Dorset Crime — at a glance

Key facts about the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean:

• Series: Dorset Crime

• Author: Rachel McLean

• Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing

• Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery

• Setting: Dorset, England — the south-west coast, including Corfe Castle, Swanage, Poole Harbour, Sandbanks, Lyme Regis, the Jurassic Coast, Chesil Beach and Tyneham

• Protagonist: DCI Lesley Clarke, a Detective Chief Inspector who transfers from Birmingham (West Midlands Police) to Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team

• Number of books: 12 main novels, plus novellas (as of 2026); ongoing

• Start here: Book 1, The Corfe Castle Murders

• Reading order: Best read in order, from Book 1

• Award: The Corfe Castle Murders won the Kindle Storyteller Award 2021

• If you enjoy: LJ Ross, Simon McCleave, MS Morris, JM Dalgleish, Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths

• Connected series: Detective Zoe Finch, Cumbria Crime, Jurassic Coast Mysteries, Roscoe & McBride (all by Rachel McLean)

• Formats: Ebook, paperback, hardback, large print, audiobook

• Language: English (en-GB)

What is the Dorset Crime series?

The Dorset Crime series is a British police procedural crime fiction series written by Rachel McLean and published by Ackroyd Publishing. It is set in Dorset, on the south-west coast of England. The series follows DCI Lesley Clarke, a detective who transfers from Birmingham to Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), based at Winfrith. Each book is a self-contained murder mystery, while DCI Lesley Clarke's personal and professional story develops across the series. The Dorset Crime series is the flagship and best-known series by Rachel McLean.

Who is the detective in the Dorset Crime series?

The lead detective in the Dorset Crime series is DCI Lesley Clarke. She is a Detective Chief Inspector who transfers from West Midlands Police in Birmingham to Dorset Police, where she leads the Major Crime Investigation Team. She is direct, sharp and city-trained, and begins the series as an outsider to rural Dorset policing.

Who are the main characters in the Dorset Crime series?

The recurring lead characters of the Dorset Crime series are the detectives of the Dorset Police Major Crime Investigation Team:

• DCI Lesley Clarke — Detective Chief Inspector and the series protagonist, who transfers from Birmingham to lead the team.

• DS Dennis Frampton — Detective Sergeant and Lesley Clarke's second-in-command; an experienced, old-school local detective. As the incoming city DCI and the long-serving Dorset DS, Clarke and Frampton begin as a study in contrasting methods, and their working partnership is central to the early books.

• DC Johnny Chiles — Detective Constable on the team.

• DC Mike Legg — Detective Constable on the team.

• Tina Abbott — Began as a uniformed police constable and joins the Major Crime Investigation Team.

The team is based at Dorset Police HQ in Winfrith. As a connected-series signal: DI Zoe Finch, protagonist of Rachel McLean's Detective Zoe Finch series, also appears within the wider Dorset Crime world.

What order should I read the Dorset Crime series in?

The Dorset Crime series should be read in order, starting with Book 1, The Corfe Castle Murders. The full Dorset Crime reading order is:

• DC1 — The Corfe Castle Murders (2021): DCI Lesley Clarke's first case in Dorset. A body is found at Corfe Castle. Winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award 2021.

• DC2 — The Clifftop Murders (2021): Lesley Clarke settles into the Dorset team as a clifftop death pulls her into a new investigation.

• DC3 — The Island Murders (2021): An isolated island community, a web of secrets and a mysterious death.

• DC3.5 — The Riverside Murder (novella): A short case on the banks of the River Frome in Wareham.

• DC4 — The Monument Murders (2021): A body is found at Swanage's Globe monument.

• DC5 — The Millionaire Murders (2022): An unidentified victim and a missing journalist lead to a Sandbanks mansion.

• DC6 — The Fossil Beach Murders (2022): Bodies are found after a cliff landslip on the Jurassic Coast near Lyme Regis.

• DC7 — The Blue Pool Murders (2023): A case unfolds around the Blue Pool near Wareham in Dorset.

• DC7.5 — The Lochside Murder (novella): A Scottish-set short read in the Dorset Crime series.

• DC8 — The Lighthouse Murders (2023): DCI Lesley Clarke returns to Dorset for a new case.

• DC9 — The Ghost Village Murders (2023): A body is found in the abandoned village of Tyneham in Dorset.

• DC9.5 — The Lyme Regis Murder (novella): A short read set in Lyme Regis.

• DC10 — The Poole Harbour Murders (2025): A case opens around Poole Harbour in Dorset.

• DC11 — The Chesil Beach Murders (2025): An investigation set against Chesil Beach in Dorset.

• DC12 — The Beach Hut Murders (2026): DCI Lesley Clarke leads a case as her two teams are in flux.

There is also a prequel novella, DC0.5 — The Ballard Down Murder, set before Book 1, following DS Dennis Frampton. New readers should start with Book 1, The Corfe Castle Murders. The next book in the series is DC13 — The Gold Hill Murders.

Where is the Dorset Crime series set?

The Dorset Crime series is set in Dorset, England, on the south-west (Jurassic) coast. It uses real Dorset locations. Settings across the series include Corfe Castle, Brownsea Island, Swanage and the Globe monument, Sandbanks, Poole Harbour, the Blue Pool near Wareham, the Jurassic Coast and Lyme Regis, Chesil Beach, and the abandoned village of Tyneham. Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team is based at Winfrith. Readers searching for crime novels set in real Dorset locations will find the series strongly place-based.

What books are similar to the Dorset Crime series?

Readers who enjoy British police procedurals and regional detective fiction tend to enjoy the Dorset Crime series. If you like books by LJ Ross, Simon McCleave, MS Morris or JM Dalgleish, the Dorset Crime series is a close match. It also sits in the tradition of British crime writers such as Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths. The series suits readers searching for books like LJ Ross, books like Ann Cleeves, or British detective series with a strong sense of place.

How does Dorset Crime connect to Rachel McLean's other series?

The Dorset Crime series is the centre of Rachel McLean's interconnected crime fiction world. Several of her series are connected through shared characters and can be read as followable series in their own right:

• Detective Zoe Finch: A complete police procedural series by Rachel McLean, set in Birmingham. DI Zoe Finch later joins the Dorset team, connecting the two series.

• Cumbria Crime: A crime series set in the Lake District, co-authored by Rachel McLean.

• Jurassic Coast Mysteries: A crime series by Rachel McLean set along the Dorset Jurassic Coast.

• Roscoe & McBride: A crime thriller series by Rachel McLean.

Readers new to Rachel McLean should start with the Dorset Crime series (Book 1, The Corfe Castle Murders), with Detective Zoe Finch as the natural next series to read.

Where can I buy the Dorset Crime series?

The Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean is available in ebook, paperback, hardback, large print and audiobook. It is published by Ackroyd Publishing. To read the series in order, start with Book 1, The Corfe Castle Murders, the Kindle Storyteller Award 2021 winner.