Rina Martin Books in Order, a cozy mystery series by Jane Adams

By the author of the Henry Johnstone Mystery series.

What is the Rina Martin series about?

Coming from British writer Jane Adams, author of the Naomi Blake series, the Rina Martin series is a cozy mystery series set in Frantham-on-Sea, on the Dorset coast, England.

The story focuses on Rina Martin who is now a retired actress who used to play a private investigator in a television series. Now, she likes tea, gardening, and taking care of her B&B, but she also partakes in some crime-solving activities! Being a TV sleuth for years, she now has to be one in real life.

She wanted a quiet life on the coast, in her picture-perfect seaside town, but now that she had tried her hands at solving crime for real, she won’t let a mystery stay unsolved.

How to read the Rina Martin Books in Order?

Every book in the Rina Martin series works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.

1. Murder On Sea (aka A Reason to Kill, 2007) – A few doors down, harmless old Mrs. Freer is bludgeoned to death, and Rina Martin can’t help but be drawn into the mystery. Mrs Freer’s home was ransacked, but this was no ordinary burglary. Who knew the old lady kept a gun stashed under her pillow? And who wanted it badly enough to kill? Detective Sebastian McGregor is called in to solve this baffling case. But with her neighbors’ safety at stake, Rina knows she needs to give him a helping hand.
2. Murder On the Cliff (Fragile Lives, 2008) – It’s lonely out on the cliffs of Marlborough Head. Lonely and dangerous. When a body washes up on the rocks below, everyone assumes it must be brutish Edward Parker. Weeks ago, he slipped over the cliff’s edge. Never to be seen again. But on closer inspection, it’s not him. The dead man is Pat Duggan, son of a wealthy nightclub owner. And it’s not the sea that killed him – it’s a gunshot wound. In life, Pat had a habit of disappearing. He worked for his father, alongside missing Edward Parker. Coincidence? Rina Martin and her unlikely new detective friend don’t think so … Can she unravel the mystery before more innocent victims die?
3. Murder On the Boat (The Power of One, 2009) – One glorious morning, Rina Martin heads out for a stroll along Frampton promenade, where all is picture-perfect … Until she spots something that stops her in her tracks. A luxury yacht sailing around in circles. Rina knows that can’t be right. As for the captain, he is nowhere to be seen. Until coastguards board the yacht – to find him shot dead. Execution-style. The captain’s name is Paul de Freitas: a high-powered software designer from out of town. What was he doing in Frampton, and who is the mystery man who shared his fate? Rina’s determined to get to the bottom of it all – but has she finally bitten off more than she can chew?

4. Murder On the Beach (Resolutions, 2010) – It was the night that shattered his life. One year ago, Rina Martin’s dear friend Detective ‘Mac’ McGregor witnessed something unspeakable. The murder of a child on a golden sandy beach. The girl died in his arms while her killer fled into the night. Never to be seen again. Until… Out of the blue, Mac gets a call that changes everything. His old adversary is back in town, and this could be Mac’s final chance to put him away. But now Mac’s back on the killer’s trail, is he about to become the hunted?
5. Murder At the Country House (The Dead of Winter, 2011) – Rina Martin accepts an invite to Aikensthorpe, a country-house hotel with a sinister past. Her fellow guests are an eccentric bunch of magicians and scholars who want to re-enact a séance. Back in 1872, it left one man dead and another mad. Rina won’t be drawn into all of that and is relieved when Detective MacGregor comes to her rescue. But then a blizzard sets in . . . leaving Rina and Mac trapped in the house. Cut off from civilization. And the first of the bodies is found – a distinguished scholar, smothered in his sleep. Who will be next to die on this dark and stormy night?
6. Murder At the Pub (Cause of Death, 2012) – On a lazy summer’s day in Frantham, what could be better than a refreshing pint in a country pub? Too bad Rina’s local just became a crime scene. A man is stabbed to death on the pub doorstep. And that’s not the worst of it. The skeleton of a mystery woman is uncovered during excavations at a local airfield. Forensics say she’s been dead twenty years at most, and she didn’t die on site – leaving Detective ‘Mac’ MacGregor with not one but two baffling murder cases on his hands. He needs Rina’s help like never before. But his timing couldn’t be worse. Rina thought her acting days were behind her, but now the TV execs want her back onscreen. As much as she’d love to oblige, her instincts tell her this is no time to be leaving town. Storm clouds are gathering over Frantham, and Rina and Mac are about to be swept up in the maelstrom…

7. Murder on the Farm (Forgotten Voices, 2015) – On a bright September day, mother-of-two Ellen Tailor is shot dead while making dinner in her idyllic farmhouse kitchen. Rina and her policeman friend Mac cannot understand how kindly, popular Ellen could have met with such a violent death in this peaceful, close-knit community. But all is not as it seems at pretty Low Ridge Farm. Ellen was struggling to make ends meet. Her interfering mother-in-law controls the family with an iron fist. And Ellen’s creepy ex-boyfriend had recently turned up. As Rina and Mac question Ellen’s family and friends, another local resident meets a sudden end. Is there a killer on the loose among these gentle farming folk?
8. Murder At the Willows (2023) – There’s something strange about the scene. Famous local artist Jean appears to have passed away in her sleep. Her body is leant against an old tree in the garden of her home, the Willows. Her legs are outstretched, hands tenderly clutching a small blue flower. But upon closer inspection, things don’t add up. Where is Jean’s trusty walking stick? She can’t move anywhere without it. Why did she choose to slumber on the ground when there is a comfortable lounge chair nearby? Where did that blue flower come from . . . not from her garden, that’s for sure. The clues soon point to murder. But dear Jean was beloved by the community, who would do such a thing? Her grandson is determined to uncover the truth and hires Rina to investigate.

If you like our article about the Rina Martin series in order, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also be interested in the Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie, the Alex Duggins series by Stella Cameron, or the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle.