🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Alex Howard
Alex Howard is the author of a series of crime novels featuring DI Hanlon. It is the pen name used by Alex Coombs. He would later switch to writing under his real name. +Biography Alex Howard is a curious individual in that you wouldn’t immediately peg him as an author. Alex was born in 1961 in Lambeth, London. Nothing in his life ever suggested that he would go the route of an author, though the decision has clearly paid off, what with all the praise his novels tend to attract. Alex is a teacher by trade. That is what he has been doing for the longest time, and he definitely knows his craft. The author grew up in Buckinghamshire, Bourne End. His teaching career can be traced back to Grammar School in Marlow. The author also had the privilege of attending St.
All Book Series by Alex Howard
An Incidental Death / The Silent Victims
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2017
The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories
Single-title series · published 2015
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alex Howard?
Alex Howard is the author of a series of crime novels featuring DI Hanlon. It is the pen name used by Alex Coombs. He would later switch to writing under his real name. +Biography Alex Howard is a curious individual in that you wouldn’t immediately peg him as an author.
Which Alex Howard series should I start with?
The best place to start is the DCI Hanlon series, the earliest of Alex Howard's multi-book series: it opens with Time To Die / The Stolen Child (2014) and runs to 4 books across 2014–2017, ending with An Incidental Death / The Silent Victims (2017). Alex Howard's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Alex Howard written?
Alex Howard has 13 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2014 and 2025. 12 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Old Forge Café Mysteries series with 5 books — and 1 is a standalone title, collection or anthology.
In what order should Alex Howard's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Alex Howard's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are DCI Hanlon (2014–2017, 4 books), PI Hanlon (2020–2021, 3 books) and Old Forge Café Mysteries (2023–2025, 5 books).
How are Alex Howard's books organised into series?
This guide splits Alex Howard's 13 books into 3 named series and 1 title that stands alone or appear only in collections: Old Forge Café Mysteries (5 books, 2023–2025); DCI Hanlon (4 books, 2014–2017); PI Hanlon (3 books, 2020–2021).