Elly Griffiths Books in Order

Elly Griffiths is a British crime fiction author and USA Today bestseller, best known for the Ruth Galloway forensic archaeology series set in Norfolk. She also writes the Brighton Mysteries, the Harbinder Kaur books, the Justice Jones children’s mysteries, and the newer Ali Dawson series., and she also writes under the name Domenica de Rosa for her earlier women’s fiction. Her major crime-fiction honors include the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Crossing Places, the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the Edgar Award for Best Novel for The Stranger Diaries. In 2024 Elly Griffiths won Author of the Year at the Booksellers Association Conference Awards, followed by the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award in 2025.

This page lists all Elly Griffiths books in order, including the Ruth Galloway, Brighton Mysteries, Harbinder Kaur, Justice Jones, and Ali Dawson series, standalone novels, short story collections, anthologies, and books written under her real name, Domenica de Rosa.

Latest Elly Griffiths Books

More upcoming releases:

• The Case of the Christmas Card (Ali Dawson #3, October 2026)
• The Night Watchman (Ali Dawson #4, February 2027)

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How the Series Connect

Elly Griffiths’ four main series are independent, so you can start them in any order you choose. They do share some traits, like a strong sense of place, the literary atmosphere and the character-driven plots, but not the characters or storylines. The one exception is the short story Ruth Galloway and the Ghost of Max Mephisto, included in the collection The Man in Black: And Other Stories. It brings the main Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur and Max Mephisto together. It is a fun read for the fans of all series, but it’s entirely optional.

Ruth Galloway Series (Books in Order)

The Ruth Galloway series follows forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway, a lecturer at the University of North Norfolk, who is called in by DCI Harry Nelson when a case involves bones, old burial sites, or remains that may be much older than they first appear. Set around Norfolk’s salt marshes and coast, the books often begin with something from the past being dug up in the present. Each mystery has its own case, but Ruth, Nelson, Cathbad, Judy, Clough, and the rest of the regular team change a lot across the series. Best read in order, especially because Ruth and Nelson’s personal story runs from book to book.

For the full Ruth Galloway reading order, including short story order, see Ruth Galloway Books in Order.

1. The Crossing Places, 2009
2. The Janus Stone, 2010
3. The House at Sea’s End, 2010
4. A Room Full of Bones, 2011
5. Ruth’s First Christmas Tree, 2012 (short story)
6. A Dying Fall, 2012 (also titled The Tomb of the Raven King)
7. The Outcast Dead, 2014
8. The Ghost Fields, 2015
9. The Woman In Blue, 2016
10. The Chalk Pit, 2017
11. The Dark Angel, 2018
12. The Stone Circle, 2019
13. The Lantern Men, 2020
14. The Night Hawks, 2021
15. The Locked Room, 2022
16. The Last Remains, 2023

Brighton Mysteries Series (Books in Order)

The Brighton Mysteries, also known as the Stephens & Mephisto series, follow Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and his wartime friend Max Mephisto, a stage magician turned actor, as they deal with murders in postwar Brighton. The series has a different feel from Ruth Galloway as it has as background the theatre, magic, seaside entertainment, and the social changes of the 1950s.

Each case stands alone, but Stephens and Mephisto’s friendship develops across the books, so publication order gives the better read. No prior knowledge of Ruth Galloway is needed. The short story Ruth Galloway and the Ghost of Max Mephisto (included in the collection The Man in Black: And Other Stories) mentions all three main series (Ruth Galloway, Max Mephisto and Harbinder Kaur), but it is only a minor Easter egg and not an important part of either storyline.

1. The Zig Zag Girl, 2014
2. Smoke And Mirrors, 2016
3. The Blood Card, 2016
4. The Vanishing Box, 2017
5. Now You See Them, 2019
6. The Midnight Hour, 2021
7. The Great Deceiver, 2023

Harbinder Kaur Series (Books in Order)

The Harbinder Kaur series follows DS Harbinder Kaur, a British Indian detective in Sussex, working cases that often involve books, writers, schools, publishing, and literary communities, which gives the series a slight Gothic atmosphere. The first book, The Stranger Diaries, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2020, was originally intended to be a standalone. Even today, it can still be read on its own.

The series is looser than Ruth Galloway. Each book changes viewpoint and setting, with Harbinder being the detective that ties the books together. Reading in order is recommended, but The Stranger Diaries works very well as a standalone entry point.

1. The Stranger Diaries, 2018
2. The Postscript Murders, 2021
3. Bleeding Heart Yard, 2022
4. The Last Word, 2024

Justice Jones Series (Books in Order)

The Justice Jones series follow a sharp and determined schoolgirl sleuth, Justice Jones, as she solves mysteries at a boarding school in 1930s England. It is a children’s mystery series with classic Golden Age-style school setting, and the cases are written for young readers.

1. A Girl Called Justice, 2019
2. The Smugglers’ Secret, 2020
3. A Ghost in the Garden, 2021
4. The Spy at the Window, 2022

Ali Dawson Mysteries Series (Books in Order)

The Ali Dawson Mysteries are Elly Griffiths’ newest adult mystery series, launched in 2025 with The Frozen People. Ali Dawson leads a covert cold-case unit whose investigators travel back in time to gather evidence from historical crime scenes. The series feels different from the author’s other books, as they are more speculative and darker in tone, with a time-traveling element included as well. Best read from The Frozen People, since that book introduces Ali, the unit, and the rules of the time-travel setup.

1. The Frozen People, 2025
2. The Killing Time, 2026
3. The Case of the Christmas Card, 2026
4. The Night Watchman, 2027

Short Story Collections & Anthologies

• Killer Women Crime Club Anthology 2, 2017
• Exit Wounds, 2019
• Marple: Twelve New Mysteries, 2022 (with Val McDermid, and others)
• The Man in Black: And Other Stories, 2024

Written as Domenica de Rosa

• The Little Book of Shakespeare and Food, 2001
• The Italian Quarter, 2004 (also titled Return to the Italian Quarter)
• The Eternal City, 2005
• Villa Serena, 2007 (also titled Secret of Villa Serena)
• Summer School, 2008 (also titled One Summer in Tuscany)

Elly Griffiths Biography

Domenica de Rosa is a British author who writes crime fiction under the pen name Elly Griffiths, while also publishing earlier books under her real name.
Official website: ellygriffiths.co.uk

Domenica de Rosa was born in London on 17 August 1963. The name comes from her grandmother, Ellen Griffiths. Her publisher suggested changing Ellen to Elly as it sounded younger, and this was the pen name she used for her crime novels while she continued publishing family drama and romance novels under her real name.

After reading English at King’s College London, Elly Griffiths worked in publishing for several years, eventually becoming editorial director for children’s books at HarperCollins. She began writing publishable books while on maternity leave in 1998, when she wrote what became The Italian Quarter.

Her debut crime novel, The Crossing Places, was published in 2009 under the Elly Griffiths name. It was the first book in what became the Ruth Galloway series. It was originally conceived as a standalone novel, but readers wanted more, so she wrote a second book, which led to a series that now includes 15 novels. The character of Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist in the Norfolk marshes, is a mosaic created from several strong women in the author’s life, including her two older sisters and her aunt. The Crossing Places won the Mary Higgins Clark Award in 2011.

Her second series, the Brighton Mysteries (also known as Stephens & Mephisto series), began in 2014 with The Zig Zag Girl, set in 1950s Brighton. The Harbinder Kaur series followed in 2018 with The Stranger Diaries, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2020, one of crime fiction’s most prestigious honors. Her fourth series and currently her newest, the Ali Dawson Mysteries, launched in 2025 with The Frozen People, adding time-travel elements to her mysteries.

The Ruth Galloway series has a television adaptation in development with New Pictures, and the Harbinder Kaur series with CBS.

As Domenica de Rosa she has published four novels of family drama and Italian-set fiction, including The Italian Quarter (2004).

Elly Griffiths lives in Brighton with her husband and two children. She also teaches creative writing at West Dean College and the University of Cambridge.

Elly Griffiths Awards and Honors

Elly Griffiths has received numerous awards and nominations across her career, including major wins for both her crime fiction and her body of work as a whole. The section below lists her major highlights followed by the full record.

Major Awards and Honors

• The Crossing Places – Mary Higgins Clark Award (2011)
• CWA Dagger in the Library (2016)
• The Stranger Diaries – Edgar Award for Best Novel (2020)
• Author of the Year, Booksellers Association Conference Awards (2024)
• Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award (2025)

Awards (Full List)

Nominations and Shortlists

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