Antony Maitland Books in Order
Antony Maitland by Sara Woods contains 45 books, published between 1961 and 1987. The first book is Bloody Instructions (1961) and the newest is Naked Villainy (1987). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 45
- Published
- 1961–1987
- Pages on record
- 6,407 in 31 of 45 books
- Reading time
- 107–160 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,407 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 31 of 45 titles with a page count on record.
Antony Maitland is a lawyer at the centre of a traditional English mystery series by Sara Woods. The run holds 45 books published between 1961 and 1987, from Bloody Instructions to Naked Villainy, at a median length of 192 pages. Legal work and detection drive the plots, with England the setting throughout. The Antony Maitland series is complete.
How many Antony Maitland books are there?
Antony Maitland has 45 books, released between 1961 and 1987.
Antony Maitland Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 45 Antony Maitland 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.
- 1Bloody Instructions1961 · 198 pages · confirmed 2/419611982/4
- 2Malice Domestic1962 · 213 pages · confirmed 2/419622132/4
- 3Error of the Moon1963 · confirmed 2/41963–2/4
- 4The Taste of Fears / The Third Encounter1963 · confirmed 2/41963–2/4
- 5This Little Measure1964 · confirmed 2/41964–2/4
- 6Trusted Like the Fox1964 · confirmed 2/41964–2/4
- 7Though I Know She Lies1965 · confirmed 2/41965–2/4
- 8Let's Choose Executors1966 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/419662242/4
- 9And Shame the Devil1967 · 261 pages · confirmed 2/419672612/4
- 10Past Praying For1968 · confirmed 2/41968–2/4
- 11Knives Have Edges1970 · 216 pages · confirmed 2/419702162/4
- 12An Improbable Fiction1970 · 178 pages · confirmed 2/419701782/4
- 13Tarry and Be Hanged1971 · 184 pages · confirmed 2/419711842/4
- 14The Knavish Crows1971 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/419711922/4
- 15Serpent's Tooth1971 · 178 pages · confirmed 2/419711782/4
- 16They Love Not Poison1972 · 215 pages · confirmed 2/419722152/4
- 17Enter the Corpse1973 · 181 pages · confirmed 2/419731812/4
- 18Yet She Must Die1973 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/419731922/4
- 19Done to Death1974 · 215 pages · confirmed 2/419742152/4
- 20A Show of Violence1975 · 156 pages · confirmed 2/419751562/4
- 21My Life Is Done1976 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/419762242/4
- 22The Law's Delay1977 · confirmed 2/41977–2/4
- 23A Thief or Two1977 · 191 pages · confirmed 2/419771912/4
- 24Exit Murderer1978 · confirmed 2/41978–2/4
- 25This Fatal Writ1979 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/419791902/4
- 26They Stay for Death1980 · 191 pages · confirmed 2/419801912/4
- 27Weep for Her1980 · 222 pages · confirmed 2/419802222/4
- 28Proceed to Judgement1980 · 191 pages · confirmed 2/419801912/4
- 29Cry Guilty1981 · confirmed 2/41981–2/4
- 30Dearest Enemy1981 · 191 pages · confirmed 2/419811912/4
- 31Enter a Gentlewoman1982 · 218 pages · confirmed 2/419822182/4
- 32Most Grievous Murder1982 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/419821902/4
- 33Villains by Necessity1982 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/419821902/4
- 34Call Back Yesterday1983 · 348 pages · confirmed 2/419833482/4
- 35The Lie Direct1983 · confirmed 2/41983–2/4
- 36Where Should He Die?1983 · 190 pages · confirmed 2/419831902/4
- 37The Bloody Book of Law1984 · 188 pages · confirmed 2/419841882/4
- 38Murder's Out of Tune1984 · confirmed 2/41984–2/4
- 39Defy the Devil1984 · 253 pages · confirmed 2/419842532/4
- 40Away with Them to Prison1985 · 222 pages · confirmed 2/419852222/4
- 41Put Out the Light1985 · confirmed 2/41985–2/4
- 42An Obscure Grave1985 · 184 pages · confirmed 2/419851842/4
- 43Most Deadly Hate1986 · confirmed 2/41986–2/4
- 44Nor Live So Long1986 · 221 pages · confirmed 2/419862212/4
- 45Naked Villainy1987 · confirmed 2/41987–2/4
Is there a chronological order for Antony Maitland?
No separate chronological order is on record for Antony Maitland, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Antony Maitland books in order?
You should read the Antony Maitland books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Antony Maitland book also stands alone.
Where to start with Antony Maitland
Start with Bloody Instructions (1961), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Antony Maitland book?
Naked Villainy (1987) is the newest Antony Maitland book released so far.
Is there a new Antony Maitland book coming?
No next Antony Maitland book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Antony Maitland at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Antony Maitland title on record dates from 1987, 39 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Antony Maitland books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 6,407 pages across the 31 of 45 books with a recorded length, a median of 192 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Antony Maitland books, 20 of 45, were published in the 1980s.
What the Antony Maitland books are about
40 of the 45 Antony Maitland books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: maitland, antony (fictitious character) is tagged on 36 of 40. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Maitland, antony (fictitious character) 36 of 40 books
- Legal stories 31 of 40 books
- Lawyers 25 of 40 books
- England 24 of 40 books
- Mystery & detective, traditional 22 of 40 books
- Mystery & detective 11 of 40 books
- Fiction in English 4 of 40 books
More books by Sara Woods
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Sara Woods books in order 55 books