D.S. Butler Books in Order (Karen Hart, Jack Mackinnon)

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All of DS Butler’s Books in Order!

Who is D.S. Butler?

D.S. Butler is a pen name used by British author Danica Britton to write crime fiction and mysteries–she also writes gritty, gangland thrillers under the name Dani Oakley and lighthearted cozy mysteries under the name Danica Britton.

As D.S. Butler, she’s writing police procedurals, mainly two successful series: The DS Karen Hart Series and previously The DS Jack Mackinnon series. If you like them, you may also want to take a look at our DI Kim Stone reading order, or the DI Nick Dixon reading order.

As Dani Oakley, she’s writing the East End Series about two families. Martin Morton is determined to make his mark and take down Dave Carter, the king of the East End.

And finally, as Danica Britton, she’s writing The Harper Grant Mystery Series, a US-based paranormal mystery about a witch who can see ghosts.

How to read D.S. Butler Books in Order?

The DS Karen Hart Series

1. Bring Them Home (2018) – DS Hart is still reeling from a case she tried and failed to solve eighteen months ago, when a young woman vanished without a trace. She’s no nearer to the truth of what happened to Amy Fisher, but with two children missing now too, the stakes have never been higher. As she looks to the past for clues, she must confront her own haunting loss, a nightmare she is determined to spare other families.
2. Where Secrets Lie (2019) – When decomposed human remains are discovered in a suitcase behind a locked door in the home of an elderly man, Detective Karen Hart thinks the facts speak for themselves. That is, until she finds the warning: It’s time to pay for your crime.
3. Don’t Turn Back (2020) – A man is found bludgeoned to death in woodland by the village of Canwick, and the close-knit community is sent into shock. Detective Karen Hart, still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter nearby, is brought in to investigate the horrific murder.

4. House of Lies (2020) – When two teenage girls vanish without a trace from an educational retreat at Chidlow House in Lincolnshire, the students and teachers are put on high alert. Called in to investigate, Detective Karen Hart questions everyone who came into contact with the two girls, Cressida and Natasha, in the days leading up to their disappearance.
5. On Cold Ground (2021) – When Detective Karen Hart hears a scream echoing out of the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral one snowy evening, she is the first officer on the scene. In the chapel a man lies murdered, a bloody cross carved into his forehead. The twisted killing sends this close-knit community into shock. And a note to the police from the murderer, signed by ‘The Cleanser’, confirms their worst fears: this sadistic slaying is the first of many.
6. What She Said (2022) – When a woman is abducted from a quiet suburban street and bundled into the back of a white van, the only witness to the crime is a child with a reputation for telling tall tales. The police doubt the girl’s story, except for Detective Karen Hart, who is determined to follow her instincts-perhaps because the shy little girl reminds her of the daughter she’s still grieving.

7. Find Her Alive (2023) – Detective Karen Hart is finally getting her life back on track. Then someone from her counseling group asks for help locating a missing friend, Phoebe Woodrow, who went out partying and never came home. Karen wonders if Phoebe’s disappearance might be related to a recent spate of women having their drinks spiked. As she digs deeper, she finds out that Phoebe’s work in medical research involved a shifty alliance with Quentin Chapman, a menacing local gangster-but it was also about to make her a fortune. Did Phoebe know too much? Or was it professional jealousy that put her life at risk?
8. Before the Dawn (2024) – DC Sophie Jones was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Viciously bludgeoned one night in a dark alley, she is left fighting for her life in hospital, leaving no clues as to why she was there or what might have motivated the attack. For Detective Karen Hart, fiercely protective of her young protégée, this is already deeply personal: an attack on Sophie is an attack on the whole team. When a car workshop near the crime scene is linked to local mobster Quentin Chapman, the man Hart has spent years trying to bring down, it’s hard not to jump to the most obvious conclusion.

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The DS Jack Mackinnon Series

1. Deadly Obsession (2012) – Detective Jack Mackinnon has his work cut out trying to track down a missing student, Anya Blonski. As Mackinnon follows the trail of obsession and murder to the shady owners of the Star Academy, who thrive on society’s obsession with reality TV shows, he realizes the fame they offer comes at a price. When a second girl goes missing, Mackinnon is forced to consider a serial killer may be stalking the city.
2. Deadly Motive (2012) – A man is found poisoned by the deadly toxin aconite. A note found at the scene leads Detective Sergeant Jack Mackinnon to a University of Oxford laboratory, where staff and students are desperate to hide their association with the victim. As Mackinnon gets closer to the truth, he finds his own family could be at risk.
3. Deadly Revenge (2012) – Detective Jack Mackinnon’s career is in serious trouble. Still in the Detective Chief Inspector’s bad books and excluded from the Major Investigation Team, Mackinnon is assigned the case nobody wants. As Mackinnon investigates, he discovers a horrifying link to a crime committed a decade ago. Not forgotten. And never forgiven…

4. Deadly Justice (2013) – A late summer heatwave seems to have triggered an unusually high number of suicides. 
As the dead bodies pile up, DS Jack Mackinnon and the rest of MIT realise things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and when similar letters are found at the scene of each ‘suicide,’ Mackinnon is convinced they are dealing with a serial killer.
 A killer who is determined to deliver his own deadly justice.
5. Deadly Ritual (2014) – The police believe they have uncovered a ritualistic voodoo murder when they find a wooden disc in the mouth of a murder victim. When another victim is discovered, it’s up to Detective Mackinnon and the team to find the killer before any further blood is shed.
6. Deadly Payback (2015) – When a top literary agent’s bloated and disfigured body is found in one of London’s most prestigious hotels, Detective Sergeant Mackinnon and the rest of MIT get to work. As the body count rises, the team is under pressure to find out what connects the victims.

7. Deadly Game (2016) – For the Watsons, their worst nightmare becomes a reality when their daughter, Ruby, is kidnapped. But that’s only the beginning. When they receive a text message inviting them to take part in a deadly game, things get a whole lot worse. They learn another girl has also been taken and they must compete against the other parents in a sick challenge to win their daughter back. There can be only one winner.
8. Deadly Intent (2019) – DS Jack Mackinnon’s first outing as acting SIO on a prominent case is not for the faint-hearted. The young woman’s arms are covered with odd marks, and he is convinced they provide a clue to the killer’s identity. But the pieces of the puzzle are slow to come together, and when another woman is abducted, the stakes are raised. There’s a method to the killer’s madness – but can Jack get to the truth before another life is lost?

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The East End Series

Written in collaboration with Dani Oakley.

1. East End Trouble (2016) – There’s Trouble Brewing in the East End… Two families. Only one can come out on top. Dave Carter is the king of the East End, but someone has their eye on his crown. Martin Morton is determined to make his mark and takedown Dave Carter while he’s at it. If anyone stands in his way, he’ll wipe them out. But has Martin bitten off more than he can chew? When his own family starts to turn against him, Martin realizes there is trouble brewing in the East End in more ways than one.
2. East End Diamond (2016) – With Martin Morton banged up, Dave Carter thinks he’s on an easy street. But Martin’s wife, Babs, has other ideas. She knows she can be just as clever and brutal as a man given a chance, and she is going to grab this opportunity with both hands. Meanwhile, little Jimmy Diamond is growing up in Poplar, believing he is an orphan. Little does he know that his father is still alive and is none other than the vicious crime boss, Martin Morton. Secrets cannot stay hidden forever and things are about to come to a head in the East End. When they do, watch out because sparks are going to fly!
3. East End Retribution (2017) – Tensions have reached a boiling point in the East End. Jimmy Diamond is growing up in the shadow of his gangster father, Martin Morton, who is determined to get shot of him. Trouble is, Jimmy is not prepared to go quietly. Martin Morton murdered his mother, and now it’s time for him to pay. With the help of his father’s rival, Dave Carter, Jimmy starts to make plans. Martin Morton is about to get the punishment he deserves. But Jimmy is not the only one with revenge in his heart. The knives are out. It’s time for good old-fashioned East End Retribution.

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The Harper Grant Mysteries in Order

There Cozy Mysteries were published under the name Danica Britton.

1. A Witchy Business (2016) – It’s home to the Grant family of witches! Harper Grant is happy working at Archie’s Diner as she tries her best to avoid the attention of the town’s gossips. However, when a body turns up during Abbott Cove’s annual festival, she begins to understand her family isn’t the only one hiding secrets. With the help of the new swoon-worthy police officer, Joe McGrady, Harper finds herself on the trail of the perpetrator. Will Harper uncover the killer’s identity before it’s too late?
2. A Witchy Mystery (2016) – Harper Grant is trying to get out of attending yoga classes with her sister, when she makes a gruesome discovery. Grandma Grant is intent on causing her usual mischief, and the townsfolk of Abbott Cove cause Harper no end of trouble as she tries to help the most difficult ghost she has ever had to deal with. With the help of police officer, Joe McGrady, Harper finds herself on the trail of the perpetrator.
3. A Witchy Christmas (2016) – It’s Christmas time in Abbott Cove and Harper Grant is busy trying to resolve a family disagreement. The last thing she needs is another ghost to deal with. As Harper struggles to track down a killer, she has to deal with the fallout from another one of Grandma Grant’s schemes. Will the Grant family get a perfect Christmas or has Harper’s temperamental grandmother gone too far this time?

4. A Witchy Valentine (2018) – When Harper Grant attends a local historical reenactment to take her mind off her recent Witch Council examination, she certainly isn’t expecting one of the actors to drop dead. Life is never simple in Abbott Cove. As well as another murder to solve, Harper has to deal with Grandma Grant causing mayhem, as usual. Deputy Joe McGrady warns Harper to stay out of police business, and the Townsends are a law unto themselves.
5. Harper Grant and the Poisoned Pumpkin Pie (2018) – It’s Halloween in Abbott Cove, and Grandma Grant is keen to win the pumpkin pie competition. In fact, she’s so eager to win, Harper suspects her grandmother may have used magic to enhance her entry. Already concerned and on the lookout for odd signs of magic, Harper’s stress levels shoot through the roof when someone is poisoned during the competition. Fearing her grandmother may be the number one suspect, Harper gets to work, determined to solve the mystery of the poisoned pumpkin pie.
6. A Witchy Bake-off (2019) – Harper Grant is perfectly happy living a quiet life for a change. Sadly for her, the Abbott Cove Spring Bake-off is about to change all that. Harper’s grandmother is determined to win the baking competition. Unfortunately, when her lucky wooden spoon goes missing, she accuses her biggest rival, Adele Silver. Never one to shy from a confrontation, Grandma Grant makes sure everyone knows exactly what she thinks of Adele Silver’s tactics. When Adele is murdered, it’s up to Harper to prove her grandmother’s innocence with help from a very odd wizard lawyer, and Adele’s ghost.

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Other Novels by D.S. Butler

• Lost Child (2017) – She only turned her back for a moment but that was all it took. Two years ago, Beth Farrow turned her back on her three-year-old niece, Jenna, for just a few seconds. She disappeared without a trace. How does a three-year-old go missing from a crowded summer fete without anyone noticing? When Beth leaves the country to try and escape her guilt, someone sends her a photograph from an anonymous number. It’s a photograph of Jenna. She’s older, but Beth is sure it’s her niece. She is determined to do what the police cannot: Find Jenna and bring her home.
• Her Missing Daughter (2018) – Abbie was thrilled for her friend Nicole when she met her perfect match in Steve Carlson. Rich, successful, and charming, he seemed too good to be true. When Nicole moves into an immaculate designer home with her attentive new husband who adores her daughter, she seems to have it all. Her life is perfect. Too perfect. Five years later, Abbie receives a shocking late-night phone call. Nicole is dead and her daughter is missing.

If you like our article about the D.S. Butler Books in order, don’t forget to bookmark it! And if you like these novels, you may want to take a look at Joy Ellis’s work or LJ Ross’.