Dolores Hitchens Books in Order
Dolores Hitchens has written 43 books, published between 1938 and 1973. The first book is The Clue in the Clay (1938) and the newest is In a House Unknown (1973). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 43
- Published
- 1938–1973
- Pages on record
- 969 in 5 of 43 books
Dolores Hitchens (1907-1973) was an American mystery novelist who wrote steadily from 1938 until her death. She published as D. B. Olsen and under the pseudonyms Dolan Birkley and Noel Burke, and many of her mysteries turn on the character Rachel Murdock. With her second husband Bert Hitchens, a railroad detective, she wrote five railroad mysteries, police procedurals about a squad of railroad police, and she worked in western fiction as well. Professor A. Pennyfeather, Lt. Stephen Mayhew and Jim Sader head her other series. Forty-two books run from The Clue in the Clay (1938) to In a House Unknown (1973).
How many Dolores Hitchens books are there?
Dolores Hitchens has 43 books, released between 1938 and 1973. They include 4 series and 19 titles listed outside any series.
Dolores Hitchens Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 43 Dolores Hitchens 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.
- 11938–1/4
- 21939–1/4
- 31939–1/4
- 4The Shivering Bough (As: Noel Burke)1942 · confirmed 1/41942–1/4
- 51942–1/4
- 61943–1/4
- 71943–1/4
- 8Blue Geranium (As: Dolan Birkley)1944 · confirmed 1/41944–1/4
- 91944–1/4
- 101945–1/4
- 111945–1/4
- 121946–1/4
- 131947–1/4
- 141948–1/4
- 151948–1/4
- 161949–1/4
- 171950–1/4
- 181950–1/4
- 19Stairway to an Empty Room1951 · confirmed 1/41951–1/4
- 201951–1/4
- 211951–1/4
- 22Nets to Catch the Wind1952 · confirmed 1/41952–1/4
- 231952–1/4
- 241953–1/4
- 25Beat Back the Tide1954 · confirmed 1/41954–1/4
- 2619551601/4
- 27End of the Line1955 · 252 pages · confirmed 1/419552521/4
- 28F.O.B. Murder1955 · confirmed 1/41955–1/4
- 29One-Way Ticket1956 · confirmed 1/41956–1/4
- 301956–1/4
- 31Fools' Gold1958 · 185 pages · confirmed 1/419581851/4
- 321958–2/4
- 33The Watcher1959 · confirmed 1/41959–1/4
- 34The Man Who Followed Women1959 · confirmed 1/41959–1/4
- 3519601601/4
- 36The Abductor1962 · confirmed 1/41962–1/4
- 37The Grudge1963 · confirmed 1/41963–1/4
- 38The Unloved (As: Dolan Birkley)1965 · confirmed 1/41965–1/4
- 39The Man Who Cried All the Way Home1966 · confirmed 1/41966–1/4
- 40Postcript to Nightmare1967 · confirmed 1/41967–1/4
- 41A Collection of Strangers1969 · confirmed 1/41969–1/4
- 42The Baxter Letters1971 · confirmed 1/41971–1/4
- 43In a House Unknown1973 · 212 pages · confirmed 1/419732121/4
Dolores Hitchens 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.
Rachel Murdock Mystery in order
13 books- 1. The Cat Saw Murder
- 2. The Alarm of the Black Cat
- 3. Cat's Claw
- 4. Catspaw for Murder
- 5. The Cat Wears A Noose
- 6. Cats Don't Smile
- 7. Cats Don't Need Coffins
- 8. Cats Have Tall Shadows
- 9. The Cat Wears a Mask
- 10. Death Wears Cat's Eyes
- 11. The Cat and Capricorn
- 12. The Cat Walk
- and 1 more in the table above
Prof. A. Pennyfeather Mystery in order
6 booksLt. Stephen Mayhew Mystery in order
2 booksJim Sader Mystery in order
2 booksBlack Gat Books in order
1 book- 18. End of the Line
Standalone books
19 books19 Dolores Hitchens titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Dolores Hitchens books in order?
You only need to read Dolores Hitchens books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Dolores Hitchens
Start with The Clue in the Clay (1938), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Dolores Hitchens book?
In a House Unknown (1973) is the newest Dolores Hitchens book released so far.
Is there a new Dolores Hitchens book coming?
No next Dolores Hitchens book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Dolores Hitchens at a glance
- Died
- Dolores Hitchens died in 1973, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to Dolores Hitchens on record dates from 1973.
- Release pace
- Dolores Hitchens books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 969 pages across the 5 of 43 books with a recorded length, a median of 185 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Dolores Hitchens books, 18 of 43, were published in the 1950s.
What the Dolores Hitchens books are about
4 of the 43 Dolores Hitchens books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- American literature 1 of 4 books
- Crime & mystery 1 of 4 books
- Fiction in English 1 of 4 books
- Gothic novels 1 of 4 books
- Kidnapping 1 of 4 books
- Mystery & detective 1 of 4 books
- Private investigators 1 of 4 books
- Romantic thrillers 1 of 4 books