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Reading order

Father Dowling Books in Order

This page lists the complete Father Dowling reading order by Ralph McInerny, with book numbers, publication years, and a publication-order view for readers who want to start at the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-22 / 30 books / 1977-2011

Father Dowling Reading Order

01 Her Death of Cold 1977 Buy
02 Bishop as Pawn 1978 Buy
03 The Seventh Station 1978 Buy
04 Lying Three 1979 Buy
05 Second Vespers 1980 Buy
06 Thicker Than Water 1981 Buy
07 A Loss of Patients 1982 Buy
08 The Grass Widow 1983 Buy
09 Getting a Way with Murder 1984 Buy
10 Rest in Pieces 1985 Buy
11 The Basket Case 1987 Buy
12 Abracadaver / Slight of Body 1989 Buy
13 Four on the Floor 1989 Buy
14 Judas Priest 1991 Buy
15 Desert Sinner 1992 Buy
16 Seed of Doubt 1993 Buy
17 A Cardinal Offense 1994 Buy
18 The Tears of Things 1996 Buy
19 Grave Undertakings 2000 Buy
20 Triple Pursuit 2001 Buy
21 Prodigal Father 2002 Buy
22 Last Things 2003 Buy
23 Requiem for a Realtor 2004 Buy
24 Blood Ties 2005 Buy
25 The Prudence of the Flesh 2006 Buy
26 The Widow's Mate 2007 Buy
27 Ash Wednesday 2008 Buy
28 The Wisdom of Father Dowling 2009 Buy
29 Stained Glass 2009 Buy
30 The Compassion of Father Dowling 2011 Buy

Father Dowling Books by Publication Order

1977 Her Death of Cold #1
1978 Bishop as Pawn #2
1978 The Seventh Station #3
1979 Lying Three #4
1980 Second Vespers #5
1981 Thicker Than Water #6
1982 A Loss of Patients #7
1983 The Grass Widow #8
1984 Getting a Way with Murder #9
1985 Rest in Pieces #10
1987 The Basket Case #11
1989 Abracadaver / Slight of Body #12
1989 Four on the Floor #13
1991 Judas Priest #14
1992 Desert Sinner #15
1993 Seed of Doubt #16
1994 A Cardinal Offense #17
1996 The Tears of Things #18
2000 Grave Undertakings #19
2001 Triple Pursuit #20
2002 Prodigal Father #21
2003 Last Things #22
2004 Requiem for a Realtor #23
2005 Blood Ties #24
2006 The Prudence of the Flesh #25
2007 The Widow's Mate #26
2008 Ash Wednesday #27
2009 The Wisdom of Father Dowling #28
2009 Stained Glass #29
2011 The Compassion of Father Dowling #30

Questions readers ask

What is the correct Father Dowling reading order?

The Father Dowling reading order on this page follows the numbered series order where available, with publication years shown beside each book.

How many Father Dowling books are there?

This catalog currently lists 30 Father Dowling books published across 1977-2011.

Who writes the Father Dowling books?

Father Dowling is listed as a book series by Ralph McInerny.

Should I read Father Dowling in publication order?

For most readers, publication order is the safest way to read Father Dowling. If a separate series order is available, this page shows that order first and publication years beside each title.

More by Ralph McInerny

Ralph McInerny books in order and complete bibliography ->

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