Order of Book Series
0

Michael Gilbert Books in Order

Michael Gilbert has written 47 books, published between 1947 and 2011. The first book is Close Quarters (1947) and the newest is The Man Who Could Not Sleep and Other Mysteries (2011). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
47
Published
1947–2011
Pages on record
6,972 in 30 of 47 books
Reading time
116–174 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,972 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 30 of 47 titles with a page count on record.

See all 47 books in order Printable Michael Gilbert checklist

Michael Gilbert (17 July 1912 - 8 February 2006) was an English solicitor who wrote crime fiction. The catalogue records 47 books, beginning with Close Quarters in 1947 and ending with the collection The Man Who Could Not Sleep and Other Mysteries in 2011. Smallbone Deceased (1950) and Death Has Deep Roots (1951) are among the early novels. Michael Gilbert's series feature Inspector Hazelrigg, Patrick Petrella, Luke Pagan and Inspector Mercer, and London police work and intelligence services appear in the subjects.

How many Michael Gilbert books are there?

Michael Gilbert has 47 books, released between 1947 and 2011. They include 4 series and 31 titles listed outside any series.

Michael Gilbert Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 47 Michael Gilbert 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 They Never Looked Inside / He Didn't Mind Danger by Michael Gilbert, book 2 of the Inspector Hazelrigg series (1947)
  2. Cover of The Doors Open by Michael Gilbert, book 3 of the Inspector Hazelrigg series (1949)
  3. Cover of Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert, book 59 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1950)
  4. Cover of The Danger Within / Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert, book 63 of the British Library Crime Classics series
  5. Cover of After The Fine Weather by Michael Gilbert (1963)
  6. Cover of The Crack In The Teacup by Michael Gilbert (1966)
  7. Cover of Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert (1967)
  8. Cover of The Dust and the Heat / Overdrive by Michael Gilbert (1967)
  9. Cover of The Etruscan Net / The Family Tomb by Michael Gilbert (1969)
  10. Cover of Flashpoint by Michael Gilbert (1974)
  11. Cover of The Empty House by Michael Gilbert (1978)
  12. Cover of Mr Calder And Mr Behrens by Michael Gilbert (1982)
  13. Cover of The Long Journey Home by Michael Gilbert (1985)
  14. Cover of Fraudsters: Six Against the Law by Michael Gilbert (1986)
  15. Cover of Trouble by Michael Gilbert (1987)
  16. Cover of The Man Who Hated Banks by Michael Gilbert (1997)
  17. Cover of Over and Out by Michael Gilbert, book 3 of the Luke Pagan series (1999)
  18. Cover of The Mathematics of Murder by Michael Gilbert (2000)
  19. Cover of The Curious Conspiracy And Other Crimes by Michael Gilbert (2002)
  20. Cover of The Man Who Could Not Sleep and Other Mysteries by Michael Gilbert (2011)
  1. 1
    Close QuartersInspector Hazelrigg #11947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    They Never Looked Inside / He Didn't Mind DangerInspector Hazelrigg #21947 · 210 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1947210
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Doors OpenInspector Hazelrigg #31949 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1949192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Smallbone DeceasedBritish Library Crime Classics #591950 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1950190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Death Has Deep RootsBritish Library Crime Classics #611951 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1951240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Danger Within / Death in CaptivityBritish Library Crime Classics #631952 · confirmed 2/4
    1952–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Fear to TreadInspector Hazelrigg #61953 · 223 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1953223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Sky High / The Country-House Burglar1955 · confirmed 1/4
    1955–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Be Shot For Six Pence1956 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1956240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Blood And JudgementPatrick Petrella #11959 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1959208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Shot in Question1963 · confirmed 1/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    After The Fine Weather1963 · 200 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1963200
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Crack In The Teacup1966 · 234 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966234
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Game Without Rules1967 · 228 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967228
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Dust and the Heat / Overdrive1967 · confirmed 1/4
    1967–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The Etruscan Net / The Family Tomb1969 · 258 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969258
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Stay Of Execution1971 · confirmed 1/4
    1971–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Amateur in Violence1973 · confirmed 1/4
    1973–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Ninety Second Tiger1973 · confirmed 1/4
    1973–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Flashpoint1974 · confirmed 1/4
    1974–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Night Of The Twelfth1976 · 244 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976244
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Petrella At QPatrick Petrella #21977 · 216 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977216
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Body Of A GirlInspector Mercer #11978 · 234 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978234
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Empty House1978 · 220 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978220
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Death of a Favourite Girl / The Killing of Katie SteelstockInspector Mercer #21980 · 274 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980274
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Mr Calder And Mr Behrens1982 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    The Final Throw / End-Game1982 · confirmed 1/4
    1982–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Black Seraphim1984 · 236 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984236
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Inner Landscape1984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The Long Journey Home1985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Michael Gilbert 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.

Inspector Hazelrigg in order

4 books
  1. 1. Close Quarters
  2. 2. They Never Looked Inside / He Didn't Mind Danger
  3. 3. The Doors Open
  4. 6. Fear to Tread

Patrick Petrella in order

4 books
  1. 1. Blood And Judgement
  2. 2. Petrella At Q
  3. 3. Young Petrella
  4. 4. Roller-Coaster

Luke Pagan in order

3 books
  1. 1. Ring Of Terror
  2. 2. Into Battle
  3. 3. Over and Out

British Library Crime Classics in order

3 books
  1. 59. Smallbone Deceased
  2. 61. Death Has Deep Roots
  3. 63. The Danger Within / Death in Captivity

Inspector Mercer in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Body Of A Girl
  2. 2. Death of a Favourite Girl / The Killing of Katie Steelstock

Standalone books

31 books

31 Michael Gilbert titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Michael Gilbert books in order?

You only need to read Michael Gilbert 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 Michael Gilbert

Start with Close Quarters (1947), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Michael Gilbert book?

The Man Who Could Not Sleep and Other Mysteries (2011) is the newest Michael Gilbert book released so far.

Is there a new Michael Gilbert book coming?

No next Michael Gilbert 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 Michael Gilbert has won

Wikidata records 4 awards for Michael Gilbert. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Cartier Diamond Dagger1994Won
  • Anthony Award1990Won
  • Edgar Awards1985Won
  • Grand Prix de Littérature Policière1955Wonfor Death in Captivity

Michael Gilbert at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Michael Gilbert title on record dates from 2011, 15 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Michael Gilbert books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
6,972 pages across the 30 of 47 books with a recorded length, a median of 234 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Michael Gilbert books, 10 of 47, were published in the 1980s.

What the Michael Gilbert books are about

42 of the 47 Michael Gilbert 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 20 of 42. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.