Denise Mina Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

Denise Mina is a Scottish crime writer whose novels break into three clear character-led series plus a set of later standalones (and short novels) that don’t require an order. If you read for character fallout and long-term consequences, follow the series sequences. If you read for theme and atmosphere, you can move between the standalones freely.

This page is laid out like a bookshelf: three connected shelves, then everything else.

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The quickest way to pick your first Mina

Start here if you want…

• A gritty, intimate Glasgow debut trilogy: Garnethill
• A journalist-led coming-of-age crime arc (1980s/90s Glasgow): The Field of Blood
• A modern police procedural with a strong Glasgow sense of place: Still Midnight
• A contemporary “citizen detective + true-crime podcast” hook: Conviction
• A single, self-contained crime novel: The Long Drop or The Less Dead

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Shelf 1: Garnethill trilogy (Maureen O’Donnell) – read in order

A tight trilogy with a continuous emotional through-line. Reading out of order dulls the impact of Maureen’s changing relationships and self-protective choices.

1. Garnethill (1998): A murder in Maureen’s own flat forces her into a hunt for truth that the police can’t (or won’t) reach.
2. Exile (2000): Working with domestic abuse survivors, Maureen is pulled into a cross-city investigation with personal costs attached.
3. Resolution (2001): The trilogy closes by confronting the darkest family roots while another violent death demands answers.

Best entry point: Garnethill (Book 1).

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Shelf 2: Paddy Meehan series – read in order

A journalist series where each book is a complete investigation, but Paddy’s life trajectory is the real spine of the sequence.

1. The Field of Blood (2005): A missing child case pushes Paddy into conflict with her community and her own assumptions.
2. The Dead Hour (2006): A night-shift decision spirals into moral exposure when the “small” story turns lethal.
3. The Last Breath (2007): A colleague’s death leaves Paddy holding dangerous notes, and dangerous attention. (Often published in the US as Slip of the Knife .)

Best entry point: The Field of Blood (Book 1).

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Shelf 3: Alex Morrow series – read in order

Police procedural with strong Glasgow texture and recurring personal/professional pressures. Cases vary, but Alex’s family-and-job balancing act accumulates.

1. Still Midnight (2009): A kidnapping-ransom case opens into wider corruption and a messier truth.
2. The End of the Wasp Season (2011): Brutality in an affluent suburb exposes links between money, shame, and violence.
3. Gods and Beasts (2012): A post office raid murder tangles with institutional turbulence and competing loyalties.
4. The Red Road (2013): A present-day death reaches back into a decades-old night with consequences that never stayed put.
5. Blood Salt Water (2015): A body surfaces and pulls Alex into a town where respectability and rot sit side by side.

Best entry point: Still Midnight (Book 1).

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The “Anna & Fin” books – read in order

These are not branded as a long series in the same way as Morrow or Meehan, but they share core leads and work best back-to-back.

1. Conviction (2019): A mother’s life detonates, and a true-crime obsession turns into an investigation with personal stakes.
2. Confidence (2022): A missing filmmaker and a high-value artifact pull the same duo into a fast-moving chase shaped by deception.

Best entry point: Conviction.

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Everything else (standalones, short novels, and special projects)

These do not require a reading order. Use publication order only as a tracking list.

1. Sanctum (2002) (also published as Deception in some markets): A psychological crime novel built around hidden harm and the stories institutions tell themselves.
2. The Long Drop (2017): A Glasgow true-crime reimagining centered on the serial killer Peter Manuel and the narratives around his case.
3. The Less Dead (2020): A doctor investigates her birth mother’s unsolved murder while a killer’s messages drag the past into the present.
4. Rizzio (2021): A historical short novel focusing on the notorious murder connected to Mary, Queen of Scots’ court.
5. The Second Murderer (2023): A Philip Marlowe continuation that leans into classic-noir voice and Los Angeles heatwave pressure.
6. Three Fires (2023): A historical reimagining tied to Savonarola and the “bonfire of the vanities,” framed through modern parallels.
7. The Good Liar (2025): A forensic-expert thriller built around a professional truth that can’t stay hidden without ruining lives. (Some editions list a 2026 paperback release date; the first releases appear in 2025.)

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Recommended reading paths (choose one)

Path A: “Connected characters, maximum payoff”

1. Garnethill trilogy
2. Paddy Meehan series
3. Alex Morrow series
4. Then Conviction → Confidence

Path B: “Modern Mina first, then the backlist”

1. Conviction → Confidence
2. The Less Dead
3. The Good Liar
4. Circle back to Still Midnight if you want a longer series

Path C: “Glasgow through decades”

1. Garnethill trilogy
2. Paddy Meehan series
3. Alex Morrow series
   (Then add standalones anywhere.)

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FAQs

Do the three big series cross over with each other?
Not as a required shared continuity. Treat Garnethill, Paddy Meehan, and Alex Morrow as separate story worlds.

If I only read one series, which is the safest bet?
If you want a classic trilogy arc, choose Garnethill. If you want a longer police sequence, choose Alex Morrow. If you want journalism + social history, choose Paddy Meehan.

What’s the most “standalone-friendly” place to start?
The Long Drop or The Less Dead are clean entry points with no series obligations.

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The bottom line

If you want Denise Mina “in order,” read each series on its own shelf, from Book 1 onward. If you just want the quickest route into her current style, start with Conviction (2019) and move forward from there.