Colin Youngman Books in Order
Find Colin Youngman books in order, with Ryan Jarrod and Twist reading lists, short summaries, series background, and where to start.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
21 books
Dead Lines
by Colin Youngman
2016
Jennifer North wants one weekend at a rural hotel to save her marriage. Stephen has other worries, including a discovery on the premises that may turn the getaway into a fight for his life.
The Refugee: Fantasy or Prophecy?
by Colin Youngman
2016
A displaced man named Sam encounters an angel in a strange, unsettling meeting that blurs fantasy, prophecy, and belief. Their connection opens a quiet but urgent story about mortality, fear, and survival.
A Fall Before Pride
by Colin Youngman
2017
A damaged family is pulled apart by pride, resentment, and old wounds. At the center is a disabled child whose presence may offer a way back, if the adults can face what they have become.
Brittle Justice
by Colin Youngman
2017
On the final day of a murder trial, the case against the accused looks impossible to beat. But if the suspect is innocent, one last argument must crack the certainty of judge and jury.
Dead Heat
by Colin Youngman
2017
Jennifer North crosses America in search of her late husband's fortune, but she is not traveling alone. Oliver Stonebank, the man she hired to kill him, wants payment and may be the least stable part of her journey.
Twists
by Colin Youngman
2017
This anthology gathers Youngman's short Twist stories into one volume, moving from psychological suspense to courtroom drama, surreal fantasy, and family conflict. Each tale is built around pressure, misdirection, and a final turn.
Alley Rat
by Colin Youngman
2018
A serial killer known as The Rat stalks vulnerable women through the shadows of an unnamed city. When cryptic threats cross with corporate espionage, three unlikely hunters discover the danger may be close to home.
The Doom Brae Witch
by Colin Youngman
2019
In the Scottish Borders, an eighteenth-century servant accused of witchcraft leaves a curse that may not be finished. Centuries later, a tourist's eerie sighting at Doom Brae Manor brings the old story back to life.
The Angel Falls
by Colin Youngman
2020
Special Constable Ryan Jarrod finds a badly beaten taxi driver on Tyneside just as a bombing throws Newcastle into chaos. When letters seem to predict more attacks, Ryan pushes into a case others want to dismiss.
The Girl On The Quay
by Colin Youngman
2020
A missing woman, an abandoned boat, and a body in the mud pull rookie detective Ryan Jarrod into the underworld of trafficking and organized crime. The case soon becomes personal, dangerous, and hard to contain.
The Lighthouse Keeper
by Colin Youngman
2020
When Chelsea Birch's body washes ashore near St Mary's Island, Ryan Jarrod faces a case with too many suspects and too many secrets. A strange occupation, local fear, and political shadows complicate the hunt.
High Level
by Colin Youngman
2021
A wealthy entrepreneur is found dead at the foot of a lift shaft in Newcastle's Byker Wall estate. For Ryan Jarrod, a case that should be simple exposes greed, poverty, and secrets on both sides.
Operation Sage
by Colin Youngman
2021
A drive-by shooting, a quiet kidnapping, and a failed suicide intervention seem unrelated until DS Ryan Jarrod finds the same gang behind them. Worse, their real target appears to be Ryan himself.
Low Light
by Colin Youngman
2022
Under protection after a credible threat, DS Ryan Jarrod is dragged into the hunt for a vigilante killer. A mutilated body at North Shields fish market suggests the murderer has only just begun.
The Tower
by Colin Youngman
2022
When Ryan Jarrod is lured into a trap below Newcastle's tallest building, a colleague pays the price. With drugs lord Benny Yu back in town, the case becomes a brutal test of nerve.
Bones Of Callaley
by Colin Youngman
2023
Human remains found in a quiet garden tear open a neighbourhood's hidden history. As residents turn on one another, Ryan Jarrod learns one secret may reach back into his own past.
The Graveyard Shift
by Colin Youngman
2023
Halloween brings a body to the ancient graveyard at Tynemouth Priory, and it is not the first. The ritual staging points toward something sinister, leaving Ryan Jarrod to separate horror from human evil.
Sand Dancer
by Colin Youngman
2024
Performer Semilla Rachman vanishes in front of a full theatre during a return to her hometown. Ryan Jarrod must decide whether it is a stunt, an abduction, or something darker.
Metro
by Colin Youngman
2025
A young woman is found murdered and posed inside a deserted Tyneside Metro carriage. When a schoolgirl dies in a similarly disturbing way, Ryan Jarrod's team follows the trail through transport, art, and obsession.
Wall's End
by Colin Youngman
2025
A dead man in a derelict community building looks like an overdose victim until Ryan Jarrod's phone number is found tattooed on his arm. The case leads into county lines crime and police corruption.
NE1
by Colin Youngman
2026
Acting DI Ryan Jarrod investigates influencer Xander McStay after a tip-off about abuse of power and predatory behavior. As undercover city-centre parties come into focus, fame begins to look like cover.
Where should I start?
For Tyneside crime thrillers: The Angel Falls → The Girl On The Quay → The Lighthouse Keeper → High Level.
For darker serial-killer suspense: Alley Rat → Low Light → Metro.
For short twist-driven reads: Dead Lines → The Refugee: Fantasy or Prophecy? → Twists.
For supernatural or historical fantasy: The Doom Brae Witch.
Author bio
Colin Youngman was born in 1958 within earshot of the tugboats on the River Tyne, a detail he clearly enjoys. He grew up on Tyneside and later settled in Northumberland, the part of north-east England that now gives many of his crime novels their streets, coastlines, estates, and weather.
His first brush with publication came early. At nine, a contribution he sent to the children's comic Sparky was picked as a weekly winner, earning him a postal order and a transistor radio. Not a bad first royalty statement.
Writing stayed with him, but it had to share space with a long public-sector career. Youngman worked as a senior executive while also placing pieces in newspapers, sports magazines, travel writing, and other outlets. For years, fiction was the thing waiting in the wings.
Eventually, it got its turn.
Youngman's early fiction leaned toward compact, twist-driven stories. The Twist books, including Dead Lines, The Refugee: Fantasy or Prophecy?, Brittle Justice, and A Fall Before Pride, move across psychological suspense, courtroom tension, family drama, and offbeat fantasy. They are short, sharp reads built around pressure points and reversals.
His best-known work is the Ryan Jarrod series, which begins with The Angel Falls. That book introduces Ryan as a special constable drawn into a Tyneside terror investigation with DCI Stephen Danskin. From there, the series follows Ryan through cases involving trafficking, serial murder, corruption, organized crime, and the messy cost of staying loyal to the job.
Readers tend to come to these books for the local detail as much as the crime. The Girl On The Quay, The Lighthouse Keeper, High Level, and later entries such as Bones Of Callaley, Metro, and Wall's End make use of Newcastle, the River Tyne, North Shields, Byker, South Shields, and other places that feel lived-in rather than dropped onto a map.
He has also written standalones. Dead Heat follows a widow and the killer she hired across a dark psychological trail. Alley Rat tracks a serial predator targeting vulnerable women. The Doom Brae Witch moves into historical fantasy and the supernatural, linking an eighteenth-century curse with a modern mystery.
Away from the keyboard, Youngman has described himself as a long-suffering Newcastle United season-ticket holder and a follower of Durham cricket. He has also done supporting TV work, including appearances in period dramas such as Victoria and Frontier. These days, he continues to write from the north-east landscape that has shaped so much of his fiction.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.





































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts