Order of Book Series
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Michael Innes Books in Order

89 books are credited to Michael Innes, published between 1936 and 2021; 9 of them appeared after Michael Innes's death in 1994. The first book is Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects (1936) and the newest is Educating the emotions (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.

Michael Innes is the pen name of J. I. M. Stewart.

Books
89
Published
1936–2021
Pages on record
17,149 in 79 of 89 books
Reading time
286–429 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 17,149 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 79 of 89 titles with a page count on record.

See all 89 books in order Printable Michael Innes checklist

Michael Innes was the pen name of John Innes Mackintosh Stewart, a Scottish novelist and academic born in 1906 and died in 1994, equally known for the literary criticism and contemporary novels he published under his own name. As Innes he wrote traditional English detective fiction, chiefly the Sir John Appleby series, which begins with Death at the President's Lodging (1936) and runs through Hamlet, Revenge!, Lament for a Maker and Appleby's End. Charles Honeybath heads a second series. Eighty-nine catalogued titles date from 1936 to 2021.

How many Michael Innes books are there?

Michael Innes has 89 books, released between 1936 and 2021. 9 of them were published after Michael Innes's death in 1994. They include 2 series and 38 titles listed outside any series.

Michael Innes Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 89 Michael Innes 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 Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects by Michael Innes, book 1 of the Inspector Appleby series (1936)
  2. Cover of Hamlet, Revenge! by Michael Innes, book 2 of the Inspector Appleby series (1937)
  3. Cover of Lament for a Maker by Michael Innes, book 3 of the Inspector Appleby series (1938)
  4. Cover of Stop Press / The Spider Strikes by Michael Innes, book 4 of the Inspector Appleby series (1939)
  5. Cover of The Secret Vanguard by Michael Innes, book 5 of the Inspector Appleby series (1940)
  6. Cover of There Came Both Mist and Snow / A Comedy of Terrors by Michael Innes, book 6 of the Inspector Appleby series (1940)
  7. Cover of Appleby on Ararat by Michael Innes, book 7 of the Inspector Appleby series (1941)
  8. Cover of The Daffodil Affair by Michael Innes, book 8 of the Inspector Appleby series (1942)
  9. Cover of The Weight of the Evidence by Michael Innes, book 9 of the Inspector Appleby series (1943)
  10. Cover of Appleby's End by Michael Innes, book 10 of the Inspector Appleby series (1945)
  11. Cover of From London Far / The Unsuspected Chasm by Michael Innes (1946)
  12. Cover of What Happened At Hazlewood? by Michael Innes (1946)
  13. Cover of A Night of Errors by Michael Innes, book 11 of the Inspector Appleby series (1948)
  14. Cover of The Journeying Boy / The Case of the Journeying Boy by Michael Innes (1949)
  15. Cover of Operation Pax / The Paper Thunderbolt by Michael Innes, book 12 of the Inspector Appleby series (1951)
  16. Cover of A Private View / One-Man Show / Murder Is an Art by Michael Innes, book 13 of the Inspector Appleby series (1952)
  17. Cover of Christmas at Candleshoe by Michael Innes (1953)
  18. Cover of Appleby Talking / Dead Man's Shoes by Michael Innes, book 1 of the Inspector Appleby series (1954)
  19. Cover of Appleby Talks by Michael Innes, book 2 of the Inspector Appleby series (1954)
  20. Cover of The Man from the Sea / Death By Moonlight by Michael Innes (1955)
  21. Cover of Appleby Talks Again by Michael Innes, book 3 of the Inspector Appleby series (1956)
  22. Cover of Old Hall, New Hall / A Question of Queens by Michael Innes (1956)
  23. Cover of Appleby Plays Chicken / Death On a Quiet Day by Michael Innes, book 14 of the Inspector Appleby series (1957)
  24. Cover of The Long Farewell by Michael Innes, book 15 of the Inspector Appleby series (1958)
  1. 1
    Death at the President's Lodging / Seven SuspectsInspector Appleby #11936 · 254 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1936254
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Hamlet, Revenge!Inspector Appleby #21937 · 316 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1937316
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Lament for a MakerInspector Appleby #31938 · 286 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1938286
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Stop Press / The Spider StrikesInspector Appleby #41939 · 438 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1939438
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Secret VanguardInspector Appleby #51940 · 226 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1940226
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    There Came Both Mist and Snow / A Comedy of TerrorsInspector Appleby #61940 · 198 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1940198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Appleby on AraratInspector Appleby #71941 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1941192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Daffodil AffairInspector Appleby #81942 · 230 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1942230
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Weight of the EvidenceInspector Appleby #91943 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1943240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Appleby's EndInspector Appleby #101945 · 218 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1945218
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    From London Far / The Unsuspected Chasm1946 · confirmed 2/4
    1946–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    What Happened At Hazlewood?1946 · 248 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1946248
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    A Night of ErrorsInspector Appleby #111948 · 234 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1948234
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Journeying Boy / The Case of the Journeying Boy1949 · 346 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1949346
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Operation Pax / The Paper ThunderboltInspector Appleby #121951 · 346 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1951346
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    A Private View / One-Man Show / Murder Is an ArtInspector Appleby #131952 · 202 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1952202
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Christmas at Candleshoe1953 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1953192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Appleby Talking / Dead Man's ShoesInspector Appleby #11954 · 214 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1954214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Appleby TalksInspector Appleby #21954 · 252 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1954252
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Man from the Sea / Death By Moonlight1955 · 200 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1955200
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Appleby Talks AgainInspector Appleby #31956 · 198 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1956198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Old Hall, New Hall / A Question of Queens1956 · 214 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1956214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    James Joyce (As: J.I.M. Stewart)1957 · 52 pages · confirmed 2/4
    195752
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    A Use Of Riches1957 · 204 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1957204
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Appleby Plays Chicken / Death On a Quiet DayInspector Appleby #141957 · 200 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1957200
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Long FarewellInspector Appleby #151958 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1958190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Hare Sitting UpInspector Appleby #161959 · 182 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1959182
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The New Sonia Wayward / The Case of Sonia Wayward1960 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1960190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Silence ObservedInspector Appleby #171961 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1961160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Acre of Grass1962 · confirmed 2/4
    1962–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Michael Innes 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 Appleby in order

38 books
  1. 1. Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects
  2. 1. Appleby Talking / Dead Man's Shoes
  3. 2. Hamlet, Revenge!
  4. 2. Appleby Talks
  5. 3. Lament for a Maker
  6. 3. Appleby Talks Again
  7. 4. Stop Press / The Spider Strikes
  8. 4. Appleby Intervenes
  9. 5. The Secret Vanguard
  10. 5. The Appleby File
  11. 6. There Came Both Mist and Snow / A Comedy of Terrors
  12. 6. Appleby Talks About Crime
  13. and 26 more in the table above

J.I.M. Stewart Short Story

5 books

5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Staircase In Surrey in order

5 books
  1. 1. The Gaudy
  2. 2. Young Pattullo
  3. 3. Memorial Service
  4. 4. The Madonna of The Astrolabe
  5. 5. Full Term

Charles Honeybath in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Mysterious Commission
  2. 2. Honeybath's Haven
  3. 3. Lord Mullion's Secret

Standalone books

38 books

38 Michael Innes titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Michael Innes books in order?

You only need to read Michael Innes 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 Michael Innes

Start with Death at the President's Lodging / Seven Suspects (1936), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Michael Innes book?

Educating the emotions (2021) is the newest Michael Innes book released so far.

Is there a new Michael Innes book coming?

No next Michael Innes book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Michael Innes at a glance

Died
Michael Innes died in 1994, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Michael Innes are still being published after Michael Innes's death in 1994; the newest appeared in 2021.
Release pace
Michael Innes books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
17,149 pages across the 79 of 89 books with a recorded length, a median of 200 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Michael Innes books, 19 of 89, were published in the 1970s.

What the Michael Innes books are about

77 of the 89 Michael Innes 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 35 of 77. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.