Anthony Quinn Books in Order
Anthony Quinn is an English novelist who writes about Britain in earlier decades, especially London and Liverpool. Some of his books are crime stories, while others are historical novels in which a murder or unanswered question helps drive the plot. He also spent fifteen years as film critic for The Independent. His closest connection to mystery fiction is Curtain Call, a murder story set in London in 1936. Freya and Eureka continue the lives of characters introduced there, while The Millionaire Waltz returns to theatre critic Jimmy Erskine in 1920s London. He also used the unsolved 1931 Julia Wallace murder as the basis for The Mouthless Dead.
His debut novel, The Rescue Man, won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, and The Streets was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Curtain Call was later adapted as the film The Critic. This page lists all Anthony Quinn books in order, including the connected Curtain Call novels, his other fiction, and his non-fiction books.
Looking for Northern Irish crime writer Anthony J. Quinn, author of the Inspector Celcius Daly series? See Anthony J. Quinn Books in Order.
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Latest Anthony Quinn Books
Where to Start with Anthony Quinn
→ New to Anthony Quinn’s historical crime fiction? Start with Curtain Call, a 1936 London murder mystery and the first book in his connected trilogy.
→ Want to read the complete connected series? Continue from Curtain Call to Freya and then Eureka. The individual plots stand alone, but the characters age and reappear across the three books.
→ Interested in The Millionaire Waltz? It is set earlier than Curtain Call and brings back Jimmy Erskine, but it can be read on its own.
→ Prefer a standalone crime novel based on a real unsolved case? Try The Mouthless Dead, Quinn’s fictional take on the 1931 Julia Wallace murder in Liverpool.
Curtain Call Trilogy (Books in Order)
The Curtain Call trilogy follows a loose group of connected characters through London from 1936 to 1967. Curtain Call begins with actress Nina Land, theatre critic Jimmy Erskine, and painter Stephen Wyley during the hunt for the Tie-Pin Killer. Wyley’s twelve-year-old daughter Freya has a small role in that book before becoming the main character in Freya. She returns again in Eureka, alongside her friend, critic and screenwriter Nat Fane.
Each novel has its own separate story, but the characters grow older and deal with the consequences of earlier relationships and decisions in the later books. The Millionaire Waltz is set before these novels as a prequel and brings back Jimmy Erskine. It is connected to the trilogy but has not been officially numbered as a fourth book.
- Curtain Call, 2015
- Freya, 2016
- Eureka, 2017
Standalone Novels
- The Rescue Man, 2009
- Half of the Human Race, 2011
- The Streets, 2012
- Our Friends in Berlin, 2018
- London, Burning, 2021
- Molly & the Captain, 2022
- The Mouthless Dead, 2025
- The Millionaire Waltz, 2026
Non-Fiction Books
Anthony Quinn Biography
Anthony Quinn is an English author and non-fiction writer whose historical novels frequently include crime, political intrigue, or mysteries based on real events.
Anthony Quinn was born in Liverpool in 1964 and attended St Francis Xavier’s College, followed by studying Classics at Pembroke College, Oxford. He moved to London in 1986 and worked at Zwemmer’s bookshop on Charing Cross Road. His first regular work in journalism came after starting to review books for the newly established Independent, where the author Sebastian Faulks was then the literary editor.
He continued writing for newspapers and magazines and interviewed authors including John Updike, Ian McEwan, Sarah Waters, William Boyd, Richard Ford, and Martin Amis. From 1998 until 2013, he was the film critic for The Independent. He also wrote a wine column for Esquire.
Anthony Quinn was a judge for the 2006 Man Booker Prize and began writing his first novel soon afterward. The Rescue Man, published in 2009, follows an architectural historian in Liverpool during the two world wars. It won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize.
His later novels moved through different periods of British history. The Streets, set in Victorian London, was shortlisted for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. He then wrote the connected novels Curtain Call, Freya, and Eureka, following recurring characters through London in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
Quinn returned to his native Liverpool for The Mouthless Dead, a made-up reconstruction of the unsolved 1931 murder of Julia Wallace. His non-fiction books also reflect his Liverpool background: he is a lifelong Liverpool FC supporter and has written books about Jürgen Klopp and former Liverpool player Kevin Keegan.
Anthony Quinn Book Adaptations
- Curtain Call – adapted into the feature film The Critic (2023)
Anthony Quinn Awards and Honors
Awards
- The Rescue Man – Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award (2010)
Nominations and Shortlists
- The Rescue Man – Desmond Elliott Prize (2009)
- The Rescue Man – Waverton Good Read Award (2010)
- The Streets – Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (2013)