Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omens of Death | 1996 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
| 2 | Superstitious Death | 1998 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
| 3 | A Well-Pressed Shroud | 2001 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
| 4 | Garland for a Dead Maiden | 2003 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
| 5 | The Curse of the Golden Trough | 2004 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
| 6 | Prize Murder | 2006 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
| 7 | A Full Churchyard | 2014 | Nicholas Rhea | Buy |
The Montague Pluke series follows one of Nicholas Rhea’s most distinctive characters. Detective Inspector Pluke is based in the fictional Yorkshire town of Crickledale, where he investigates murders while indulging his two obsessions: superstition and historic horse troughs, on which he is an internationally recognized authority. He dresses in a deliberately old-fashioned style, complete with spats and an antique raincoat.
The seven books, published between 1996 and 2014, are lighter comic mysteries in the tradition of eccentric British detective fiction. Pluke’s superstitious habits and unusual expertise make him a memorable figure, and the series stands apart from Rhea’s more grounded Constable Nick and Pemberton books.