The Recurring Cast
Reading order · 5 books · 1925 to 1944 · Set in London

Superintendent Battle Books in Order

Superintendent Battle is a stolid, unflappable Scotland Yard detective who appears in five of Christie’s novels, including one with Hercule Poirot.

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Series facts

Books
5
Published
1925 to 1944
First book
The Secret of Chimneys
Latest
Towards Zero (1944)
Setting
Set in London

The reading order

Every Superintendent Battle book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary. Books marked Crossover also belong to another series.

5 books · Set in London
  1. 1The Secret of Chimneys1925Anthony Cade takes on an errand to deliver a manuscript to a London publisher, and finds himself at Chimneys, a great country house, at the centre of a murder and a plot over a Balkan throne.Buy on Amazon
  2. 2The Seven Dials Mystery1929With Bundle BrentA practical joke at a country house party ends in death, and Lady Eileen Brent, known as Bundle, finds a link to a mysterious secret society called the Seven Dials.Buy on Amazon
  3. 3Cards on the Table1936CrossoverWith Hercule Poirot · Also a Hercule Poirot bookMr Shaitana, a sinister host, invites Hercule Poirot, Ariadne Oliver, Superintendent Battle and Colonel Race to dinner, along with four people he believes have got away with murder.Buy on Amazon
  4. 4Murder Is Easy1939A retired policeman meets an elderly woman on a train who says she is going to Scotland Yard to report a murderer in her village.Buy on Amazon
  5. 5Towards Zero1944With Superintendent BattleA group of people gather at a seaside house, and the stage is set for murder.Buy on Amazon

Do you need to read them in order?

The books stand alone and can be read in any order. The Secret of Chimneys and The Seven Dials Mystery share several characters.

Who appears in which book

The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.

Who appears in each Superintendent Battle book
BookSuperintendent BattleBundle BrentHercule Poirot
1 The Secret of ChimneysMMajorMMajor
2 The Seven Dials MysteryMMajorLLead
3 Cards on the TableMMajorLLead
4 Murder Is EasyMMajor
5 Towards ZeroLLead

Characters in the Superintendent Battle books

5 characters from Agatha Christie’s chart, with the number of Superintendent Battle books each appears in.

CharacterBooksFirst in this series
Superintendent BattleScotland Yard detective5The Secret of Chimneys 1925
Bundle BrentLady Eileen Brent, adventurous aristocrat2The Secret of Chimneys 1925
Hercule PoirotBelgian detective who relies on his “little grey cells”1Cards on the Table 1936
Ariadne OliverCrime novelist and Poirot’s friend1Cards on the Table 1936
Colonel RaceIntelligence officer1Cards on the Table 1936

Crossovers with Agatha Christie’s other series