Below is the complete list of Faith Martin books in order. For each series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of DI Hillary Greene Books
Publication Order of Jenny Starling / Travelling Cook Mysteries Books
- The Proof Is In The Pudding (2022)
The Proof Is In The Pudding is a 2022 release and appears as book #8 in the Jenny Starling / Travelling Cook Mysteries series.
Publication Order of Lyssa Moore Mysteries Books
Publication Order of Monica Noble Books
as Joyce Cato
Publication Order of Ryder & Loveday Mystery Books
Publication Order of The Val & Arbie Mysteries Books
Publication Order of Standalone Books
- The Lavender Lady / The Lavender Lady Casefile (2019)
The Lavender Lady / The Lavender Lady Casefile was published in 2019 and is listed as book #1 in the Standalone series.
Publication Order of Standalone Books
About Faith Martin
Faith Martin is a bestselling British mystery novelist known for her traditional detective fiction, atmospheric English settings, and intricately constructed murder investigations. Writing under the pen name of Jacquie Walton, she is best known for the DI Hillary Greene series, the Ryder and Loveday Mysteries, and the Jenny Starling Mysteries. Her fiction draws upon the traditions of classic British crime writing, combining carefully concealed motives, distinctive investigators, and communities where apparently ordinary lives harbour dangerous secrets.
Born in Oxford, England, Martin has spent much of her life in Oxfordshire. Her familiarity with the university city, surrounding villages, waterways, and countryside has profoundly influenced her novels. Rather than treating locations as interchangeable backdrops, she incorporates recognisable landscapes and local traditions into the circumstances of her mysteries.
Before becoming a professional writer, Martin trained as a secretary and worked at Somerville College, part of the University of Oxford, for six years. Her career changed when her parents were seriously injured in a road accident, prompting her to leave employment and care for them.
A lifelong reader, she began writing during this period. Her first published fiction was romantic suspense under the name Maxine Barry, beginning with Stolen Fire (1993). She subsequently experimented with different approaches to crime fiction, publishing under several pseudonyms.
Her greatest breakthrough came through Detective Inspector Hillary Greene, introduced in A Narrow Escape (2004), subsequently republished as Murder on the Oxford Canal. The series follows a capable Thames Valley Police detective whose professional investigations frequently intersect with complicated personal circumstances.
Hillary lives aboard a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal, an unusual domestic arrangement that gives the novels a distinctive setting. Her cases take her through Oxford, rural villages, university surroundings, and communities where personal grievances may have remained concealed for years.
The novels originally appeared with titles containing variations on the word “narrow.” Following their republication by Joffe Books, many received new titles beginning with “Murder,” introducing Martin’s work to a considerably wider readership. Their success established the Hillary Greene books as her signature series.
Martin also created Jenny Starling, a travelling cook whose temporary employment repeatedly places her near suspicious deaths. Beginning with The Birthday Mystery, also published as Birthdays Can Be Murder, the series follows Jenny through country houses, riverboats, inns, and other locations where her observational abilities prove invaluable.
Unlike Hillary Greene, Jenny has no official investigative authority. Her understanding of human behaviour, combined with an ability to recognise inconsistencies in people’s accounts, allows her to uncover secrets overlooked by others. The books reflect Martin’s affection for traditional amateur-sleuth mysteries.
Her Ryder and Loveday series, launched with A Fatal Obsession (2018), moves to 1960s Oxford. It introduces probationary policewoman Trudy Loveday and coroner Dr Clement Ryder, an unlikely investigative partnership shaped by differences in age, experience, and professional standing.
Through Trudy, Martin examines the restrictions faced by women entering police work during an era when female officers encountered considerable prejudice. Ryder’s medical knowledge and unconventional investigative methods complement her determination, giving the series a distinctive historical perspective.
Martin expanded her historical mysteries with Murder by Candlelight (2024), introducing Arbuthnot “Arbie” Swift and his friend Val in a 1920s Oxfordshire setting. The Val and Arbie Mysteries draw upon Golden Age detective conventions, including puzzling circumstances, suspicious deaths, and carefully developed solutions.
In The Oxford Detective Society (2026), Martin introduced another investigative heroine, Lyssa Moore, extending her interest in historical mysteries and the social environments surrounding Oxford.
Under the pseudonym Joyce Cato, she has written traditional village mysteries featuring Monica Noble, the wife of a country vicar. Her other literary identity, Jessie Daniels, has been associated with supernatural-tinged crime fiction, including The Lavender Lady Casefile.
Martin has sold more than two million books, with the republication of her earlier mysteries bringing renewed recognition after many years of writing. Her ability to sustain several distinctive investigative series reflects a strong command of character, motive, and the conventions of classic crime fiction.
Outside writing, she enjoys walking her dog, observing wildlife, reading, and spending time in the countryside. Her interest in nature regularly appears in her descriptions of Oxfordshire’s fields, waterways, and changing seasons.
Across her different series and pen names, Martin’s fiction is united by an interest in ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Whether following a police detective, a travelling cook, or an unconventional historical partnership, her stories emphasise careful observation, human behaviour, and the patient uncovering of truths concealed beneath respectable appearances.