Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon

If you are new to the worlds of Elizabeth Linington, the absolute best starting point is Case Pending (1960), published under her most famous pseudonym, Dell Shannon. This book introduces Lieutenant Luis Mendoza of the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division and marks the birth of the modern police procedural. It set the blueprint for her style: multiple active cases unfolding simultaneously, a realistic depiction of police work, and a focus on the personal lives of the detectives.

For those interested in her other series, you can begin with the first books of her alternate investigator series: A Case for Appeal (1961) for the Jesse Falkenstein legal/sleuth series, The Borrowed Alibi (1962) for the Vic Varallo series, or Greenmask! (1964) for the Sergeant Ivor Maddox series. Each offers a slightly different lens on crime-solving in Southern California.

Understanding the Pen Names and Series Mapping

Linington was incredibly prolific, writing up to four books a year. To keep her publishers happy and separate her characters, she divided her crime-solving universe across four distinct pen names. Knowing who is who makes navigating her bibliography much easier:

• Dell Shannon: Used exclusively for the Lieutenant Luis Mendoza series, her most successful and longest-running procedural.
• Lesley Egan: Used for two series—the Glendale-based detective Vic Varallo and the sharp LA attorney Jesse Falkenstein.
• Elizabeth Linington: Her real name, used for the Sergeant Ivor Maddox series set in Hollywood.
• Anne Blaisdell: Reserved primarily for standalone suspense novels, most notably the gothic thriller Nightmare.

Do the Series Cross Over?

While Mendoza, Varallo, Falkenstein, and Maddox inhabit their own titles, they all live in the same sprawling, sun-drenched, and grit-stained Southern California. There is no massive ensemble book where all four team up, but there are shared connections. The most prominent example is in A Case for Appeal (1961), where Glendale policeman Vic Varallo calls upon LA defense attorney Jesse Falkenstein to help clear an innocent woman's name. Reading the books in publication order allows you to appreciate these small details and watch Linington's fictionalized Los Angeles expand over the decades.

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

Fortunately, you do not need to worry about complex chronological timelines or prequels. In all of Linington's series, the chronological timeline matches the publication order exactly. You should read the books in the order they were published because the characters age, get promoted, marry, have children, and face life changes in real-time. Skipping around will spoil major character milestones, particularly in the Luis Mendoza series where Mendoza's transition from a dapper bachelor to a family man with twins and a pack of beloved pets is a central charm of the series.

Lieutenant Luis Mendoza Books (As Dell Shannon)

Lieutenant Luis Mendoza is a wealthy, dapper Mexican-American LAPD detective who relies on sharp intuition, a dedicated team, and a touch of luck to solve the endless stream of crimes in Los Angeles. Below is the complete publication order for his cases:

1. Case Pending (1960)
2. The Ace Of Spades (1961)
3. Knave of Hearts (1962)
4. Extra Kill (1962)
5. Death Of A Busybody (1963)
6. Double Bluff (1963)
7. Mark of Murder (1964)
8. Root Of All Evil (1964)
9. The Death-Bringers (1965)
10. Death by Inches (1965)
11. With a Vengeance (1966)
12. Chance to Kill (1966)
13. Coffin Corner (1966)
14. Rain with Violence (1967)
15. Kill with Kindness (1968)
16. Crime on Their Hands (1969)
17. Schooled To Kill (1969)
18. Unexpected Death (1970)
19. Whim to Kill (1971)
20. The Ringer (1972)
21. Murder With Love (1972)
22. With Intent to Kill (1973)
23. No Holiday for Crime (1973)
24. Spring Of Violence (1973)
25. Crime File (1974)
26. Deuces Wild (1974)
27. Streets of Death (1976)
28. Appearances of Death (1977)
29. Cold Trail (1978)
30. Felony At Random (1979)
31. Felony File (1980)
32. Murder Most Strange (1981)
33. The Motive On Record (1982)
34. Exploit of Death (1983)
35. Destiny of Death (1984)
36. Chaos of Crime (1985)
37. Blood Count (1986)

Jesse Falkenstein Books (As Lesley Egan)

Jesse Falkenstein is a Jewish lawyer based in Los Angeles who frequently works alongside police investigators to clear his clients. This series leans slightly more toward traditional detective work and legal sleuthing compared to the raw police procedurals:

1. A Case for Appeal (1961)
2. Against the Evidence (1962)
3. My Name Is Death (1964)
4. Some Avenger, Rise! (1966)
5. A serious investigation, (1968)
6. In the Death of a Man (1970)
7. Paper Chase (1971)
8. The Blind Search (1977)
9. Look Back On Death (1978)
10. Motive in Shadow (1980)
11. The Miser (1981)
12. Little Boy Lost (1983)
13. The Wine of Life (1985)

Vic Varallo Mystery Books (As Lesley Egan)

Vic Varallo is an Italian-American detective who starts his career in a small town before moving to the Glendale Police Department. His books focus heavily on the day-to-day grind of a suburban police force:

1. The Borrowed Alibi (1962)
2. Run to Evil (1963)
3. Detective's Due (1965)
4. The Nameless Ones (1967)
5. The Wine of Violence (1969)
6. Malicious Mischief (1971)
7. Scenes Of Crime (1976)
8. A Dream Apart (1978)
9. The Hunters and the Hunted (1979)
10. A Choice of Crimes (1980)
11. Random Death (1982)
12. Crime for Christmas (1983)
13. Chain of Violence (1986)

Sergeant Ivor Maddox Books (As Elizabeth Linington)

Published under her real name, this series follows Sergeant Ivor Maddox of the Wilcox Avenue LAPD precinct in Hollywood. Interestingly, the final two novels in this sequence were published under the Dell Shannon name rather than Linington:

1. Greenmask! (1964)
2. No Evil Angel (1964)
3. Date With Death (1966)
4. Something Wrong (1968)
5. Policeman's Lot (1968)
6. Practice to deceive (1971)
7. Crime by Chance (1974)
8. Perchance of Death (1977)
9. No Villain Need Be (1979)
10. Consequence of Crime (1980)
11. Skeletons in the Closet (1982)
12. Felony Report (1984) (Published as Dell Shannon)
13. Strange Felony (1986) (Published as Dell Shannon)

Standalone Novels & Anthologies

Linington also penned several standalone crime thrillers and historical works. While they don't feature her famous recurring detectives, they capture the same suspenseful atmosphere:

• Nightmare (1962) (Published as Anne Blaisdell)
• Tales of Unease (1966) (Anthology)
• The Scalpel and the Sword (1987) (Published as Dell Shannon)
• Alter ego (1988)
• The Dispossessed (1988) (Published as Dell Shannon)
• The Manson Curse (1990) (Published as Dell Shannon)
• Sorrow to the Grave (1992) (Published as Dell Shannon)

What to Know Before You Start

When diving into Elizabeth Linington's bibliography, keep in mind that she wrote during a specific era of American history. Her stories capture both the classic charm and the growing pains of mid-to-late 20th-century Southern California. Because she wove her own conservative social viewpoints and interest in law and order into the text, readers get a very distinct, time-capsule view of Los Angeles. Her technique of showcasing multiple unrelated investigations running parallel was revolutionary for its time and gave readers a true sense of the chaotic, never-ending workflow of a real metropolitan police detective.