How to Read Declan James's Novels in Order
For fans of gritty, procedurally accurate crime fiction, Declan James has built an immersive and addictive universe set against the backdrop of Ohio's Blackhand Hills. Writing under a pseudonym, James brings twenty-six years of real-world law enforcement experience—spanning undercover narcotics operations and digital forensics—directly to the page. His protagonist, former FBI agent turned local detective Jake Cashen, navigates complex small-town politics, deeply buried family secrets, and chilling murder cases.
Because the series follows a continuous timeline of Jake Cashen’s personal life, mental health struggles, and evolving career within the sheriff’s department, reading the books in publication order is highly recommended. The chronological order matches the publication sequence exactly, allowing readers to fully appreciate the character dynamics, political tensions, and recurring subplots that run throughout the series.
The Jake Cashen Series in Order
- Murder in the Hollows (2022): The debut novel introduces readers to Jake Cashen, who has returned to his small Ohio hometown hoping to keep a low profile as a deputy sheriff after leaving the FBI under a cloud of rumors. His plans for a quiet retirement are shattered when the beloved local judge, Sampson Rand, is found murdered, and Jake is forced to step up and lead a high-stakes investigation.
- Kill Season (2022): In the second installment, the stakes become intensely personal. When Jake’s best friend is executed, he is thrust into a hunt for a cold-blooded serial killer. The investigation tests Jake's professional boundaries and pushes him to the brink of his own code of ethics.
- Bones of Echo Lake (2023): The discovery of human remains at the bottom of Echo Lake reopens a decades-old cold case. As Jake digs into the history of the town, he uncovers hidden ties between prominent local families and a disappearance that many would prefer stayed buried forever.
- Red Sky Hill (2023): When a local businessman's mutilated body is found at the foot of Red Sky Hill, Jake must venture into the territory of the "Hill People"—a reclusive, armed community that lives off the grid. To prevent local vigilantes from taking the law into their own hands, Jake must go up the hill alone to confront the killer.
- Her Last Moment (2024): Tragedy strikes the department when Jake's new partner, Detective Mary Rathburn, is brutally killed. She leaves behind a cryptic clue written in her own blood that only Jake can decipher. The hunt for her killer exposes shocking details of her personal life and forces Jake to confront dark rumors about his own family.
- Secrets of Blackhand Creek (2024): A couple is found murdered in a secluded cabin in the Blackhand Hills. Jake's investigation leads him to a powerful local figure, creating a political firestorm that threatens the upcoming sheriff's election and forces Jake to choose between duty and self-preservation.
- Lethal Harvest (2024): Jake receives a letter from a death row inmate scheduled to be executed in six weeks for a fifteen-year-old murder. As Jake uncovers evidence of a botched original investigation, he realizes the detective who locked the man up is about to become his new boss, setting up a tense battle over the truth.
- The Whisper Girl (2025): Jake is tasked with finding a missing teenage girl from a secretive prepper enclave. The case is complicated by the fact that the girl has no official record of existence, forcing Jake to navigate a community that deeply distrusts all forms of authority.
- Their Deadly Truth (2025): An apparent murder-suicide of a young couple forces Jake to investigate. The tragedy bears eerie similarities to the mysterious deaths of Jake's own parents, turning a local case into an obsessive personal quest for answers.
- The Coldest Ground (2026): A mysterious letter sent to a grieving mother revives a decades-old case of a missing child. Jake must navigate frozen terrain and old town secrets to find out what really happened to the boy.
- Drowned Secrets (Expected January 2027): The upcoming eleventh installment promises to plunge Jake Cashen into another complex web of local secrets, where past crimes resurface in the lakes and rivers of the Blackhand Hills.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into the Jake Cashen series, it helps to understand what makes Declan James's writing stand out in the crowded crime thriller genre. Drawing on his 26-year career in law enforcement, James avoids typical Hollywood clichés in favor of meticulous, authentic police work. Readers will experience the realistic frustrations of digital forensics, jurisdictional disputes, and the slow, grinding nature of checking alibis and waiting on forensic results.
Furthermore, the setting of the Blackhand Hills is a character in its own right. James paints a vivid picture of rural Ohio—complete with rust-belt decay, isolated lakeside communities, and close-knit towns where everyone knows everyone's business. While the mysteries in each book are self-contained and resolved by the final page, the personal arc of Jake Cashen—dealing with the fallout of his FBI career, navigating his relationship with the department, and uncovering the truth about his parents—is a serialized story that pays off best when read from the beginning.