D.S. Butler Books in Order (Updated February 24, 2026)

D.S. Butler is the crime-writing name used by UK author Danica Butler, who also publishes under other pen names. Under D.S. Butler, the core reading is split between two police series plus a pair of psychological thrillers.

If you keep to each lane, you’ll avoid accidental spoilers and repeated character introductions.

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Pick your lane first

If you want the flagship, fast-moving police series: go straight to Detective Karen Hart (start with Bring Them Home).
If you want a grittier, earlier police-procedural run: start DS Jack MacKinnon (start with Deadly Obsession).
If you want standalone-style tension without series baggage: read the Psychological Thrillers in any order.

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Detective Karen Hart series (one continuous timeline)

These books build on Karen Hart’s team dynamics and professional consequences. Publication order is the safe order.

1. Bring Them Home (2018): Two missing girls drag a community’s past back into the open, putting Hart under immediate pressure to deliver answers fast.
2. Where Secrets Lie (2019): A fresh investigation peels back small-town loyalties and forces Hart to decide what’s usable evidence versus protected rumor.
3. Don’t Turn Back (2020): A case that looks contained keeps widening, pushing Hart into choices that reshape trust inside the unit.
4. House of Lies (2020): Two disappearances turn a closed setting into a suspect maze, and the team starts paying for what they missed earlier.
5. On Cold Ground (2021): A harsh, exposure-heavy investigation tests procedure and stamina, tightening the series’ focus on persistence over quick wins.
6. What She Said (2022): A child’s account becomes a high-stakes hinge point, forcing Hart to act before the story is “provable.”
7. Find Her Alive (2023): A time-sensitive search makes mistakes costly, and Hart’s leadership gets tested when every hour matters.
8. Before the Dawn (2024): A violent event lands close to the team, turning routine detective work into something personal and risky.
9. Leave No Trace (2024): A case echoes an earlier pattern, confronting the team with the possibility that “solved” didn’t mean “finished.”
10. In Plain Sight (2025): A discovery tied to an excavation pulls in outsiders and competing agendas, forcing Hart to read motives as carefully as evidence.
11. See No Evil (2025): The investigation cuts into Hart’s private life, raising the emotional stakes while the case demands clean, disciplined thinking.

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DS Jack MacKinnon series (separate continuity)

This is its own police world and does not require Karen Hart. Read in publication order for the smoothest character progression.

1. Deadly Obsession (2012): MacKinnon’s first major run sets the tone for his brand of persistence and the professional friction that follows him.
2. Deadly Motive (2012): A motive-driven puzzle sharpens the series’ procedural feel, pushing MacKinnon to work angles others ignore.
3. Deadly Revenge (2012): Retaliation and escalation take over, widening the stakes and showing how quickly a case can turn personal.
4. Deadly Justice (2013): A justice-versus-legality tension line emerges, forcing the team to stay principled under pressure.
5. Deadly Ritual (2014): Patterned crimes and misdirection raise the complexity, demanding patience and careful sequencing.
6. Deadly Payback (2015): Old choices come due, and MacKinnon has to manage consequences while keeping the investigation moving.
7. Deadly Game (2016): A cat-and-mouse structure increases the pace and forces sharper risk assessment from the detectives.
8. Deadly Intent (2019): A later return that rewards series familiarity, leaning on accumulated relationships and prior scars.

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Psychological thrillers (standalone-style)

These sit outside both police series. You can read them in either order.

• Lost Child (2017): A missing-child premise drives the tension, built to work without series context.
• Her Missing Daughter (2018): A disappearance hits close to home, leaning into suspicion and shifting trust rather than procedural continuity.

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Does chronological order matter here?

For Karen Hart and MacKinnon, chronological and publication order effectively match, and publication order is still the best default because it preserves reveals and character development.

Latest release status

• Most recent Detective Karen Hart novel: See No Evil (2025).
• Most recent MacKinnon novel: Deadly Intent (2019).
• As of February 24, 2026: I did not find a reliably listed later D.S. Butler release date beyond See No Evil in the major listings and the author’s series pages.

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FAQs

Can I start Karen Hart at Book 4 or 5?

You can, but you’ll lose context for team relationships and recurring pressures. If you want the cleanest entry, start at Book 1.

Are Karen Hart and Jack MacKinnon connected?

They’re generally treated as separate continuities. Read them as two distinct series.

What if I only want one book to sample D.S. Butler?

Pick Bring Them Home (2018) for the main police voice, or Lost Child (2017) if you want a standalone psychological-thriller experience.

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Bottom line

For most readers, Detective Karen Hart is the best starting track: begin with Bring Them Home (2018) and continue in order. If you prefer an earlier, grittier procedural arc, start Deadly Obsession (2012) and run MacKinnon straight through.