Miles Burton Books in Order

Miles Burton has written 60 books, published between 1931 and 1960. The first book is Menace on the Downs (1931) and the newest is Legacy of Death (1960). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
60
Published
1931–1960
Pages on record
574 in 3 of 60 books

Miles Burton is the name on 60 detective novels published between 1931 and 1960. Desmond Merrion is the recurring investigator, and the books are English murder mysteries of the interwar and post-war decades, with police investigation as their method. The titles run to the pattern of their period: Menace on the Downs (1931), Death at the Crossroads (1933), Tragedy at the Thirteenth Hole (1933), The Charabanc Mystery (1934) and The Devereux Court Mystery (1935). Legacy of Death (1960) is the last, and the novels are short at around 192 pages.

How many Miles Burton books are there?

Miles Burton has 60 books, released between 1931 and 1960. 59 of them belong to the Desmond Merrion series.

Miles Burton Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 60 Miles Burton 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. 1
    Menace on the DownsDesmond Merrion #21931 · confirmed 1/4
    1931
  2. 2
    The Three CrimesDesmond Merrion #31931 · confirmed 1/4
    1931
  3. 3
    Death of MrGantleyDesmond Merrion #41932 · confirmed 1/4
    1932
  4. 4
    Fate at the FairDesmond Merrion #51933 · confirmed 1/4
    1933
  5. 5
    Tragedy at the Thirteenth HoleDesmond Merrion #61933 · confirmed 1/4
    1933
  6. 6
    Death at the CrossroadsDesmond Merrion #71933 · confirmed 1/4
    1933
  7. 7
    Murder at the Moorings1934 · confirmed 1/4
    1934
  8. 8
    To Catch A ThiefDesmond Merrion #81934 · confirmed 1/4
    1934
  9. 9
    The Charabanc MysteryDesmond Merrion #91934 · confirmed 1/4
    1934
  10. 10
    The Devereux Court MysteryDesmond Merrion #101935 · confirmed 1/4
    1935
  11. 11
    The Milk-Churn Murder / The Clue of the Silver BrushDesmond Merrion #111935 · confirmed 1/4
    1935
  12. 12
    Where is Barbara Prentice? / The Clue of the Silver CellarDesmond Merrion #121936 · confirmed 1/4
    1936
  13. 13
    Murder of a ChemistDesmond Merrion #141936 · confirmed 1/4
    1936
  14. 14
    Death at the Club / The Clue of the Fourteen KeysDesmond Merrion #151937 · confirmed 1/4
    1937
  15. 15
    Murder in Crown Passage / The Man with the Tattooed FaceDesmond Merrion #161937 · confirmed 1/4
    1937
  16. 16
    Death at Low TideDesmond Merrion #171938 · confirmed 1/4
    1938
  17. 17
    The Platinum CatDesmond Merrion #181938 · confirmed 1/4
    1938
  18. 18
    Mr Babbacombe DiesDesmond Merrion #191939 · confirmed 1/4
    1939
  19. 19
    Death Leaves No CardDesmond Merrion #201939 · 172 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1939172
  20. 20
    Mr Westerby MissingDesmond Merrion #211940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940
  21. 21
    Written in Dust / Murder in the CalholeDesmond Merrion #221940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940
  22. 22
    Vacancy with Corpse / Death Takes A FlatDesmond Merrion #231941 · confirmed 1/4
    1941
  23. 23
    Up the Garden Path / Death Visits DownspringDesmond Merrion #241941 · confirmed 1/4
    1941
  24. 24
    Death of Two BrothersDesmond Merrion #251941 · confirmed 1/4
    1941
  25. 25
    Death at Ash House / This Undesirable ResidenceDesmond Merrion #261942 · confirmed 1/4
    1942
  26. 26
    Dead StopDesmond Merrion #271943 · confirmed 1/4
    1943
  27. 27
    Who Killed the Doctor? / Murder, M.D.Desmond Merrion #281943 · confirmed 1/4
    1943
  28. 28
    Four-Ply Yarn / The Shadow on the CliffDesmond Merrion #291944 · confirmed 1/4
    1944
  29. 29
    The Three Corpse TrickDesmond Merrion #301944 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1944192
  30. 30
    Early Morning Murder / Accidents Do HappenDesmond Merrion #311945 · confirmed 1/4
    1945

Miles Burton 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.

Do you have to read Miles Burton books in order?

You only need to read Miles Burton books in order within the Desmond Merrion series, which holds 59 of the 60 Miles Burton books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Miles Burton

Start with Menace on the Downs (1931), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Miles Burton book?

Legacy of Death (1960) is the newest Miles Burton book released so far.

Is there a new Miles Burton book coming?

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

Miles Burton at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Miles Burton title on record dates from 1960, 66 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Miles Burton books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
574 pages across the 3 of 60 books with a recorded length, a median of 192 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Miles Burton books, 20 of 60, were published in the 1940s.

What the Miles Burton books are about

2 of the 60 Miles Burton books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Fiction in English 1 of 2 books
  • Murder investigation -- Fiction 1 of 2 books
  • Mystery & detective 1 of 2 books
  • Police -- England -- Fiction 1 of 2 books