Robert Barnard Reading Order

2 books (1994–1995)

Robert Barnard's Amadeus Mozart series consists of two mystery novels published in 1994 and 1995 in complete form. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with Dead, Mr. Mozart followed by Too Many Notes, Mr. Mozart. The series blends Barnard's expertise in mystery and literary fiction to create a completed two-book collection.

Start with Dead, Mr. Mozart and read in order.

#	Title
1	Dead, Mr. Mozart 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Too Many Notes, Mr. Mozart 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (1991–2011)

Robert Barnard's Anthologies series comprises twelve mystery and crime collections published between 1991 and 2011. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with A Suit of Diamonds. These standalone anthologies feature curated selections of mystery and crime stories from various authors and time periods.

Start with A Suit of Diamonds, the first of 12 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	A Suit of Diamonds 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	2nd Culprit 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Fifty Best Mysteries 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Tales of Obsession: Mystery Stories of Fatal Attractions and Deadly Desires 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Criminal Records 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Malice Domestic 9 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Much Ado About Murder 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Detection Collection 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Thou Shalt Not Kill 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 7 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1989–2012)

Robert Barnard's Charlie Peace series comprises eleven mystery novels published between 1989 and 2012, following the detective from his first case in Death and the Chaste Apprentice through his final investigation in A Charitable Body. The complete series should be read in publication order to experience Peace's development across the two decades of cases. These standalone mysteries are rooted in the tradition of British crime fiction and showcase Barnard's skill at blending procedural detective work with literary sophistication.

Start with Death and the Chaste Apprentice, the first of 11 books in the Charlie Peace series.

#	Title
1	Death and the Chaste Apprentice 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Fatal Attachment 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	A Hovering of Vultures 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Bad Samaritan 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	No Place of Safety 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Unholy Dying / Turbulent Priest 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Bones in the Attic 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	A Fall from Grace 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Killings on Jubilee Terrace 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	A Charitable Body 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1979–1988)

Robert Barnard's Idwal Meredith series consists of two complete mystery novels published between 1979 and 1988. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Unruly Son (also titled Death of a Mystery Writer) followed by At Death's Door. This compact series combines Barnard's skill in mystery writing with literary sophistication, offering a finished narrative arc across both volumes.

Start with Unruly Son / Death of a Mystery Writer and read in order.

#	Title
1	Unruly Son / Death of a Mystery Writer 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	At Death's Door 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1986–1991)

The John Sutcliffe series comprises two mystery novels by Robert Barnard, published between 1986 and 1991. Both books should be read in publication order, beginning with Political Suicide followed by A Scandal in Belgravia. The series is complete and closed.

Start with Political Suicide and read in order.

#	Title
1	Political Suicide 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Scandal in Belgravia 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (1974–2016)

Robert Barnard's nonfiction series spans seven books published between 1974 and 2016, exploring literary analysis and historical texts. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens and concluding with A Wreath from the Wilderness, a Selection from the Metrical Arrangements of Accola Montis-Am Ni. The collection includes critical studies of major authors like Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie, a comprehensive survey of English literature, and biographical works on the Brontë family.

Start with Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens, the first of 7 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Talent to Deceive: Appreciation of Agatha Christie 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	A Short History of English Literature 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Emily Brontë 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	A Bronte Encyclopedia(With: Louise Barnard) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Leisure Hour Improved: Or Moral Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, Original and Selected 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	A Wreath from the Wilderness, a Selection from the Metrical Arrangements of Accola Montis-Am Ni 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1981–1987)

Robert Barnard's Perry Trethowan series comprises five mystery novels published between 1981 and 1987, following the detective through cases ranging from royal intrigue to literary theft. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Death by Sheer Torture. Each standalone mystery showcases Barnard's signature blend of clever plotting and literary wit across investigations that span from aristocratic scandals to Brontë lore. The final installment, Death in Purple Prose, brings the series to a close after five volumes of ingenious crime fiction.

Start with Death by Sheer Torture / Sheer Torture, the first of 5 books in the Perry Trethowan series.

#	Title
1	Death by Sheer Torture / Sheer Torture 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Death and the Princess 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Case of the Missing Brontë / The Missing Brontë 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Bodies 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Death In Purple Prose / The Cherry Blossom Corpse 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

10 books (1987–2006)

Robert Barnard's Short Stories/Novellas series comprises 10 complete books published between 1987 and 2006. These mystery-focused collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Breakfast Television and concluding with The Old Couple. The series showcases Barnard's skill across the mystery and literary fiction genres through interconnected stories and novellas that span two decades.

Start with Breakfast Television, the first of 10 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	Breakfast Television 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Woman in the Wardrobe 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	More Final Than Divorce 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Habit of Widowhood 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Gentleman in the Lake 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Nothing to Lose 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Dognapped 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Everybody’s Girl 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Provenance 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Old Couple 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1989–2011)

Robert Barnard's three-book collection of mystery short stories spans from 1989 to 2011, comprising Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits, The Habit of Widowhood and Other Murderous Proclivities, and Rogue's Gallery. The series is complete and should be read in publication order to follow Barnard's evolving approach to the short story form across more than two decades. Each collection showcases the acclaimed author's skill with mystery and thriller narratives in concise form.

Start with Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits and read in order.

#	Title
1	Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Habit of Widowhood and Other Murderous Proclivities 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Rogue's Gallery 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

23 books (1974–2010)

Robert Barnard's mystery novels span from 1974 to 2010, comprising 23 complete standalone detective stories that can be enjoyed in any order, though reading them in publication sequence offers a rewarding chronological perspective on the author's evolving craft. Each novel presents its own self-contained mystery, featuring various amateur and professional investigators navigating crimes within British communities, from academic settings to small towns and households. The series showcases Barnard's talent for blending literary fiction sensibilities with traditional mystery plotting, making these works appealing to readers who appreciate character-driven detective stories. Begin with Death of an Old Goat and follow the publication order to experience how Barnard's approach to mystery writing developed over his prolific 36-year career.

Start with Death of an Old Goat, the first of 23 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Death of an Old Goat 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Little Local Murder 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Blood Brotherhood 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Death on the High C's 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Posthumous Papers / Death of a Literary Widow 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Death in a Cold Climate 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Death of a Perfect Mother / Mother's Boys 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	School for Murder / Little Victims 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	A Corpse in a Gilded Cage 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Fete Fatale / The Disposal of the Living 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Out of the Blackout 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Skeleton in the Grass 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	A City of Strangers 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	To Die Like a Gentleman 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Masters of the House 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	A Mansion and Its Murder 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	A Murder in Mayfair / Touched by the Dead 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Mistress of Alderley 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	A Cry from the Dark 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Dying Flames 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Graveyard Position 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Last Post 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	A Stranger in the Family 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible