Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Want to Go Home | 1948 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 2 | Spin Your Web, Lady! | 1949 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 3 | Foggy, Foggy Death | 1950 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 4 | A Client is Cancelled | 1951 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 5 | Death by Association / Trial by Terror | 1952 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 6 | Stand Up And Die | 1953 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 7 | Death and the Gentle Bull / Killer in the Straw | 1954 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 8 | Burnt Offering | 1955 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 9 | Let Dead Enough Alone | 1955 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 10 | Practice to Deceive | 1957 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 11 | Accent on Murder | 1958 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 12 | Show Red For Danger | 1960 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 13 | With One Stone / No Dignity in Death | 1961 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 14 | The Distant Clue | 1963 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 15 | First Come, First Kill | 1963 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 16 | Murder Can’t Wait | 1964 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 17 | Murder Roundabout | 1966 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 18 | With Option to Die | 1967 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 19 | A Risky Way to Kill | 1970 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 20 | Inspector’s Holiday | 1971 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 21 | Not I Said The Sparrow | 1973 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 22 | The Tenth Life | 1977 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
| 23 | Dead Run | 1977 | Richard & Frances Lockridge | Buy |
The Captain Heimrich series was the Lockridges’ second major mystery franchise, running from 1948 through 1977. Captain Merton Heimrich of the New York State Police is a methodical, patient investigator who works cases in the quiet communities of Putnam County. Where the Mr. and Mrs. North books are playful and urban, the Heimrich novels are more traditional police procedurals set against a backdrop of country homes, small-town politics, and rural New York life.
Heimrich has a distinctive approach to detective work. He sits quietly, listens carefully, and waits for inconsistencies to surface. He rose from Captain to Inspector over the course of the series, and readers also got to know his wife Susan and the small circle of recurring characters in the area. The early books were written by both Richard and Frances Lockridge, while the later entries from the mid-1960s onward were Richard’s solo work after Frances died in 1963.
The series ran for 23 books across nearly three decades. Fans of classic mid-century mystery fiction appreciate the Heimrich books for their careful plotting, low-key tone, and strong sense of place. If you enjoy the Mr. and Mrs. North series but want something less comedic and more focused on police procedure, the Heimrich books are worth picking up.