Thomas Chaloner books in order

The Thomas Chaloner series by Susanna Gregory follows an ex-spy turned investigator in Restoration London during the 1660s, spanning 15 books from A Conspiracy of Violence (2006) to The Pudding Lane Plot (2022).

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 A Conspiracy of Violence 2006 Susanna Gregory Buy
2 Blood on the Strand 2007 Susanna Gregory Buy
3 The Butcher of Smithfield 2008 Susanna Gregory Buy
4 The Westminster Poisoner 2009 Susanna Gregory Buy
5 A Murder on London Bridge 2009 Susanna Gregory Buy
6 The Body in the Thames 2010 Susanna Gregory Buy
7 The Piccadilly Plot 2012 Susanna Gregory Buy
8 Death in St James’s Park 2013 Susanna Gregory Buy
9 Murder on High Holborn 2014 Susanna Gregory Buy
10 The Cheapside Corpse 2015 Susanna Gregory Buy
11 The Chelsea Strangler 2016 Susanna Gregory Buy
12 The Executioner of St Paul’s 2017 Susanna Gregory Buy
13 Intrigue in Covent Garden 2019 Susanna Gregory Buy
14 The Clerkenwell Affair 2020 Susanna Gregory Buy
15 The Pudding Lane Plot 2022 Susanna Gregory Buy

The Thomas Chaloner series is Susanna Gregory’s second major work, set in London during the 1660s. Chaloner is a former intelligence agent who served under Cromwell’s spymaster John Thurloe, which makes him politically suspect after the Restoration of Charles II. Unable to find regular work, he takes a position with the Earl of Clarendon, the Lord Chancellor, and spends the series investigating crimes that the powerful would prefer to keep hidden.

A Conspiracy of Violence (2006) introduces Chaloner as he returns to an England he barely recognizes, where old allies are being executed and former enemies now hold power. The series progresses through the major events of the decade, with the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London both featuring in later books. The Pudding Lane Plot (2022), the fifteenth entry, takes its name from the street where the Great Fire began. Gregory uses the same approach she developed in the Matthew Bartholomew series (detailed period research, a large recurring cast, and murder plots woven through real historical events) but applies it to a very different era, trading medieval Cambridge for the louche, paranoid atmosphere of Restoration London.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Thomas Chaloner series?

There are fifteen books in the Thomas Chaloner series, published between 2006 and 2022.

What is the first book in the Thomas Chaloner series?

The first book in the Thomas Chaloner series is A Conspiracy of Violence, published in 2006.

What historical events appear in the Thomas Chaloner series?

The series is set during the English Restoration and incorporates real events from the 1660s, including the return of Charles II, political purges of former Cromwell supporters, the Great Plague of 1665, and the Great Fire of London in 1666. Real historical figures appear alongside the fictional cast.

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