Books On Board
series Reading Order

Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery Books in Order

37 Books
2014 – 2020 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 Sherlock and Lucy

For readers diving into the gaslit adventures of the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery series, there are two ideal entry points. The official recommendation from authors Charles Veley and Anna Elliott is to begin with either the prequel novella, The Crown Jewel Mystery, or the first full-length novel, The Last Moriarty.

Starting with The Crown Jewel Mystery (Book 0.5) gives you an immediate look at Lucy's bravery and intelligence during a bank heist before she officially meets her famous father. Starting with The Last Moriarty (Book 1) launches you straight into the primary narrative arc, where Lucy, a spirited American actress, seeks Holmes's help on a case, setting off a chain of events that reveals their familial connection and builds their crime-fighting partnership.

Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Chronological Reading Order

If you want to experience the narrative timeline as it unfolds, follow the chronological order. This sequence integrates the primary novels with the numerous decimal-numbered novellas and short stories that fill in the gaps between major cases. Many of the shorter works introduce key recurring characters or holiday adventures.

  1. The Crown Jewel Mystery (Book 0.5) (2017)
  2. The Last Moriarty (Book 1) (2014)
  3. The Wilhelm Conspiracy (Book 2) (2016)
  4. Remember, Remember (Book 3) (2017)
  5. The Jubilee Problem (Book 4) (2017)
  6. Death at the Diogenes Club (Book 5) (2017)
  7. The Return of the Ripper (Book 6) (2019)
  8. Die Again, Mr. Holmes (Book 7) (2019)
  9. Flynn's Christmas (Book 7.1) (2018)
  10. The Clown on the High Wire (Book 7.2) (2019)
  11. The Cobra in the Monkey Cage (Book 7.3) (2019)
  12. A Fancy-Dress Death (Book 7.4) (2019)
  13. The Sons of Helios (Book 7.5) (2019)
  14. The Vanishing Medium (Book 7.6) (2019)
  15. Christmas at Baskerville Hall (Book 7.7) (2019)
  16. Watson on the Orient Express (Book 8) (2020)
  17. Kidnapped at the Tower (Book 8.1) (2020)
  18. Five Pink Ladies (Book 8.2) (2020)
  19. The Solitary Witness (Book 8.3) (2020)
  20. The Body in the Bookseller's (Book 8.4) (2020)
  21. The Curse of Cleopatra's Needle (Book 8.5) (2020)
  22. The Coded Blue Envelope (Book 8.6) (2020)
  23. Christmas on the Nile (Book 8.7) (2020)
  24. The Missing Mariner (Book 8.8) (2021)
  25. Powder Island (Book 8.9) (2021)
  26. Murder at the Royal Observatory (Book 9) (2021)
  27. The Bloomsbury Guru (Book 9.1) (2021)
  28. Holmes takes a Holiday (Book 9.2) (2021)
  29. Holmes Picks a Winner (Book 9.3) (2021)
  30. Galahad's Castle (Book 10) (2022)
  31. The Loch Ness Horror (Book 11) (2022)
  32. The Adair Murders (Book 12) (2023)
  33. The Cornwall Mermaid (Book 13) (2023)
  34. Miss Nightingale's Gala (Book 14) (2024)
  35. The Affair of the Coronation Ball (Book 15) (2024)
  36. The Adventure of the Time Machine (Book 16) (2024)

Note: The Collected Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Short Stories (published in 2020) compiles several of the standalone shorter mysteries, making it an easy way to catch up on the duo's brief side cases.

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

For the most part, the chronological timeline aligned closely with publication dates, with a few notable exceptions. Novellas like The Crown Jewel Mystery (published in 2017) and Flynn's Christmas (published in 2018) were released out of order to flesh out the backstories of Lucy and her allies. Reading by publication order is perfectly fine, but reading chronologically helps keep the evolution of Lucy's detective agency and her relationship with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson entirely seamless.

What to Know Before You Start

The series is a collaborative effort by father-and-daughter writing duo Charles Veley and Anna Elliott. Veley wrote the first two installments solo. Recognizing the opportunity to expand the series with a strong, authentic female perspective, his daughter Anna, a historical fiction author, joined him starting with the third book, Remember, Remember. Together, they alternate narration duties, often writing from the perspectives of Lucy James and Dr. John Watson.

Readers should expect a clean, family-friendly tone that avoids graphic violence and explicit content, while still delivering fast-paced conspiracies, historical cameos, and clever homages to Arthur Conan Doyle's original canon.

Spin-offs and Connected Universes

As the series progressed, characters introduced in the decimal novellas grew popular enough to lead their own adventures. Most notably, Flynn (introduced in Flynn's Christmas) stars alongside Becky in the authors' connected Becky & Flynn Series, which shifts the setting forward to the World War I era. While you do not need to read the spin-off to follow the main series, reading the main series first will provide essential background on how Flynn met the Holmes family.

Frequently Asked

QWho is Lucy James in the Sherlock Holmes universe?

Lucy James is a fiercely independent, 21-year-old American actress who discovers she is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes. She possesses her father's analytical mind and teams up with him to solve mysteries in 1890s London.

QCan I skip the decimal-numbered novellas?

Yes. While the decimal novellas (like 7.1 or 8.2) add fun side mysteries, holiday adventures, and character development, they are not strictly necessary to understand the plots of the main numbered novels.

QWho actually writes the Sherlock and Lucy books?

The series is co-authored by father-daughter team Charles Veley and Anna Elliott. Veley started the series with the first two books, and Elliott joined from the third book onward to bring a modern, feminist voice to the characters.

QIs the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James series clean?

Yes. The authors deliberately keep the series family-friendly and clean, featuring complex puzzles and historical details without graphic violence or explicit content.

QHow does the Becky & Flynn spin-off connect to this series?

Flynn is a character first introduced in the novella Flynn's Christmas (Book 7.1). He later stars in his own World War I-era mystery spin-off series, the Becky & Flynn Series, also written by Veley and Elliott.

QWhat is the best book to start with?

The best starting point is either the prequel novella The Crown Jewel Mystery (Book 0.5) to see Lucy's first solo case, or the first full novel The Last Moriarty (Book 1) to see how Lucy and Sherlock first meet.