The later books definitely focus more on Barbara Havers, which I'm totally here for. If you find yourself loving her, publication order means you get more and more of her perspective as the series goes on, which feels rewarding.
2026-07-26 07:04:29
20
BlueReads
Expert
Driver
The TV adaptation with Nathaniel Parker is great, but it really mixes up the book order and combines plots. Don't use the episode guide as a reading order—it'll spoil reveals from much later novels.
2026-07-26 19:40:59
5
NoahLane
Story Interpreter
Student
I love the little recurring side characters, like Winston Nkata. Seeing him grow from a young constable to a trusted colleague is a small joy you'd miss if you read out of order. George really builds a whole world around New Scotland Yard.
2026-07-27 14:34:22
20
RyanHall
Expert
Accountant
My hot take: Skip 'A Great Deliverance' if the subject matter is a trigger (it's pretty grim). Start with 'Payment in Blood' or 'Well-Schooled in Murder'. You can always go back to the first one later. A series shouldn't feel like homework.
2026-07-28 04:27:31
8
KindRay
Helpful Reader
Accountant
I find the later books, from 'What Came Before He Shot Her' onward, are much more experimental in structure. 'What Came Before' is told almost entirely from a child's perspective. Reading in order, you see George getting more ambitious, which is cool.
2026-07-28 10:56:27
5
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Lots of people are asking so here it is:
Branston high series order - Jake, Nathan, Shane, Luke, Billy.
Thank you so much for reading xxx
~~~~~~~
When his dad cheats on his mum and brings in the mistress to play happy families, Billy vows to get back at him somehow, he just has to find the right angle.
When his new stepmum warns him to stay away from his pretty new stepsister, she unknowingly gives him the perfect revenge plot.
Will be be able to convince the sweet and innocent Elsie to get back at his dad and stepmother? Or will he fall for her in the process and ruin everything?
Lots of people are asking so here it is:
Branston high series order - Jake, Nathan, Shane, Luke, Billy.
Thank you so much for reading xxx
~~~~~
Nathan and Leanna were childhood friends until they weren't. Now, they hate one another but no one knows why.
They say there's a thin line between love and hate, but do these two frenemies truly hate one another and will they have a happy ending or is there someone else trying to get in the way?
Lots of people are asking so here it is:
Branston high series order - Jake, Nathan, Shane, Luke, Billy.
Thank you so much for reading xxx
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Luke doesn't do relationships, he enjoys a long line of willing women and has no desire to change that.
One day the new girl at school asks him to teach her how to kiss. No relationship, no strings, a simple student/teacher relationship or is it?
Jenny has a secret, one that she hasn't told a single person: she's not single, but her boyfriend has a strict family that doesn't allow relationships.
After months of guarding it closely and playing the part of the happy singleton, one night is all it takes for that secret to come out.
For reasons she doesn't understand, she spills everything to a stranger she never thought she'd see again, but he's got other ideas.
Will her love be strong enough to withstand lies, betrayal and a jealous, possessive guy she desperately wants to forget?
Meet Esmerelda Sleuth. Sleuth is her name and investigating is her game. (Paranormal Investigating, that is.)
Esmerelda makes a good living as an investigator in a rather progressive firm. She lives a stable and sensible life until she meets Lance; an old money "hottie" who works for a real estate firm next to her building. After accepting an invitation for a weekend getaway party, she quickly discovers that Lance has a secret. He is wealthy. That part is true. And, yes, he's procured a job as a realtor in the building next door. His secret is that he belongs to an underground society of humans who didn't abandon their connection to magic centuries ago when religion declared it evil and he has traveled through time specifically to find her and bring her back to his time to marry him. If that isn't enough of a far fetched tale to absorb, he informs her that she was born in his time to a family belonging to that same secret society and was promised in marriage to him as an infant. When enemies who didn't want to see the union of families take place made attempts on her life, her parents sent her into the future and erased her memories of them as a precaution.
Possessing virtually no belief in magic, ghosts, psychics, time travel, etc., it takes some doing on Lance's part to convince her to believe his story and go back with him. When she does, the lies, deceit and attempts on her life start all over again. Will she escape emotionally and physically unscathed?
"The Other Side Of the Mirror" is a steamy-paranormal-romance- mystery-thriller and book one of the Esmerelda Sleuth series.
Look, if you're in it for the mysteries themselves, most are standalone. You could pick based on the setting—'Playing for the Ashes' for the cricket world, 'Missing Joseph' for the village poisoner trope. But you'll miss a lot of the office politics and personal subtext.
For a practical guide, Wikipedia's page for Elizabeth George has a bibliography table with publication years. That's your foolproof list. I have it bookmarked. It's straightforward: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, and so on. Cross-reference that with your preferred bookstore or library catalog.
A lot of the ebook versions now have series numbering right on the cover or in the description, which helps. Just avoid the temptation to look up synopses of later books, as they're almost guaranteed to spoil major character events from earlier entries. Going in blind, in order, is the purest experience.
Libraries often have 'A Great Deliverance' in multiple copies because it's the first. If it's checked out, don't jump ahead. Wait for it. The introduction of Lynley and Havers is iconic, and you'll miss the foundation of their dynamic. I made that mistake with another series once and never really connected with the characters because I started in the middle. With Lynley, that initial clash of personalities—the polished earl vs. the disheveled detective—sets the tone for everything that follows. It's worth the wait on the hold list.
If you're an ebook reader, just search 'Inspector Lynley series in order' and you'll find countless blogs with the list. Book Riot probably has one. Use that as your guide. I keep a note on my phone with the list so when I finish one, I know exactly which one to download next.
It removes all the 'what's next?' anxiety and lets me focus on the story. With a series this long, that's a gift.
Audiobook listener here. The narration by Donada Peters is phenomenal across the entire series. Listening in order lets you appreciate her consistency with voices over decades. The BBC radio dramatizations are a different beast, but fun after you've read the books.
I love looking at the map in the front of the later books that shows all the villages and towns in the fictional 'Keldara Valley' that George created. That sense of a persistent world only builds if you read sequentially.
From a collector's standpoint, 'A Great Deliverance' is the first. It's also one of the most awarded, winning the Anthony and Agatha awards for best first novel. That should tell you something about its quality as an entry point. It announced Elizabeth George as a major force in the genre. The writing is confident and immersive from the get-go.