The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 17 books · 1999 to 2025 · Often set in Cahors

Peter May

Crime and mysteryPolice proceduralForensicRural crime

Detective Fin Macleod returns to his native Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in the Lewis books. May also wrote the China thrillers about Beijing detective Li Yan and American pathologist Margaret Campbell, and the Enzo Files about a Scottish forensic scientist in France.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Standalones are left out.

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Who appears in which book

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LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Peter May books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

China thrillers

6 books · Set in BeijingForensic
  1. 1The Firemaker1999With Li Yan and Margaret CampbellBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Fourth Sacrifice2000With Li Yan and Margaret CampbellBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Killing Room2001With Li Yan and Margaret CampbellBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Snakehead2002With Li Yan and Margaret CampbellBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Runner2003With Li Yan and Margaret CampbellBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Chinese Whispers2004With Li Yan and Margaret CampbellBuy on Amazon

Enzo Files

7 books · Set in CahorsForensic
  1. 1Extraordinary People2006With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Critic2007With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Blacklight Blue2008With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Freeze Frame2010With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Blowback2011With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Cast Iron2017With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon
  7. 7The Night Gate2021With Enzo MacleodBuy on Amazon

Lewis

4 books · Set in StornowayPolice proceduralRural crime
  1. 1The Blackhouse2009With Fin MacleodBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Lewis Man2011With Fin MacleodBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Chessmen2012With Fin MacleodBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Black Loch2025With Fin MacleodBuy on Amazon

Characters

10 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Lewis

China

The Enzo Files