Mark Billingham Books in Order

Mark Billingham is an English crime fiction author best known for his long-running Tom Thorne series, which follows a London detective inspector over 19 novels since 2001. In 2026, he was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime contribution to crime writing for his work. He has also written as Will Peterson, a shared pseudonym with co-author Peter Cocks, for the young adult Triskellion trilogy.

This page lists all Mark Billingham books in order, including the Tom Thorne series, the DS Declan Miller series, standalone novels, short stories, and the Triskellion trilogy written as Will Peterson.

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Tom Thorne Series (Books in Order)

The Tom Thorne series follows Detective Inspector Tom Thorne working at the London Metropolitan Police as he investigates serial killer and murder cases across the city. A stubborn, unconventional detective, he has a sharp eye for cases where things don’t add up. The books are police procedurals with heavy psychological tension due to Thorne’s personal emotional issues. Sleepyhead was adapted into a mini TV-series in 2010.

Cry Baby (Book 17) is a prequel set in 1996 before the events of Sleepyhead, and is best read after you know the character.

Reading Order

  1. Sleepyhead, 2001
  2. Scaredy Cat, 2002
  3. Lazybones, 2003
  4. The Burning Girl, 2004
  5. Lifeless, 2005
  6. Buried, 2006
  7. Death Message, 2007
  8. Bloodline, 2009
  9. From the Dead, 2010
  10. Thorne at Christmas, 2013
  11. Good as Dead, 2012
  12. The Dying Hours, 2013
  13. The Bones Beneath, 2014
  14. Time of Death, 2015
  15. Love Like Blood, 2017
  16. The Killing Habit, 2018
  17. Their Little Secret, 2019
  18. Cry Baby, 2020
  19. The Murder Book, 2022
  20. What the Night Brings, 2025

Detective Miller (Books in Order)

The DS Miller series follows Detective Sergeant Declan Miller, a seasoned but unconventional cop working in Blackpool who is also a passionate ballroom dancer. The series has a darker comic edge than the Tom Thorne books, and they start with Miller’s return from compassionate leave following his wife’s murder. Upon his return, he solves cases using very atypical methods, including talking things through with his “ghost” wife due to his grief over her death.

Reading Order

Standalone Novels

Novellas and Short Stories

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

Triskellion (Books in Order)

The Triskellion young adult paranormal thriller trilogy follows American twins Adam and Rachel, who move from New York to a small village in England to live with their grandmother after the divorce of their parents. There they discover that the village is protected by something called Triskellion, an ancient three-bladed artifact.

Reading Order

written as Will Peterson co-authored with Peter Cocks

  1. Triskellion, 2008
  2. The Burning, 2009
  3. The Gathering, 2010

Mark Billingham Biography

Mark Billingham

Mark Billingham is an English crime fiction author whose work includes the Tom Thorne series, the DS Declan Miller series, and four standalone novels. He has published more than 25 books since his debut in 2001.
Official website: markbillingham.com

Born in 1961 in Solihull, Warwickshire, Mark Philip David Billingham grew up in Birmingham. He attended the University of Birmingham, from where he graduated with a degree in drama in 1983.

After university, he co-founded a theater called Bread and Circuses, worked as an actor in minor TV roles, including including the children’s series Maid Marian and Her Merry Men and the ITV children’s drama Knight School, co-written and co-starring with writer Peter Cocks.. He also worked as a stand-up comedian between the late 1980s and 1990s.

His debut crime novel, Sleepyhead, was published in 2001 and became an immediate UK bestseller. It introduces Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, who has since appeared in 19 novels.

In addition, Mark Billingham has also started a second crime series in 2023 with The Last Dance, featuring DS Declan Miller. Under the pseudonym Will Peterson, co-authored with Peter Cocks, he wrote the young adult Triskellion trilogy.

In January 2026, Billingham was named the recipient of the CWA Diamond Dagger, the Crime Writers’ Association’s lifetime achievement award. He lives in North London with his family, where he moved in the 1980s.

Mark Billingham Book Adaptations

  • Sleepyhead and Scaredy Cat – adapted into the television series Thorne (Sky1, 2010), starring David Morrissey as Tom Thorne
  • In the Dark – adapted into a BBC miniseries (2017)
  • Time of Death – adapted as part of a BBC series along with In the Dark (2017)
  • Rush of Blood – adaptation in development for US television

Mark Billingham Awards and Honors

Awards

  • Lazybones – Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (2004)
  • Scaredy Cat – Sherlock Award for Best Detective Novel Created by a UK Author (2002)
  • Death Message – Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (2009)
  • Time of Death – Dead Good Reader Award / Val McDermid Award for Fiendish Forensics (2015)
  • CWA Dagger in the Library (2022)
  • Theakston Old Peculier Award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Writing (2021)
  • CWA Diamond Dagger (2026)
  • What’s That Noise (television) – Royal Television Society Award for Best Entertainment Programme (1995)

Nominations and Shortlists

  • Scaredy Cat – CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel (2002)
  • Scaredy Cat – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2003)
  • Lazybones – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2004)
  • The Burning Girl – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2005)
  • Lifeless – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2006)
  • Lifeless – BCA Crime Thriller of the Year (2006)
  • Buried – Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (2008)
  • In the Dark – CWA Gold Dagger (2009)
  • In the Dark – CrimeFest Sounds of Crime Award (2009)
  • CWA Dagger in the Library, shortlisted (2015, 2019)
  • Knight School (television) – Royal Television Society Award for Best Children’s Drama, nominated two consecutive years

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

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13 Comments

  1. I’ve now read 12 of Marks Books in order. Im totally obsessed with Tom Thorne and dont know how I can live without him when I’ve finished reading the last book!! He is part of my life!

    1. Hi Donna,i too am obsessed with him and he is part of my life too.
      Ive purchased special crates from IKEA which i use as book cases which are home to my collection.
      Do you have a favourite book you’ve read?
      Rick

  2. Just finished Bloodline last night,discovered this site while trying to put books in their order,will print,keep and continue to try and read MArk’s books in order ,awesome novels.

  3. Not read last 3 books but from reading sleepy head, he has been 1 of my favourite authors, keeps you asking questions all the time and keeps you in suspense until end of books

  4. Mark Billingham is one of my favorite authors. Love all his books. Looking forward to many more.

  9. I also love enjoy reading books, and reading them in order. When I was recently given a promotional code for a free e-book, I chose ‘Sleepyhead’, because it’s the first in the series. Now I have learnt from this website that there are actually 11 others! Let’s hope that the first will motivate me to read the others. Lol

  10. My husband devours series books and he too is a stickler for reading them in order. He likes thrillers and I bet that he would enjoy this one!

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