Order of Book Series
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John Dickson Carr Books in Order

84 books are credited to John Dickson Carr, published between 1930 and 2022; 9 of them appeared after John Dickson Carr's death in 1977. The first book is It Walks by Night (1930) and the newest is The Kindling Spark (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
84
Published
1930–2022
Pages on record
12,194 in 49 of 84 books
Reading time
203–305 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 12,194 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 49 of 84 titles with a page count on record.

See all 84 books in order Printable John Dickson Carr checklist

John Dickson Carr wrote traditional detective fiction, most of it set in England. It Walks by Night (1930) opens the catalogue with the investigator Henri Bencolin, Hag's Nook (1932) starts the Dr. Gideon Fell series, and the Sir Henry Merrivale novels appeared as Carter Dickson. Eighty-seven catalogued titles, reissues included, run to 2022, at a median of 251 pages.

How many John Dickson Carr books are there?

John Dickson Carr has 84 books, released between 1930 and 2022. 9 of them were published after John Dickson Carr's death in 1977. They include 4 series and 30 titles listed outside any series.

John Dickson Carr Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 84 John Dickson Carr 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 It Walks by Night by John Dickson Carr, book 3 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1930)
  2. Cover of Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr, book 5 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1931)
  3. Cover of The Lost Gallows by John Dickson Carr, book 9 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1931)
  4. Cover of Hag's Nook by John Dickson Carr, book 1 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1932)
  5. Cover of Poison in Jest by John Dickson Carr (1932)
  6. Cover of The White Priory Murders by John Dickson Carr, book 2 of the Sir Henry Merrivale series (1934)
  7. Cover of The Eight of Swords by John Dickson Carr, book 3 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1934)
  8. Cover of The Three Coffins / The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr, book 6 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1935)
  9. Cover of The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey by John Dickson Carr (1936)
  10. Cover of The Four False Weapons by John Dickson Carr, book 5 of the Henri Bencolin series (1937)
  11. Cover of The Crooked Hinge by John Dickson Carr, book 8 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1937)
  12. Cover of The Judas Window / The Crossbow Murder by John Dickson Carr, book 7 of the Sir Henry Merrivale series (1938)
  13. Cover of The Problem of the Wire Cage by John Dickson Carr, book 11 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1939)
  14. Cover of The Department of Queer Complaints by John Dickson Carr, book 1 of the Department D-3 series (1940)
  15. Cover of And So to Murder by John Dickson Carr, book 10 of the Sir Henry Merrivale series (1940)
  16. Cover of The Man Who Could Not Shudder by John Dickson Carr, book 12 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1940)
  17. Cover of The Emperor's Snuff-Box by John Dickson Carr (1942)
  18. Cover of He Wouldn't Kill Patience by John Dickson Carr, book 15 of the Sir Henry Merrivale series (1944)
  19. Cover of Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickson Carr, book 16 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1944)
  20. Cover of The Curse of the Bronze Lamp / Lord of the Sorcerers by John Dickson Carr, book 16 of the Sir Henry Merrivale series
  21. Cover of He Who Whispers by John Dickson Carr, book 17 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1946)
  22. Cover of The Sleeping Sphinx by John Dickson Carr, book 18 of the Dr. Gideon Fell series (1947)
  23. Cover of A Graveyard to Let by John Dickson Carr, book 19 of the Sir Henry Merrivale series (1949)
  24. Cover of The Bride of Newgate by John Dickson Carr (1950)
  1. 1
    It Walks by NightBritish Library Crime Classics #31930 · 253 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1930253
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Castle SkullBritish Library Crime Classics #51931 · 251 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1931251
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Lost GallowsBritish Library Crime Classics #91931 · 217 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1931217
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Hag's NookDr. Gideon Fell #11932 · 161 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1932161
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Poison in Jest1932 · 223 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1932223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Corpse in the Waxworks / The Waxworks MurderBritish Library Crime Classics #111932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Bowstrings Murders (As:Carter Dickson)1933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Mad Hatter MysteryDr. Gideon Fell #21933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Plague Court MurdersSir Henry Merrivale #11934 · confirmed 2/4
    1934–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The White Priory MurdersSir Henry Merrivale #21934 · 214 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1934214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Eight of SwordsDr. Gideon Fell #31934 · confirmed 2/4
    1934–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Blind BarberDr. Gideon Fell #41934 · 296 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1934296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Red Widow MurdersSir Henry Merrivale #31935 · 302 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935302
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Unicorn MurdersSir Henry Merrivale #41935 · 191 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935191
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Death-WatchDr. Gideon Fell #51935 · 309 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935309
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The Three Coffins / The Hollow ManDr. Gideon Fell #61935 · 222 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935222
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey1936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Punch and Judy Murders /The Magic Lantern MurdersSir Henry Merrivale #51936 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1936190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Arabian Nights MurderDr. Gideon Fell #71936 · confirmed 2/4
    1936–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Burning Court1937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Four False WeaponsHenri Bencolin #51937 · 254 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1937254
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The Peacock Feather Murders / The Ten TeacupsSir Henry Merrivale #61937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Crooked HingeDr. Gideon Fell #81937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Judas Window / The Crossbow MurderSir Henry Merrivale #71938 · confirmed 2/4
    1938–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Death in Five BoxesSir Henry Merrivale #81938 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1938192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    To Wake the DeadDr. Gideon Fell #91938 · confirmed 2/4
    1938–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Fatal Descent / Drop to His Death (As: Carter Dickson, With: John Rhode)1939 · 149 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1939149
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Reader Is WarnedSir Henry Merrivale #91939 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1939192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The Problem of the Green Capsule / The Black SpectaclesDr. Gideon Fell #101939 · confirmed 2/4
    1939–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The Problem of the Wire CageDr. Gideon Fell #111939 · 300 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1939300
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

John Dickson Carr series in order

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

John Dickson Carr 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.

Sir Henry Merrivale in order

22 books
  1. 1. The Plague Court Murders
  2. 2. The White Priory Murders
  3. 3. The Red Widow Murders
  4. 4. The Unicorn Murders
  5. 5. The Punch and Judy Murders /The Magic Lantern Murders
  6. 6. The Peacock Feather Murders / The Ten Teacups
  7. 7. The Judas Window / The Crossbow Murder
  8. 8. Death in Five Boxes
  9. 9. The Reader Is Warned
  10. 10. And So to Murder
  11. 11. Nine and Death Makes Ten / Murder in the Submarine Zone
  12. 12. Seeing Is Believing / Cross of Murder
  13. and 10 more in the table above

British Library Crime Classics in order

4 books
  1. 3. It Walks by Night
  2. 5. Castle Skull
  3. 9. The Lost Gallows
  4. 11. The Corpse in the Waxworks / The Waxworks Murder

Adrian Conan Doyle in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes
  2. 2. The New Exploits of Sherlock Holmes

Department D-3 in order

1 book
  1. 1. The Department of Queer Complaints

Henri Bencolin in order

1 book
  1. 5. The Four False Weapons

Standalone books

30 books

30 John Dickson Carr titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read John Dickson Carr books in order?

You only need to read John Dickson Carr books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with John Dickson Carr

Start with Hag's Nook (1932), the first Dr. Gideon Fell book. The earliest catalogued title overall is It Walks by Night (1930).

What is the newest John Dickson Carr book?

The Kindling Spark (2022) is the newest John Dickson Carr book released so far.

Is there a new John Dickson Carr book coming?

No next John Dickson Carr 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 John Dickson Carr has won

Wikidata records 2 awards for John Dickson Carr. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Grand Prix de Littérature Policière1969Wonfor Fire, Burn!
  • The Grand Master1963Won

John Dickson Carr at a glance

Died
John Dickson Carr died in 1977, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to John Dickson Carr are still being published after John Dickson Carr's death in 1977; the newest appeared in 2022.
Release pace
John Dickson Carr books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
12,194 pages across the 49 of 84 books with a recorded length, a median of 251 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John Dickson Carr books, 30 of 84, were published in the 1930s.

What the John Dickson Carr books are about

68 of the 84 John Dickson Carr books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 35 of 68. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.