Tana French Dublin Murder Squad Books in Order
The complete Dublin Murder Squad series — all 6 novels in reading order
Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad novels are among the finest crime fiction written in the past two decades. Each book follows a different detective from Dublin's Murder Squad, rendered with extraordinary psychological depth against the backdrop of contemporary Ireland. Here is every novel in publication order.
1. In the Woods
Det. Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox investigate the murder of a young girl in a Dublin suburb — the same woods where Ryan, as a child, was found alone with no memory of what happened to his two friends. Winner of the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity and Barry Awards.
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2. The Likeness
A dead woman is found bearing Det. Cassie Maddox's identity. To investigate, Cassie goes undercover inside the victim's tight-knit household — a claustrophobic world of shared secrets where everyone is hiding something.
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3. Faithful Place
Det. Frank Mackey left Faithful Place — and his entire family — behind decades ago. When a suitcase belonging to his first love is found in a derelict house, he's dragged back into the street, the family, and the past he fled.
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DI Sarah Lynch — Phillip Strang
French's Dublin Murder Squad is defined by place, atmosphere, and detectives carrying the weight of their own pasts. DI Sarah Lynch brings the same DNA to the Scottish Highlands — remote villages, ancient grudges, and cases that cut close to home. 13 books.
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4. Broken Harbour
Det. Mick Kennedy — the squad's star detective — is assigned a savage family murder in a ghost estate. The more he digs, the more the case mirrors something in his own past that he cannot afford to examine too closely.
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5. The Secret Place
A girl brings Det. Stephen Moran a photograph found at her boarding school — a photo of a murdered boy with the words 'I know who killed him.' A single day of interviews reveals a world of fierce adolescent loyalty and darker secrets beneath.
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6. The Trespasser
Det. Antoinette Conway — the squad's most alienated detective — catches what looks like a domestic murder. The case is simple. Except Conway is certain someone is trying to push her off the squad, and the simple case is anything but.
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French's atmospheric, character-driven crime fiction has a natural home in these British series.
DI Sarah Lynch — Phillip Strang
French's DNA — place, atmosphere, detectives carrying the weight of their pasts — brought to the Scottish Highlands. Remote villages, ancient grudges, and cases that cut close to home. 13 books.
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DI Tremayne — Phillip Strang
Uncompromising detective fiction in rural England. Corruption, conspiracy, and a detective who refuses to let go. 10 books.
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DCI Isaac Cook — Phillip Strang
London homicide and institutional corruption. The longest-running series in the collection. 19 books.
Browse the Series →Frequently Asked Questions
How many Dublin Murder Squad books are there?
There are 6 Dublin Murder Squad novels, published between 2007 and 2016. Each follows a different detective from the squad, though characters recur across books.
Do the Dublin Murder Squad books need to be read in order?
Each novel features a different lead detective and works as a standalone mystery. However, reading in order is rewarding — characters appear across books, and French's cumulative portrait of the squad deepens considerably with each entry.
What is the best Tana French book to start with?
In the Woods is the natural starting point — it introduces the Dublin Murder Squad world and won French the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity and Barry Awards. If you want to skip straight to French at her most accomplished, Faithful Place (Book 3) stands alone extremely well.
Will Tana French write more Dublin Murder Squad novels?
French has moved beyond the Dublin Murder Squad with standalone novels. The Searcher (2020) and The Hunter (2024) are set in rural Ireland with a new protagonist. As of 2025 there are no announced new Squad novels.