Order of Book Series
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H.R.F. Keating Books in Order

H.R.F. Keating has written 62 books, published between 1959 and 2009. The first book is Death and the Visiting Firemen (1959) and the newest is A Small Case for Inspector Ghote? (2009). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
62
Published
1959–2009
Pages on record
10,564 in 48 of 62 books
Reading time
176–264 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 10,564 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 48 of 62 titles with a page count on record.

See all 62 books in order Printable H.R.F. Keating checklist

H.R.F. Keating was an English crime novelist, born 31 October 1926 and died 27 March 2011. Inspector Ganesh Ghote of the Bombay CID is the detective Keating is known for, in titles such as Inspector Ghote's Good Crusade (1966) and Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock (1968). Harriet Martens and Harriet Unwin head two further series. Police procedure, India and traditional detection run through the subjects. The listing holds 62 books, from Death and the Visiting Firemen (1959) to A Small Case for Inspector Ghote? (2009).

How many H.R.F. Keating books are there?

H.R.F. Keating has 62 books, released between 1959 and 2009. They include 3 series and 26 titles listed outside any series.

H.R.F. Keating Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 62 H.R.F. Keating 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 Rush on the Ultimate by H.R.F. Keating (1961)
  2. Cover of The Perfect Murder by H.R.F. Keating, book 1 of the Inspector Ghote series (1964)
  3. Cover of Inspector Ghote's Good Crusade by H.R.F. Keating, book 2 of the Inspector Ghote series (1966)
  4. Cover of Inspector Ghote Caught in Meshes by H.R.F. Keating, book 3 of the Inspector Ghote series (1967)
  5. Cover of Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock by H.R.F. Keating, book 4 of the Inspector Ghote series (1968)
  6. Cover of Inspector Ghote Plays a Joker by H.R.F. Keating, book 5 of the Inspector Ghote series (1969)
  7. Cover of Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating, book 6 of the Inspector Ghote series (1970)
  8. Cover of Inspector Ghote Goes By Train by H.R.F. Keating, book 7 of the Inspector Ghote series (1971)
  9. Cover of The Underside by H.R.F. Keating (1974)
  10. Cover of Bats Fly Up for Inspector Ghote by H.R.F. Keating, book 9 of the Inspector Ghote series (1974)
  11. Cover of Filmi, Filmi, Inspector Ghote by H.R.F. Keating, book 10 of the Inspector Ghote series (1976)
  12. Cover of Murder by Death by H.R.F. Keating (1976)
  13. Cover of A Long Walk to Wimbledon by H.R.F. Keating (1978)
  14. Cover of Sherlock Holmes by H.R.F. Keating (1979)
  15. Cover of Inspector Ghote Draws a Line by H.R.F. Keating, book 11 of the Inspector Ghote series (1979)
  16. Cover of Whodunit?: A Guide To Crime, Suspense and Spy Fiction by H.R.F. Keating (1982)
  17. Cover of The Governess by H.R.F. Keating, book 1 of the Harriet Unwin Mystery series (1983)
  18. Cover of The Man of Gold by H.R.F. Keating, book 2 of the Harriet Unwin Mystery series (1985)
  19. Cover of Into the Valley of Death by H.R.F. Keating, book 3 of the Harriet Unwin Mystery series (1986)
  20. Cover of Writing Crime Fiction by H.R.F. Keating (1986)
  21. Cover of Crime and Mystery by H.R.F. Keating (1987)
  22. Cover of Inspector Ghote, His Life and Crimes by H.R.F. Keating, book 18 of the Inspector Ghote series (1989)
  23. Cover of The Iciest Sin by H.R.F. Keating, book 19 of the Inspector Ghote series (1990)
  24. Cover of Cheating Death by H.R.F. Keating, book 20 of the Inspector Ghote series (1992)
  1. 1
    Death and the Visiting Firemen1959 · 340 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1959340
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Zen There Was Murder1960 · confirmed 2/4
    1960–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    A Rush on the Ultimate1961 · 181 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1961181
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Dog It Was That Died1962 · 238 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1962238
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Death of a Fat God1963 · confirmed 2/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Perfect MurderInspector Ghote #11964 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1964256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Is Skin Deep, Is Fatal1965 · 244 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1965244
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Inspector Ghote's Good CrusadeInspector Ghote #21966 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1966224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Inspector Ghote Caught in MeshesInspector Ghote #31967 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1967224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Inspector Ghote Hunts the PeacockInspector Ghote #41968 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1968224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Inspector Ghote Plays a JokerInspector Ghote #51969 · 189 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1969189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Inspector Ghote Breaks an EggInspector Ghote #61970 · 188 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Inspector Ghote Goes By TrainInspector Ghote #71971 · 323 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1971323
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Strong Man1971 · confirmed 2/4
    1971–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Blood on My Mind1972 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Inspector Ghote Trusts the HeartInspector Ghote #81972 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Underside1974 · 253 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1974253
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Bats Fly Up for Inspector GhoteInspector Ghote #91974 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1974190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Murder Must Appetize1975 · confirmed 2/4
    1975–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    A Remarkable Case of Burglary1975 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1975224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Filmi, Filmi, Inspector GhoteInspector Ghote #101976 · 188 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Murder by Death1976 · 196 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976196
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    A Long Walk to Wimbledon1978 · 285 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1978285
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Sherlock Holmes1979 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1979160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Inspector Ghote Draws a LineInspector Ghote #111979 · 195 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1979195
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Murder of the MaharajahInspector Ghote #121980 · confirmed 2/4
    1980–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Go West, Inspector GhoteInspector Ghote #131981 · 213 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1981213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Whodunit?: A Guide To Crime, Suspense and Spy Fiction1982 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1982320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The GovernessHarriet Unwin Mystery #11983 · 215 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1983215
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The Sheriff of BombayInspector Ghote #141984 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

H.R.F. Keating series in order

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

H.R.F. Keating 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.

Harriet Martens in order

7 books
  1. 1. The Hard Detective
  2. 2. A Detective in Love
  3. 3. A Detective Under Fire
  4. 4. The Dreaming Detective
  5. 5. A Detective at Death's Door
  6. 6. One Man and His Bomb
  7. 7. Rules, Regs and Rotten Eggs

Harriet Unwin Mystery in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Governess
  2. 2. The Man of Gold
  3. 3. Into the Valley of Death

Standalone books

26 books

26 H.R.F. Keating titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read H.R.F. Keating books in order?

You only need to read H.R.F. Keating 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 H.R.F. Keating

Start with The Perfect Murder (1964), the first Inspector Ghote book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Death and the Visiting Firemen (1959).

What is the newest H.R.F. Keating book?

A Small Case for Inspector Ghote? (2009) is the newest H.R.F. Keating book released so far.

Is there a new H.R.F. Keating book coming?

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

Awards H.R.F. Keating has won

Wikidata records 5 awards for H.R.F. Keating. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement2005Won
  • Macavity Awards1998Won
  • Cartier Diamond Dagger1996Won
  • Macavity Awards1990Won
  • Gold Dagger1964Wonfor The Perfect Murder

H.R.F. Keating at a glance

Died
H.R.F. Keating died in 2011, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to H.R.F. Keating on record dates from 2009.
Release pace
H.R.F. Keating books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
10,564 pages across the 48 of 62 books with a recorded length, a median of 220 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most H.R.F. Keating books, 14 of 62, were published in the 1980s.

What the H.R.F. Keating books are about

57 of the 62 H.R.F. Keating 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 29 of 57. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.