Reading order · 9 books · 2004 to 2018 · Set in London
Joe O’Loughlin Books in Order
Clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin, living with Parkinson’s disease, is drawn into police cases in London and the West Country, often alongside the retired detective Vincent Ruiz.
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Series facts
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 2004 to 2018
- First book
- The Suspect
- Latest
- The Other Wife (2018)
- Setting
- Set in London
The reading order
Every Joe O’Loughlin book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
9 books · Set in London
- 1The Suspect2004With Joe O’LoughlinClinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin has just learned he has Parkinson’s disease when he is asked to help the police identify a murdered young woman, and recognises her as a former patient.Buy on Amazon
- 2Lost2005With Vincent RuizDetective Inspector Vincent Ruiz is pulled from the River Thames with a bullet wound in his leg and no memory of how it got there.Buy on Amazon
- 3Shatter2008With Joe O’LoughlinJoe O’Loughlin fails to talk a woman down from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, and she jumps, though her teenage daughter insists she was terrified of heights.Buy on Amazon
- 4Bleed for Me2010With Joe O’LoughlinSienna Hegarty, a friend of Joe’s daughter Charlie, turns up at his house covered in blood, and her father, a former police officer, is found dead at home.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Wreckage2011With Vincent RuizVincent Ruiz is robbed by a young woman and her boyfriend, then finds himself helping her as the pair are hunted by people looking for millions stolen from Iraqi banks.Buy on Amazon
- 6Say You’re Sorry2012With Joe O’LoughlinThree years after two teenage girls vanished from an Oxfordshire village, a couple is murdered in a farmhouse during a snowstorm.Buy on Amazon
- 7Watching You2013Marnie Logan’s husband has vanished, leaving her with his gambling debts, and she cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching her.Buy on Amazon
- 8Close Your Eyes2015With Joe O’LoughlinA mother and daughter are murdered in a remote farmhouse, and Joe O’Loughlin is asked to help, only to find that a former student has been using his methods to court the press.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Other Wife2018With Joe O’LoughlinJoe O’Loughlin’s father, a famous surgeon, is attacked and left in a coma, and at his bedside is a woman Joe has never met who says she is his wife.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the Joe O’Loughlin books in order. Each has its own case, but Joe’s illness, his marriage and his friendship with Ruiz develop through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Joe O’Loughlin | Vincent Ruiz | Julianne O’Loughlin | Charlie O’Loughlin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Suspect | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 2 Lost | MMajor | LLead | ||
| 3 Shatter | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 4 Bleed for Me | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 5 The Wreckage | MMajor | LLead | ||
| 6 Say You’re Sorry | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 7 Watching You | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 8 Close Your Eyes | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 9 The Other Wife | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Joe O’Loughlin books
5 characters from Michael Robotham’s chart, with the number of Joe O’Loughlin books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Joe O’LoughlinClinical psychologist living with Parkinson’s disease | 9 | The Suspect 2004 |
| Vincent RuizRetired Metropolitan Police detective inspector | 9 | The Suspect 2004 |
| Julianne O’LoughlinJoe’s wife | 7 | The Suspect 2004 |
| Charlie O’LoughlinJoe’s elder daughter | 7 | The Suspect 2004 |
| Ali BarbaDetective constable and Ruiz’s former colleague | 1 | Lost 2005 |