Patrick Dawlish books in order

The Patrick Dawlish series by John Creasey features fifty-two adventure thrillers written under the Gordon Ashe pseudonym, following a resourceful protagonist through decades of danger from 1939 to 1976.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Death on Demand 1939 John Creasey Buy
2 The Speaker / The Croaker 1939 John Creasey Buy
3 Terror by Day 1940 John Creasey Buy
4 The Secret Murder 1940 John Creasey Buy
5 Who Was the Jester? / The Masked Gunman 1940 John Creasey N/A
6 ‘Ware Danger 1941 John Creasey Buy
7 Murder Most Foul 1942 John Creasey Buy
8 There Goes Death 1942 John Creasey Buy
9 Death in High Places 1942 John Creasey Buy
10 Death in Flames 1943 John Creasey Buy
11 Two Men Missing 1943 John Creasey Buy
12 Rogues Rampant 1944 John Creasey Buy
13 Death on the Move 1945 John Creasey Buy
14 Invitation to Adventure 1945 John Creasey Buy
15 Here is Danger 1946 John Creasey Buy
16 Give Me Murder 1947 John Creasey Buy
17 Murder Too Late 1947 John Creasey Buy
18 Dark Mystery 1948 John Creasey Buy
19 Engagement with Death 1948 John Creasey Buy
20 A Puzzle in Pearls 1949 John Creasey Buy
21 Kill or Be Killed 1949 John Creasey Buy
22 The Dark Circle 1950 John Creasey Buy
23 Murder with Mushrooms 1950 John Creasey Buy
24 Death in Diamonds 1951 John Creasey Buy
25 Missing or Dead? 1951 John Creasey Buy
26 Death in a Hurry 1952 John Creasey Buy
27 The Long Search / Drop Dead 1953 John Creasey Buy
28 Sleepy Death 1953 John Creasey N/A
29 Double for Death 1954 John Creasey Buy
30 Death in the Trees 1954 John Creasey Buy
31 The Man Who Stayed Alive 1955 John Creasey Buy
32 The Kidnapped Child / The Snatch 1955 John Creasey Buy
33 Day of Fear 1956 John Creasey Buy
34 Wait for Death 1957 John Creasey Buy
35 Come Home to Death / The Pack of Lies 1958 John Creasey Buy
36 Elope to Death 1959 John Creasey Buy
37 Don’t Let Him Kill / The Man Who Laughed at Murder 1960 John Creasey Buy
38 The Crime-Haters 1960 John Creasey Buy
39 Rogues’ Ransom 1962 John Creasey Buy
40 Death From Below 1963 John Creasey Buy
41 The Big Call 1965 John Creasey Buy
42 A Promise of Diamonds 1965 John Creasey Buy
43 A Taste of Treasure 1966 John Creasey Buy
44 A Clutch of Coppers 1967 John Creasey Buy
45 A Shadow of Death 1968 John Creasey Buy
46 A Scream of Murder 1969 John Creasey Buy
47 A Nest of Traitors 1970 John Creasey Buy
48 A Rabble of Rebels 1971 John Creasey Buy
49 A Life for a Death 1973 John Creasey Buy
50 A Herald of Doom 1973 John Creasey Buy
51 A Blast of Trumpets 1975 John Creasey Buy
52 A Plague of Demons 1976 John Creasey Buy

“Patrick Dawlish is one of John Creasey’s most prolific series, running fifty-two books from 1939 to 1976 under the Gordon Ashe pseudonym. The series sends Dawlish through a range of thriller and mystery scenarios — wartime secrets, criminal conspiracies, murder investigations, and international danger. The titles themselves tell the story: Death on Demand, Terror by Day, Murder Most Foul, Engagement with Death.”

“Like many of Creasey’s series, the Dawlish books track real-world changes through their fiction. Wartime entries deal with espionage and sabotage. Post-war books shift to criminal organizations and cold case investigations. The series maintained a consistent pace of roughly one or two books per year across its thirty-seven-year run.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Patrick Dawlish series?

There are 52 books in the Patrick Dawlish series, published between 1939 and 1976.

What is the first book in the Patrick Dawlish series?

The first book in the Patrick Dawlish series is Death on Demand, published in 1939.

Who is Patrick Dawlish?

“Patrick Dawlish is the protagonist of fifty-two novels written by Creasey under the Gordon Ashe name. He is an adventurer and investigator who handles cases involving murder, espionage, and organized crime. The series ran from 1939 to 1976, with Dawlish facing everything from wartime intrigue to Cold War conspiracies to domestic murder mysteries.”

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We may receive commissions for purchases made through links on this site.

Privacy Policy