F. Van Wyck Mason Books in Order

65 books are credited to F. Van Wyck Mason, published between 1930 and 1980; 1 of them appeared after F. Van Wyck Mason's death in 1978. The first book is Seeds of Murder (1930) and the newest is Armored Giants (1980). Publication order is the reading order below.

F. Van Wyck Mason also publishes as Geoffrey Coffin.

Books
65
Published
1930–1980
Pages on record
6,264 in 17 of 65 books

F. Van Wyck Mason, who lived from 1901 to 1978, was an American novelist and historian whose writing career ran about 50 years and produced 78 novels. Mason created the intelligence officer Hugh North, who investigates murders in overseas postings across the Captain North Adventure series, starting with Seeds of Murder in 1930 and continuing through titles such as The Branded Spy Murders and Shanghai Bund Murders. He later turned to historical fiction on the American Revolution and the Civil War, ending with Armored Giants in 1980. The catalogue lists 65 titles.

Source: Wikidata

How many F. Van Wyck Mason books are there?

F. Van Wyck Mason has 65 books, released between 1930 and 1980. 1 of them were published after F. Van Wyck Mason's death in 1978. They include 2 series and 30 titles listed outside any series.

F. Van Wyck Mason Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 65 F. Van Wyck Mason 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
    Seeds of MurderCaptain North Adventure #11930 · confirmed 2/4
    1930–
  2. 2
    Captain Nemesis1931 · confirmed 2/4
    1931–
  3. 3
    Fort Terror MurdersCaptain North Adventure #21931 · confirmed 2/4
    1931–
  4. 4
    Phalanxes of Atlans1931 · confirmed 2/4
    1931–
  5. 5
    The Vesper Service MurdersCaptain North Adventure #31931 · confirmed 2/4
    1931–
  6. 6
    Spider House1932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
  7. 7
    The Yellow Arrow MurdersCaptain North Adventure #41932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
  8. 8
    The Branded Spy MurdersCaptain North Adventure #51932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
  9. 9
    Oriental Division G-21933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
  10. 10
    Shanghai Bund Murders / The China Sea MurdersCaptain North Adventure #61933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
  11. 11
    The Sulu Sea MurdersCaptain North Adventure #71933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
  12. 12
    Murder in the Senate1935 · confirmed 2/4
    1935–
  13. 13
    Budapest Parade MurdersCaptain North Adventure #81935 · confirmed 2/4
    1935–
  14. 14
    Washington Legation MurdersCaptain North Adventure #91935 · confirmed 2/4
    1935–
  15. 15
    The Forgotten Fleet Mystery1936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  16. 16
    Seven Seas MurdersCaptain North Adventure #101936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
  17. 17
    Hongkong Airbase MurdersCaptain North Adventure #111937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
  18. 18
    Three HarboursAmerican Revolution #11938 · 623 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1938623
  19. 19
    The Singapore Exile MurdersCaptain North Adventure #121939 · confirmed 2/4
    1939–
  20. 20
    Stars on the SeaAmerican Revolution #21940 · confirmed 2/4
    1940–
  21. 21
    The Bucharest Ballerina MurdersCaptain North Adventure #131940 · confirmed 2/4
    1940–
  22. 22
    Hang My Wreath1941 · confirmed 2/4
    1941–
  23. 23
    The Rio Casino IntrigueCaptain North Adventure #141941 · confirmed 2/4
    1941–
  24. 24
    Rivers of GloryAmerican Revolution #31942 · confirmed 2/4
    1942–
  25. 25
    Q Boat1943 · confirmed 2/4
    1943–
  26. 26
    End of Track1943 · confirmed 2/4
    1943–
  27. 27
    Flight into Danger1946 · confirmed 2/4
    1946–
  28. 28
    Saigon SingerCaptain North Adventure #151946 · 311 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1946311
  29. 29
    Eagle in the SkyAmerican Revolution #41948 · confirmed 2/4
    1948–
  30. 30
    Cutlass Empire1949 · 424 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1949424

F. Van Wyck Mason 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 F. Van Wyck Mason books in order?

You only need to read F. Van Wyck Mason books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with F. Van Wyck Mason

Start with Seeds of Murder (1930), the earliest published title.

What is the newest F. Van Wyck Mason book?

Armored Giants (1980) is the newest F. Van Wyck Mason book released so far.

Is there a new F. Van Wyck Mason book coming?

No next F. Van Wyck Mason book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

F. Van Wyck Mason at a glance

Died
F. Van Wyck Mason died in 1978, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to F. Van Wyck Mason are still being published after F. Van Wyck Mason's death in 1978; the newest appeared in 1980.
Release pace
F. Van Wyck Mason books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
6,264 pages across the 17 of 65 books with a recorded length, a median of 339 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most F. Van Wyck Mason books, 19 of 65, were published in the 1930s.

When F. Van Wyck Mason books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when F. Van Wyck Mason titles appeared. 1930s was the most productive decade with 19 titles.

1930s
19
1940s
12
1950s
16
1960s
13
1970s
4
1980s
1

65 books total across 6 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.

What the F. Van Wyck Mason books are about

19 of the 65 F. Van Wyck Mason books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: history is tagged on 6 of 19. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.