J.J. Salkeld Books In Order

Publication Order of Lakeland Murders Books

Publication Order of Tom Atkins Books

Publication Order of Border City Blues Books

Publication Order of Natural Detective Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

J.J. Salkeld is the pen name of a renowned English writer of mystery, suspense, and thriller novels named Richard Simpson. He has written mind-blowing mystery and detective novels under three different series, including the Border City Blues series, the Lakeland Murders series, and the Tom Atkins series. Before entering the field of writing, Salkeld used to work as a documentary filmmaker and journalist. He was employed at a national newspaper before he shifted his focus towards crime writing. Hailing from Cumbria, Salkeld has spent 15 years in covering places, events, and people of the Lake District. His books mainly revolve around the misdemeanors and crimes of the people living there. The two series developed by Salkeld have very different content, setting, and tone. In the Lakeland Murders novels, he has featured the chief protagonists in the role of detectives Jane Francis and Andy Hall. These two detectives and their team are shown tackling ugly crimes in the loveliest locations in Britain.

Though the stories described by Salkeld are mortal in nature, the novels are not soaked in blood throughout. They address the nasty outcomes of crime, both for the society and individuals. The other successful book series written by Salkeld, Border City Blues, is set in his hometown of Cumbria. It contains different kinds of criminals. This series features Detective Sergeant Samantha Wilson in the lead role. She hails from Carlisle and is commonly referred to as Pepper. In the first four books of this series, Salkeld has given an extended narrative about Wilson’s battle against a vicious crime lord named Dai Young. Every novel in this series is violent, gritty, and urban. They also contain lots of humor and address numerous issues faced by the police force of Britain in the socially and financially challenging times.

Author Salkeld is known to include a strong setting in his books, along with well-rounded and evolving characters. His novels also contain an overarching storyline that transcends the plot of every individual novel. All these elements are the keys to the success of Salkeld’s books. Author Salkeld feels happy to hear from his fans. He likes to interact with them through social media sites and give out updates regarding the latest happenings in his writing career.

The Lakeland Murders series written by author J.J. Salkeld began in 2013 and contained 12 novels and 1 novella up to 2019. Salkeld has depicted the central characters in this series in the roles of DC Jane Francis, DCI Andy Hall, DS Ian Mann, DC Ray Dixon, Chris Brown, DC Keith Iredale, CSI Sandy Smith, DC Abla Khan, Kathy Stone, DC Ben Crowley, etc. All the DIs, DSs, and DCs are shown working for the Kendal CID of Lake District, England. Ian Mann is introduced as a former Marine Sergeant, while Jane Francis is an ex-research scientist and the latest one to join the Kendal CID. Andy Hall heads the CID team in the post of Detective Inspector. An exciting book of this crime fiction series is entitled ‘Death on High’. It was released by the Herringbone Press publication in 2013. The book opens by showing that DI Andy Hall and the members of his CID team come across new challenges.

During bad weather in Fairfield, a victim succumbs to a fatal fall. Initially, the death is seen as accidental. But Jane Francis and Andy Hall become suspicious and decide to launch a thorough investigation to establish the victim’s cause of death. Soon after, both the officers get personally involved in the case and don’t seem to arrive at any conclusion even after repeated efforts. Andy Hall is later told that his team has been chosen as the headquarters of a new unit of Rural Organized Crimes as a result of the deepening recession. Ian Mann is ordered to go undercover and infiltrate the gangs that steal livestock, metals, and farm machinery. He carries out every task very well and appears to be the ideal officer for this job. Ray Dixon, who is always interested in going on holidays, is not willing to let Ian Mann enter the land of the dangerous criminals all alone.

While mentioning the various locations visited by the CID team, Salkeld has described the exotic location with an insider’s eye. This novel offers an intriguing and distinctive account of everyday life in Cumbria. Readers in many parts of the world found it very difficult to put down the book once they started reading it. They liked it a lot and gave excellent reviews. Author Salkeld also received huge praise for his unique writing skills and wonderful storytelling abilities.

Another excellent book of this series called ‘Death on Account’. It was also published in 2013 by the Herringbone publication. In this novel, Hall and his detective team are forced to deal with two completely different crimes with deadly consequences. A police informer comes live in Kendal. He rents a house on the edge of the scenic Lake District and gets murdered near the River Kent in broad daylight. The investigating authorities wonder how the new identity of the informer got comprised. They suspect that there could be a mole in the Cumbria Constabulary, who passed the information of the police informer into the wrong hands. The victim could even have been unlucky to get spotted by a villain, who must have decided to settle things with him by killing him.

In the meantime, a woman seems to be struggling to look after her handicap daughter in the far end of the town. An antisocial neighbor hailing from hell’s darkest depths carries out his activities in secrecy in the adjoining house. When the police come to know about the struggles of the mother and daughter pair, they come to their help. At the same time, they go through their own problems of budget cuts and finding the mole in the department, who is leaking out important information to criminals. Just like the other books in the series, this book also attracted excellent reviews. Many critics gave it starred reviews and praised the overall story and its characters. Author Sakeld also received appreciations for his efforts in developing this novel.