Reading order · 24 books · 1964 to 2013 · Set in the fictional Kingsmarkham, Sussex
Inspector Wexford Books in Order
Chief Inspector Reg Wexford is a well-read, humane and patient detective in the Sussex market town of Kingsmarkham, supported by the more rigid Mike Burden. Over nearly fifty years, Ruth Rendell used the series to look at the changing face of English life.
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Series facts
- Books
- 24
- Published
- 1964 to 2013
- First book
- From Doon with Death
- Latest
- No Man’s Nightingale (2013)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Kingsmarkham, Sussex
The reading order
Every Inspector Wexford book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
24 books · Set in the fictional Kingsmarkham, Sussex
- 1From Doon with Death1964With Reg WexfordMargaret Parsons, a quiet housewife, is found dead in a wood near Kingsmarkham, and the only clue is a set of books inscribed with love from someone called Doon.Buy on Amazon
- 2A New Lease of Death1967With Reg WexfordA clergyman asks Wexford to reopen an old murder case, because his son is about to marry the daughter of the man Wexford helped send to the gallows.Buy on Amazon
- 3Wolf to the Slaughter1967With Reg WexfordAn anonymous message says that a woman called Ann has been murdered, but there is no body.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Best Man to Die1969With Reg WexfordA lorry driver is found dead on the eve of his best friend’s wedding.Buy on Amazon
- 5A Guilty Thing Surprised1970With Reg WexfordA wealthy woman is found dead in the woods near her country house.Buy on Amazon
- 6No More Dying Then1971With Reg WexfordA small boy goes missing in Kingsmarkham, months after a little girl vanished, while Mike Burden struggles with grief.Buy on Amazon
- 7Murder Being Once Done1972With Reg WexfordWexford, sent to London to recover his health, cannot resist a case when a young woman’s body is found in a cemetery vault.Buy on Amazon
- 8Some Lie and Some Die1973With Reg WexfordA young woman’s body is found in a quarry after a pop festival near Kingsmarkham.Buy on Amazon
- 9Shake Hands For Ever1975With Reg WexfordA woman is found strangled, and Wexford is convinced her husband is guilty, though he seems to have a perfect alibi.Buy on Amazon
- 10A Sleeping Life1978With Reg WexfordA middle-aged woman is found stabbed, and Wexford discovers that she was living a second life.Buy on Amazon
- 11Put On by Cunning1981With Reg WexfordA famous elderly flautist is found drowned in a frozen lake, shortly after his long-lost daughter returns.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Speaker of Mandarin1983With Reg WexfordWexford goes on holiday to China, and a death among his fellow tourists follows him home.Buy on Amazon
- 13An Unkindness of Ravens1985With Reg WexfordWexford’s neighbour disappears, and the case leads to a militant women’s group.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Veiled One1988With Reg WexfordA woman is found strangled in a shopping centre car park, and Burden leads the investigation while Wexford recovers from an attack.Buy on Amazon
- 15Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter1992With Reg WexfordA novelist and her family are shot at their country house, and the only survivor is her teenage granddaughter.Buy on Amazon
- 16Simisola1994With Reg WexfordThe daughter of Wexford’s doctor goes missing, and the case forces Kingsmarkham to look at its own prejudices.Buy on Amazon
- 17Road Rage1997With Reg WexfordProtesters gather against a new road through the countryside near Kingsmarkham, and then hostages are taken, among them Wexford’s wife, Dora.Buy on Amazon
- 18Harm Done1999With Reg WexfordA missing teenager returns home unharmed but silent, while Kingsmarkham is stirred by fear and anger.Buy on Amazon
- 19The Babes in the Wood2002With Reg WexfordTwo teenagers and their babysitter disappear during heavy flooding in Kingsmarkham.Buy on Amazon
- 20End in Tears2005With Reg WexfordA concrete block dropped from a bridge onto a passing car begins a case that leads Wexford into the private lives of young women in Kingsmarkham.Buy on Amazon
- 21Not in the Flesh2007With Reg WexfordA dog hunting for truffles uncovers a body that has been buried for years.Buy on Amazon
- 22The Monster in the Box2009With Reg WexfordWexford faces a man he has suspected of murder for decades, but has never been able to prove it.Buy on Amazon
- 23The Vault2011With Reg WexfordWexford, now retired, is drawn into a case in London when bodies are found in an old coal cellar beneath a house.Buy on Amazon
- 24No Man’s Nightingale2013With Reg WexfordThe retired Wexford helps the police when a vicar is found strangled in her vicarage.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with From Doon with Death, although most books stand alone well.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Reg Wexford | Mike Burden | Dora Wexford | Sheila Wexford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 From Doon with Death | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 2 A New Lease of Death | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 3 Wolf to the Slaughter | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 4 The Best Man to Die | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 5 A Guilty Thing Surprised | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 6 No More Dying Then | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 7 Murder Being Once Done | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 8 Some Lie and Some Die | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 9 Shake Hands For Ever | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 10 A Sleeping Life | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 11 Put On by Cunning | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 12 The Speaker of Mandarin | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 13 An Unkindness of Ravens | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 14 The Veiled One | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 15 Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 16 Simisola | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 17 Road Rage | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 18 Harm Done | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 19 The Babes in the Wood | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 20 End in Tears | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 21 Not in the Flesh | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 22 The Monster in the Box | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 23 The Vault | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 24 No Man’s Nightingale | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Inspector Wexford books
4 characters from Ruth Rendell’s chart, with the number of Inspector Wexford books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Reg WexfordChief Inspector in Kingsmarkham, later retired | 24 | From Doon with Death 1964 |
| Mike BurdenWexford’s deputy | 24 | From Doon with Death 1964 |
| Dora WexfordWexford’s wife | 24 | From Doon with Death 1964 |
| Sheila WexfordWexford’s actress daughter | 2 | Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter 1992 |