Reading Order
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Start with A Bird in the Hand and continue through all 8 books in the listed reading order.
Start Here
Start with A Bird in the Hand
Book 1 by Ann Cleeves • Published 1986
Young birdwatcher Tom French is found dead in a Norfolk marsh, his head smashed and binoculars still around his neck. Amateur sleuth George Palmer‑Jones, an older birder, quietly follows the trail through jealousies,...
Complete List
Palmer Jones reading order
Ends with High Island Blues
- 1
Book 1:A Bird in the Hand
Ann Cleeves • 1986
Young birdwatcher Tom French is found dead in a Norfolk marsh, his head smashed and binoculars still around his neck. Amateur sleuth George Palmer‑Jones, an older birder, quietly follows the trail through jealousies,...
- 2
Book 2:Come Death And High Water
Ann Cleeves • 1988
Members of a bird observatory trust visit Gillibry, a privately owned island off the North Devon coast, only to learn the owner plans to sell. After a fire and a fierce storm, trustee Charlie Todd is found dead in a b...
- 3
Book 3:Murder In Paradise
Ann Cleeves • 1988
Newlyweds Jim and Sarah return from honeymoon to the Scottish island of Kinness for a raucous welcome‑home party. The celebration turns dark when Jim’s younger sister falls—or is pushed—from perilous rocks, and George...
- 4
Book 4:A Prey To Murder
Ann Cleeves • 1989
At the Grose Hill Hotel, an Open Day to support protection of local peregrine falcons ends in horror when hotelier Eleanor Masefield is found dead beneath a mounted hawk. Old friend George Palmer‑Jones and his wife Mo...
- 5
Book 5:Another Man's Poison
Ann Cleeves • 1992
Molly Palmer‑Jones arrives at her aunt Ursula’s idyllic cottage to find her dead on the sofa. Ursula had recently clashed with her landlord, a politician whose gamekeeping practices killed a rare bird and Ursula’s own...
- 6
Book 6:Sea Fever
Ann Cleeves • 1993
A birdwatching trip aboard the Jessie Ellen off the Cornish coast delivers every twitcher’s dream—a rare sea bird never before recorded. But the thrill turns sour when obsessive birder Greg Franks disappears and later...
- 7
Book 7:The Mill On The Shore
Ann Cleeves • 1994
When environmental campaigner James Morrissey is found dead and his long‑awaited autobiography goes missing, his wife Meg refuses to believe he took his own life. George and Molly Palmer‑Jones investigate, unpicking f...
- 8
Book 8:High Island Blues
Ann Cleeves • 1996
Old university friends Rob, Oliver and Mick reunite on a birding tour to High Island on the Upper Texas coast, two decades after an earlier fateful trip. When Mick is found dead during a storm, George and Molly Palmer...
Quick Answers
Palmer Jones FAQ
What is the best order to read the Palmer Jones series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with A Bird in the Hand.
How many books are in the Palmer Jones series?
There are 8 books currently listed in the Palmer Jones series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Palmer Jones series?
New readers should start with A Bird in the Hand, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Palmer Jones series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1986 to 1996.