Jacqueline Kirby books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Jacqueline Kirby series?"

"There are four books in the Jacqueline Kirby series, published between 1972 and 1989."

Q: "What is the first book in the Jacqueline Kirby series?"

"The first book in the Jacqueline Kirby series is The Seventh Sinner, published in 1972."

Q: "Do the Jacqueline Kirby books need to be read in order?"

"Each book has a self-contained mystery, so they can be read independently. However, reading in order shows Kirby's career change from librarian to bestselling romance novelist, which is a running subplot across the four books."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	The Seventh Sinner	1972	Elizabeth Peters	Buy
2	The Murders of Richard III	1974	Elizabeth Peters	Buy
3	Die for Love	1984	Elizabeth Peters	Buy
4	Naked Once More	1989	Elizabeth Peters	Buy

The Jacqueline Kirby series stars one of Elizabeth Peters’ most entertaining characters: a middle-aged librarian with a large purse, a sharp tongue, and a habit of stumbling into murders at academic gatherings. In The Seventh Sinner (1972), Kirby is on sabbatical in Rome when a student dies in the catacombs beneath a church. The Murders of Richard III (1974) sends her to an English country house where a group of Ricardian historians starts experiencing attacks modeled on the deaths of Richard III’s victims.

By the third book, Die for Love (1984), Kirby has reinvented herself as a bestselling romance novelist and attends a romance writers’ convention where a colleague is murdered. Naked Once More (1989) won the Agatha Award for Best Novel and finds Kirby competing for the right to write a sequel to a famous literary novel whose author vanished years earlier. The series blends genuine mystery plotting with Peters’ dry humor about academia, publishing, and the people who take both far too seriously.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Jacqueline Kirby series?

There are four books in the Jacqueline Kirby series, published between 1972 and 1989.

What is the first book in the Jacqueline Kirby series?

The first book in the Jacqueline Kirby series is The Seventh Sinner, published in 1972.

Do the Jacqueline Kirby books need to be read in order?

Each book has a self-contained mystery, so they can be read independently. However, reading in order shows Kirby’s career change from librarian to bestselling romance novelist, which is a running subplot across the four books.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order