Otani Books in Order
There are 13 Otani books, published between 1979 and 1992. The first book is The Wages of Zen (1979) and the newest is The Body Wore Brocade (1992). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 13
- Published
- 1979–1992
- Pages on record
- 925 in 5 of 13 books
Superintendent Tetsuo Otani is a fictitious police officer who appears in 13 catalogued books from 1979 to 1992. Subject tags set the books in Japan and classify them as police procedurals. The Wages of Zen (1979) comes first and The Body Wore Brocade (1992) last. The Chrysanthemum Chain, A Sort of Samurai, The Ninth Netsuke, Death of a Daimyo and Kimono for a Corpse are among the titles. The series is listed as likely complete.
How many Otani books are there?
Otani has 13 books, released between 1979 and 1992.
Otani Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 13 Otani 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.
- 11979–1/4
- 21980–1/4
- 31981–1/4
- 41982–1/4
- 51983–1/4
- 619841631/4
- 71985–1/4
- 819861791/4
- 919871961/4
- 1019882261/4
- 1119891611/4
- 121990–1/4
- 131992–1/4
Do you have to read Otani books in order?
You should read the Otani books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Otani book also stands alone.
Where to start with Otani
Start with The Wages of Zen (1979), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Otani book?
The Body Wore Brocade (1992) is the newest Otani book released so far.
Is there a new Otani book coming?
No next Otani book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Otani at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Otani title on record dates from 1992, 34 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Otani books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 925 pages across the 5 of 13 books with a recorded length, a median of 179 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Otani books, 10 of 13, were published in the 1980s.
- Attribution
- Of the 13 titles, 10 are credited to James Melville. 3 titles carry no credit.
What the Otani books are about
6 of the 13 Otani 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 4 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Police 4 of 6 books
- Japan 2 of 6 books
- Mystery & detective, police procedural 2 of 6 books
Series that include Otani books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Tetsuo Otani books in order 13 books