Charles Veley Books in Order

How to Read the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries

If you are diving into the gaslit streets of Victorian London with Charles Veley and Anna Elliott's popular series, you have two primary paths to choose from. The series follows Sherlock Holmes alongside his headstrong and brilliant daughter, Lucy James. Because character relationships and overarching subplots develop significantly across the books, reading them in sequence is highly recommended.

Option 1: The Chronological Reading Order (Recommended)

For the smoothest narrative flow, start with the prequel novella, which takes place just three days before the events of the first full-length novel. This path allows you to see Lucy and Holmes's very first interactions in chronological sequence.

1. The Crown Jewel Mystery (Prequel Novella)
2. The Last Moriarty (First Novel)
3. The Wilhelm Conspiracy
4. Remember, Remember
5. ...and follow the rest of the publication order list below.

Option 2: The Publication Order

If you prefer to read the series exactly as it was released to the public, you should start with the debut novel. In this path, you will read the prequel novella, The Crown Jewel Mystery, as a flashback after the first three novels.

1. The Last Moriarty
2. The Wilhelm Conspiracy
3. Remember, Remember
4. The Crown Jewel Mystery
5. The Jubilee Problem
6. ...and follow the remaining books in order.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Series List

Here is the complete sequence of the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery books, based on their official publication order. This list includes full-length novels, seasonal novellas, and short story collections:

• The Last Moriarty (2014) – The novel that introduces actress Lucy James and starts the series.
• The Wilhelm Conspiracy (2016) – Holmes and Lucy team up to stop a pre-war international crisis.
• Remember, Remember (2017) – The first book in the series officially co-authored with Anna Elliott.
• The Crown Jewel Mystery (2017) – The prequel novella set three days before The Last Moriarty.
• The Jubilee Problem (2017)
• Death at the Diogenes Club (2017)
• Flynn's Christmas (2018) – A holiday-themed novella.
• Die Again, Mr. Holmes (2019)
• The Return of the Ripper (2019)
• The Clown on the High Wire (2019)
• The Cobra in the Monkey Cage (2019)
• A Fancy-Dress Death (2019)
• The Sons of Helios (2019)
• The Vanishing Medium (2019)
• Christmas at Baskerville Hall (2019) – A festive spin-off mystery.
• The Collected Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Short Stories (2020) – A compilation of shorter tales.
• Watson on the Orient Express (2020)
• Kidnapped at the Tower (2020)
• Five Pink Ladies (2020)
• The Solitary Witness (2020)
• The Body in the Bookseller's (2020)
• The Curse of Cleopatra's Needle (2020)
• The Coded Blue Envelope (2020)
• Christmas on the Nile (2020)
• The Missing Mariner (2021)
• Powder Island (2021)
• Murder at the Royal Observatory (2021)
• The Bloomsbury Guru (2021)
• Holmes takes a Holiday (2021)
• Holmes Picks a Winner (2021)
• Galahad's Castle (2022)
• The Loch Ness Horror (2022)
• The Adair Murders (2023)
• The Cornwall Mermaid (2023)
• Miss Nightingale's Gala (2024)
• The Affair of the Coronation Ball (2024)
• The Adventure of the Time Machine (2024)

What to Know Before You Start

The series is a family affair in more ways than one. Charles Veley originally created the series and wrote the first two novels solo, but was joined by his daughter, historical novelist Anna Elliott, starting with Remember, Remember in 2017. Their joint passion for the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories shines through in their detailed historical research and dedication to Watson's familiar narrative voice. The series is celebrated for maintaining a clean, wholesome, and family-friendly tone, making it suitable for readers of all ages who love a good traditional detective mystery.

Other Works by Charles Veley

Before finding success with his Sherlockian pastiches, Veley wrote in several other genres. Here are his other publications:

Twilight: Where Darkness Begins Series

In the early 1980s, Dell Publishing ran a multi-author YA horror and suspense series called Twilight: Where Darkness Begins. Veley contributed several titles to this classic series:

• Blink of the Mind (1982)
• Play to Live (1982)
• Blood Red Roses (1982)
• Dance of Death (1983)

Standalone Novels

Veley also wrote standalone suspense and mystery novels early in his career:

• Catching Up (1977)
• Children of the Dark (1979) – His well-received debut historical mystery.
• Night Whispers (1980)

Plays

• The Pirates of Finance: or, Love at First Sight (2016) – The published version of Veley's award-winning musical, which won honors at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2013.

Sherlockian Anthologies

Veley has contributed individual Sherlock Holmes short stories to the popular MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories collections, including:

• The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories - Part VII (2017)
• The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories - Part XIV: 2019 Annual (2019)
• The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Part XVII (2019)
• The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Part XX: 2020 Annual (2020)