Mel Sherratt Books in Order – Updated February 22, 2026

Mel Sherratt is a bestselling British author of gritty crime fiction “with an emotional punch,” and she also writes women’s fiction as Marcie Steele. Her crime books split into several separate continuities, so the safest approach is to pick one lane (one series) and read it straight through.

Continuity cheat sheet

• DS Allie Shenton: police procedural series (best read in order).
• DS Grace Allendale: police procedural series (best read in order).
• Detective Eden Berrisford: two-book crime drama duo (read 1 → 2).
• DI Marsha Clay: newer “Staffordshire Moorlands” mystery line (start at #1).
• The Estate: grit-lit/estate drama sequence (read in order for character arcs).
• Marcie Steele: separate pen name and separate continuity (do not mix into the crime series order).

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If you only want one place to start

• Best “start here” crime pick: Taunting the Dead (DS Allie Shenton #1), it’s the cleanest entry into her procedural style.
• Best “start here” for modern Avon-era police books: Hush Hush (DS Grace Allendale #1).
• Best non-police, character-driven grit-lit start: Somewhere to Hide (The Estate #1).

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DS Allie Shenton series (publication order)

1. Taunting the Dead (2013): A body-led investigation introduces Allie Shenton and sets the series’ tone: hard choices, tight pacing, and consequences that stick.
2. Follow the Leader (2015): A predator-driven case pushes Allie into a chase where manipulation matters as much as evidence.
3. Only the Brave (2015): Loyalty and risk collide as Allie faces a case that tests what “brave” looks like inside the job.
4. Broken Promises (2022): Past commitments come due, and the investigation forces Allie to confront what was assumed “settled.”
5. Hidden Secrets (2022): A secrets-and-lies case built on what people hid for protection, and what they hid for power.
6. Twisted Lives (2022): Crime and loyalty tangle together, with Allie navigating enemies who understand her pressures.
7. Family Matters (2025): A personal-pressure installment where family ties become leverage in a fast-moving investigation.

Optional note: Box sets/omnibuses exist, but they do not add new story content, treat them as bundles.

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DS Grace Allendale series (publication order)

1. Hush Hush (2018): Grace Allendale faces a killer striking where people feel safest, while her own family history complicates the work.
2. Tick Tock (2019): A daylight murder escalates into a time-pressured hunt where every delay raises the stakes.
3. Liar Liar (2020): A truth-versus-story case where unreliable accounts and buried motives drive the twists.
4. Good Girl (2020): A “who wanted her dead?” investigation that sharpens the series’ focus on vulnerability and revenge.

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Detective Eden Berrisford (publication order)

1. The Girls Next Door (2016): A small community reels after a teen stabbing, and Eden’s investigation exposes how quickly “ordinary” turns predatory.
2. Don’t Look Behind You (2017): A threat from the past resurfaces, forcing Eden into a case where fear and memory steer decisions.

How to read it: These are designed as a duo, read 1 before 2 for the cleanest character context.

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DI Marsha Clay series

1. Missing Girls (2023): DI Marsha Clay steps into a case built around vanishing women and local secrets in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Status: Only one installment is firmly listed for this line so far, making this an easy “jump-in” series.

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The Estate series (read in order)

These books share a setting and overlapping character threads. Order matters because relationships and fallout roll forward.

1. Somewhere to Hide (2012): A housing-officer-led story where the estate’s daily crises turn into something darker and personal.
2. Behind a Closed Door (2013): Domestic fear, community pressure, and escalating violence collide inside homes that don’t feel safe.
3. Fighting for Survival (2013): Rivalries and desperation ignite, with the estate’s social rules turning into a survival code.
4. Written in the Scars (2015): Trauma, visible and hidden, drives a story about damage, endurance, and the long tail of harm.

Also related: Secrets on the Estate (2014) is often listed as an extra in the same world; treat it as optional rather than a numbered main step.

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Writing as Marcie Steele (separate continuity)

Mel Sherratt’s official bibliography also separates her women’s fiction under the name Marcie Steele. These are not crime-series entries and should be read on their own track.

Hope Street series (Marcie Steele)

1. The Man Across the Street (2019): A warm, character-led neighborhood story where everyday life shifts after one unexpected connection.
2. Coming Home to Hope Street (2020): A return-and-rebuild entry focused on fresh starts, community, and emotional repair.

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FAQs

Do I have to read Mel Sherratt’s books in order?
Only within each series. Across series, they’re separate, start at Book 1 of whichever line you choose.

What’s the most “police procedural” series?
DS Allie Shenton and DS Grace Allendale are the clearest procedural lines, and both read best in publication order.

What if I want the grit-lit/estate drama side instead of police work?
Start with Somewhere to Hide and continue through Written in the Scars.

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Bottom line

Pick one continuity and stay with it. For most readers: start Taunting the Dead, then follow DS Allie Shenton in publication order. If you specifically want the Avon-era police books, start Hush Hush. If you want Sherratt’s grit-lit setting work, start Somewhere to Hide.