DI Jon Spicer Books In Order

Publication Order of DI Jon Spicer Books

Out of Manchester comes DI Jon Spicer who stars in the series of the same name. If there is something to be said about UK, it is that they know how to write a good crime thriller – the kind that makes you want for more. The series features a set of books that gives you fast paced, once-you-start-never-can-put-down kind of crime thrillers set in the back drop of Manchester, where Detective Inspector Jon Spicer uses his blend of procedural police work and brute force to catch some of the most sadistic, nastiest and gruesome murderers ever created in fiction.

The DI Jon Spicer series was written by Author Chris Simms, who also finds Manchester his home. A freelance copywriter to the advertising firms in the city, he had relocated to the former “cottonopolis” because Manchester is his wife’s home. The Guardian has described him as “one of the best of the new generation” and in 2007 he received the honour of being selected as a Waterstones Author of the Future.

Thank God that he did relocate to Manchester, because it has inspired the Author to write some of the best British Detective fiction in recent times.

The Flesh and Blood of DI Jon Spicer
What makes Jon Spicer a fan favourite?

Maybe it is Jon Spicer’s way of ploughing through every gritty situation and criminal out there with his brains, never stopping once to consider defeat. Maybe it is the humanity that has been infused into the character with real care.

Either way Chris Simms has done us, Crime Fiction Fans a favour. He has created the next best detective after Sherlock Homes to come out of the grimy, underbelly of British crime.

The Reflections & the Obsessions of the Flesh

Jon Spicer is a Mancunian, born and brought up in the bowels of the world’s oldest industrial city. His family have their roots in the West Coast of Ireland and have come to Manchester to build their lives. The Detective Inspector’s grandfather was a Navy Veteran and one tough nut.

He had helped his family survive through their initial years in Manchester, by making money in bare-knuckle boxing rings. This strain of toughness and singular devoutness has found its way to the Inspector’s character and we love him for it.

There is a dark and violent side of DI Spicer that reflects the dark and violent past of both his forefathers and Manchester.

The series introduces Spicer as being on the fast track in his job, committed to his job with a single-minded devotion. His devotion harbours on obsession sometimes putting his personal life and even his life at risk. We are used to loving a hero obsessed with justice, be it Batman or James Bond. They go at it with absolutely no care for their personal safety, just because they cannot sit back while the villains torment the city and principles that they hold dear. It is no wonder therefore, that Jon Spicer from the very get go, captures our heart.

You root for him throughout the book, turning the pages as fast as you can because you just can’t put it down without seeing him win over insurmountable odds. You stick with him through every twist and turn that has been elaborately and cleverly crafted into these masterpieces by Chris Simms.

Jon Spicer Speaks…

The character of Jon Spicer speaks to us through the gritty crimes and the struggles to solve them, of the darkness within human souls, the darkness that can destroy randomly with gay abandon and the darkness within himself.

Jon Spicer speaks to us through these crime fictions about contemporary Manchester, which is just like any other city in the world, of the nightmares and troubles that humanity is conjuring up there. The series talks to us through its protagonist about all the present-day problems of the world.

What makes DI Spicer more interesting is the fact that he has a normal life outside of his police career. The normal life pretty accurately depicts the difficulties we have in our lives and the reader can immediately relate. Chris Simms has made the Detective Inspector’s character 2 years younger than himself and makes him go through all the phases of life that he has gone through himself. Maybe, this is what adds that touch of real life to the entire series and sets it apart from the other crime dramas out there.

Manchester in His Blood

Manchester is fascinating. The remnants of its history like the abandoned warehouses and derelict mills are still visible through the outcrops of the modern world and they coexist to create an interesting backdrop to the crimes in the DI Jon Spicer series.

Much like Manchester there are remnants of the Detective Inspector’s past that intrudes into his present, making him a character grounded on reality and literally making him too interesting at times.

Crimes that Chill…

The author had said in one of his many interviews that he had always found the inspiration to write new novels from a passing sight or a news article that he had read. He had found inspiration for books from a box of washed up rubber ducks to a burnt church that he passed during his daily commute.

The first of the books in the series that features DI Jon Spicer is titled ‘Killing the Beasts’ and this book is set in the aftermath of the Commonwealth Games of 2002 in Manchester. A series of brutal killings grounds the city to a halt. DI Jon Spicer races against time to catch the killer who is killing at random without any apparent motive.

In his second appearance in ‘Shifting Skin’ the Detective Inspector takes us to the world of Escort services and plastic surgery in Manchester. One thing about the series is that Chris Simms takes immense care to make each subsequent series of murders more gruesome that the ones before. The victims of the murderer in ‘Shifting Skin’ have been stripped of their skin and left in garbage dumps. The story takes an unexpected twist soon and DI Spicer has to use all of his prowess and ingenuity to catch this murderer.

Where is He Taking Us?
The series has captured the hearts of readers worldwide.

There are eight books in the series but Chris Simms has no plans of retiring his favourite detective yet. DI Jon Spicer has some very serious fans out there and they, I am sure, are happy about the Author’s decision too.

Currently Chris Simms believes that he has two more plots that need DI Jon Spicer to solve them. Chris Simms, it seems, has found good working relationship with the Detective Inspector.

The books are hard to put down once you start reading. There is no let down of the tension that you feel from the very first chapter and its pace and you can only hope that Detective Inspector Jon Spicer will come to your rescue too, and fast!