Colin Bateman Books in Order

Where to Start with Colin Bateman

For readers new to Colin Bateman’s signature brand of Northern Irish dark comedy, there are two primary entry points depending on your preference for detectives. If you want a classic, boozy, semi-autobiographical journalist stumbling through Troubles-era political intrigue, start with Divorcing Jack (1995), the award-winning debut of the Dan Starkey series. If you prefer a more neurotic, modern comic mystery set around a real-world indie bookstore, start with Mystery Man (2009).

The Dan Starkey Series: The Flagship Saga

Dan Starkey is a cynical, beer-swilling Belfast journalist who constantly finds himself in over his head, dodging bullets, paramilitaries, and his own poor life choices. The series blends black comedy with satirical critiques of Northern Irish politics. You should read these in order of publication to follow Dan’s messy personal evolution and the changing landscape of Belfast:

1. Divorcing Jack (1995) – Dan’s chaotic debut involving a dying woman's last words, political blackmail, and a nun with a gun.
2. Of Wee Sweetie Mice & Men (1996) – Dan is hired to find a missing boxing champion's pet mouse ahead of a high-stakes heavyweight fight.
3. The Turbulent Priests (1999) – Sent to a remote Irish island, Dan investigates a mysterious religious cult.
4. Shooting Sean (2001) – Starkey gets caught up in the film industry when a movie adaptation of his life goes wildly off the rails.
5. The Horse with My Name (2002) – A bizarre trip to America involving horse racing, murder, and mobsters.
6. Driving Big Davie (2004) – A road trip mystery that takes Dan across the Atlantic to Florida.
7. Belfast Confidential (2005) – Dan is hired to investigate a celebrity gossip magazine, placing him in the crosshairs of new Belfast criminals.
8. Nine Inches (2013) – Starkey returns after a long hiatus to find himself caught in a web of kidnapping and blackmail.
9. Fire and Brimstone (2013) – Dan investigates a missing billionaire's daughter and a radical new church movement linked to an abortion clinic bombing.
10. The Dead Pass (2014) – Starkey is hired to find a missing woman, leading him back to Bangor and a deep conspiracy.

The Mystery Man Series: Belfast's Neurotic Sleuth

Set in Belfast's iconic, real-life No Alibis mystery bookshop, this series follows an unnamed, extremely neurotic, hypochondriac bookstore owner. When a local private investigator goes missing, the "Mystery Man" is reluctantly sucked into solving absurd and dangerous cases. Read them in chronological order:

1. Mystery Man (2009) – The hypochondriac bookseller gets dragged into a real-life murder mystery.
2. The Day of the Jack Russell (2009) – The search for a missing dog spirals into a full-blown conspiracy.
3. Dr. Yes (2010) – The bookseller is hired to find a missing cosmetic surgeon, matching wits with a bizarre villain.
4. The Prisoner of Brenda (2012) – The sleuth investigates a mental health facility and a mystery surrounding a client's wife.

The Martin Murphy Series: TV to Page

Originally written for the hit BBC television series starring James Nesbitt, Bateman adapted his character Martin Murphy—an undercover cop with a complicated personal life—into two fast-paced novels. While they are connected to the show, they stand on their own as gritty crime comedies:

1. Murphy's Law (2002)
2. Murphy's Revenge (2005)

Young Adult Adventures: Quirky & Fast-Paced

Bateman has also written extensively for younger readers, bringing his signature humor to fast-paced adventure series. These are best read in order within their respective series:

Eddie and the Gang with No Name

This trilogy follows twelve-year-old Eddie Malone in Belfast as he falls in with a ragtag group of kids called the Reservoir Pups:

1. Reservoir Pups (2003) – Also published as Running with the Reservoir Pups.
2. Bring Me the Head of Oliver Plunkett (2004) – A heist adventure involving the stolen head of a real-life Irish saint.
3. The Seagulls Have Landed (2013) – The final adventure of Eddie and his gang.

Titanic 2020

A sci-fi adventure duology about a teenager who stows away on a new, supposedly unsinkable cruise ship in the year 2020, only to discover a global pandemic has broken out on land:

1. Titanic 2020 (2007)
2. Cannibal City (2012)

SOS Adventures

An eco-thriller trilogy following fourteen-year-old Michael Monroe as he travels the globe with an international environmental rescue group:

1. Ice Quake (2010)
2. Fire Storm (2010)
3. Tusk (2011)

Papercuts: The Bangor Express Chronicles

The Papercuts series is a collection of quick-read novellas centered around the Bangor Express, a struggling local newspaper in County Down. It follows London-based journalist Rob Cullen as he tries to keep the paper afloat amidst absurd local news stories, eccentric staff, and bizarre mysteries. These can be read in publication order:

1. The Dead and the Quick (2015)
2. The Return of the Native (2016)
3. Mr Turner's Prize (2016)
4. Hong Kong Phooey (2016)
5. The Good, The Bad and the Quite Ugly (2016)
6. The Eagle Has Crash Landed (2016)
7. The Next to Last of the Mohicans (2016)
8. Dog Day Mid-Afternoon (2016)

Standalone Novels

If you want a self-contained story that showcases Bateman’s range—from dark thriller to lighthearted satire—these standalones are excellent additions to your reading list. They can be read in any order:

• Cycle of Violence (1995) – A darker, more dramatic look at a journalist covering the Troubles in a small town.
• Empire State (1997) – A hilarious caper set in New York City.
• Best in the Business (1997)
• Maid of the Mist (1999)
• Wild About Harry (2000) – Adapted into the 2000 film of the same name.
• Mohammed Maguire (2001) – A satirical comedy about a boy who wants to be a top terrorist but is completely unsuited for it.
• Chapter and Verse (2003)
• I Predict a Riot (2007)
• Orpheus Rising (2008)

What to Know Before You Start

Colin Bateman's books are heavily informed by his background as a journalist during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. His writing is characterized by rapid-fire dialogue, dark humor, and a refusal to treat political or sectarian divisions with excessive reverence. While the backdrop is often serious—including bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations—the tone remains comedic, drawing comparisons to Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Brookmyre. Most of his series can be enjoyed as standalones, but reading them in publication order allows you to appreciate the subtle nods to previous adventures and the development of recurring characters.