Charlie Gallagher Books in Order

The Badge Behind the Books: Introduction to Charlie Gallagher

Few crime writers can claim the level of authenticity that Charlie Gallagher brings to the page. Before becoming a full-time novelist, Gallagher spent thirteen years as a serving UK police officer. His career spanned front-line response, specialist tactical teams, and detective work investigating serious crimes and counter-terrorism operations. This firsthand exposure to the gritty realities of law enforcement underpins every chase, interrogation, and procedural detail in his novels.

Instead of clean, Hollywood-style resolution, Gallagher's books capture the moral ambiguity, the toll of trauma, and the chaotic nature of street-level policing. Based on England's south coast, Gallagher has built a massive following by focusing on complex characters who walk the thin line between right and wrong. For readers looking to dive in, his bibliography is divided into four distinct series and a standalone thriller. Here is how they connect and the best way to read them.

The Best Starting Points: Where to Begin?

If you are new to Charlie Gallagher, you have two primary entry points depending on the type of lead character you prefer:

• The Detective Maddie Ives Series: This is Gallagher's most popular and longest-running series. It is highly recommended to start here with He Is Watching You. The books are fast-paced, character-driven, and trace Maddie's growth across several grueling investigations.
• The Langthorne Police Series: If you prefer classic, gritty ensemble procedurals featuring a dogged detective, start here with Bodily Harm. This series introduces Detective George Elms and is set in a fictional, atmospheric coastal town.

Detective Maddie Ives Series in Reading Order

The Maddie Ives series is a gripping, high-octane set of thrillers featuring a young detective who frequently finds herself at the center of terrifying cat-and-mouse games. While each book tackles a separate primary case, the personal lives and developmental arcs of the recurring detectives make reading them in publication order highly beneficial. Here is the order of the Maddie Ives books:

1. He Is Watching You (2018) - Maddie Ives is introduced as she tries to find a missing woman, unaware that a serial predator is tracking her every move.
2. He Will Kill You (2019) - Maddie faces a terrifying killer who leaves a trail of puzzles, testing her limits and forcing her to work with old associates.
3. He Will Find You (2019) - A young woman goes missing from a local park, and Maddie must dive into a complex web of lies to find her before it is too late.
4. He Knows Your Secrets (2019) - A killer targeting people with secrets they want hidden forces Maddie to race against time to protect the next victim.
5. He Will Get You (2020) - Maddie must protect a witness under threat while navigating institutional corruption and internal conflicts.
6. The Deadly Houses (2020) - Investigating a body found in an abandoned building leads Maddie into a dark conspiracy stretching back years.
7. Last One Alive (2022) - Maddie investigates a brutal attack that leaves only one survivor, who holds the key to stopping a ruthless criminal organization.
8. The Girl Under the Floor (2023) - A decades-old mystery resurfaces when human remains are discovered beneath a building, drawing Maddie into a cold case with active dangers.
9. The Girls Upstairs (2024) - Maddie is called to a tense hostage situation that quickly spirals out of control, exposing local criminal networks.

Langthorne Police (George Elms) Series in Reading Order

Set in the fictional coastal town of Langthorne, this series focuses on Detective George Elms. It is characterized by its gritty atmosphere, depiction of tight-knit police teams, and realistic procedural details. The series runs for seven books and is complete:

1. Bodily Harm (2017) - DI George Elms investigates a brutal stabbing that leads him into the dark underbelly of Langthorne's criminal underworld.
2. Panic Button (2017) - A domestic abuse case escalates rapidly, leaving Elms struggling to protect a vulnerable victim from a powerful abuser.
3. Blood Money (2017) - Elms is tasked with tracking down dirty cash and the violent criminals willing to kill to keep it.
4. End Game (2017) - A ruthless cop-killer targets the Langthorne force, raising the personal stakes to their absolute limit.
5. Missing (2017) - A teenager goes missing, forcing George Elms to confront painful secrets in the community.
6. Then She Ran (2018) - A woman flees for her life after witnessing a major crime, and Elms must locate her before the culprits do.
7. Her Last Breath (2018) - The final entry in the Langthorne Police run, featuring a deadly showdown that resolves George Elms' long-running career arc.

DI Joel Norris Series in Reading Order

This shorter, focused spin-off series centers on Detective Inspector Joel Norris. It features the same intense pacing and south-coast atmospheric settings as Gallagher's other work, but with a unique focus on psychological tension and local syndicates:

1. The Friend (2021) - DI Joel Norris investigates a murder where the prime suspect is the victim's closest confidant.
2. Lethal Game (2021) - Norris is pulled into a high-stakes investigation involving an underground betting ring and a series of suspicious deaths.

Abigail Morton Thrillers in Reading Order

Launched in 2026, this series introduces Police Constable Abigail Morton. Set in Margate on England's south coast, these thrillers focus on the highly specialized and covert world of police source handling—the art of managing informants. Note that early trade announcements during Joffe Books' acquisition referred to this series as the Abigail Skarsgard series with the working title The Informant, but the character and book were officially renamed for publication.

1. Six Hours to Live (2026) - PC Abigail Morton, who resigned from the force after being passed over for promotion, is pulled back into duty by DCI Paul Collier. She must locate a woman trapped in a water-filled shipping container with only six hours left to live.
2. His Own Brother (2026) - Abigail Morton is tasked with handling a high-profile informant whose information could dismantle a major crime family, but personal ties complicate the mission.

Standalone Novels

For readers who want a complete story without committing to an ongoing series, Gallagher has written one standalone novel:

• Ruthless (2018) - A tense, standalone crime thriller that explores a dark kidnapping plot and the extreme lengths families will go to protect their own, independent of the Maddie Ives or Langthorne universes.

Reader Guidance and Caveats

Because Charlie Gallagher writes with a heavy emphasis on realistic police dynamics, reading his series in publication order is highly recommended. The character arcs, career promotions, and personal trauma of detectives like Maddie Ives and George Elms accumulate across books. While the mystery in each novel is fully resolved, starting in the middle of a series will spoil previous plotlines and weaken the emotional impact of the characters' relationships. Fortunately, the chronological order matches the publication order across all series, making it simple for readers to follow along from book one.