Reading Order List โ€” Book Series Reading Order Guide
John Gardner

John Gardner Reading Order

10 series ยท 77 books ยท Born 20 November 1926

John Gardner was a prolific English author known for his contributions to the spy and thriller genres. With a remarkable portfolio of 77 books spanning 10 seriesโ€”including notable works featuring boysie Oakes, Derek Torry, and Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountfordโ€”he left a lasting mark on literature. Active from 1964 until 2022, he is particularly celebrated for his James Bond continuation novels and intriguing stories centered around Professor Moriarty.

Anthologies Series

Complete

2 books (1982โ€“1999)

Start with The Best American Short Stories 1982 and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Best American Short Stories 1982
The Best American Short Stories 1982
2
Cover of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Boysie Oakes Series

Complete

11 books (1964โ€“1975)

Start with The Liquidator, the first of 11 books in the Boysie Oakes series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Liquidator
The Liquidator
2
3
4
5
6
Cover of Founder Member
Founder Member
7
Traitor's Exit
8
Cover of Air Apparent
Air Apparent
9
Cover of The Airline Pirates
The Airline Pirates
10
Cover of The Assassination File
The Assassination File
11
Cover of A Killer for a Song
A Killer for a Song

Derek Torry Series

Complete

2 books (1969โ€“1976)

Start with A Complete State of Death and read in order.

#Title
1
A Complete State of Death
2
Cover of The Corner Men
The Corner Men

Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford Series

Complete

5 books (2002โ€“2007)

Start with Bottled Spider, the first of 5 books in the Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford series.

#Title
1
Cover of Bottled Spider
Bottled Spider
2
Cover of Streets of Town
Streets of Town
3
Cover of Angels Dining at the Ritz
Angels Dining at the Ritz
4
Cover of Troubled Midnight
Troubled Midnight
5
Cover of No Human Enemy
No Human Enemy

Herbie Kruger Series

Complete

5 books (1979โ€“1995)

Start with The Nostradamus Traitor, the first of 5 books in the Herbie Kruger series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Nostradamus Traitor
The Nostradamus Traitor
2
Cover of The Garden of Weapons
The Garden of Weapons
3
Cover of The Quiet Dogs
The Quiet Dogs
4
5

James Bond Series

Likely Complete

33 books (1968โ€“2022)

Start with Colonel Sun(By: Kingsley Amis), the first of 33 books in the James Bond series.

#Title
1
Cover of Colonel Sun(By: Kingsley Amis)
Colonel Sun(By: Kingsley Amis)
2
The Authorized Biography of 007(By: John George Pearson)
3
Cover of License Renewed
License Renewed
4
Cover of For Special Services
For Special Services
5
6
Cover of Role of Honor
Role of Honor
7
Cover of Nobody Lives Forever
Nobody Lives Forever
8
Cover of No Deals, Mr. Bond
No Deals, Mr. Bond
9
10
Cover of Licence to Kill
Licence to Kill
11
Cover of Win, Lose or Die
Win, Lose or Die
12
13
Cover of The Man from Barbarossa
The Man from Barbarossa
14
Cover of Death Is Forever
Death Is Forever
15
Cover of Never Send Flowers
Never Send Flowers
16
17
18
19
Cover of Tomorrow Never Dies(By: Raymond Benson)
Tomorrow Never Dies(By: Raymond Benson)
20
Cover of Zero Minus Ten(By: Raymond Benson)
Zero Minus Ten(By: Raymond Benson)
21
Cover of The Facts of Death(By: Raymond Benson)
The Facts of Death(By: Raymond Benson)
22
Cover of High Time to Kill(By: Raymond Benson)
High Time to Kill(By: Raymond Benson)
23
The World is Not Enough(By: Raymond Benson)
24
Cover of Doubleshot(By: Raymond Benson)
Doubleshot(By: Raymond Benson)
25
Cover of Never Dream of Dying(By: Raymond Benson)
Never Dream of Dying(By: Raymond Benson)
26
Cover of Die Another Day(By: Raymond Benson)
Die Another Day(By: Raymond Benson)
27
Cover of The Man With the Red Tattoo(By: Raymond Benson)
The Man With the Red Tattoo(By: Raymond Benson)
28
Cover of Devil May Care(By: Sebastian Faulks)
Devil May Care(By: Sebastian Faulks)
29
Cover of Carte Blanche(By: Jeffery Deaver)
Carte Blanche(By: Jeffery Deaver)
30
Cover of Solo(By: William Boyd)
Solo(By: William Boyd)
31
Cover of Trigger Mortis(By: Anthony Horowitz)
Trigger Mortis(By: Anthony Horowitz)
32
Forever and a Day(By: Anthony Horowitz)
33
Cover of With a Mind to Kill(By: Anthony Horowitz)
With a Mind to Kill(By: Anthony Horowitz)

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

2 books (1983โ€“1994)

Start with On Becoming a Novelist and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of On Becoming a Novelist
On Becoming a Novelist
2
Cover of On Writers and Writing
On Writers and Writing

Professor Moriarty Series

Complete

3 books (1974โ€“2008)

Start with The Return of Moriarty and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Return of Moriarty
The Return of Moriarty
2
Cover of The Revenge of Moriarty
The Revenge of Moriarty
3

Railton Family Series

Complete

3 books (1985โ€“1989)

Start with The Secret Generations and read in order.

#Title
1
The Secret Generations
2
Cover of The Secret Houses
The Secret Houses
3
The Secret Families

Standalone Novels Series

Complete

11 books (1972โ€“2001)

Start with The Censor, the first of 11 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#Title
1
2
Cover of Every Night's a Bullfight
Every Night's a Bullfight
3
Cover of The Director
The Director
4
Cover of To Run a Little Faster
To Run a Little Faster
5
Cover of The Werewolf Trace
The Werewolf Trace
6
The Dancing Dodo
7
8
Cover of The Last Trump
The Last Trump
9
10
Cover of Blood of the Fathers
Blood of the Fathers
11
Cover of Day of Absolution
Day of Absolution

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has John Gardner written?
John Gardner has written 77 books across 10 series. Their published works span from 1964 to 2022.
What is the first book in each John Gardner series?
Here are the first books in John Gardner's series: Anthologies: The Best American Short Stories 1982; Boysie Oakes: The Liquidator; Derek Torry: A Complete State of Death; Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford: Bottled Spider; Herbie Kruger: The Nostradamus Traitor.
What order should I read John Gardner's books?
We recommend reading John Gardner's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Are John Gardner's series complete?
John Gardner has 9 completed series.

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