Where to Start Reading Cath Staincliffe
For readers diving into the work of Cath Staincliffe, the best starting point depends on your preferred sub-genre of crime fiction. If you love classic private investigator stories with a heavy dose of social realism, you should start with her debut novel, Looking for Trouble (1994), which kicks off the long-running Sal Kilkenny series. Sal is a single mother and private detective in Manchester, and her struggles to balance motherhood with dangerous investigations make for an incredibly grounded read.
If you prefer police procedurals, you have two excellent choices. You can start with Blue Murder (2004), which introduces Detective Chief Inspector Janine Lewis, a character Staincliffe originally created for the hit ITV television drama. Alternatively, for a more modern procedural set against a rural backdrop, start with her latest series featuring detectives Donovan and Young, beginning with The Fells (2024).
For readers who prefer intense, self-contained psychological suspense and social issues, Staincliffe’s standalone novels are highly recommended. A great entry point is The Silence Between Breaths (2016), a gripping and compassionate look at a high-stakes crisis on a passenger train, or The Girl in the Green Dress (2017), which tackles a powerful story about a hate crime.
The Sal Kilkenny Mysteries
The Sal Kilkenny series is Staincliffe’s signature work, running for eight books. Set in Manchester, the series is best read in publication order. This is because Sal’s daughter, Maddie, ages throughout the series, and the personal relationships, domestic struggles, and overarching character arcs develop chronologically. Reading them out of order will spoil significant personal milestones in Sal's life.
- Looking for Trouble (1994)
- Go Not Gently (1997)
- Dead Wrong (1998)
- Stone Cold Red Hot (2001)
- Towers of Silence (2002)
- Bitter Blue (2003)
- Missing (2007)
- Crying Out Loud (2011)
DCI Janine Lewis & Blue Murder Books
Cath Staincliffe created the ITV police drama series Blue Murder, starring Caroline Quentin as DCI Janine Lewis. Lewis is the Greater Manchester Police's first female DCI, navigating the intense demands of her job while raising four children as a single parent. Following the success of the television show, Staincliffe wrote four tie-in novels. These novels expand on the cases and characters from the screen, providing deep psychological insight into Janine’s struggles. They should be read in publication order:
- Blue Murder (2004)
- Hit & Run (2006)
- Make Believe (2013)
- Desperate Measures (2015)
The Scott & Bailey Spin-Off Novels
In addition to her own television creations, Staincliffe was commissioned to write three spin-off novels based on the highly popular ITV police procedural Scott & Bailey, created by Sally Wainwright and Diane Taylor. These books follow detectives Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey of the Syndicate 9 major incident team. They capture the sharp, realistic dialogue and complex partner dynamics of the television series. To avoid spoilers regarding their personal lives, read them in order:
- Dead to Me (2012)
- Bleed Like Me (2013)
- Ruthless (2014)
Detectives Donovan & Young (Yorkshire Dales Series)
In 2024, Staincliffe launched a new series set away from her usual Manchester streets. Transitioning to the atmospheric landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, this series follows Detectives Donovan and Young as they investigate crimes in tight-knit rural communities. This series is currently ongoing and should be read in order:
- The Fells (2024)
- Fire on the Fells (2025)
- The Frozen Fells (Forthcoming / 2026)
Cath Staincliffe’s Standalone Novels
Staincliffe is widely celebrated for her standalone crime novels, which steer away from traditional whodunits to examine the devastating human impact of crime on victims, families, and communities. These novels do not share characters or continuity, meaning they can be read in any order. However, following them in publication order shows the evolution of her thematic focus on modern social issues:
- Trio (2002) – A story exploring adoption, search, and identity.
- The Kindest Thing (2010) – A tragic, thought-provoking novel dealing with assisted dying and its legal repercussions.
- Witness (2011) – Follows ordinary people called to give evidence in a murder trial, exploring the fear of reprisal.
- Split Second (2012) – Explores the sudden, life-shattering consequences of a single moment of violence.
- Blink of an Eye (2013) – A devastating look at a hit-and-run accident and how it ripples through two different families.
- Letters To My Daughter's Killer (2014) – An epistolary novel exploring a mother's profound grief and quest for justice.
- Half the World Away (2015) – A deeply moving story about international adoption and family secrets.
- The Silence Between Breaths (2016) – Follows the passengers on a Manchester-bound train during a terrorist incident.
- The Girl in the Green Dress (2017) – A hard-hitting look at the aftermath of a transphobic hate crime.
- Fear of Falling (2018) – Focuses on the trials of adoptive parenting and the vulnerabilities of children.
- Quiet Acts of Violence (2020) – Examines poverty, neglect, and murder in a modern city.
- Running out of Road (2021) – A tense thriller tracking a father and daughter stranded in the wilderness.
- The Lost Girls of St. Ann's (2024) – A sweeping story about motherhood, adoption, and reunited families, drawing on Staincliffe's own background.
What to Know Before You Start
Unlike many authors in the cozy mystery or hardboiled noir genres, Cath Staincliffe writes with a deep sense of social realism. Her stories do not glorify violence; instead, they examine the emotional fallout, societal pressures, and systemic issues surrounding crime. As a founding member of the collaborative group Murder Squad, she has championed crime fiction that feels authentic and rooted in the North of England. Whether you are following Sal Kilkenny’s life over two decades or exploring the grief of her standalones, expect compassionate, unflinching, and human stories.