Order of Book Series
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Peter Lovesey Books in Order

Peter Lovesey has written 56 books, published between 1968 and 2024. The first book is Five Kings of Distance (1968) and the newest is Peter Diamond (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.

Peter Lovesey also publishes as Peter Lear.

Books
56
Published
1968–2024
Confirmed
5 of 56 titles
Pages on record
11,672 in 39 of 56 books
Reading time
195–292 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 11,672 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 39 of 56 titles with a page count on record.

See all 56 books in order Printable Peter Lovesey checklist
Photo of Peter Lovesey, author

Peter Harmer Lovesey (10 September 1936 to 10 April 2025) was a British author of historical and contemporary detective novels and short stories, and also published as Peter Lear. The best-known Lovesey series characters are Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian police detective in London, and Peter Diamond, a present-day police detective in Bath. Lovesey was also a leading track and field statistician. The catalogue lists 56 books, beginning with Five Kings of Distance (1968), with Wobble to Death (1970), Abracadaver (1972) and Waxwork (1978) among the early titles. Other series include Inspector Henrietta Mallin and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.

How many Peter Lovesey books are there?

Peter Lovesey has 56 books, released between 1968 and 2024. They include 4 series and 16 titles listed outside any series.

Peter Lovesey Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 56 Peter Lovesey 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 Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey, book 1 of the Sergeant Cribb series (1970)
  2. Cover of Goldengirl / The Price of Gold by Peter Lovesey (1977)
  3. Cover of Spider Girl / In Suspense by Peter Lovesey (1980)
  4. Cover of The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey (1981)
  5. Cover of Keystone by Peter Lovesey (1984)
  6. Cover of Rough Cider by Peter Lovesey (1986)
  7. Cover of Bertie and the Tinman by Peter Lovesey, book 1 of the Albert Edward, Prince of Wales series (1987)
  8. Cover of On the Edge / Dead Gorgeous by Peter Lovesey (1989)
  9. Cover of Bertie and the Seven Bodies by Peter Lovesey, book 2 of the Albert Edward, Prince of Wales series (1990)
  10. Cover of Diamond Solitaire by Peter Lovesey, book 2 of the Peter Diamond series (1992)
  11. Cover of Bertie and the Crime of Passion by Peter Lovesey, book 3 of the Albert Edward, Prince of Wales series (1993)
  12. Cover of The Summons by Peter Lovesey, book 3 of the Peter Diamond series (1995)
  13. Cover of A Dead Giveaway by Peter Lovesey (1995)
  14. Cover of A Parrot is Forever by Peter Lovesey, book 3 of the Peter Lovesey Short Stories/Novellas series (1996)
  15. Cover of Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey, book 4 of the Peter Diamond series (1996)
  16. Cover of The Sedgemoor Strangler by Peter Lovesey (1999)
  17. Cover of The House Sitter by Peter Lovesey, book 8 of the Peter Diamond series (2003)
  18. Cover of The Circle by Peter Lovesey, book 1 of the Inspector Henrietta Mallin series (2005)
  19. Cover of The Secret Hangman by Peter Lovesey, book 9 of the Peter Diamond series (2007)
  20. Cover of The Headhunters by Peter Lovesey, book 2 of the Inspector Henrietta Mallin series (2008)
  21. Cover of Skeleton Hill by Peter Lovesey, book 10 of the Peter Diamond series (2009)
  22. Cover of The Tooth Tattoo by Peter Lovesey, book 13 of the Peter Diamond series (2013)
  23. Cover of The Stone Wife by Peter Lovesey, book 14 of the Peter Diamond series (2014)
  24. Cover of Down Among the Dead Men by Peter Lovesey, book 15 of the Peter Diamond series (2015)
  1. 1
    Five Kings of Distance1968 · 159 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1968159
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Wobble to DeathSergeant Cribb #11970 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Detective Wore Silk DrawersSergeant Cribb #21970 · 176 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    AbracadaverSergeant Cribb #31972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Mad Hatter's HolidaySergeant Cribb #41973 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1973192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Tick of Death / Invitation to a Dynamite PartySergeant Cribb #51974 · 209 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1974209
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    A Case of SpiritsSergeant Cribb #61975 · confirmed 2/4
    1975–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Swing, Swing TogetherSergeant Cribb #71976 · 266 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976266
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Goldengirl / The Price of Gold1977 · 408 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1977408
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    WaxworkSergeant Cribb #81978 · confirmed 2/4
    1978–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Spider Girl / In Suspense1980 · 292 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980292
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The False Inspector Dew1981 · 251 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1981251
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Keystone1984 · confirmed 2/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 15
    Rough Cider1986 · 206 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986206
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 16
    The Secret of Spandau1986 · 308 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986308
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 17
    Bertie and the TinmanAlbert Edward, Prince of Wales #11987 · 212 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987212
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 18
    The Black Cabinet1989 · 237 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989237
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 19
    On the Edge / Dead Gorgeous1989 · 204 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989204
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 20
    Bertie and the Seven BodiesAlbert Edward, Prince of Wales #21990 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 21
    The Last DetectivePeter Diamond #11991 · 408 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991408
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 22
    Diamond SolitairePeter Diamond #21992 · 327 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992327
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 23
    Bertie and the Crime of PassionAlbert Edward, Prince of Wales #31993 · 201 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993201
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 24
    The Crime of Miss Oyster BrownPeter Lovesey Short Stories/Novellas #21994 · 274 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994274
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 25
    The SummonsPeter Diamond #31995 · confirmed 2/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 26
    A Dead Giveaway1995 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 27
    A Parrot is ForeverPeter Lovesey Short Stories/Novellas #31996 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1996256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 28
    BloodhoundsPeter Diamond #41996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 29
    Upon a Dark NightPeter Diamond #51997 · confirmed 2/4
    1997–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 30
    Do Not Exceed the Stated Dose1998 · confirmed 2/4
    1998–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Peter Lovesey series in order

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

Peter Lovesey 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.

Sergeant Cribb in order

8 books
  1. 1. Wobble to Death
  2. 2. The Detective Wore Silk Drawers
  3. 3. Abracadaver
  4. 4. Mad Hatter's Holiday
  5. 5. The Tick of Death / Invitation to a Dynamite Party
  6. 6. A Case of Spirits
  7. 7. Swing, Swing Together
  8. 8. Waxwork

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in order

3 books
  1. 1. Bertie and the Tinman
  2. 2. Bertie and the Seven Bodies
  3. 3. Bertie and the Crime of Passion

Inspector Henrietta Mallin in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Circle
  2. 2. The Headhunters

Peter Lovesey Short Stories/Novellas

2 books

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

Bibliomysteries in order

1 book
  1. 13. Remaindered

MX New Sherlock Holmes Stories in order

1 book
  1. 26. Part XXV: 2021 Annual 1881-1888

Mysterious Profiles in order

1 book
  1. 31. Peter Diamond

Standalone books

16 books

16 Peter Lovesey titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Peter Lovesey Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Peter Lovesey books run from Five Kings of Distance (1968) to Peter Diamond (2024), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Peter Lovesey in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Peter Lovesey books in order?

You only need to read Peter Lovesey 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 Peter Lovesey

Start with The Last Detective (1991), the first Peter Diamond book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Five Kings of Distance (1968).

What is the newest Peter Lovesey book?

Peter Diamond (2024) is the newest Peter Lovesey book released so far.

Is there a new Peter Lovesey book coming?

No next Peter Lovesey 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 Peter Lovesey has won

Wikidata records 6 awards and 2 nominations for Peter Lovesey. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

Peter Lovesey at a glance

Died
Peter Lovesey died in 2025, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Peter Lovesey on record dates from 2024.
Release pace
Peter Lovesey books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
11,672 pages across the 39 of 56 books with a recorded length, a median of 308 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Peter Lovesey books, 13 of 56, were published in the 1990s.

What the Peter Lovesey books are about

43 of the 56 Peter Lovesey books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: england is tagged on 17 of 43. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.