JD Kirk Books in Order: How to read the DCI Logan series?

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If you like a little Scottish Detective Mystery.

Who is JD Kirk?

JD Kirk is the pen name of Barry Hutchison, a children’s author (the Invisible Fiends series), screenwriter (Bottom Knocker Street), and director from Scotland.

Born and raised in Fort William in the Highlands of Scotland, Barry Hutchison wanted to be a writer since his childhood, which led him to write over 140 books for children–not listed here–but also books for adults as JD Kirk.

In fact, since 2019, Hutchison has been releasing Scottish crime novels (as JD Kirk) about the investigations led by Detective Chief Inspector Jack Logan, a fast-paced series that combines dark humor with Tartan Noir.

And in 2021, the author launched a spin-off series focusing on the ex-police Scotland detective Robert Hoon.

JD Kirk Books in Order:

The DCI Logan Books in Order

 

1. A Litter of Bones – Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed ‘Mister Whisper,’ earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process. Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow’s Major Investigations Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw. And what he did. When another child disappears a hundred miles north in the Highlands, Jack is sent to lead the investigation and bring the boy home.
2. Thicker Than Water – When a badly mutilated body washes up on the shores of Loch Ness, DCI Jack Logan’s dream of a quiet life in the Highlands is shattered. While the media speculates wildly about monster attacks, Jack and the Major Investigations Team must act fast to catch the killer before they can strike again.
3. The Killing Code – After twenty years on the force, DCI Jack Logan thinks he has seen it all. He is wrong. When a nurse is murdered on her way home from nightshift, Jack and his team go on the hunt for her killer. As more victims are uncovered, Jack finds himself tracking a murderer afflicted by a unique psychosis – one that leaves him free to maim and kill without a shred of remorse.

 

4. Blood and Treachery – While searching for a missing hill walker, Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team uncovers a body – just not the one they were looking for. Still dealing with the fallout from their last case, DCI Jack Logan and his team venture south from Inverness to investigate a brutal, gangland-style execution in the wilds of the Highland countryside.
5. The Last Bloody Straw – Tormented by the recent loss of a colleague, DCI Jack Logan is on the warpath, determined to bring down all those he holds responsible for the officer’s death. His quest for revenge is cut short when a woman’s body turns up on the remote island of Canna, and Jack is summoned to investigate. As a storm closes in, Jack finds himself cut off from the rest of the world, with no car, no phone signal, and only DC Neish for company.
6. A Whisper of Sorrows – Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan caught the twisted child killer known as Mister Whisper. Two days ago, Mister Whisper escaped. Now, Jack must track down the most ruthless enemy he has ever faced before he can strike again. But, after ten years behind bars, it isn’t just murder that Mister Whisper has in mind. It’s revenge.

 

7. The Big Man Upstairs – Burdened by guilt over the trauma recently inflicted on his friends and colleagues, former Detective Chief Inspector Jack Logan has spent the past nine months living in self-imposed exile. When a mother and her young daughter are the victims of a double murder staged to look like suicide, Logan is dragged back to help hunt down and catch a brutal, calculating killer.
8. A Death Most Monumental – When the remains of a brutally murdered young woman are left hanging from the Glenfinnan Monument in the Highlands of Scotland, DCI Jack Logan and his Major Investigations Team are dispatched to investigate. At first, the case appears to be fairly open and shut. But, as evidence mounts, Jack uncovers some shocking truths about the victim that risk turning the investigation into a potentially explosive international incident.
9. A Snowball’s Chance in Hell – When a young man is found frozen to death on a Highland street in mid-December, DCI Jack Logan initially puts it down to a Christmas night out gone tragically wrong. But, when a post mortem reveals something more sinister, Jack discovers he is dealing with a cold, calculating killer with a long line of victims, a talent for torture, and a perverse sense of justice. Half a decade ago, the press dubbed him ‘The Iceman’ – a twisted vigilante who successfully evaded capture for two years, before melting away into the night. Now, The Iceman has come back.

 

10. Ahead of the Game – When a body is discovered at a popular Highland landmark, it seems like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team. Except this body is missing a very vital component, and given its location – The Well of Seven Heads – it seems like someone is trying to send a message. But why? And to whom?
11. An Isolated Incident – After a violent home invasion in the remote wilds of Glen Coe leaves a family of four dead, DCI Jack Logan and his team are brought in to lead the manhunt. But, when one of the victims is revealed to be one-half of the legendary 1980s Glasgow-based comedy double act, ‘Neeps & Tatties’, Logan is forced to leave the Highlands and head back to his old stomping ground.
12. Colder than the Grave – DCI Jack Logan should’ve known things were going too well. Genuinely happy for the first time in years, Jack has almost fooled himself into believing that the world is a decent place. But, when the discovery of a mutilated body kicks off a series of grisly murders, Jack’s dream of a peaceful life rapidly begins to crumble around him.

 

13. Come Hell or High Water – When a badly burned body is found near the remote Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on the west coast of Scotland, it feels like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team. But the victim’s list of enemies―including a diminutive loan shark and a powerful local politician―is far longer than Jack was prepared for.
14. City of Scars – Life has been slowly improving for DCI Jack Logan lately. Happily settled down with the woman of his dreams and a dog he begrudgingly tolerates, things are finally going Jack’s way. But, could all that be about to change? When a sadistic killer begins picking off victims on the streets of Inverness, Jack’s boss decides to bring in some outside help. But the new team member is an old flame from Jack’s past who isn’t quite ready to let him go.
15. Here Lie the Dead – When the body of a teenager is discovered near Eilean Donan Castle several months after she disappeared, DCI Jack Logan and his team journey across the Highlands to investigate. As they start to unpick the young woman’s life, the secrets and lies they expose soon threaten to tear the small, rural community apart. But, when a second girl goes missing in similar circumstances, it isn’t just a murder investigation that Jack finds himself running.

16. One for the Ages – When a blood-soaked old man is spotted wandering through a sleepy fishing village in the far north of Scotland, his neighbors think he’s been in an accident. Until he leads them to his home, and to the mutilated remains of his late wife. It is the first murder that the remote Highland village has ever seen. It will not be the last. Someone is targeting the elderly and vulnerable in their homes. Someone they know. Someone they trust. Arriving to lead the manhunt, DCI Jack Logan finds a close-knit community closing ranks.

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The Robert Hoon series in Order

A spin-off of the DCI Logan series launched after An Isolated Incident.

 

1. Northwind – Shunned by his old colleagues, and dividing his time between a dead-end job and the bottom of a whisky bottle, former Police Scotland Detective Superintendent Bob Hoon’s life is a mess. Then an old face from Hoon’s Special Forces days turns up asking for help: his teenage daughter has been missing for months, the police have drawn a blank, and he needs the kind of help that only Hoon can provide. And besides, Hoon owes him one. From the Highlands of Scotland, to the mean streets of London, Hoon’s relentless hunt for the girl will see him make new friends and encounter old enemies. Enemies who know what happened to the girl. And to hundreds more like her. But Hoon’s been given something that makes him dangerous, something he thought he’d long-since lost: a purpose.
2. Southpaw – Following his brutal search for the missing daughter of an old army colleague, Hoon is being hunted by the Loop, a secretive criminal cabal with members in very high places and a tendency to eliminate all those who stand against it. Unfortunately for them, Hoon has never been one to back down from a fight, and he isn’t about to start now. Instead, he’s going to burn their whole damn organization to the ground.
3. Westward – Having struck a humiliating blow against the criminal network known as the Loop, Hoon has been targeted by the Alphas, an elite squad of assassins who will not stop until he is dead. Outnumbered, outgunned, and on unfamiliar territory, Hoon’s only chance of survival lies several hundred miles north, in a place he knows better than anyone else on Earth. He swore he’d never set foot there again, but almost four decades after he left, Bob Hoon is finally going home.

4. Eastgate – When a routine trip to an Inverness shopping center is interrupted by a squad of heavily armed Santas, Robert Hoon, his sister, and an old army colleague find themselves trapped alongside several hundred terrified hostages. With so much potential for bloodshed, the police gathering outside the center can only wait, watch, and try to negotiate with the terrorists within. But patience has never been Hoon’s strong point.

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The JD Kirk Reading Order recommended by the author

If you want to read all of the books in order, here is the list suggested by the author himself on his website.

1. A Litter of Bones (DCI Jack Logan)
2. Thicker Than Water (DCI Jack Logan)
3. The Killing Code (DCI Jack Logan)
4. Blood and Treachery (DCI Jack Logan)
5. The Last Bloody Straw (DCI Jack Logan)
6. A Whisper of Sorrows (DCI Jack Logan)
7. The Big Man Upstairs (DCI Jack Logan)
8. A Death Most Monumental (DCI Jack Logan)
9. A Snowball’s Chance in Hell (DCI Jack Logan)
10. Ahead of the Game (DCI Jack Logan)
11. An Isolated Incident (DCI Jack Logan)
12. Northwind (Bob Hoon)
13. Colder than the Grave (DCI Jack Logan)
14. Come Hell or High Water (DCI Jack Logan)
15. Southpaw (Bob Hoon)
16. City of Scars (DCI Jack Logan)
17. Westward (Bob Hoon)
18. Here Lie the Dead (DCI Jack Logan)
19. Eastgate (Bob Hoon)
20. One for the Ages (DCI Jack Logan)

 

If you like our article about JD Kirk Books in Order, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also want to see our Inspector Rebus reading order, or the DCI Ryan Reading Order.