Edward S. Aarons Books in Order
63 books are credited to Edward S. Aarons, published between 1947 and 1989; 6 of them appeared after Edward S. Aarons's death in 1975. The first book is No Place to Live/ Lady, The Guy Is Dead (1947) and the newest is Million Dollar Murder (1989). Publication order is the reading order below. 44 of the 63 books listed here are in the Sam Durell series, which has its own page: Sam Durell books in order.
Edward S. Aarons also publishes as Paul Ayres.
- Books
- 63
- Published
- 1947–1989
- Pages on record
- 6,683 in 27 of 63 books
Edward S. Aarons (September 11, 1916 to June 16, 1975) was an American writer of more than 80 novels, published from 1936 until 1975. Thirty of those novels appeared under the name Edward Ronns and one, Dead Heat, as Paul Ayres. The Assignment spy thrillers, begun in 1955 and continued until Aarons died, star CIA agent Sam Durell across 42 novels set around the world and translated into 17 languages. Aarons also wrote for detective magazines including Detective Story Magazine and Scarab. The catalogue holds 63 books from 1947 to 1989, among them Terror in the Town (1947), State Department Murders (1950) and The Sinners (1953).
How many Edward S. Aarons books are there?
Edward S. Aarons has 63 books, released between 1947 and 1989. 6 of them were published after Edward S. Aarons's death in 1975. 44 of them belong to the Sam Durell series.
Edward S. Aarons Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 63 Edward S. Aarons 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.
- 1No Place to Live/ Lady, The Guy Is Dead1947 · 395 pages · confirmed 1/419473951/4
- 2Terror in the Town1947 · 400 pages · confirmed 1/419474001/4
- 3Gift of Death1948 · 304 pages · confirmed 1/419483041/4
- 4Nightmare1948 · confirmed 1/41948–1/4
- 5State Department Murders1950 · confirmed 1/41950–1/4
- 6Dead Heat1950 · confirmed 1/41950–1/4
- 7The Art Studio Murders1950 · confirmed 1/41950–1/4
- 8I Can't Stop Running1951 · confirmed 1/41951–1/4
- 9Come Back, My Love1953 · confirmed 1/41953–1/4
- 10The Sinners1953 · confirmed 1/41953–1/4
- 11Girl On The Run1954 · confirmed 1/41954–1/4
- 121955–1/4
- 13They All Ran Away (As: Edward Ronns)1955 · 352 pages · confirmed 1/419553521/4
- 141956–1/4
- 1519562821/4
- 161957–1/4
- 171957–1/4
- 18Death Is My Shadow1957 · 220 pages · confirmed 1/419572201/4
- 191958–1/4
- 201958–1/4
- 21Gang Rumble1958 · confirmed 1/41958–1/4
- 2219591761/4
- 231959–1/4
- 241959–1/4
- 2519601761/4
- 261960–1/4
- 27Hell To Eternity1960 · confirmed 1/41960–1/4
- 281961–1/4
- 2919611761/4
- 301961–1/4
- 311962–1/4
- 32The Defenders1962 · confirmed 1/41962–1/4
- 3319631601/4
- 341963–1/4
- 351964–1/4
- 361964–1/4
- 3719651601/4
- 381966–1/4
- 391966–1/4
- 4019663261/4
- 4119673201/4
- 421967–1/4
- 43Say it with Murder1968 · confirmed 1/41968–1/4
- 441968–1/4
- 4519693071/4
- 4619701891/4
- 4719701761/4
- 4819711921/4
- 4919721921/4
- 5019722941/4
- 5119723561/4
- 5219731901/4
- 5319742081/4
- 5419741961/4
- 5519741911/4
- 561975–1/4
- 571975–1/4
- 581976–1/4
- 591976–1/4
- 6019761911/4
- 61Escape to Love1982 · 368 pages · confirmed 1/419823681/4
- 6219831861/4
- 63Million Dollar Murder1989 · confirmed 1/41989–1/4
Edward S. Aarons series and characters in order
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
- Sam Durell books in order 48 books
- Sam Durell / Assignment books in order 48 books
Edward S. Aarons 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.
Standalone books
19 books19 Edward S. Aarons titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Edward S. Aarons books in order?
You only need to read Edward S. Aarons books in order within the Sam Durell series, which holds 44 of the 63 Edward S. Aarons books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Edward S. Aarons
Start with the first book of the Edward S. Aarons series you want to read: Sam Durell starts with Assignment to Disaster (1955) and Sam Durell / Assignment starts with Assignment to Disaster (1955). The earliest catalogued title overall is No Place to Live/ Lady, The Guy Is Dead (1947).
What is the newest Edward S. Aarons book?
Million Dollar Murder (1989) is the newest Edward S. Aarons book released so far.
Is there a new Edward S. Aarons book coming?
No next Edward S. Aarons book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Edward S. Aarons at a glance
- Died
- Edward S. Aarons died in 1975, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Edward S. Aarons are still being published after Edward S. Aarons's death in 1975; the newest appeared in 1989.
- Release pace
- Edward S. Aarons books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 6,683 pages across the 27 of 63 books with a recorded length, a median of 196 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Edward S. Aarons books, 21 of 63, were published in the 1960s.
What the Edward S. Aarons books are about
24 of the 63 Edward S. Aarons books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: durell, sam (fictitious character) is tagged on 16 of 24. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Durell, sam (fictitious character) 16 of 24 books
- Espionage 16 of 24 books
- Sam Durell (Fictitious character) 10 of 24 books
- Intelligence officers 6 of 24 books
- Intelligence service 4 of 24 books
- Americans 3 of 24 books