British Library Crime Classics books in order

The British Library Crime Classics series by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon is a 105-book series running from 1862 to 2024, starting with The Poisoned Chocolates Case.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 The Poisoned Chocolates Case 1929 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
2 Castle Skull 1931 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
3 Murder of a Lady / The Silver Scale Mystery 1931 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
4 The Incredible Crime 1931 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
5 The Z Murders 1931 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
6 The Corpse in the Waxworks / The Waxworks Murder 1932 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
7 Portrait of a Murderer 1933 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
8 Family Matters 1933 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
9 The Mysterious Mr. Badman 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
10 Death of an Airman 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
11 The 12.30 from Croydon 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
12 The Chianti Flask 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
13 Weekend at Thrackley 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
14 Quick Curtain 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
15 The Cornish Coast Murder 1935 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
16 The Traitor 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
17 The Santa Klaus Murder 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
18 Death of Anton 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
19 Death of an Author 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
20 The Wheel Spins / Passengers / The Lady Vanishes 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
21 The Wheel Spins 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
22 Death in the Tunnel / Dark in the Tunnel 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
23 Murder in Piccadilly 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
24 Mystery in White 1937 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
25 Excellent Intentions 1938 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
26 Thirteen Guests 1938 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
27 The Port of London Murders 1938 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
28 The Arsenal Stadium Mystery 1939 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
29 Seven Dead 1939 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
30 A Scream in Soho 1940 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
31 Somebody at the Door 1943 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
32 Murder’s a Swine 1943 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
33 Fell Murder 1944 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
34 Murder by Matchlight 1945 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
35 Trouble on the Thames 1945 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
36 Fire in the Thatch 1946 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
37 Smallbone Deceased 1950 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
38 Last Seen Wearing 1952 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
39 The Danger Within / Death in Captivity 1952 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
40 Murder in the Mill-Race 1952 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
41 Crossed Skis 1952 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
42 Death on the Riviera 1952 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
43 Murder As a Fine Art 1953 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
44 The Man Who Didn’t Fly 1955 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
45 The Christmas Egg 1958 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
46 Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm 1960 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
47 The Spoilt Kill 1961 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
48 Due to a Death / The Dead of Summer 1963 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
49 The Belting Inheritance 1965 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
50 London Particular 1972 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
51 Tea on Sunday 1973 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
52 Capital Crimes 2015 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
53 Silent Nights 2015 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
54 Miraculous Mysteries 2017 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
55 Continental Crimes 2017 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
56 Blood on the Tracks 2018 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
57 The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories 2018 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
58 Deep Waters 2019 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
59 The Measure of Malice 2019 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
60 Settling Scores 2020 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
61 A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries 2020 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
62 Guilty Creatures 2021 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
63 Crimes of Cymru 2023 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
64 Lessons in Crime 2024 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
65 The Notting Hill Mystery 1862 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
66 The Female Detective 1864 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
67 It Walks by Night 1930 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
68 The Secret of High Eldersham / The Mystery of High Eldersham 1930 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
69 Mystery in the Channel 1931 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
70 The Lost Gallows 1931 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
71 The Division Bell Mystery 1932 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
72 Death in Fancy Dress 1933 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
73 The Hog’s Back Mystery 1933 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
74 Murder Underground 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
75 Scarweather 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
76 The Spy Paramount 1934 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
77 Death on the Cherwell 1935 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
78 The Lake District Murder 1935 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
79 The Sussex Downs Murder 1936 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
80 Bats in the Belfry 1937 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
81 The Cheltenham Square Murder 1937 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
82 Antidote to Venom 1938 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
83 Murder in the Museum 1938 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
84 Verdict of Twelve 1940 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
85 Death of a Busybody 1942 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
86 The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack 1942 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
87 Checkmate to Murder 1944 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
88 Death Makes a Prophet 1947 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
89 Calamity in Kent 1950 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
90 Death Has Deep Roots 1951 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
91 The Colour Of Murder 1957 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
92 The Progress of a Crime 1960 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
93 The Body in the Dumb River 1961 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
94 Surfeit of Suspects 1964 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
95 The Last Best Friend 1967 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
96 The End of the Web 1976 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
97 Resorting to Murder 2015 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
98 Crimson Snow 2016 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
99 Murder at the Manor 2016 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
100 Serpents in Eden 2016 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
101 Foreign Bodies 2017 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
102 The Long Arm of the Law 2017 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
103 Golden Age of Detection Puzzle Book 2018 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
104 The Pocket Detective 2: 100+ More Puzzles, Brainteasers and Conundrums 2019 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy
105 Two-Way Murder 2021 Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Buy

The British Library Crime Classics is a reprint series drawing on crime and mystery fiction from a wide range of periods, with original publication dates running from The Notting Hill Mystery (1862) and The Female Detective (1864) through the Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s, and on to original anthologies published as recently as 2024. The 105-book list includes well-known Golden Age titles such as The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929), Mystery in White (1937), and Smallbone Deceased (1950), alongside lesser-known works brought back into print by the series.

From the mid-2010s onward, the British Library also added themed anthologies to the lineup — Capital Crimes, Silent Nights, Miraculous Mysteries, Blood on the Tracks, and Crimes of Cymru among them — collecting short fiction around subjects like railway murders, seasonal crimes, and regional settings. The most recently listed entry, Lessons in Crime, appeared in 2024, with Two-Way Murder (2021) also near the end of the table. Because these are standalone novels and anthologies rather than a continuous narrative, books in the series can generally be read in any order.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the British Library Crime Classics series?

There are 105 books in the British Library Crime Classics series, published between 1862 and 2024.

What is the first book in the British Library Crime Classics series?

The first book in the British Library Crime Classics series is The Poisoned Chocolates Case, published in 1929.

Do you need to read the British Library Crime Classics books in order?

Reading the British Library Crime Classics series in publication order starting with The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) is recommended, as characters and storylines develop across the 105 books.

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