E.C.R. Lorac Books in Order

E.C.R. Lorac has written 72 books, published between 1931 and 2021. The first book is The Murder on the Burrows (1931) and the newest is Two-Way Murder (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
72
Published
1931–2021
Pages on record
2,099 in 9 of 72 books

E.C.R. Lorac was a pen name of Edith Caroline Rivett, who also wrote as Carol Carnac. The Murder on the Burrows (1931) is the first of 72 catalogued books, followed by The Affair on Thor's Head (1932), The Greenwell Mystery (1932), Death On The Oxford Road (1933), Murder in Chelsea (1934) and The Organ Speaks (1935). Robert MacDonald, Julian Rivers and Inspector Ryvet are the listed series. Police investigation, missing persons, extortion and World War II appear among the subjects, and the listing links British Library Crime Classics; Two-Way Murder carries a 2021 date.

Source: Open Library

How many E.C.R. Lorac books are there?

E.C.R. Lorac has 72 books, released between 1931 and 2021. They include 3 series and 3 titles listed outside any series.

E.C.R. Lorac Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 72 E.C.R. Lorac 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 November 2026.

  1. 1
    The Murder on the BurrowsRobert MacDonald #11931 · confirmed 2/4
    1931–
  2. 2
    The Affair on Thor's HeadRobert MacDonald #21932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
  3. 3
    The Greenwell MysteryRobert MacDonald #31932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
  4. 4
    The Case of Colonel MarchandRobert MacDonald #41933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
  5. 5
    Death On The Oxford RoadRobert MacDonald #51933 · 228 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1933228
  6. 6
    Murder in St. John's WoodRobert MacDonald #61934 · confirmed 2/4
    1934–
  7. 7
    Murder in ChelseaRobert MacDonald #71934 · confirmed 2/4
    1934–
  8. 8
    The Organ SpeaksRobert MacDonald #81935 · confirmed 2/4
    1935–
  9. 9
    Triple DeathInspector Ryvet #11936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  10. 10
    Crime Counter CrimeRobert MacDonald #91936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  11. 11
    A Pall for a PainterRobert MacDonald #101936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  12. 12
    Post After Post-MortemRobert MacDonald #111936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  13. 13
    Death of an AuthorBritish Library Crime Classics #331936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  14. 14
    The Missing RopeInspector Ryvet #21937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
  15. 15
    Murder at MorningtonInspector Ryvet #31937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
  16. 16
    These Names Make CluesRobert MacDonald #121937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
  17. 17
    Bats in the BelfryBritish Library Crime Classics #381937 · 231 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1937231
  18. 18
    The Devil and the C.I.D.Robert MacDonald #141938 · confirmed 2/4
    1938–
  19. 19
    Slippery StaircaseRobert MacDonald #151938 · confirmed 2/4
    1938–
  20. 20
    The Case of the First-Class CarriageInspector Ryvet #41939 · confirmed 2/4
    1939–
  21. 21
    When the Devil Was SickInspector Ryvet #51939 · confirmed 2/4
    1939–
  22. 22
    John Brown's BodyRobert MacDonald #161939 · confirmed 2/4
    1939–
  23. 23
    Black BeadleRobert MacDonald #171939 · 212 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1939212
  24. 24
    Death in the Diving PoolInspector Ryvet #61940 · confirmed 2/4
    1940–
  25. 25
    Tryst for a TragedyRobert MacDonald #181940 · confirmed 2/4
    1940–
  26. 26
    Death at Dyke's CornerRobert MacDonald #191940 · confirmed 2/4
    1940–
  27. 27
    Case in the ClinicRobert MacDonald #201941 · confirmed 2/4
    1941–
  28. 28
    Rope's End, Rogue's EndRobert MacDonald #211942 · confirmed 2/4
    1942–
  29. 29
    The Sixteenth StairRobert MacDonald #221942 · confirmed 2/4
    1942–
  30. 30
    Death Came SoftlyRobert MacDonald #231943 · confirmed 2/4
    1943–

E.C.R. Lorac 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.

Do you have to read E.C.R. Lorac books in order?

You only need to read E.C.R. Lorac books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with E.C.R. Lorac

Start with The Murder on the Burrows (1931), the earliest published title.

What is the newest E.C.R. Lorac book?

Two-Way Murder (2021) is the newest E.C.R. Lorac book released so far.

Is there a new E.C.R. Lorac book coming?

No next E.C.R. Lorac book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

E.C.R. Lorac at a glance

Paused
No new E.C.R. Lorac title has appeared for 5 years. The last was published in 2021.
Release pace
E.C.R. Lorac books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
2,099 pages across the 9 of 72 books with a recorded length, a median of 231 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most E.C.R. Lorac books, 27 of 72, were published in the 1950s.

When E.C.R. Lorac books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when E.C.R. Lorac titles appeared. 1950s was the most productive decade with 27 titles.

1930s
23
1940s
21
1950s
27
2020s
1

72 books total across 4 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.

What the E.C.R. Lorac books are about

12 of the 72 E.C.R. Lorac 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 6 of 12. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.