Phoebe Atwood Taylor Books in Order
33 books are credited to Phoebe Atwood Taylor, published between 1931 and 1987; 1 of them appeared after Phoebe Atwood Taylor's death in 1976. The first book is The Cape Cod Mystery (1931) and the newest is Murder at the New York World's Fair (As: Freeman Dana) (1987). Publication order is the reading order below.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor also publishes as Alice Tilton, Freeman Dana.
- Books
- 33
- Published
- 1931–1987
- Pages on record
- 5,693 in 21 of 33 books
- Reading time
- 95–142 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,693 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 21 of 33 titles with a page count on record.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor, born in Boston in 1909 and died there in 1976, wrote mystery novels under her own name and as Freeman Dana and Alice Tilton. Her first, The Cape Cod Mystery (1931), introduced Asey Mayo, the Codfish Sherlock, who went on to appear in 24 novels; Leonidas Witherall heads a second series. Taylor drew on her own Boston childhood and her knowledge of Cape Cod for the local detail, and the critic Dilys Winn placed her as the mystery writer's answer to Buster Keaton. She graduated from Barnard College in 1930 and married the surgeon Grantley Walder Taylor in 1951. Thirty-three catalogued titles date from 1931 to 1987.
How many Phoebe Atwood Taylor books are there?
Phoebe Atwood Taylor has 33 books, released between 1931 and 1987. 1 of them were published after Phoebe Atwood Taylor's death in 1976. They include 2 series and 1 title listed outside any series.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 33 Phoebe Atwood Taylor 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.
- 11931–1/4
- 219323041/4
- 31933–1/4
- 419342881/4
- 519342941/4
- 619352881/4
- 719352861/4
- 81936–1/4
- 91936–1/4
- 101937–1/4
- 1119372861/4
- 1219372961/4
- 1319382881/4
- 1419382881/4
- 1519381731/4
- 1619392871/4
- 171939–1/4
- 1819392881/4
- 191940–1/4
- 2019402971/4
- 2119412841/4
- 2219412881/4
- 2319422881/4
- 241942–1/4
- 2519432401/4
- 2619432181/4
- 2719442181/4
- 281945–1/4
- 2919462561/4
- 301946–1/4
- 3119472381/4
- 321951–1/4
- 33Murder at the New York World's Fair (As: Freeman Dana)1987 · confirmed 1/41987–1/4
Phoebe Atwood Taylor 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.
Asey Mayo Cape Cod Mystery in order
24 books- 1. The Cape Cod Mystery
- 2. Death Lights a Candle
- 3. The Mystery of the Cape Cod Players
- 4. The Mystery of the Cape Cod Tavern
- 5. Sandbar Sinister
- 6. The Tinkling Symbol
- 7. Deathblow Hill
- 8. The Crimson Patch
- 9. Out of Order
- 10. Figure Away
- 11. Octagon House
- 12. The Annulet of Gilt
- and 12 more in the table above
Leonidas Witherall Mystery in order
8 booksStandalone books
1 book1 Phoebe Atwood Taylor title here is not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Phoebe Atwood Taylor books in order?
You only need to read Phoebe Atwood Taylor 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 Phoebe Atwood Taylor
Start with The Cape Cod Mystery (1931), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Phoebe Atwood Taylor book?
Murder at the New York World's Fair (As: Freeman Dana) (1987) is the newest Phoebe Atwood Taylor book released so far.
Is there a new Phoebe Atwood Taylor book coming?
No next Phoebe Atwood Taylor book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor at a glance
- Died
- Phoebe Atwood Taylor died in 1976, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Phoebe Atwood Taylor are still being published after Phoebe Atwood Taylor's death in 1976; the newest appeared in 1987.
- Release pace
- Phoebe Atwood Taylor books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 5,693 pages across the 21 of 33 books with a recorded length, a median of 288 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Phoebe Atwood Taylor books, 18 of 33, were published in the 1930s.
What the Phoebe Atwood Taylor books are about
26 of the 33 Phoebe Atwood Taylor books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: asey mayo (fictitious character) is tagged on 17 of 26. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Asey Mayo (Fictitious character) 17 of 26 books
- Private investigators 17 of 26 books
- Cape cod (mass.) 13 of 26 books
- Mayo, asey (fictitious character) 13 of 26 books
- Massachusetts 12 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 12 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective 11 of 26 books
- Leonidas Witherall (fictitious character) 5 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective fiction 5 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective, hard-boiled 3 of 26 books
- Witherall, leonidas (fictitious character) 3 of 26 books
- College teachers 2 of 26 books