Peter Grainger DC Smith Books in Order: Why This Grumpy Detective is a Cult Favorite

If you’ve stumbled across the name David Conrad Smith—or just "DC" to his friends and the many enemies he’s annoyed over the years—you’ve probably realized something. Peter Grainger doesn't write your typical, high-octane police procedurals. There are no frantic car chases through the streets of London. Instead, we have the misty, damp marshes of Norfolk and a detective who would much rather play his electric guitar or tend to his garden than deal with a budget-obsessed Chief Superintendent.

People get obsessed with the peter grainger dc smith books in order because the series is as much about a man aging out of a changing world as it is about solving murders. Honestly, it’s the character development that hooks you. You start for the mystery, but you stay because you want to know if DC ever actually finds a decent cup of coffee in Kings Lake.

The DC Smith Series: Reading by Publication Date

Most fans will tell you: do not skip around. Grainger writes with a long-term memory. A tiny remark in book two might become a major plot point in book five. If you want the full experience of watching DC mentor young Chris Waters or navigate his complicated relationship with Jo Evison, you have to follow the timeline.

Here is the sequence of the core DC Smith novels:

1. An Accidental Death (2013): This is where it starts. A student drowns. It looks like a tragic accident, but Smith smells something off. We meet the team at Kings Lake Central and realize Smith is far smarter than his "shabby" appearance suggests.
2. But For The Grace (2014): A death in a care home. It’s quiet, methodical, and deals with some pretty heavy themes regarding the elderly and how society discards them.
3. Luck and Judgement (2015): A worker goes missing from a North Sea gas platform. This one expands the world a bit, moving away from the immediate town and showing Smith’s ability to handle corporate pressure.
4. Persons of Interest (2015): Things get meta. Smith becomes a person of interest himself. We start seeing the friction between his "old school" methods and the modern police force.
5. In This Bright Future (2016): Personal. Very personal. Smith’s past in Belfast and his time in Army Intelligence come back to haunt him.
6. The Rags of Time (2016): Smith is officially on leave, but he can't stop himself from "poking around" a case involving a body found in a field.
7. Time and Tide (2017): Big changes at the station. A new DI arrives, and Smith has to decide how much longer he can keep doing this.
8. A Private Investigation (2018): This was originally intended as a finale of sorts. A missing girl case that mirrors a failure from Smith’s past. It’s emotional, tense, and feels like a goodbye.

The Kings Lake Transition: What Happens Next?

This is where readers usually get confused. After book eight, Smith "retires." But Peter Grainger couldn't just stop writing about Norfolk. He launched the Kings Lake Investigation series, which follows the detectives Smith left behind—like Chris Waters and Serena Butler—while Smith occasionally pops up as a consultant or private investigator.

If you want the "true" chronological order that mixes the original series with the spin-offs, it looks like this:

• The Truth (2021): Often listed as DC Smith #9. He’s retired, but he’s dragged back into a cold case.
• Missing Pieces (2021): Focuses more on the Kings Lake Murder Squad.
• The Camera Man (2023): DC Smith is working as a private investigator for Diver & Diver.
• Another Girl (2023): Serena Butler takes center stage here.
• The Late Lord Thorpe (2024): A heavy focus on the landed gentry of Norfolk and a suspicious death.
• Some Sort of Justice (Upcoming June 2026): The newest entry in the saga.

Basically, the "DC Smith" series and the "Kings Lake Investigation" series are two sides of the same coin. You can’t really read one without the other if you want the full picture of the Norfolk constabulary.

Why DC Smith Stands Out

Most fictional detectives are "broken" in some cliché way. They’re alcoholics, or they hate their ex-wives, or they have a dark secret involving a tortured past. Smith is different. He’s a widower, yes, but he’s remarkably sane. He’s just... over it. He was once a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) but took a demotion to Sergeant because he hated the paperwork and the politics.

He's a "good copper" in a world that is increasingly moving toward "efficient policing."

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There’s a specific kind of dry humor in these books. Smith knows he’s the smartest guy in the room, but he uses his "shabby" demeanor—sorta like a British Columbo—to make people underestimate him. He listens. He waits. He writes everything down in his Alwych notebook. It’s satisfying to watch him dismantle a suspect’s lie just by pointing out a tiny inconsistency they thought he missed.

The Setting as a Character

Kings Lake is a fictionalized version of King’s Lynn in Norfolk. If you’ve never been to that part of England, Grainger does a brilliant job of painting it. It’s flat. It’s windy. The tide dictates everything. There’s a constant sense of the "old" England being swallowed up by the "new."

The atmosphere isn't just window dressing; it affects the plots. A body found on the saltmarshes is a very different problem than a body found in a London alleyway. You have to account for the water, the silt, and the fact that everyone in a small town knows everyone else’s business—or thinks they do.

Actionable Steps for New Readers

If you're ready to start, don't just grab the newest release.

• Start with An Accidental Death: It’s short, punchy, and sets the tone perfectly. If you don't like Smith by the end of this book, the series isn't for you.
• Try the Audiobooks: Many fans argue that Gildart Jackson’s narration is the "definitive" way to experience the series. He nails Smith’s dry, weary, yet sharp-edged voice.
• Pay Attention to the Side Characters: Chris Waters starts as a naive trainee, but his growth across 15+ books is one of the best character arcs in modern crime fiction. Don't ignore him.
• Watch the Dates: Keep a list of the peter grainger dc smith books in order handy. Because the series split into two titles (DC Smith and Kings Lake Investigation), Amazon and Goodreads sometimes struggle to put them in a single, coherent list.

The beauty of these books is that they feel real. People age. They get promoted. They get tired. They retire. By the time you get to The Late Lord Thorpe, you feel like you've spent a decade walking the Norfolk coast with these people.

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To keep your reading journey on track, stick to the publication order above. It ensures you catch every callback to Smith's past and every subtle shift in the Kings Lake station hierarchy. Once you finish the first eight "core" Smith books, move directly into the newer Kings Lake Investigation titles to see how the legacy of the "world's most stubborn sergeant" continues to influence the next generation of Norfolk detectives.