Reading Order
Inspector Ramsayseries.seoTitleShort
Start with A Lesson in Dying and continue through all 6 books in the listed reading order.
Start Here
Start with A Lesson in Dying
Book 1 by Ann Cleeves • Published 1990
Heppleburn, a once close‑knit Northumberland pit village, is shaken when unpopular headmaster Harold Medburn is shot dead. While the school caretaker and his daughter chase their own theories, newly introduced Inspect...
Complete List
Inspector Ramsay reading order
Ends with The Baby Snatcher
- 1
Book 1:A Lesson in Dying
Ann Cleeves • 1990
Heppleburn, a once close‑knit Northumberland pit village, is shaken when unpopular headmaster Harold Medburn is shot dead. While the school caretaker and his daughter chase their own theories, newly introduced Inspect...
- 2
Book 2:Murder In My Backyard
Ann Cleeves • 1991
In the village of Heppleburn, no one speaks ill of kind, interfering Alice Parry—until she is murdered in her garden on a bitter St David’s Eve. As Ramsay questions relatives and neighbours, he uncovers family tension...
- 3
Book 3:A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy
Ann Cleeves • 1992
Vicars’ wife Dorothea Cassidy devotes her Thursdays to visiting parishioners others would rather forget: lonely pensioners, troubled teenagers, gamblers and women in violent relationships. When she is found strangled...
- 4
Book 4:Killjoy
Ann Cleeves • 1993
On the night a youth theatre company is due to perform, its glamorous lead actress Gabriella fails to appear—until she is discovered dead in the boot of director Gus Lynch’s car. As Ramsay and Sergeant Hunter investig...
- 5
Book 5:The Healers
Ann Cleeves • 1995
When elderly farmer Ernie Bowles is found strangled in his kitchen, Inspector Stephen Ramsay senses a case more complex than a burglary gone wrong. A second suspicious death, then a third, lead him to an alternative t...
- 6
Book 6:The Baby Snatcher
Ann Cleeves • 1997
Fifteen-year-old Marilyn Howe turns up on Inspector Ramsay’s doorstep in distress, convinced her mother has vanished. Returned home, she seems mistaken—until months later her mother truly disappears and a body washes...
Quick Answers
Inspector Ramsay FAQ
What is the best order to read the Inspector Ramsay series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with A Lesson in Dying.
How many books are in the Inspector Ramsay series?
There are 6 books currently listed in the Inspector Ramsay series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Inspector Ramsay series?
New readers should start with A Lesson in Dying, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Inspector Ramsay series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1990 to 1997.