Jo Spain Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

Jo Spain is an Irish crime writer best known for her Inspector Tom Reynolds novels and a run of standalone psychological thrillers. If you’re deciding on order, the key is simple: Tom Reynolds should be read in sequence; the standalones can be sampled in almost any order.

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A quick way to choose your first Jo Spain book

Pick the shelf you want first:

• Police team + continuing relationships (best read in order): start with With Our Blessing
• Standalone “big hook” thrillers (pick by premise): start with The Confession if you want a reputation-maker, or The Trial if you want the most recent published standalone
• Want the next new release: Never to Be Found is the upcoming title (scheduled for 2026)

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Two lanes, one author

Instead of a “continuity map,” think of this as two reading lanes you can swap between whenever you like:

• Lane 1: Tom Reynolds (serial police series). Same investigative world, character carry-over, and references that land better in order.
• Lane 2: Standalones (one-book stories). New cast, new setup each time; no required sequence.

There’s no spoiler-bridge between the lanes, so you can alternate freely.

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Inspector Tom Reynolds series (publication order – recommended)

1. With Our Blessing (2015): Introduces Tom Reynolds and his Dublin-based team in a case that establishes the series’ tone and personal dynamics.
2. Beneath the Surface (2016): A new investigation deepens the team’s relationships and rewards reading book one first.
3. Sleeping Beauties (2017): The third case keeps the pressure on the unit while continuing the character threads in the background.
4. The Darkest Place (2018): A darker, more personal-feeling installment that assumes you already know the team’s history.
5. The Boy Who Fell (2019): A case with heavy consequences that lands best when you’ve watched the series build.
6. After the Fire (2020): A later-series entry where the ongoing professional and personal context is part of the payoff.

Optional (collections):

• The Tom Reynolds Mysteries: Books 1-3 (2020): An omnibus of the first three novels, useful if you prefer a boxed-set start.

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Standalone novels (publication order – read anywhere)

1. The Confession (2018): A standalone built around a past crime and a present-day unravelling, designed to hit hardest with no prior knowledge.
2. Dirty Little Secrets (2019): A neighbourhood web of secrets where multiple motives stack up and everyone looks plausible.
3. Six Wicked Reasons (2020): A single event detonates a tight social circle, and the story keeps shifting who you trust.
4. The Perfect Lie (2021): A relationship-driven thriller where what you’re told (and what you assume) is the main battleground.
5. The Last to Disappear (2022): A disappearance story that turns the search itself into the trap.
6. Don’t Look Back (2023): A high-tension standalone that leans into pursuit, threat, and the cost of digging for truth.
7. The Trial (2024): A missing-person premise framed through the fallout of what people did, or didn’t do, when it mattered.

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Recommended reading orders (three clear options)

Option A: “I want the series experience”

1. With Our Blessing → then continue Tom Reynolds in order through After the Fire.
2. Add any standalone as a breather between series books.

Option B: “I only want standalones”

Start with The Confession, then choose any order (or follow the publication list if you like seeing an author’s style sharpen over time).

Option C: “Give me one series + one standalone to test the vibe”

• With Our Blessing (series sampler)
• The Confession (standalone sampler)
  If you like both, keep the series in order and sprinkle standalones whenever you want a reset.

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Latest release status

• Most recent published novel: The Trial (2024).
• Next announced title: Never to Be Found (scheduled for July 2, 2026).

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FAQs

Do I have to read the Tom Reynolds books in order?
It’s strongly recommended. The cases are self-contained, but the team history accumulates, and later books assume you know it.

Will I spoil anything by reading the standalones first?
No. The standalones don’t rely on the series, and the series doesn’t rely on the standalones.

What if I see different “first published” years in different places?
Some listings reflect different market releases (Ireland/UK vs elsewhere, hardback vs paperback). The title order above is the stable part.

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Conclusion

If you want the safest, least-fuss start, choose With Our Blessing for the Tom Reynolds lane or The Confession for the standalone lane. After that, either stay in one lane or alternate, Jo Spain’s catalogue is built to support both.