P.C. James Books in Order
P.C. James has written 32 books, published between 2020 and 2026. The first book is In The Beginning, There Was a Murder (2020) and the newest is Death on the Blackrock Steps (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 32
- Published
- 2020–2026
Cozy mysteries make up the whole of P.C. James's catalogue, spread across four series: Sassy Senior Sleuths, Miss Riddell, One Man and His Dog Cozy Mysteries and the Duchess of Snodsbury Amateur Detective. In The Beginning, There Was a Murder (2020) opens a run of 32 books that reaches Death on the Blackrock Steps in 2026. Holidays and travel supply many of the settings, as in A Murder for Christmas (2021) and It's Murder, On a Galapagos Cruise (2021). Every title dates from 2020 onward.
How many P.C. James books are there?
P.C. James has 32 books, released between 2020 and 2026. They include 4 separate series.
P.C. James Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 32 P.C. James books in the order they were published, with the release year and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 12020–1/4
- 22021–1/4
- 32021–1/4
- 42021–1/4
- 52021–1/4
- 62021–1/4
- 72022–1/4
- 82022–1/4
- 92022–1/4
- 102022–1/4
- 112023–1/4
- 122023–1/4
- 132023–1/4
- 142023–1/4
- 152023–1/4
- 162023–1/4
- 172023–1/4
- 182023–1/4
- 192023–1/4
- 202023–1/4
- 212023–1/4
- 222023–1/4
- 232023–1/4
- 242023–1/4
- 252024–1/4
- 262024–1/4
- 272024–1/4
- 282024–1/4
- 292025–1/4
- 302025–1/4
- 312025–1/4
- 322026–1/4
P.C. James series in order
Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.
P.C. James 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.
Duchess of Snodsbury Amateur Detective in order
3 booksDo you have to read P.C. James books in order?
You only need to read P.C. James 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 P.C. James
Start with the first book of the P.C. James series you want to read: Sassy Senior Sleuths starts with Over The Falls Without A Barrel (2023), Miss Riddell starts with In The Beginning, There Was a Murder (2020) and One Man and His Dog Cozy Mysteries starts with Hey Diddle Diddle, the Runaway Riddle (2023). The earliest catalogued title overall is In The Beginning, There Was a Murder (2020).
What is the newest P.C. James book?
Death on the Blackrock Steps (2026) is the newest P.C. James book released so far.
Is there a new P.C. James book coming?
No next P.C. James book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
P.C. James at a glance
- Still publishing
- P.C. James published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- P.C. James books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Busiest decade
- Most P.C. James books, 32 of 32, were published in the 2020s.