Elizabeth George Books In Order – Complete List

To read the Elizabeth George books in order of chronology, you should first pick up A Suitable Vengeance to start the series with, as even though it was written as the 4th in publication order, the story takes place before A Great Deliverance, so it is a prequel to the series.

The Inspector Lynley books have sparked the creation of a BBC TV series based on the two main characters played by Nathaniel-Parker and Sharon-Small, which lasted for 6 seasons from 2001 to 2007.

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Inspector Lynley Books In Publication Order

Thomas (Tommy) Lynley is a detective inspector with the New Scotland Yard, working with his partner Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers.

  1. A Great Deliverance, 1988
  2. Payment in Blood, 1989
  3. Well-Schooled in Murder, 1990
  4. A Suitable Vengeance, 1991 – prequel to the series
  5. For the Sake of Elena, 1992
  6. Missing Joseph), 1992
  7. Playing for the Ashes, 1993
  8. In the Presence of the Enemy, 1996
  9. Deception on His Mind, 1997
  10. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner, 1999
  11. A Traitor to Memory, 2001
  12. A Place of Hiding, 2003
  13. With No One as Witness, 2005
  14. What Came Before He Shot Her, 2006
  15. Careless in Red, 2008
  16. This Body of Death, 2010
  17. Believing the Lie, 2012
  18. Just One Evil Act), 2013
  19. A Banquet of Consequences, 2015
  20. The Punishment She Deserves), 2018
  21. Something to Hide, 2022

Edge of Nowhere Books In Publication Order

aka the Whidbey Island series

A young adult paranormal series about Becca King who can hear whispers of other people’s thoughts

  1. The Edge of Nowhere, 2012
  2. The Edge of the Water, 2014
  3. The Edge of the Shadows, 2015
  4. The Edge of Light, 2016

Short Story Collections and Anthologies in Publication Order

Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

Elizabeth George Biography

Elizabeth George books in order

Elizabeth George is the American author of the popular Inspector Lynley series which takes place in Great Britain.

Susan Elizabeth George was born in Warren, Ohio on February 26th, 1949. When she was 18 months old her family moved to San Francisco. She graduated from the University of California majoring in English, after which she received a teaching certificate from the same university.

After she finished college, she began teaching English in a public high school, while at the same time working her way through getting certified in counseling and psychology with a master’s degree.

Continuing her education, in 2004 she received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Cal State University Fullerton, followed by an honorary Masters in Fine Arts from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts in 2010.

After close to 14 years of working in education, she quit her job when she published and sold her first novel A Great Deliverance, the first book in the Inspector Lynley series, which the author completed in less than a month.

A Great Deliverance

The Inspector Lynley series features Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (who is also the eighth Earl of Asherton) and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Lynley is wealthy, handsome, and charming. He is so charming that his partner, Barbara often wonders why the criminals simply don’t surrender to his infuriating charm.

The first of the numerous to come Elizabeth George books has won numerous awards, including the Anthony Award, the Agatha Award, and France’s Le Grand Prix de Literature Policiere. Her third novel, Well-Schooled in Murder won her Germany’s MIMI award.

In the Punishment She Deserves, the 20th book in the series, the two detectives investigate the death of Ian Druitt, a respected deacon of the Church of England in the idyllic town of Ludlow. The death looks like a suicide, but it smells like murder all too much.

Lynley only enters the scene a bit later, once Barbara Havers and another detective, Isabelle Ardery, do their preliminary investigation, but once he is there, things really heat up and become much more interesting.

As usual, this latest of the Elizabeth George book is an excellent British police procedural in the usual style of the popular crime mystery author.

Currently, the novelist has published some 25  books which have been translated into more than 20 languages. She writes books set in England because “I like to write about England“, finding the roots of her passion about the country back in the 1960s when The Beatles became popular in the US as well.

The Elizabeth George books are not only set in England but are also written with a very British flavor. If you don’t specifically know the author’s bio, you’d think she was born on the island as well, even though she was born a continent away.

On her research before writing her books she says:

I go on location to do the research. If there’s a place that’s in a book, I’ve been in that place, with the exception of the crack house in With No One as Witness.

In 2018, the Inspector Lynley series reached not only its 20th book but also its 30th year of anniversary. Currently, the author and her husband, ex-firefighter Tom McCabe, have put their multi-million dollar house on Whidbey Island, Washington State, up for sale, and they both want to move to Seattle. At the age of 69, she wants to take a short break from writing the books. Not for long, though, as she doesn’t want to give up on her favorite series just yet.

While you could read books as standalone, especially for the Inspector Lynley series, it is best to read the Elizabeth George books in order of reading.

Elizabeth George Awards and Nominations

Over the years, Elizabeth George has received and was nominated several times for her bestselling novels.

  • A Great Deliverance received the Agatha Award for Best First Novel in 1988
  • A Great Deliverance was nominated for the 1989 Edgar Award for Best First Novel
  • A Great Deliverance was nominated for the 1989 Macavity Award for Best Novel
  • A Great Deliverance received the Anthony Award for Best First Novel in 1989
  • Well-Schooled In Murder was nominated for the 1991 Macavity Award for Best Novel
  • Missing Joseph was nominated for the 1994 Macavity Award for Best Novel
  • Playing For The Ashes was nominated for the 1995 Macavity Award for Best Novel
  • A Suitable Vengeance was nominated for the 1992 Dilys Award for Best Book
  • The Edge of Nowhere was nominated for the 2012 Agatha Award for Best Children/Young Adult Fiction
  • The Edge of Nowhere was nominated for the 2013 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel

Authors Similar to Elizabeth George

10 Comments

  1. Widbey island series. Frustrating conclusion. What happens to Becca. Where is her mother

  2. Am waiting for “Something to Hide” When, when, when is the publication date???

  3. I am on my 3rd reading of the Inspector Lynley series. Elizabeth George
    is one of my favorite writers and the setting in Great Britain and her
    writing style leaves one thinking that she is a native of England. May
    she never quit writing.

  4. Hopefully you are working on Inspector Lynsey
    Book 21??
    I’ve loved 1-20’

  5. I’ve experienced all 20 novels, either by reading hardcover or seeing the several movies. I finished the last book in 2018 and am awaiting the next installment of Inspector Lynley mysteries. I would recommend to any serious mystery reader.

  6. I do become attached to some of the characters in her stories. Do any of her books investigate the death of Helen Lynley? I read the prequel “What came before he shot her” and feel there is more to write about Joel. Same thing with the book “Deception on his mind”. The book ended before I was ready to say goodbye to the characters.

  7. Read and reread over the years. Still moved by the often bittersweet plots and the relationship between Thomas and Barbara. Thanks so much.

  8. I just happened to pick up, A Great Deliverance, in a used book store. From then on I was hooked. Loved the characters interplay. I have gotten others hooked on your books as well. Anxiously waiting for your next book. You are a stellar writer.

  9. I just love the Elizabeth George books, most especially the Inspector Lynley series. I can rarely put them down and they have me on the edge of my seat.
    I live in Australia and cannot wait for the next book. Thank you Elizabeth – you are a sensational writer.

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