The Recommended Reading Order for Elsie and Ethelred
L.C. Tyler’s Elsie and Ethelred series—frequently referred to by fans as the Herring Mysteries—is a brilliant blend of cozy mystery, sharp British wit, and affectionate parodies of classic detective fiction. The series centers on the delightfully mismatched duo of Ethelred Tressider, a hapless, blocking mid-list crime novelist, and Elsie Thirkettle, his pushy, sharp-tongued, and chocolate-obsessed literary agent. Together, they bungle their way through real-life murders that often mirror the very tropes Ethelred struggles to write.
Because the character development, the evolving dynamic between the two protagonists, and the ongoing jokes about the publishing industry build directly from one book to the next, reading the series in publication order is highly recommended. While each murder mystery is self-contained and resolves by the final page, starting from the beginning ensures you fully appreciate the shifting fortunes of Ethelred's writing career and the gradual warming of his partnership with the relentless Elsie.
Elsie and Ethelred Books in Publication and Chronological Order
Since the chronological events of the series match their release dates perfectly, this list serves as both the publication order and the timeline sequence. Below is a breakdown of all nine novels in the series, including their key themes and the classic mystery tropes they playfully subvert:
1. The Herring Seller's Apprentice (2007)
The novel that introduced the reading world to Ethelred and Elsie. Ethelred's ex-wife, Geraldine, has gone missing in the Sussex countryside, and the police are beginning to look closely at him. Elsie, smelling a potential best-selling true-crime angle (and eager to get her hands on some commission), browbeats her reluctant client into investigating. This book establishes the signature alternating-perspective style, switching between Ethelred’s dry, weary narrative and Elsie’s blunt, sarcastic commentary.
2. Ten Little Herrings (2009)
Taking its cues from Agatha Christie's masterpiece And Then There Were None, the second book transports the duo to a remote hotel in France. When a guest—who happens to be a wealthy philatelist—is murdered, Ethelred and Elsie find themselves trapped with a limited roster of suspects. The story ramps up the classic closed-circle tension while keeping the comedy and Elsie's insatiable chocolate cravings front and center.
3. The Herring in the Library (2010)
This installment won the prestigious Goldsboro Last Laugh Award for best humorous crime novel. The plot is a direct, hilarious send-up of the traditional Golden Age "body in the library" trope. During a dinner party at a grand English manor house, the host is found strangled in his locked study. Ethelred is forced to put his theoretical knowledge of locked-room mysteries to the test, even as Elsie does her best to undermine his detective credentials.
4. Herring on the Nile (2011)
As the title suggests, this book takes Ethelred and Elsie to Egypt for a holiday that quickly turns murderous, echoing Christie’s Death on the Nile. A cruise down the historic river becomes the backdrop for deception, eccentric tourists, and a crime that Ethelred feels uniquely unqualified to solve, forcing Elsie to do the heavy lifting to ensure they return home in one piece.
5. Crooked Herring (2014)
Another winner of the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award, this novel takes a satirical jab at the modern publishing industry and the digital age. A fellow crime writer, Henry Holiday, fears he might have committed a murder during a drunken blackout on New Year's Eve. Hoping to secure a favorable book review from Henry, Ethelred agrees to look into the case. The investigation leads our duo into a bizarre web of literary rivalries, fake online personas, and toxic review platforms.
6. Cat Among the Herrings (2016)
Ethelred attempts to settle down in the peaceful Sussex coastal village of West Wittering, but trouble follows him. When a local sailor dies in what the police call an accident, the man’s fiancée insists it was murder. Ethelred is pulled into the fray, and the investigation soon weaves together a modern-day crime with historical secrets dating back to the nineteenth century.
7. Herring in the Smoke (2017)
Ethelred is hired to write the biography of Roger Norton Vane, a legendary and highly disagreeable crime writer who vanished in the Thai jungle twenty years ago. The project takes a shocking turn when Vane suddenly appears at his own memorial service to claim his back-royalties. Ethelred and Elsie must dive into the writer's murky past to determine if this man is a clever imposter or the genuine article.
8. The Maltese Herring (2019)
Taking its inspiration from classic hardboiled noir, this novel centers on a treasure hunt. Dr. Hilary Joyner, an academic, arrives at Ethelred's home to search for a pair of legendary local golden statues. When Joyner is found dead, Ethelred and Elsie must decode the local folklore and locate the treasure before a ruthless killer catches up with them.
9. Farewell My Herring (2021)
The ninth novel is a classic winter country house mystery. Ethelred and Elsie travel to the isolated Fell Hall (also referred to as Mistletoe Manor in some promotional summaries) to teach a creative writing course. When a heavy snowstorm cuts off all communications and traps the party, a murder occurs. With no phone reception and the body count threatening to rise, the duo must solve the case from inside the frozen estate.
Are There Any Spin-offs, Side Stories, or Co-authored Books?
Unlike many long-running mystery series, the Elsie and Ethelred series is remarkably streamlined. There are no standalone short stories, companion novellas, or holiday-themed spin-offs featuring these characters. L.C. Tyler has written various short stories for Crime Writers' Association (CWA) anthologies and even won the CWA Short Story Dagger in 2017 for "The Trials of Margaret," but none of these short works cross over with the Herring universe.
Furthermore, while Tyler was a contributor to the Detection Club's collaborative novel The Sinking Admiral (2016), his chapter was a standalone contribution to a shared plot and did not feature Ethelred or Elsie. If you are looking for more of Tyler's historical mysteries, his ten-book John Grey historical series set during the English Civil War offers a similarly detailed, though somewhat more serious, mystery experience.
What to Know Before You Start: The Humor and Meta-Mystery Tone
Before diving into the first book, it helps to understand that the series is designed as much as a comedy about writing mysteries as it is about the mysteries themselves. Tyler frequently uses the characters to break the fourth wall of the genre. Ethelred will regularly complain about how difficult it is to write plausible plots, while Elsie acts as the cynical voice of the consumer, demanding more sensationalism, fewer subplots, and more marketable hooks.
Additionally, the recurring use of "Herring" in every title is a playful nod to the "red herrings" (false clues) that define detective fiction. If you enjoy cozy settings but want a series that doesn't take itself too seriously and actively pokes fun at the publishing industry, this is the perfect starting point.