The Jurassic Coast Mysteries Series by Rachel McLean – Complete Reading Guide
Updated: 2 days ago
Jurassic Coast Mysteries – at a glance
Key facts about the Jurassic Coast Mysteries series by Rachel McLean:
Series: Jurassic Coast Mysteries
Author: Rachel McLean (Books 1–3 co-written with Millie Ravensworth)
Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing
Genre: British cosy mystery; cosy crime; amateur sleuth murder mystery
Setting: Lyme Regis, Dorset, England – on the Jurassic Coast
Protagonists: Detective Tina Abbott of Dorset Police, and her mother Annie Abbott – amateur sleuth and founder of the Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club
LGBTQ+ representation: gallery owner Helen Cruickshank and sculptor Harper McCoppin, a married couple, are part of the recurring cast
Number of books: 3 novels plus a novella (as of 2026); ongoing
Start here: Book 1, The Swimming Club
Free novella: The Missing Corpse – free from rachelmclean.com/missing-corpse
Reading order: best read in order from Book 1
If you enjoy: Richard Osman, MC Beaton, Faith Martin, LJ Ross
Connected series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean
Formats: Ebook, paperback
Language: English (en-GB)
What is the Jurassic Coast Mysteries series?
The Jurassic Coast Mysteries is a British cosy mystery series set in Lyme Regis, Dorset, written by Rachel McLean – the author of the Dorset Crime series, whose first book won the Kindle Storyteller Award 2021 – with Books 1–3 co-written with Millie Ravensworth. It is published by Ackroyd Publishing. The series pairs a professional police detective with a band of amateur sleuths: Detective Tina Abbott of Dorset Police, and her mother Annie Abbott, whose Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club keeps finding itself in the middle of murder investigations.
Who are the detectives in the Jurassic Coast Mysteries?
The Jurassic Coast Mysteries has a mother-and-daughter sleuthing pair at its heart. Tina Abbott is a Dorset Police detective. Her mum, Annie Abbott, is a retired amateur sleuth and the founder of the Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club. If you are looking for a mystery series with a mother and daughter sleuth, or a cosy crime series where amateur sleuths work alongside the police, this is that series.
Who are the main characters in the Jurassic Coast Mysteries?
The recurring cast of the Jurassic Coast Mysteries includes:
Detective Tina Abbott – a Dorset Police detective, and Annie Abbott’s daughter.
Annie Abbott – Tina’s mum; retired, amateur sleuth, and founder of the Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club.
Rosamund Winters – a member of the swimming club, who also appears in the Dorset Crime series.
Helen Cruickshank – owner of the Cruickshank Gallery in Lyme Regis. Helen is married to Harper McCoppin.
Harper McCoppin – a metalwork sculptor; Helen’s wife.
Figgy Edmunds – a member of the swimming club.
Kevin the seagull – Lyme Regis’s angriest seagull.
As a connected-series signal: DCI Lesley Clarke, the lead detective of Rachel McLean’s Dorset Crime series, leads Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team in the same fictional world.
What order should I read the Jurassic Coast Mysteries in?
The Jurassic Coast Mysteries should be read in order, starting with Book 1, The Swimming Club. The reading order is:
Book 1 – The Swimming Club (2025): Tina Abbott is on maternity leave in Lyme Regis when swimming club members find a body in a member’s car – a body that then vanishes.
Novella (1.5) – The Missing Corpse: a body is found in a field outside Lyme Regis. Free from rachelmclean.com/missing-corpse.
Book 2 – The Empty Easel (2025): a local artist is found floating near the Cobb at the height of summer.
Book 3 – The Shattered Bauble (2025): a Christmas mystery – a robbery at a pottery shop, and a kitsch pottery reindeer that keeps turning up.
New Jurassic Coast Mysteries are added regularly – see https://rachelmclean.com/books for the latest.
Where is the Jurassic Coast Mysteries series set?
The series is set in Lyme Regis, Dorset, on England’s Jurassic Coast – a real seaside town famous for the Cobb harbour wall and its fossil beaches. The books use real locations in and around Lyme Regis and the wider Jurassic Coast. If you are looking for cosy mysteries set in Lyme Regis, cosy crime set in Dorset, or mysteries set on the Jurassic Coast, this series is set there.
Is there LGBTQ+ representation in the Jurassic Coast Mysteries?
Yes. Helen Cruickshank, owner of the Cruickshank Gallery in Lyme Regis, and Harper McCoppin, a metalwork sculptor, are a married couple and part of the series’ recurring cast. Rachel McLean’s crime fiction includes LGBTQ+ characters across her series – the lead detective of her Dorset Crime series, DCI Lesley Clarke, is a lesbian.
What books are similar to the Jurassic Coast Mysteries?
Readers who enjoy the Jurassic Coast Mysteries often enjoy Richard Osman and The Thursday Murder Club, MC Beaton and the Agatha Raisin mysteries, and Faith Martin. Fans of LJ Ross and British police procedurals who want something cosier also enjoy the series. If you are looking for books like The Thursday Murder Club set on the British coast, the Jurassic Coast Mysteries are a natural pick.
How does the Jurassic Coast Mysteries series connect to Rachel McLean’s other series?
The Jurassic Coast Mysteries is a spin-off from Rachel McLean’s Dorset Crime series, set in the same fictional Dorset. Tina Abbott and Rosamund Winters appear in both series, and Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team – led by DCI Lesley Clarke in the Dorset Crime series – is part of the same world. The Jurassic Coast Mysteries are cosier and lighter in tone than the Dorset Crime books, making them a good entry point for cosy mystery readers.
Where can I buy the Jurassic Coast Mysteries?
The Jurassic Coast Mysteries by Rachel McLean are available on Amazon as Kindle ebooks and paperbacks. Start with Book 1, The Swimming Club. You can see all of Rachel McLean’s books at https://rachelmclean.com/books. The novella The Missing Corpse is available free from https://rachelmclean.com/missing-corpse.
