Books On Board
series Reading Order

Charles Paris Books in Order

20 Books
1975 – 2018 Published
Jump to reading order
Affiliate links: We may earn a commission on purchases made at no extra cost to you.
Reading order

Where to Start with Charles Paris

The best place to start is right at the beginning with the first novel, Cast, in Order of Disappearance (1975). This book introduces Charles's chaotic lifestyle, his estranged but supportive wife Frances, his cheap agent Maurice, and his reliance on Bell's whisky. While each mystery is self-contained and can be read as a standalone, reading the series in order lets you appreciate the recurring jokes, Charles’s slowly evolving relationships, and the shifting landscape of the British entertainment industry from the 1970s through the 2010s.

Charles Paris Books in Publication Order

The series consists of exactly 20 novels. Because the books follow Charles's career and personal life linearly, publication order is also the chronological order. Here is the complete list of books:

  1. Cast, in Order of Disappearance (1975)
  2. So Much Blood (1976)
  3. Star Trap (1977)
  4. An Amateur Corpse (1978)
  5. A Comedian Dies (1979)
  6. The Dead Side of the Mike (1980)
  7. Situation Tragedy (1981)
  8. Murder Unprompted (1982)
  9. Murder in the Title (1983)
  10. Not Dead, Only Resting (1984)
  11. Dead Giveaway (1985)
  12. What Bloody Man Is That? (1987)
  13. A Series of Murders (1989)
  14. Corporate Bodies (1991)
  15. A Reconstructed Corpse (1993)
  16. Sicken and So Die (1995/1996)
  17. Dead Room Farce (1997/1998)
  18. A Decent Interval (2013)
  19. The Cinderella Killer (2014)
  20. A Deadly Habit (2018)

Chronological Caveats and the 15-Year Hiatus

For the first 17 novels, Simon Brett released a new Charles Paris adventure almost every year. However, following Dead Room Farce, the series went on a 15-year hiatus before returning with A Decent Interval in 2013. When the series returned, Charles had not aged in real-time, maintaining his classic mid-to-late-fifties age range, but the world around him had modernized to include reality television, mobile phones, and contemporary theatrical trends.

The Beloved BBC Radio Adaptations

You cannot talk about Charles Paris without mentioning the BBC Radio 4 adaptations. Dramatized by Jeremy Front, these radio plays star Bill Nighy as the definitive voice of Charles Paris, alongside Suzanne Burden as Frances. They are highly faithful to the books while emphasizing the comedic, satirical elements of Brett's writing. An earlier 1980s radio adaptation featured Francis Matthews in the titular role. For many fans, the radio dramas are just as essential—and sometimes even preferred—over the novels themselves.

Frequently Asked

QDo I need to read the Charles Paris books in order?

While the murder mysteries in each book are self-contained, it is highly recommended to read them in publication order. This allows you to follow the development of Charles's relationship with his estranged wife Frances and his ongoing struggle with his acting career.

QWhat is the first Charles Paris book?

The first book in the series is Cast, in Order of Disappearance, published in 1975.

QHow many books are in the Charles Paris series?

There are exactly 20 novels in the series, starting with Cast, in Order of Disappearance (1975) and ending with A Deadly Habit (2018).

QAre there any Charles Paris spin-offs or co-authored books?

No. Simon Brett wrote all 20 books individually, and there are no spin-offs. However, the series has been extensively adapted into popular BBC Radio dramas.

QWho plays Charles Paris in the radio adaptations?

The character is famously voiced by Bill Nighy in the modern BBC Radio 4 dramatizations. In the original 1980s radio adaptations, he was voiced by Francis Matthews.

QWhy is there a 15-year gap in the publication dates?

Simon Brett took a break from the character after Dead Room Farce in the late 1990s to focus on other series, such as the Fethering Mysteries. He revived Charles Paris in 2013 with A Decent Interval due to the massive success of the Bill Nighy radio adaptations.