The Lord Peter Wimsey Series Books in Order
Agatha Christie may be the Queen of Crime, but there are a few other writers who certainly have a place in her court. One of those writers is Dorothy L. Sayers. While she never achieved the same level of fame as Agatha Christie, she was widely read and respected in her time, and her character Lord Peter Wimsey remains one of the most famous in detective literature.
A new book, The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women by Mo Moulton, relays the time Sayers spent at Oxford championing women’s rights. It’s a fascinating read and a great look at the mind that launched Lord Wimsey not long after. If you have always wondered about Dorothy L. Sayers and her work, I highly recommend reading this history before diving into the series.
Whether you take my advice or not, the series is a delight and speaks for itself. Here are the Lord Peter Wimsey series books in order, for new readers or longtime fans looking to brush up.
Lord Peter Wimsey gets drawn into his most unusual case when he investigates the death of a bather found in a suburban architect’s bathroom.
While traveling through Paris, Lord Wimsey is shocked to learn his brother Gerald has been arrested for murder. He rushes home to help clear his brother's name.
Elderly Agatha Dawson is ill and certainly coming to the end of her life, but when she is found dead after having been given six more months to live, Lord Wimsey suspects foul play.
When old General Fentiman, a hero of the Crimean War, and his sister die on the same day, it throws their rich estate into turmoil. But was there something sinister behind the coincidental sibling deaths?
Lord Peter Wimsey rushes to prove the innocence of the lovely Harriet Vane, who stands trial for poisoning her fiancé, after he begins to suspect she's innocent.
While vacationing in Scotland, Lord Peter Wimsey looks into the death of a widely hated local painter, who is found dead at the bottom of a cliff.
Now that her name has been cleared, Harriet Vane takes a vacation. But she can't seem to get away from murder and ends up asking the man who saves her from the gallows, Lord Peter Wimsey, to join her in investigating a crime.
Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover at an ad agency to discover who pushed a man down a flight of stairs.
After finding themselves stranded by a car accident, Lord Peter Wimsey and his manservant Bunter wind up in the middle of murder once again after seeking shelter in a nearby church.
Harriet Vane calls on Lord Peter Wimsey to help her uncover the author of nasty letters being sent to her at her reunion at Oxford’s Shrewsbury College.
Finally married, Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane have their honeymoon interrupted by - what else? - murder, when they find the corpse of a murdered caretaker.
Newlyweds Lord Peter Winsey and Harriet Vane return home from their honeymoon and enter right into another mystery: the murder of a wealthy Londoner.
While Lord Peter is abroad on secret business for the Foreign Office, his wife, Harriet Vane, takes their children to safety in the country. But she soon discovers murder happens everywhere in the world when a body is found in a small town.
Many years ago, Lord Peter Wimsey made his name by recovering the stolen Attenbury Emeralds. Now years later, the grandson of Lord Peter's first client seeks out his help in proving who actually owns the gems.
Lord Peter Wimsey travels to settle a dispute among the Fellows of St. Severin's College at Oxford University. At first, he thinks it's a squabble, but when one man disappears and the Fellows start to die, Lord Peter and Lady Harriet rush to catch a sinister killer.
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Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor, co-host of All the Books, a Book of the Month judge, and above all else, a ravenous reader. She resides in Maine with her cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon. You can see pictures of her cats and book hauls on Twitter @MissLiberty and Instagram @franzencomesalive.