 2017)
- Space Team: The Time Titan of Tomorrow (2018)
- Dead in the Water (Dan Deadman Book 3 - 2018)
- Space Team: The King of Space Must Die (2018)
- Space Team: Sting of the Mustard Mines (2018)
- Space Team: Sentienced to Death (2018)
- Space Team: The Hunt for Reduk Topa (2019)
- Konto Garr: Bounty Hunter and Occasional Babysitter (Space Team Universe novella)
The JD Kirk 'Logan-verse' Crime Thrillers
Writing as JD Kirk, Barry J. Hutchison has created a massive, shared-universe crime franchise centered around Scotland's Major Investigations Team. This world—often referred to by fans as the Logan-verse—is comprised of three separate series: the core DCI Jack Logan books, the high-octane Robert Hoon action thrillers, and the DI Heather Filson police procedurals.
While you can read each series independently, the characters cross paths frequently. Characters introduced in the Logan series spin off into their own books, and major plot developments in one series directly affect the characters in the others. To avoid spoilers and understand the full timeline, readers are strongly encouraged to read the books in their combined publication order.
The Integrated Logan-verse Reading Order
Use this integrated checklist to read the entire Scottish crime universe in the correct chronological sequence:
- A Litter of Bones (DCI Logan Book 1 - 2019)
- Thicker than Water (DCI Logan Book 2 - 2019)
- The Killing Code (DCI Logan Book 3 - 2019)
- Blood and Treachery (DCI Logan Book 4 - 2019)
- The Last Bloody Straw (DCI Logan Book 5 - 2020)
- A Whisper of Sorrows (DCI Logan Book 6 - 2020)
- The Big Man Upstairs (DCI Logan Book 7 - 2020)
- A Death Most Monumental (DCI Logan Book 8 - 2020)
- A Snowball's Chance in Hell (DCI Logan Book 9 - 2020)
- Ahead of the Game (DCI Logan Book 10 - 2021)
- An Isolated Incident (DCI Logan Book 11 - 2021)
- Northwind (Robert Hoon Book 1 - 2021)
- Colder than the Grave (DCI Logan Book 12 - 2021)
- Come Hell or High Water (DCI Logan Book 13 - 2021)
- Southpaw (Robert Hoon Book 2 - 2022)
- City of Scars (DCI Logan Book 14 - 2022)
- Westward (Robert Hoon Book 3 - 2022)
- Here Lie the Dead (DCI Logan Book 15 - 2022)
- Eastgate (Robert Hoon Book 4 - 2022)
- One For the Ages (DCI Logan Book 16 - 2023)
- The One That Got Away (DI Heather Filson Book 1 - 2023)
- In Service of Death (DCI Logan Book 17 - 2023)
- A Dead Man Walking (DCI Logan Book 18 - 2023)
- This Little Piggy (DI Heather Filson Book 2 - 2024)
- Where the Pieces Lie (DCI Logan Book 19 - 2024)
- Stateside (Robert Hoon Book 5 - 2024)
- A Killer of Influence (DCI Logan Book 20 - 2024)
Standalone Novels and Other Projects
Outside of his main comedy sci-fi and crime universes, Hutchison has written several standalone books, children's novels, and side projects that readers can pick up at any time. If you want a quick taste of his style without committing to a massive series, these are great choices.
World Killer (2019)
This is a standalone action-heavy sci-fi novel. Unlike Space Team's lighthearted comedy, World Killer delivers a slightly darker, more traditional sci-fi thriller experience focusing on survival and space combat.
The Sidekicks Initiative (2018)
A comedic take on the superhero genre. This standalone novel tells the story of a group of washed-up, middle-aged superhero sidekicks who are forced to save the world when the actual heroes are wiped out. It features the same signature humor as Space Team but is entirely self-contained.
The Bug (2016)
Originally released as an episodic series, The Bug: Complete Season One is a sci-fi comedy focusing on a lower-level spaceship crew dealing with galactic bureaucracy, corporate greed, and strange alien lifeforms.
What to Know Before You Start
Hutchison's writing style is heavily defined by dialogue, banter, and colorful language. If you choose the JD Kirk crime books, expect a significant amount of strong language and authentic Scottish slang. The author's books are highly episodic and fast-paced, which makes them perfect for quick reading, but they also build strong character development over time. While the crime books can technically be read as standalone mysteries, the ongoing personal lives of Jack Logan, Robert Hoon, and Heather Filson make reading in order far more rewarding.