Order of Book Series
0

Jim Eldridge Books in Order

Jim Eldridge has written 116 books, published between 1972 and 2026. The first book is Down Payment On Death (1972) and the newest is The Museum Detectives' Christmas Mystery (2026). One more title is announced: Murder at the Vatican (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.

Jim Eldridge also publishes as Eldridge James, Lee James.

Books
116 + 1 announced
Published
1972–2026
Confirmed
2 of 117 titles
Pages on record
12,598 in 74 of 117 books
Reading time
210–315 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 12,598 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 74 of 117 titles with a page count on record.

See all 117 books in order Printable Jim Eldridge checklistNext: Murder at the Vatican (2027)

Jim Eldridge, born November 1944, is an English screenwriter for radio, film and television with hundreds of scripts broadcast over a career of more than 30 years. Radio shows created by Eldridge include King Street Junior, The Demon Headmaster, Shut UP and Parsley Sidings, and television creations include Powers, Time of My Life and Uncle Jack. The catalogue holds 117 books from Down Payment On Death (1972) to The Museum Detectives' Christmas Mystery (2026), with Murder at the Vatican due in 2027. Bogeys, Boils And Bellybuttons (1986), Bad Boyes (1987) and Uncle Jack and Operation Green (1990) are early titles, and series include Museum Mysteries, Hotel Mysteries, Cathedral Mysteries, DCI Paul Stark, SAS and Disgusting Dave.

How many Jim Eldridge books are there?

Jim Eldridge has 116 published books, released between 1972 and 2026. They include 12 series and 42 titles listed outside any series. One more, Murder at the Vatican (2027), is announced.

Jim Eldridge Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 117 Jim Eldridge 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 Bogeys, Boils And Bellybuttons by Jim Eldridge (1986)
  2. Cover of King Street Junior by Jim Eldridge (1988)
  3. Cover of Bad Boyes and the Gangsters by Jim Eldridge (1988)
  4. Cover of Monsterman by Jim Eldridge (1988)
  5. Cover of Holidays Survival Guide by Jim Eldridge (1989)
  6. Cover of Uncle Jack and Operation Green by Jim Eldridge (1990)
  7. Cover of The Complete How to Handle Grown-ups by Jim Eldridge (1991)
  8. Cover of Time Riders by Jim Eldridge (1991)
  9. Cover of Uncle Jack and the Loch Ness Monster by Jim Eldridge (1991)
  10. Cover of Completely Misleading Guide to School by Jim Eldridge (1994)
  11. Cover of Death In The Jungle by Jim Eldridge, book 1 of the Fantasy Soldiers series (1995)
  12. Cover of Killer In The City by Jim Eldridge, book 2 of the Fantasy Soldiers series (1995)
  13. Cover of White Death by Jim Eldridge, book 3 of the Fantasy Soldiers series (1995)
  14. Cover of Plague Ship by Jim Eldridge, book 4 of the Fantasy Soldiers series (1995)
  15. Cover of Captain Hawk And The Stone Of Destiny by Jim Eldridge (1997)
  16. Cover of Tractor and Digger Save the Day by Jim Eldridge (1997)
  17. Cover of The Legend of the Lost Keys by Jim Eldridge (1998)
  18. Cover of Tank Attack by Jim Eldridge, book 1 of the Warpath series (1999)
  19. Cover of Deadly Skies by Jim Eldridge, book 2 of the Warpath series (1999)
  20. Cover of Tractor And Digger by Jim Eldridge (1999)
  21. Cover of Behind Enemy Lines by Jim Eldridge, book 3 of the Warpath series (1999)
  22. Cover of Depth Charge Danger by Jim Eldridge, book 4 of the Warpath series (1999)
  23. Cover of Night Bomber by Jim Eldridge, book 5 of the Warpath series (2000)
  24. Cover of Island of Fear by Jim Eldridge, book 6 of the Warpath series (2000)
  1. 1
    Down Payment On Death1972 · 157 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972157
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Funniest Joke Book1983 · confirmed 2/4
    1983–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Bogeys, Boils And Bellybuttons1986 · 93 pages · confirmed 2/4
    198693
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Bad Boyes1987 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Save Our Planet1987 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987112
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    King Street Junior1988 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Bad Boyes and the Gangsters1988 · 208 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Monsterman1988 · 128 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Holidays Survival Guide1989 · 128 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Uncle Jack and Operation Green1990 · 176 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Complete How to Handle Grown-ups1991 · 250 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Double Life of E.W.Potts, Schoolboy1991 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991112
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Time Riders1991 · 510 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991510
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Uncle Jack and the Loch Ness Monster1991 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Completely Misleading Guide to School1994 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994112
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    What Grown-Ups Say and What They Really Mean1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Death In The JungleFantasy Soldiers #11995 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Monster Summer Reading Pack1995 · confirmed 2/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Killer In The CityFantasy Soldiers #21995 · 153 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995153
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    White DeathFantasy Soldiers #31995 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Plague ShipFantasy Soldiers #41995 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Even More Ways to Handle Grown-ups1996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Captain Hawk And The Stone Of Destiny1997 · 80 pages · confirmed 2/4
    199780
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Tractor and Digger Save the Day1997 · 32 pages · confirmed 2/4
    199732
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    The Legend of the Lost Keys1998 · 128 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Tank AttackWarpath #11999 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Deadly SkiesWarpath #21999 · 138 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999138
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    My Story The TrenchesMy Story #21999 · 128 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Tractor And Digger1999 · 32 pages · confirmed 2/4
    199932
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Behind Enemy LinesWarpath #31999 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Jim Eldridge series in order

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

Jim Eldridge books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.

My Story: Boys in order

9 books
  1. 1. The Trenches: Billy Stevens, The Western Front, 1914-1918
  2. 4. Armada: Thomas Hobbs, England, 1587-1588
  3. 7. Flying Ace: Jack Fairfax, Royal Flying Corps, 1915-1918
  4. 10. Spy Smuggler: Paul Lelaud, France, 1942-1944
  5. 11. Desert Danger: Tim Jackson, North Africa WWII
  6. 13. Roman Invasion: A British Boy, AD 84
  7. 15. The Sweep's Boy: A Victorian Boy, London, 1870
  8. 16. Pyramid of Secrets
  9. 17. Dodger: The Story of a Victorian Pickpocket

Warpath in order

6 books
  1. 1. Tank Attack
  2. 2. Deadly Skies
  3. 3. Behind Enemy Lines
  4. 4. Depth Charge Danger
  5. 5. Night Bomber
  6. 6. Island of Fear

Wrestling Trolls in order

6 books
  1. 1. Big Rock and the Masked Avenger
  2. 2. Hunk and Thud
  3. 3. The Giant Rumble
  4. 4. Thud in Trouble
  5. 5. Jack Versus Veto
  6. 6. The Final Showdown

Fantasy Soldiers in order

4 books
  1. 1. Death In The Jungle
  2. 2. Killer In The City
  3. 3. White Death
  4. 4. Plague Ship

SAS in order

4 books
  1. 1. Hostile Terrain
  2. 2. London Siege
  3. 3. Secret Assault
  4. 4. Jungle War

Malichea Quest in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Invisible Assassin
  2. 2. The Deadly Game
  3. 3. The Lethal Target
  4. 4. The Last Enemy

London Underground Station Mysteries in order

4 books
  1. 1. Murder at Aldwych Station
  2. 2. Murder at Down Street Station
  3. 3. Murder at Lord's Station
  4. 4. Murder at Whitechapel Road Station

My Story in order

4 books
  1. 2. My Story The Trenches
  2. 17. War Spy
  3. 19. Codename Céline
  4. 20. Coming Home

Disgusting Dave in order

3 books
  1. 1. Disgusting Dave And The Farting Dog
  2. 2. Disgusting Dave And The Flesh Eating Maggots
  3. 3. Disgusting Dave and the Bucketful of Vomit

Black Ops books in order

3 books by Jim Eldridge
  1. 1. Jungle Kill
  2. 2. Death in the Desert
  3. 3. Urban Assassin

Hotel Mysteries in order

3 books
  1. 1. Murder at the Ritz
  2. 2. Murder at the Savoy
  3. 3. Murder at Claridge's

Chapter in order

2 books
  1. 1. Under Attack
  2. 2. Gunpoint

DCI Paul Stark in order

2 books
  1. 1. Assassins
  2. 2. Shadows of the Dead

Cathedral Mysteries in order

2 books
  1. 1. Murder at St Paul's Cathedral
  2. 2. Murder at Canterbury Cathedral

Bug Club in order

2 books
  1. 34. Flash the Dog Dives In!
  2. 47. Flash the Dog Bounces In!

Survivor in order

1 book
  1. 1. Survivor: Escape from Pompeii

50 Things You Should Know About . . . in order

1 book
  1. 3. 50 Things You Should Know About The First World War

I Was There in order

1 book
  1. 5. 1066

Standalone books

42 books

42 Jim Eldridge titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Jim Eldridge books in order?

You only need to read Jim Eldridge books in order within each series: the books listed here span 12 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Jim Eldridge

Start with Fundraising the Dead (2010), the first Museum Mysteries book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Down Payment On Death (1972).

What is the newest Jim Eldridge book?

The Museum Detectives' Christmas Mystery (2026) is the newest Jim Eldridge book released so far.

Is there a new Jim Eldridge book coming?

Yes. Murder at the Vatican (2027) is the next Jim Eldridge book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.

Jim Eldridge at a glance

Still publishing
Jim Eldridge is still publishing. Murder at the Vatican is announced for 2027.
Release pace
Jim Eldridge books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
12,598 pages across the 74 of 117 books with a recorded length, a median of 158 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Jim Eldridge books, 48 of 117, were published in the 2010s.

What the Jim Eldridge books are about

72 of the 117 Jim Eldridge books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 30 of 72. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.