Dr. Basil Willing Books in Order
Dr. Basil Willing by Helen McCloy contains 14 books, published between 1938 and 2003. The first book is Design for Dying / Dance of Death (1938) and the newest is The Pleasant Assassin and Other Cases of Dr. Basil Willing (2003). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 14
- Published
- 1938–2003
- Pages on record
- 1,070 in 5 of 14 books
Dr. Basil Willing is Helen McCloy's mystery series, spanning 14 books from 1938 to 2003. Subject headings identify Basil Willing as a fictitious character and list psychiatrists, crime, widows and New York State. Design for Dying / Dance of Death (1938) is the first entry. Through a Glass, Darkly (1950) and The Long Body (1955) appear later, and The Pleasant Assassin and Other Cases of Dr. Basil Willing (2003) closes the listing.
How many Dr. Basil Willing books are there?
Dr. Basil Willing has 14 books, released between 1938 and 2003.
Dr. Basil Willing Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 14 Dr. Basil Willing 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.
- 1Design for Dying / Dance of Death1938 · confirmed 1/41938–1/4
- 2The Man in the Moonlight1940 · confirmed 1/41940–1/4
- 3The Deadly Truth1941 · confirmed 1/41941–1/4
- 4Who's Calling?1942 · confirmed 1/41942–1/4
- 5Cue for Murder1942 · confirmed 1/41942–1/4
- 6The Goblin Market1943 · confirmed 1/41943–1/4
- 7The One That Got Away1945 · confirmed 1/41945–1/4
- 8Through a Glass, Darkly1950 · 244 pages · confirmed 1/419502441/4
- 9Alias Basil Willing1951 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/419511921/4
- 10The Long Body1955 · confirmed 1/41955–1/4
- 11Two-Thirds of a Ghost1956 · confirmed 1/41956–1/4
- 12Mr. Splitfoot1968 · 287 pages · confirmed 1/419682871/4
- 13Burn This1980 · 182 pages · confirmed 1/419801821/4
- 14The Pleasant Assassin and Other Cases of Dr. Basil Willing2003 · 165 pages · confirmed 1/420031651/4
Is there a chronological order for Dr. Basil Willing?
No separate chronological order is on record for Dr. Basil Willing, 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 Dr. Basil Willing books in order?
You should read the Dr. Basil Willing books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Dr. Basil Willing book also stands alone.
Where to start with Dr. Basil Willing
Start with Design for Dying / Dance of Death (1938), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Dr. Basil Willing book?
The Pleasant Assassin and Other Cases of Dr. Basil Willing (2003) is the newest Dr. Basil Willing book released so far.
Is there a new Dr. Basil Willing book coming?
No next Dr. Basil Willing book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Dr. Basil Willing at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Dr. Basil Willing title on record dates from 2003, 23 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Dr. Basil Willing books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 1,070 pages across the 5 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 192 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Dr. Basil Willing books, 6 of 14, were published in the 1940s.
What the Dr. Basil Willing books are about
9 of the 14 Dr. Basil Willing books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: basil willing (fictitious character) is tagged on 8 of 9. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Basil Willing (Fictitious character) 8 of 9 books
- Psychiatrists 8 of 9 books
- Mystery & detective 5 of 9 books
- Crime 2 of 9 books
More books by Helen McCloy
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Helen McCloy books in order 32 books