Inspector Troy Books in Order
Inspector Troy by John Lawton contains 9 books, published between 1995 and 2025. The first book is Black Out (1995) and the newest is Smoke and Embers (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 1995–2025
- Confirmed
- 9 of 9 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,596 in 7 of 9 books
- Reading time
- 43–65 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,596 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 7 of 9 titles with a page count on record.
Inspector Troy is a crime series by John Lawton, following Frederick Troy, a London police officer whose cases run through the 1939-1945 war and the decades after it. Nine books span 1995 to 2025, from Black Out through Old Flames (1996), A Little White Death (1998), Riptide (2001), Second Violin (2007), A Lily of the Field (2010) and Friends and Traitors (2017) to Smoke and Embers. Several carry alternative titles, Riptide also appearing as Bluffing Mr. Churchill.
How many Inspector Troy books are there?
Inspector Troy has 9 books, released between 1995 and 2025.
Inspector Troy Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 9 Inspector Troy 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.
- 1Black Out1995 · 342 pages · confirmed 3/419953423/4
- 2Old Flames1996 · 544 pages · confirmed 3/419965443/4
- 3A Little White Death1998 · 448 pages · confirmed 3/419984483/4
- 4Riptide / Bluffing Mr. Churchill2001 · 368 pages · confirmed 3/420013683/4
- 5Flesh Wounds / Blue Rondo2005 · 158 pages · confirmed 3/420051583/4
- 6Second Violin2007 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/420073523/4
- 7A Lily of the Field2010 · confirmed 3/42010–3/4
- 8Friends and Traitors2017 · 384 pages · confirmed 3/420173843/4
- 9Smoke and Embers2025 · confirmed 3/42025–3/4
Inspector Troy Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Second Violin comes first and Smoke and Embers comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 9 books below run in that in-universe sequence.
- 6Second Violin2007 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/420073523/4
- 4Riptide / Bluffing Mr. Churchill2001 · 368 pages · confirmed 3/420013683/4
- 1Black Out1995 · 342 pages · confirmed 3/419953423/4
- 7A Lily of the Field2010 · confirmed 3/42010–3/4
- 2Old Flames1996 · 544 pages · confirmed 3/419965443/4
- 8Friends and Traitors2017 · 384 pages · confirmed 3/420173843/4
- 5Flesh Wounds / Blue Rondo2005 · 158 pages · confirmed 3/420051583/4
- 3A Little White Death1998 · 448 pages · confirmed 3/419984483/4
- 9Smoke and Embers2025 · confirmed 3/42025–3/4
Do you have to read Inspector Troy books in order?
You should read the Inspector Troy books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Inspector Troy book also stands alone.
Where to start with Inspector Troy
Start with Black Out (1995), the earliest published title. In the chronological order, Second Violin comes first.
What is the newest Inspector Troy book?
Smoke and Embers (2025) is the newest Inspector Troy book released so far.
Is there a new Inspector Troy book coming?
No next Inspector Troy book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Inspector Troy at a glance
- Still running
- Inspector Troy is still running, with a title published as recently as 2025.
- Release pace
- Inspector Troy books have appeared about one every 4 years on average.
- Length
- 2,596 pages across the 7 of 9 books with a recorded length, a median of 368 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Inspector Troy books, 3 of 9, were published in the 2000s.
What the Inspector Troy books are about
8 of the 9 Inspector Troy books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: troy, frederick (fictitious character) is tagged on 7 of 8. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Troy, frederick (fictitious character) 7 of 8 books
- Suspense 5 of 8 books
- London (England) 4 of 8 books
- Thrillers 3 of 8 books
- Frederick Troy (Fictitious character) 2 of 8 books
- Police 2 of 8 books
- World War, 1939-1945 2 of 8 books
More books by John Lawton
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- John Lawton books in order 17 books