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Ruth Rendell Complete Bibliography

Browse books by Ruth Rendell in publication order, including standalone books, complete series lists, reading order, and publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 88 books / 7 series

British author best known for the Inspector Wexford mystery series and her acclaimed standalone psychological thrillers. A winner of multiple Edgar Awards and a CBE, her books have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. This page provides the Ruth Rendell books in order, including both chronological order and series reading order.

Books by Ruth Rendell in Publication Order

1964 From Doon With Death POoIWB / 1 Buy
1965 To Fear a Painted Devil POoSN / 1 Buy
1966 Vanity Dies Hard POoSN / 2 Buy
1967 Sins of the Fathers / A New Lease of Death POoIWB / 2 Buy
1967 Wolf to the Slaughter POoIWB / 3 Buy
1968 The Secret House Of Death POoSN / 3 Buy
1969 The Best Man to Die POoIWB / 4 Buy
1970 A Guilty Thing Surprised POoIWB / 5 Buy
1971 One Across, Two Down POoSN / 4 Buy
1971 No More Dying Then POoIWB / 6 Buy
1972 Murder Being Once Done POoIWB / 7 Buy
1973 Some Lie and Some Die POoIWB / 8 Buy
1974 The Face of Trespass POoSN / 5 Buy
1975 Shake Hands Forever POoIWB / 9 Buy
1976 The Fallen Curtain POoSSC / 1 Buy
1976 A Demon in My View POoSN / 6 Buy
1977 A Judgement in Stone POoSN / 7 Buy
1978 A Sleeping Life POoIWB / 10 Buy
1979 Means of Evil POoIWCB / 1 Buy
1979 Make Death Love Me POoSN / 8 Buy
1980 The Lake of Darkness POoSN / 9 Buy
1981 Death Notes / Put On By Cunning POoIWB / 11 Buy
1982 The Fever Tree POoSSC / 2 Buy
1982 Master of the Moor POoSN / 10 Buy
1983 Speaker of Mandarin POoIWB / 12 Buy
1984 The Killing Doll POoSN / 11 Buy
1984 The Tree of Hands POoSN / 12 Buy
1985 The Convolvulus Clock POoSS / 1 Buy
1985 The New Girlfriend POoSSC / 3 Buy
1985 An Unkindness of Ravens POoIWB / 13 Buy
1986 Live Flesh POoSN / 13 Buy
1986 A Dark-Adapted Eye(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 14 Buy
1987 Heartstones POoSS / 2 Buy
1987 Talking to Strange Men POoSN / 15 Buy
1987 A Fatal Inversion(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 16 Buy
1988 The Veiled One POoIWB / 14 Buy
1988 The House of Stairs(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 17 Buy
1989 Collected Short Stories POoSSC / 4 Buy
1989 The Bridesmaid POoSN / 18 Buy
1990 Going Wrong POoSN / 19 Buy
1990 Gallowglass(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 20 Buy
1991 Long Live The Queen POoSS / 3 Buy
1991 The Copper Peacock and Other Stories POoSSC / 5 Buy
1991 King Solomon's Carpet(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 21 Buy
1992 Ruth Rendell's Suffolk POoNB / 1 Buy
1992 Kissing the Gunner's Daughter POoIWB / 15 Buy
1992 Ginger and the Kingsmarkham POoIWB / 16 Buy
1993 The Crocodile Bird POoSN / 22 Buy
1993 Asta's Book / Anna's Book(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 23 Buy
1994 Simisola POoIWB / 17 Buy
1994 No Night Is Too Long(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 24 Buy
1995 The Reason Why POoNB / 2 Buy
1995 Blood Lines POoSSC / 6 Buy
1995 In the Time of His Prosperity(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 25 Buy
1995 The Brimstone Wedding(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 26 Buy
1996 The Keys to the Street POoSN / 27 Buy
1997 Road Rage POoIWB / 18 Buy
1998 Thornapple POoSS / 4 Buy
1998 A Sight for Sore Eyes POoSN / 28 Buy
1998 The Chimney Sweeper's Boy(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 29 Buy
1999 Harm Done POoIWB / 19 Buy
2000 Piranha to Scurfy POoSSC / 7 Buy
2000 Grasshopper(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 30 Buy
2001 Adam and Eve and Pinch Me POoSN / 31 Buy
2002 The Babes in the Wood POoIWB / 20 Buy
2002 The Blood Doctor(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 32 Buy
2003 The Rottweiler POoSN / 33 Buy
2004 13 Steps Down POoSN / 34 Buy
2005 The Thief POoSS / 5 Buy
2005 End in Tears POoIWB / 21 Buy
2005 Minotaur(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 35 Buy
2006 Ruth Rendell: Short Stories POoSSC / 8 Buy
2006 Collected Stories Vol 1 POoSSC / 9 Buy
2006 The Water's Lovely POoSN / 36 Buy
2007 Not in the Flesh POoIWB / 22 Buy
2008 Birthday Present(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 37 Buy
2008 Portobello POoSN / 38 Buy
2009 The Monster in the Box POoIWB / 23 Buy
2010 Tigerlily's Orchids POoSN / 39 Buy
2011 The Vault POoIWB / 24 Buy
2012 The Saint Zita Society POoSN / 40 Buy
2012 The Child's Child(As: Barbara Vine) POoSN / 41 Buy
2013 Archie and Archie POoCB / 1 Buy
2013 No Man's Nightingale POoIWB / 25 Buy
2014 The Girl Next Door POoSN / 42 Buy
2015 Dark Corners POoSN / 43 Buy
2017 A Spot of Folly POoSSC / 10 Buy
2019 BBC Radio Drama Collection POoSSC / 11 Buy

Complete Ruth Rendell Series Reading Order / browse all ->

Inspector Wexford Reading Order 25 books / 1964-2013
01 From Doon With Death 1964 Buy
02 Sins of the Fathers / A New Lease of Death 1967 Buy
03 Wolf to the Slaughter 1967 Buy
04 The Best Man to Die 1969 Buy
05 A Guilty Thing Surprised 1970 Buy
06 No More Dying Then 1971 Buy
07 Murder Being Once Done 1972 Buy
08 Some Lie and Some Die 1973 Buy
09 Shake Hands Forever 1975 Buy
10 A Sleeping Life 1978 Buy
11 Death Notes / Put On By Cunning 1981 Buy
12 Speaker of Mandarin 1983 Buy
13 An Unkindness of Ravens 1985 Buy
14 The Veiled One 1988 Buy
15 Kissing the Gunner's Daughter 1992 Buy
16 Ginger and the Kingsmarkham 1992 Buy
17 Simisola 1994 Buy
18 Road Rage 1997 Buy
19 Harm Done 1999 Buy
20 The Babes in the Wood 2002 Buy
21 End in Tears 2005 Buy
22 Not in the Flesh 2007 Buy
23 The Monster in the Box 2009 Buy
24 The Vault 2011 Buy
25 No Man's Nightingale 2013 Buy
Non-Fiction Reading Order 2 books / 1992-1995
01 Ruth Rendell's Suffolk 1992 Buy
02 The Reason Why 1995 Buy
01 Means of Evil 1979 Buy
01 The Fallen Curtain 1976 Buy
02 The Fever Tree 1982 Buy
03 The New Girlfriend 1985 Buy
04 Collected Short Stories 1989 Buy
05 The Copper Peacock and Other Stories 1991 Buy
06 Blood Lines 1995 Buy
07 Piranha to Scurfy 2000 Buy
08 Ruth Rendell: Short Stories 2006 Buy
09 Collected Stories Vol 1 2006 Buy
10 A Spot of Folly 2017 Buy
11 BBC Radio Drama Collection 2019 Buy
Children's Reading Order 1 book / 2013
01 Archie and Archie 2013 Buy
Standalone Reading Order 43 books / 1965-2015
01 To Fear a Painted Devil 1965 Buy
02 Vanity Dies Hard 1966 Buy
03 The Secret House Of Death 1968 Buy
04 One Across, Two Down 1971 Buy
05 The Face of Trespass 1974 Buy
06 A Demon in My View 1976 Buy
07 A Judgement in Stone 1977 Buy
08 Make Death Love Me 1979 Buy
09 The Lake of Darkness 1980 Buy
10 Master of the Moor 1982 Buy
11 The Killing Doll 1984 Buy
12 The Tree of Hands 1984 Buy
13 Live Flesh 1986 Buy
14 A Dark-Adapted Eye(As: Barbara Vine) 1986 Buy
15 Talking to Strange Men 1987 Buy
16 A Fatal Inversion(As: Barbara Vine) 1987 Buy
17 The House of Stairs(As: Barbara Vine) 1988 Buy
18 The Bridesmaid 1989 Buy
19 Going Wrong 1990 Buy
20 Gallowglass(As: Barbara Vine) 1990 Buy
21 King Solomon's Carpet(As: Barbara Vine) 1991 Buy
22 The Crocodile Bird 1993 Buy
23 Asta's Book / Anna's Book(As: Barbara Vine) 1993 Buy
24 No Night Is Too Long(As: Barbara Vine) 1994 Buy
25 In the Time of His Prosperity(As: Barbara Vine) 1995 Buy
26 The Brimstone Wedding(As: Barbara Vine) 1995 Buy
27 The Keys to the Street 1996 Buy
28 A Sight for Sore Eyes 1998 Buy
29 The Chimney Sweeper's Boy(As: Barbara Vine) 1998 Buy
30 Grasshopper(As: Barbara Vine) 2000 Buy
31 Adam and Eve and Pinch Me 2001 Buy
32 The Blood Doctor(As: Barbara Vine) 2002 Buy
33 The Rottweiler 2003 Buy
34 13 Steps Down 2004 Buy
35 Minotaur(As: Barbara Vine) 2005 Buy
36 The Water's Lovely 2006 Buy
37 Birthday Present(As: Barbara Vine) 2008 Buy
38 Portobello 2008 Buy
39 Tigerlily's Orchids 2010 Buy
40 The Saint Zita Society 2012 Buy
41 The Child's Child(As: Barbara Vine) 2012 Buy
42 The Girl Next Door 2014 Buy
43 Dark Corners 2015 Buy
01 The Convolvulus Clock 1985 Buy
02 Heartstones 1987 Buy
03 Long Live The Queen 1991 Buy
04 Thornapple 1998 Buy
05 The Thief 2005 Buy

Where to start with Ruth Rendell

What is the best order to read Ruth Rendell books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

More authors

P.D. James -> Barbara Samuel / Barbara O’Neal / Ruth Wind -> John Marsden -> Dorothy Howell ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.