Jackman and Evans Books in Order: How to read Joy Ellis’s Series?

The Jackman and Evans series is written by Joy Ellis (author of the Nikki Galena series), an English crime writer who’s also the author of the DI Nikki Galena series, and the Detective Matt Ballard series.

This crime thriller series is taking us to the Lincolnshire Fens to follow DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans as they investigate–with their team–murder mysteries and track serial killers.

How to read the Jackman and Evans Series in Order?

Every novel in the Jackman and Evans book series is offering a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one book to the other.

1. The Murderer’s Son – Twenty years ago, a farmer and his wife were cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer. Today, a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes. Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder. But DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland Constabulary soon discover that there is a lot more to Daniel than meets the eye. He has no memory of the first five years of his life and is obsessed with who his real mother is.
2. Their Lost Daughters – Toni is found deliriously wandering the muddy fields of the fens. She has been drugged and it’s uncertain whether she’ll survive. She says she saw her friend Emily being dragged away from the party. But no one knows who Emily is or even if she’s still alive . . . Meanwhile the drowned body of another girl has been found on an isolated beach. DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans are stretched to the limit as they try to bring the perpetrators of these shocking crimes to justice.
3. The Fourth Friend – Police detective Carter McLean is the only survivor of a plane crash that kills his four best friends. He returns to work but he is left full of guilt and terrible flashbacks. Eighteen months before the crash, Suzanne Holland disappeared, leaving a room with traces of blood, but no other leads. Suzanne was the wife of one of Carter’s four best friends. DS Marie Evans is the only person Carter can confide in. But even she begins to doubt whether he can really cope and whether he is actually losing his mind.

4. The Guilty Ones – Jackman’s sister-in-law Sarah disappears to London and throws herself into the river. What drove her to this? She was a woman with a seemingly happy home life and two beloved sons. DI Jackman and DI Evans dig into Sarah’s life. And Jackman realizes he knew almost nothing about his sister-in-law’s past. Then, they discover a woman in a neighboring village who died in similar circumstances.
5. The Stolen Boys – A crime wave has hit town. The target is a highly sought-after brand of streetwear called Hybird X, clothing that costs a fortune and resells for unbelievable prices. Houses are burgled, kids mugged on the streets . . . and finally a young man dies, all for the sake of his shoes. Then another boy’s body is found in a pile of rubbish. Meanwhile, illegal steroids are flooding the streets. And there are dark movements on the marshes.
6. The Patient Man – The domestic bliss of Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman of Fenland Constabulary doesn’t last long. His nemesis, serial killer Alistair Ashcroft, is back in town and ready to tidy up unfinished business. Ashcroft sends a sinister text to DS Marie Evans. His opening move in what will prove to be a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. Yet for all his taunts, where is he? In a county crawling with police on the lookout for him, Ashcroft is nowhere to be found.

7. They Disappeared – Detectives Rowan Jackman and Marie Evans are told that their IT boss has disappeared. They soon suspect foul play. Orla Cracken, known as Orac, is no ordinary techie; she was once a field agent traveling abroad undercover, working for the government. Meanwhile, DC Robbie Melton discovers that two people, both urban explorers, have mysteriously disappeared while out exploring abandoned buildings. One went missing at a disused airfield, but was it a military base, or was it civilian?
8. The Night Thief – When everyone is sleeping, he comes into their houses. He takes one thing. A photo of their child. A thief on a power trip or something even darker and more sinister? Detectives Jackman and Evans find themselves on the hunt for a highly unusual burglar who seemingly only steals photographs. But then, late one night, an elderly woman falls to her death after seeing someone in her home. Did she really fall, or was she murdered? And just how many mysterious intruders are there on the Fens?
9. Solace House – Holly Stewart moved into Solace House wanting a fresh start for her and her family. She knew the property was cheap because a tragic murder had taken place there, but she didn’t know its full ghastly history. Now, her husband’s lost his job, the children are bullied at school, and someone’s prowling around the garden at night. Someone who wants them gone. Detective Jackman wants to help. Instead, he’s pulled into a twenty-year-old cold case: the gruesome murder of a young woman whose head was never found.

10. The River’s Edge – The peaceful little village of Saltern-le-Fen is buzzing with excitement. A film crew is in town, shooting a new TV police drama, Fen Division Five. But Detective Jackman receives a disturbing tip-off that something is wrong. Detective Marie Evans meanwhile is looking forward to moving into her dream home. But there’s no time to celebrate. The naked body of a young man is found at the river’s edge. He’s been strangled, his skin massaged in expensive oil. Two days later, another handsome young man is discovered in a shallow lake. His throat cut. He too is lathered in body oil.

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