Elly Griffiths Books in Order

Where to Start with Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths (the pen name of Domenica de Rosa) has become one of the most beloved voices in modern British crime fiction. If you are new to her work, deciding where to start depends on what flavor of mystery you prefer. Here are the best entry points:

• For Forensic and Atmospheric Mysteries: Start with The Crossing Places (2009), the debut novel of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries. This is her most famous series, blending archaeology, history, and policing in the foggy Norfolk marshes.
• For Cozy Mid-Century Crime: Start with The Zig Zag Girl (2014), which kicks off the Brighton Mysteries (also known as the Stephens and Mephisto series), featuring a post-WWII theatrical investigator and a police detective in the 1950s and 60s.
• For Modern, Clever Whodunits: Start with The Stranger Diaries (2018), the first book in the Harbinder Kaur series. It features a cynical, gay, British-Asian detective and won the prestigious Edgar Award.
• For Sci-Fi Mystery Mashups: Start with The Frozen People (2025), the award-winning debut of the Ali Dawson Mysteries, following a cold-case detective who travels back in time to solve Victorian murders.

The Ruth Galloway Mysteries

The Ruth Galloway series is Elly Griffiths' flagship work, following a forensic archaeologist who lives in a lonely cottage on the Norfolk coast and regularly assists DCI Harry Nelson on cases involving ancient bones and modern murders. Over the course of 15 novels and a couple of short stories, the characters grow, age, and navigate complex personal dynamics. Reading this series in order is highly recommended to follow the long-term character arcs and relationship developments.

Here is the recommended reading order for the Ruth Galloway series, including the key tie-in stories:

1. The Crossing Places (2009)
2. The Janus Stone (2010)
3. The House at Sea's End (2011)
4. A Room Full of Bones (2011)
5. Ruth's First Christmas Tree (2012) – A festive short story set between books 4 and 5.
6. A Dying Fall (2012) – Also published in some regions as Tomb of the Raven King.
7. The Outcast Dead (2014)
8. The Ghost Fields (2015)
9. The Woman in Blue (2016)
10. The Chalk Pit (2017)
11. The Dark Angel (2018)
12. The Stone Circle (2019)
13. The Lantern Men (2020)
14. The Man in Black (2020) – A short story originally written for Jarrolds Department Store. Set after the events of The Lantern Men.
15. The Night Hawks (2021)
16. The Locked Room (2022) – Set during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
17. The Last Remains (2023) – The emotional finale that wraps up the major storylines for Ruth and Nelson.

The Brighton Mysteries (Stephens & Mephisto)

Set in the colorful and slightly seedy world of Brighton in the 1950s and 1960s, this series pairs Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens with his old wartime buddy, the stage magician Max Mephisto. The series is heavy on theatrical atmosphere, magic tricks, and post-war social change.

1. The Zig Zag Girl (2014)
2. Smoke and Mirrors (2015)
3. The Blood Card (2016)
4. The Vanishing Box (2017)
5. Now You See Them (2019)
6. The Midnight Hour (2021)
7. The Great Deceiver (2023)

The Harbinder Kaur Series

Featuring the smart, sharp-tongued Detective Inspector Harbinder Kaur, this series functions more like a set of loosely connected standalones where Harbinder is the common thread. The books focus on literary mysteries, school reunions, and podcast investigations.

1. The Stranger Diaries (2018) – Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
2. The Postscript Murders (2021)
3. Bleeding Heart Yard (2022)
4. The Last Word (2024)

The Ali Dawson Mysteries

This is Griffiths' newest venture, blending traditional police procedurals with time travel. Detective Sergeant Ali Dawson works for a secret unit that sends investigators back in time to gather evidence on unsolved cold cases.

1. The Frozen People (2025) – Winner of the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Ali travels back to Victorian London in 1850.
2. The Killing Time (2026)
3. The Case of the Christmas Card (Expected October 2026)

Justice Jones (Middle-Grade Mysteries)

For younger readers, Griffiths penned a charming historical mystery series set in a 1930s boarding school, starring a young amateur detective named Justice Jones.

1. A Girl Called Justice (2019)
2. The Smugglers' Secret (2020)
3. A Ghost in the Garden (2021)
4. The Spy at the Window (2022)

Standalones & Other Writing

Before establishing her Elly Griffiths pen name, the author published four contemporary fiction novels under her birth name, Domenica de Rosa. These focus on family, travel, and relationships rather than murder mysteries:

• The Italian Quarter (2004) – Also published as Return to the Italian Quarter.
• The Eternal City (2005)
• Villa Serena (2007) – Also published as The Secret of Villa Serena.
• Summer School (2008) – Also published as One Summer in Tuscany.
• The Little Book of Shakespeare and Food (2001) – A non-fiction book published as Domenica de Rosa.

Additionally, she has contributed short fiction to anthologies, most notably a Miss Marple story in the official collection Marple: Twelve New Mysteries (2022).

What to Know Before You Start

If you are planning to read Elly Griffiths, keep these two crucial guidelines in mind:

1. Stick to Publication Order

While some series can be dipped into at random, the Ruth Galloway and Brighton series both rely heavily on the ongoing personal lives of the protagonists. If you read the Ruth Galloway books out of order, you will encounter major spoilers regarding relationships, births, deaths, and career changes. Always start Ruth Galloway with The Crossing Places.

2. The Tone Varies by Series

If you read the Ruth Galloway books, you will get atmospheric, marshy, slow-burn mysteries with heavy archaeological themes. The Brighton books are much more nostalgic and theatrical. The Harbinder Kaur books are modern, sometimes gothic, meta-fictional puzzles. The Ali Dawson series introduces speculative elements. If one series doesn't fit your taste, don't hesitate to try another, as they are distinct in style.