Edward Marston books

Edward Marston is the pen name of Keith Miles, a Welsh author of historical mystery novels spanning medieval England, Elizabethan theater, Restoration London, Victorian railways, and World War I.

Action Scene Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Bushranger 1987 Buy
Skydive 1987 Buy
Seabird 1987 Buy
Snowstorm 1988 Buy

Alan Saxon Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Bullet Hole 1986 Buy
Double Eagle 1987 Buy
Green Murder 1990 Buy
Bermuda Grass 2002 Buy
Honolulu Play-Off 2004 Buy
Flagstick 2012 Buy

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Malice Domestic 6 1997 Buy
The Sunken Sailor 2004 Buy
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 2011 Buy

Architecture Mysteries Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Cut to the Quick 1993 N/A
Murder at the Arizona Biltmore / Murder in Perspective 2023 Buy
1994 N/A
Homicide in Chicago /Saint’s Rest 2023 Buy
Whom the Gods Love 1995 N/A
The Devil in Music 1997 N/A
Crime Through Time 1997 N/A

Bow Street Rivals Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Shadow of the Hangman 2015 Buy
Steps to the Gallows 2017 Buy
Date with the Executioner 2017 Buy
Fugitive from the Grave 2018 Buy
Rage of the Assassin 2021 Buy

Captain Rawson Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Soldier of Fortune 2008 Buy
Drums of War 2008 Buy
Fire and Sword 2009 Buy
Under Siege 2010 Buy
A Very Murdering Battle 2011 Buy

Christopher Redmayne Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The King’s Evil 1999 Buy
The Amorous Nightingale 2000 Buy
The Repentant Rake 2001 Buy
The Frost Fair 2003 Buy
The Parliament House 2006 Buy
The Painted Lady 2007 Buy

Dillman & Masefield / Ocean Liner Mysteries Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Murder on the Lusitania 1999 Buy
Murder on the Mauretania 2000 Buy
Murder on the Minnesota 2002 Buy
Murder on the Caronia 2003 Buy
Murder on the Marmora 2004 Buy
Murder on the Salsette 2005 Buy
Murder on the Oceanic 2006 Buy
Murder on the Celtic 2007 Buy

Domesday Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Wolves of Savernake 1993 Buy
The Ravens of Blackwater 1994 Buy
The Dragons of Archenfield 1995 Buy
The Lions of the North 1996 Buy
The Serpents Of Harbledown 1996 Buy
The Stallions of Woodstock 1997 Buy
The Hawks of Delamere 1998 Buy
The Wildcats of Exeter 1998 Buy
The Foxes of Warwick 1999 Buy
The Owls of Gloucester 2000 Buy
The Elephants of Norwich 2000 Buy

Elizabethan Theater Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Queen’s Head 1988 Buy
The Merry Devils 1989 Buy
The Trip to Jerusalem 1990 Buy
The Nine Giants 1991 Buy
The Mad Courtesan 1992 Buy
The Silent Woman 1992 Buy
The Roaring Boy 1995 Buy
The Laughing Hangman 1996 Buy
The Fair Maid of Bohemia 1997 Buy
The Wanton Angel 1999 Buy
The Devil’s Apprentice 2001 Buy
The Bawdy Basket 2002 Buy
The Vagabond Clown 2003 Buy
The Counterfeit Crank 2004 Buy
The Malevolent Comedy 2005 Buy
The Princess of Denmark 2006 Buy

Frankenstein Horror

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Dragon’s Teeth 1973 Buy

Home Front Detective Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Bespoke Murder 2011 Buy
An Instrument of Slaughter 2012 Buy
Five Dead Canaries 2013 Buy
Deeds of Darkness 2014 Buy
The Enemy Within 2016 Buy
Under Attack 2017 Buy
The Unseen Hand 2019 Buy
Orders to Kill 2021 Buy
Dance of Death 2015 Buy
Danger of Defeat 2023 Buy
the 5th wave 2013 N/A
Spring Offensive 2024 Buy

Inspector Robert Colbeck Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Railway Detective 2004 Buy
The Excursion Train 2005 Buy
The Railway Viaduct 2006 Buy
The Iron Horse 2007 Buy
Murder on the Brighton Express 2007 Buy
The Silver Locomotive Mystery 2009 Buy
Railway to the Grave 2010 Buy
Blood on the Line 2011 Buy
The Stationmaster’s Farewell 2012 Buy
Peril on the Royal Train 2013 Buy
A Ticket to Oblivion 2014 Buy
Timetable of Death 2015 Buy
Signal for Vengeance 2016 Buy
The Circus Train Conspiracy 2017 Buy
A Christmas Railway Mystery 2017 Buy
Points of Danger 2019 Buy
Fear on the Phantom Special 2019 Buy
Slaughter in the Sapperton Tunnel 2020 Buy
Tragedy on the Branch Line 2021 Buy
The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case 2022 Buy
Death at the Terminus 2023 Buy
Murder in Transit 2024 Buy
Mystery at the Station Hotel 2025 Buy
Murder on the Great Northern Railway 2025 Buy

Inspector Robert Colbeck Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Inspector Colbeck’s Casebook 2014 Buy

Merlin Richards Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Murder in Perspective 1997 Buy
Saint’s Rest 1999 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Crime Archive 2008 Buy

Peter Lovesey Short Stories/Novellas Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Vandals 1985 N/A
The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown 1994 Buy
A Parrot is Forever 1996 Buy
Corbett Correspondence 1997 Buy

Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Murder, Ancient And Modern 2005 Buy

Sin Bin Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Iggy 1988 Buy
Melanie 1988 Buy
Tariq 1989 Buy
Bev 1989 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Ambridge Summer 1975 Buy
The Warrior Kings 1978 Buy
Marco Polo 1982 Buy
We’ll Meet Again 1982 Buy
Breaks 1983 Buy
Boys from the Blackstuff 1984 Buy
Finest Swordsman in All France 1984 Buy

Edward Marston is the pen name of Keith Miles, a Welsh author born in 1943 who has written more than 100 novels, most of them historical mysteries. His career has spanned five decades and at least a dozen series, each set in a different period of British or European history. Under his own name, Miles also wrote golf mysteries (the Alan Saxon series), sports fiction, and novelizations.

His most popular series is the Inspector Robert Colbeck books, sometimes called the Railway Detective series, set during the early years of the Victorian railway system. The Elizabethan Theater series, following stage manager Nicholas Bracewell, ran for sixteen novels and drew on Marston’s background in theater history. The Domesday series, set just after the Norman Conquest, uses the Domesday Book as a springboard for murder mysteries.

Marston writes quickly and has often had multiple series running at the same time. His books are known for their period detail and for using the specific features of each era, whether it’s a 17th-century frost fair or a transatlantic ocean liner, as the backdrop for carefully plotted crimes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Edward Marston written?

Edward Marston has written 128 books across twenty series.

What was Edward Marston's first book?

Edward Marston’s first book is Dragon’s Teeth, published in 1973.

What periods does Edward Marston write about?

Marston’s series cover a wide range of historical settings: 11th-century England (Domesday), Elizabethan theater (Nicholas Bracewell), Restoration London (Christopher Redmayne), Victorian railways (Inspector Colbeck), the War of the Spanish Succession (Captain Rawson), Regency-era London (Bow Street Rivals), and World War I (Home Front Detective).

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