Order of Book Series
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Bill James Books in Order

Bill James has written 73 books, published between 1966 and 2022. The first book is Honourable Estates (As: James Tucker) (1966) and the newest is Low Pastures (2022). Publication order is the reading order below. 37 of the 73 books listed here are in the Harpur & Iles series, which has its own page: Harpur & Iles books in order.

Books
73
Published
1966–2022
Pages on record
13,697 in 63 of 73 books
Reading time
228–342 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 13,697 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 63 of 73 titles with a page count on record.

See all 73 books in order Printable Bill James checklist

Bill James was the main pen name of Allan James Tucker, a Welsh novelist born 15 August 1929 and died 17 June 2023. Tucker reported for the Daily Mirror and other newspapers after RAF service, lived in South Wales, and also published as David Craig and Judith Jones. Most of the Bill James output is the Harpur and Iles series, which sets Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur against Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles in an unnamed coastal city in south-western England, with a shifting cast on both sides of the law. His catalogue holds 73 titles from 1966 to 2022.

How many Bill James books are there?

Bill James has 73 books, released between 1966 and 2022. They include 7 series and 22 titles listed outside any series.

Bill James Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 73 Bill James books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of A Walk at Night by Bill James, book 2 of the Bellecroix and Roath series (1971)
  2. Cover of Knifeman / Bolthole (As: David Craig) by Bill James (1973)
  3. Cover of Whose Little Girl Are You? / The Squeeze (As:David Craig) by Bill James (1974)
  4. Cover of A Dead Liberty (As:David Craig) by Bill James (1974)
  5. Cover of Albion Case (As:David Craig) by Bill James (1975)
  6. Cover of Blaze of Riot (As: James Tucker) by Bill James (1979)
  7. Cover of You'd Better Believe It by Bill James, book 1 of the Harpur & Iles series (1985)
  8. Cover of The Lolita Man by Bill James, book 2 of the Harpur & Iles series (1987)
  9. Cover of Halo Parade by Bill James, book 3 of the Harpur & Iles series (1987)
  10. Cover of Protection by Bill James, book 4 of the Harpur & Iles series (1988)
  11. Cover of Come Clean by Bill James, book 5 of the Harpur & Iles series (1989)
  12. Cover of Take by Bill James, book 6 of the Harpur & Iles series (1990)
  13. Cover of Club by Bill James, book 7 of the Harpur & Iles series (1991)
  14. Cover of Astride a Grave by Bill James, book 8 of the Harpur & Iles series (1991)
  15. Cover of Gospel by Bill James, book 9 of the Harpur & Iles series (1992)
  16. Cover of Roses, Roses by Bill James, book 10 of the Harpur & Iles series (1993)
  17. Cover of In Good Hands by Bill James, book 11 of the Harpur & Iles series (1994)
  18. Cover of The Detective Is Dead by Bill James, book 12 of the Harpur & Iles series (1995)
  19. Cover of Top Banana by Bill James, book 13 of the Harpur & Iles series (1996)
  20. Cover of Baby Talk by Bill James, book 1 of the Kerry Lake series (1998)
  21. Cover of Panicking Ralph by Bill James, book 14 of the Harpur & Iles series (1998)
  22. Cover of Lovely Mover by Bill James, book 15 of the Harpur & Iles series (1998)
  23. Cover of After Melissa by Bill James, book 2 of the Kerry Lake series (1999)
  24. Cover of Torch by Bill James, book 2 of the Brade and Jenkins series (1999)
  1. 1
    Honourable Estates (As: James Tucker)1966 · confirmed 1/4
    1966–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Alias ManRoy Rickman #11968 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1968192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Message EndsRoy Rickman #21969 · 188 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Young Men May DieBellecroix and Roath #11970 · 191 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1970191
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Contact LostRoy Rickman #31970 · 209 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1970209
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Up From the Grave (As: David Craig)1971 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1971192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    A Walk at NightBellecroix and Roath #21971 · 189 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1971189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Double Take (As: David Craig)1972 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Knifeman / Bolthole (As: David Craig)1973 · 190 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1973190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Whose Little Girl Are You? / The Squeeze (As:David Craig)1974 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    A Dead Liberty (As:David Craig)1974 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Albion Case (As:David Craig)1975 · 155 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975155
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Novels of Anthony Powell (As: James Tucker)1976 · confirmed 1/4
    1976–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Faith, Hope And Death (As:David Craig)1976 · 189 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Blaze of Riot (As: James Tucker)1979 · 278 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979278
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The King's Friends (As: James Tucker)1982 · 239 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982239
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    You'd Better Believe ItHarpur & Iles #11985 · 157 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985157
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Lolita ManHarpur & Iles #21987 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Halo ParadeHarpur & Iles #31987 · 175 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987175
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    ProtectionHarpur & Iles #41988 · 188 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1988188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Come CleanHarpur & Iles #51989 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1989256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    TakeHarpur & Iles #61990 · 239 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990239
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    ClubHarpur & Iles #71991 · 223 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1991223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Astride a GraveHarpur & Iles #81991 · 205 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1991205
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    GospelHarpur & Iles #91992 · 206 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1992206
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Roses, RosesHarpur & Iles #101993 · 204 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1993204
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    In Good HandsHarpur & Iles #111994 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1994214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Detective Is DeadHarpur & Iles #121995 · 215 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1995215
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Top BananaHarpur & Iles #131996 · 284 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1996284
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Baby TalkKerry Lake #11998 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1998224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Bill James series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Bill James books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Roy Rickman in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Alias Man
  2. 2. Message Ends
  3. 3. Contact Lost

Brade and Jenkins in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Tattooed Detective
  2. 2. Torch
  3. 3. Bay City

Bellecroix and Roath in order

2 books
  1. 1. Young Men May Die
  2. 2. A Walk at Night

Kerry Lake in order

2 books
  1. 1. Baby Talk
  2. 2. After Melissa

Simon Abelard in order

2 books
  1. 1. Split
  2. 2. A Man's Enemies

DC Sally Bithron in order

2 books
  1. 1. Hear Me Talking to You
  2. 2. Tip Top

Standalone books

22 books

22 Bill James titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Bill James books in order?

You only need to read Bill James books in order within each series: the books listed here span 7 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Bill James

Start with You'd Better Believe It (1985), the first Harpur & Iles book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Honourable Estates (As: James Tucker) (1966).

What is the newest Bill James book?

Low Pastures (2022) is the newest Bill James book released so far.

Is there a new Bill James book coming?

No next Bill James book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Bill James at a glance

Died
Bill James died in 2023, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Bill James on record dates from 2022.
Release pace
Bill James books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
13,697 pages across the 63 of 73 books with a recorded length, a median of 214 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Bill James books, 23 of 73, were published in the 2000s.

What the Bill James books are about

65 of the 73 Bill James books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 37 of 65. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.