
Michael Innes Reading Order
10 series Β· 106 books Β· Born 30 September 1906
Michael Innes, the pen name of Scottish author John Innes Mackintosh Stewart, was a prolific writer whose career spanned from 1936 to 2022. He specialized in crime fiction, creating engaging narratives infused with literary criticism and contemporary themes. With a remarkable collection of 106 books across 10 series, his most notable works include the Inspector Appleby series and standalone novels that showcase his distinctive style.
Anthologies Series
Complete4 books (1979β2019)
Start with Verdict of Thirteen, the first of 4 books in the Anthologies series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Verdict of Thirteen 1979Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | English Country House Murders 1988Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | Murder On The Railways 2003Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Murder in Midsummer: Classic Mysteries for the Holidays 2019Buy πΊπΈ |
Charles Honeybath Series
Complete4 books (1974β1983)
Start with The Mysterious Commission, the first of 4 books in the Charles Honeybath series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Mysterious Commission 1974Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Honeybath's Haven 1978Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | Lord Mullion's Secret 1981Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Appleby and Honeybath 1983Buy πΊπΈ |
Inspector Appleby Series
Complete32 books (1936β1986)
Start with Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects, the first of 32 books in the Inspector Appleby series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects 1936Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Hamlet, Revenge! 1937Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | Lament for a Maker 1938Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Stop Press / The Spider Strikes 1939Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | The Secret Vanguard 1940Buy πΊπΈ |
| 6 | There Came Both Mist and Snow / A Comedy of Terrors 1940Buy πΊπΈ |
| 7 | Appleby on Ararat 1941Buy πΊπΈ |
| 8 | The Daffodil Affair 1942Buy πΊπΈ |
| 9 | The Weight of the Evidence 1943Buy πΊπΈ |
| 10 | Appleby's End 1945Buy πΊπΈ |
| 11 | A Night of Errors 1948Buy πΊπΈ |
| 12 | Operation Pax / The Paper Thunderbolt 1951Buy πΊπΈ |
| 13 | A Private View / One-Man Show / Murder Is an Art 1952Buy πΊπΈ |
| 14 | Appleby Plays Chicken / Death On a Quiet Day 1957Buy πΊπΈ |
| 15 | The Long Farewell 1958Buy πΊπΈ |
| 16 | Hare Sitting Up 1959Buy πΊπΈ |
| 17 | Silence Observed 1961Buy πΊπΈ |
| 18 | A Connoisseur's Case / The Crabtree Affair 1962Buy πΊπΈ |
| 19 | The Bloody Wood 1966Buy πΊπΈ |
| 20 | Appleby At Allington / Death By Water 1968Buy πΊπΈ |
| 21 | A Family Affair / Picture of Guilt 1969Buy πΊπΈ |
| 22 | Death at the Chase 1970Buy πΊπΈ |
| 23 | An Awkward Lie 1971Buy πΊπΈ |
| 24 | The Open House 1972Buy πΊπΈ |
| 25 | Appleby's Answer 1973Buy πΊπΈ |
| 26 | Appleby's Other Story 1974Buy πΊπΈ |
| 27 | The Gay Phoenix 1976Buy πΊπΈ |
| 28 | The Ampersand Papers 1978Buy πΊπΈ |
| 29 | Sheiks and Adders 1982Buy πΊπΈ |
| 30 | Appleby and Honeybath 1983Buy πΊπΈ |
| 31 | Carson's Conspiracy 1984Buy πΊπΈ |
| 32 | Appleby and the Ospreys 1986Buy πΊπΈ |
Inspector Appleby Collections Series
Complete6 books (1954β2010)
Start with Appleby Talking / Dead Man's Shoes, the first of 6 books in the Inspector Appleby Collections series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Appleby Talking / Dead Man's Shoes 1954Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Appleby Talks 1954Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | Appleby Talks Again 1956Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Appleby Intervenes 1965Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | The Appleby File 1975Buy πΊπΈ |
| 6 | Appleby Talks About Crime 2010Buy πΊπΈ |
J.I.M. Stewart Short Story Collections Series
Complete5 books (1969β2011)
Start with Cucumber Sandwiches, And Other Stories, the first of 5 books in the J.I.M. Stewart Short Story Collections series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cucumber Sandwiches, And Other Stories 1969Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | The Bridge at Arta 1982Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | My Aunt Christina 1983Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Parlour Four 1986Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | Cucumber Sandwiches 2011Buy πΊπΈ |
Murderous Christmas Stories Series
Likely Complete7 books (2016β2022)
Start with Murder under the Christmas Tree, the first of 7 books in the Murderous Christmas Stories series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Murder under the Christmas Tree 2016Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Murder on Christmas Eve 2017Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | A Very Murderous Christmas 2018Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Murder at Christmas 2019Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | Murder in Midwinter 2020Buy πΊπΈ |
| 6 | Murder on a Winter's Night 2021Buy πΊπΈ |
| 7 | Murder in the Falling Snow 2022Buy πΊπΈ |
Non-Fiction Series
Likely Complete10 books (1957β2021)
Start with James Joyce(As: J.I.M. Stewart), the first of 10 books in the Non-Fiction series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | James Joyce(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1957Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Eight Modern Writers(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1963Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | Thomas Love Peacock 1963Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Character and Motive in Shakespeare 1965Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | Rudyard Kipling 1966Buy πΊπΈ |
| 6 | Joseph Conrad(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1968Buy πΊπΈ |
| 7 | Shakespeare's Lofty Scene 1971Buy πΊπΈ |
| 8 | Thomas Hardy: A Critical Biography(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1971Buy πΊπΈ |
| 9 | Myself and Michael Innes: A Memoir(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1988Buy πΊπΈ |
| 10 | Educating the emotions 2021Buy πΊπΈ |
Short Story Collections Series
Complete8 books (1969β2011)
Start with Cucumber Sandwiches, And Other Stories(As: J.I.M. Stewart), the first of 8 books in the Short Story Collections series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cucumber Sandwiches, And Other Stories(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1969Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Our England is a garden and other stories 1979Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | The Bridge At Arta And Other Stories 1981Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | The Bridge at Arta(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1982Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | My Aunt Christina(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1983Buy πΊπΈ |
| 6 | Parlour Four(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1986Buy πΊπΈ |
| 7 | Cucumber Sandwiches(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 2011Buy πΊπΈ |
| 8 | The Man Who Wrote Detective Stories 2011Buy πΊπΈ |
Staircase In Surrey Series
Complete5 books (1975β1979)
Start with The Gaudy, the first of 5 books in the Staircase In Surrey series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Gaudy 1975Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | Young Pattullo 1975Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | Memorial Service 1976Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | The Madonna of The Astrolabe 1977Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | Full Term 1979Buy πΊπΈ |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete25 books (1946β2012)
Start with From London Far / The Unsuspected Chasm, the first of 25 books in the Standalone Novels series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | From London Far / The Unsuspected Chasm 1946Buy πΊπΈ |
| 2 | What Happened At Hazlewood? 1946Buy πΊπΈ |
| 3 | The Journeying Boy / The Case of the Journeying Boy 1949Buy πΊπΈ |
| 4 | Christmas at Candleshoe 1953Buy πΊπΈ |
| 5 | The Man from the Sea / Death By Moonlight 1955Buy πΊπΈ |
| 6 | Old Hall, New Hall / A Question of Queens 1956Buy πΊπΈ |
| 7 | A Use Of Riches 1957Buy πΊπΈ |
| 8 | The New Sonia Wayward / The Case of Sonia Wayward 1960Buy πΊπΈ |
| 9 | Acre of Grass 1962Buy πΊπΈ |
| 10 | Money From Holme 1964Buy πΊπΈ |
| 11 | A Change of Heir 1966Buy πΊπΈ |
| 12 | Last Tresilians 1966Buy πΊπΈ |
| 13 | The Aylwins(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1966Buy πΊπΈ |
| 14 | Vanderlyn's Kingdom 1967Buy πΊπΈ |
| 15 | Mungo's Dream 1973Buy πΊπΈ |
| 16 | Andrew and Tobias(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1980Buy πΊπΈ |
| 17 | Going It Alone 1980Buy πΊπΈ |
| 18 | A Villa in France(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1982Buy πΊπΈ |
| 19 | An Open Prison 1984Buy πΊπΈ |
| 20 | The Naylors(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 1985Buy πΊπΈ |
| 21 | A Palace of Art(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 2011Buy πΊπΈ |
| 22 | Avery's Mission 2012Buy πΊπΈ |
| 23 | Mark Lambert's Supper(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 2012Buy πΊπΈ |
| 24 | The Guardians 2012Buy πΊπΈ |
| 25 | The Man Who Won The Pools(As: J.I.M. Stewart) 2012Buy πΊπΈ |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Michael Innes written?
- Michael Innes has written 106 books across 10 series. Their published works span from 1936 to 2022.
- What is the first book in each Michael Innes series?
- Here are the first books in Michael Innes's series: Anthologies: Verdict of Thirteen; Charles Honeybath: The Mysterious Commission; Inspector Appleby: Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects; Inspector Appleby Collections: Appleby Talking / Dead Man's Shoes; J.I.M. Stewart Short Story Collections: Cucumber Sandwiches, And Other Stories.
- What order should I read Michael Innes's books?
- We recommend reading Michael Innes's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Are Michael Innes's series complete?
- Michael Innes has 8 completed series.

