Reading order · 32 books · 1934 to 1982 · Set in London
Roderick Alleyn Books in Order
Roderick Alleyn is a gentleman detective of Scotland Yard, educated, witty and humane, who solves murders in country houses, theatres and Ngaio Marsh’s native New Zealand. He meets the painter Agatha Troy in Artists in Crime and marries her. Classic golden age mysteries, many set in the world of the theatre.
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Series facts
- Books
- 32
- Published
- 1934 to 1982
- First book
- A Man Lay Dead
- Latest
- Light Thickens (1982)
- Setting
- Set in London
The reading order
Every Roderick Alleyn book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
32 books · Set in London
- 1A Man Lay Dead1934With Roderick AlleynA murder game at a country house weekend becomes real when one of the guests is found stabbed.Buy on Amazon
- 2Enter a Murderer1935With Roderick AlleynAn actor is shot dead on stage with a gun that should have held dummy cartridges.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Nursing Home Murder1935With Roderick AlleynThe Home Secretary dies after an emergency operation, and Alleyn has to find out who in the operating theatre killed him.Buy on Amazon
- 4Death in Ecstasy1936With Roderick AlleynA woman dies after drinking ritual wine at a ceremony of a strange religious cult in London.Buy on Amazon
- 5Vintage Murder1937With Roderick AlleynAlleyn, on holiday in New Zealand, is travelling with a theatre company when its manager is killed at a party on stage.Buy on Amazon
- 6Artists in Crime1938With Roderick AlleynA model is killed at a painting school in the country, and Alleyn meets the painter Agatha Troy again.Buy on Amazon
- 7Death in a White Tie1938With Roderick AlleynDuring the London season, a blackmailer is preying on society, and a much-loved friend of Alleyn’s is murdered in a taxi.Buy on Amazon
- 8Overture to Death1939With Roderick AlleynDuring amateur theatricals in a village, a woman is shot by a gun hidden in the piano as she begins to play.Buy on Amazon
- 9Death at the Bar1940With Roderick AlleynA man is killed by a poisoned dart in a pub on the Devon coast.Buy on Amazon
- 10Surfeit of Lampreys1941With Roderick AlleynRoberta Grey stays with the charming, penniless Lamprey family, and when a rich relative is murdered, the whole family are suspects.Buy on Amazon
- 11Death and the Dancing Footman1941With Roderick AlleynA country house party in a snowbound winter turns deadly.Buy on Amazon
- 12Colour Scheme1943With Roderick AlleynAt a run-down spa in New Zealand during the Second World War, a death in a boiling mud pool may be linked to a spy.Buy on Amazon
- 13Died in the Wool1945With Roderick AlleynA New Zealand politician is found dead in a bale of wool, and Alleyn investigates years later.Buy on Amazon
- 14Final Curtain1947With Roderick AlleynAgatha Troy is painting the portrait of an elderly actor at his country house when he dies.Buy on Amazon
- 15Swing, Brother, Swing1949With Roderick AlleynA musician is shot during a performance by a gun that should have fired blanks.Buy on Amazon
- 16Opening Night1951With Roderick AlleynA young actress from New Zealand gets a job as an understudy in a London theatre, and on opening night an actor is found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 17Spinsters in Jeopardy1953With Roderick AlleynAlleyn, Troy and their young son Ricky travel to the south of France, where Alleyn is on the trail of a drug ring and a strange cult.Buy on Amazon
- 18Scales of Justice1955With Roderick AlleynIn an English village, an elderly man is found dead by a stream, beside a giant trout.Buy on Amazon
- 19Off with His Head1957With Roderick AlleynAt a traditional sword dance in a village at the winter solstice, the old man of the dance is found beheaded.Buy on Amazon
- 20Singing in the Shrouds1958With Roderick AlleynA killer who has been strangling women in London may be aboard a cargo ship bound for South Africa.Buy on Amazon
- 21False Scent1959With Roderick AlleynAn actress is poisoned at her own birthday party.Buy on Amazon
- 22Hand in Glove1962With Roderick AlleynA man is found dead in a trench dug for drains, after a treasure hunt party.Buy on Amazon
- 23Dead Water1963With Roderick AlleynAn island with a spring said to heal the sick attracts crowds, and danger.Buy on Amazon
- 24Killer Dolphin1966With Roderick AlleynPeregrine Jay, a young director, reopens a derelict London theatre with a play about Shakespeare’s son, and a priceless Shakespeare glove is stolen.Buy on Amazon
- 25Clutch of Constables1968With Agatha TroyAgatha Troy takes a cruise on a river boat in England, and one of the passengers is not who he seems.Buy on Amazon
- 26When in Rome1970With Roderick AlleynAlleyn joins a tour group in Rome to investigate a drug ring, and a member of the group disappears.Buy on Amazon
- 27Tied Up in Tinsel1972With Roderick AlleynAgatha Troy spends Christmas at a country house where all the servants are reformed murderers.Buy on Amazon
- 28Black as He’s Painted1974With Roderick AlleynThe president of a newly independent African country, an old school friend of Alleyn, visits London, and a plot against his life is uncovered.Buy on Amazon
- 29Last Ditch1977With Roderick AlleynRicky Alleyn, now grown up, is writing a novel in a quiet seaside village, and is drawn into a death at a riding school.Buy on Amazon
- 30Grave Mistake1978With Roderick AlleynA wealthy widow dies at a nursing home in an English village.Buy on Amazon
- 31Photo Finish1980With Roderick AlleynA famous opera singer, persecuted by a photographer, takes refuge on an island in New Zealand, and Alleyn and Troy join her.Buy on Amazon
- 32Light Thickens1982With Roderick AlleynPeregrine Jay directs a production of Macbeth in London, and the superstition around the play takes a deadly turn.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
The books stand alone and can be read in any order, but reading in order, starting with A Man Lay Dead, follows Alleyn and Troy’s story.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
Characters in the Roderick Alleyn books
5 characters from Ngaio Marsh’s chart, with the number of Roderick Alleyn books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Roderick AlleynScotland Yard detective, later superintendent | 32 | A Man Lay Dead 1934 |
| Agatha TroyPainter who marries Alleyn | 8 | Artists in Crime 1938 |
| Inspector FoxAlleyn’s loyal colleague, known as Br’er Fox | 29 | A Man Lay Dead 1934 |
| Nigel BathgateJournalist and Alleyn’s friend | 6 | A Man Lay Dead 1934 |
| Ricky AlleynAlleyn and Troy’s son | 2 | Spinsters in Jeopardy 1953 |