Eric Ward Books in Order
Part ofRoy Lewis Books in OrderFollow the Eric Ward series by Roy Lewis in order, with summaries, reading guidance and background on the former policeman turned solicitor.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
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Eric Ward books in publication order
17 books
A Certain Blindness / The Sedleigh Hall Murder
by Roy Lewis
1980
Former police inspector Eric Ward, now training as a solicitor, investigates the legacy of a convicted murderer. An inheritance dispute and an old killing point toward a scandal involving two prominent families.
Dwell in Danger / The Farming Murder
by Roy Lewis
1982
With his police career ended by failing eyesight, aspiring solicitor Eric Ward faces a personal crisis while investigating a bitter family feud. The case tests whether he can build a new life.
A Limited Vision / The Quayside Murder
by Roy Lewis
1983
Recovering from serious eye surgery, Eric Ward accepts a lucrative job negotiating contracts for an entrepreneur. A threat from his past turns the assignment into a risky investigation with deadly consequences.
Once Dying, Twice Dead / The Diamond Murder
by Roy Lewis
1984
A thriving law practice and marriage seem to give Eric Ward a fresh start, until the wrong client changes everything. An assaulted journalist and a diamond-linked case pull him back toward danger.
A Blurred Reality / The Geordie Murder
by Roy Lewis
1985
After surgery improves his sight, Eric Ward finds his sense of time and place unsettled. A child's kidnapping and the threat of violence force him to confront a reality that remains dangerously blurred.
Premium on Death / The Shipping Murder
by Roy Lewis
1986
A death linked to the shipping world gives Eric Ward a case with money, contracts and dangerous incentives at its core. He must identify who stood to gain before the evidence is lost.
The Salamander Chill / The City of London Murder
by Roy Lewis
1988
Eric Ward follows a murder case into the City of London, where business interests and personal fear make poor witnesses. He has to uncover the truth beneath a polished surface of professional respectability.
A Necessary Dealing / The Apartment Murder
by Roy Lewis
1989
An apartment murder puts Eric Ward in the middle of a case where property, obligation and private desire overlap. His legal training helps expose the deal that someone thought would remain invisible.
A Kind of Transaction / The Spanish Villa Murder
by Roy Lewis
1991
A deal involving a Spanish villa leaves Eric Ward facing a murder that cannot be separated from money and trust. He investigates the transaction's hidden costs before another person pays for them.
A Form of Death / The Marriage Murder
by Roy Lewis
2001
While his wealthy wife is abroad, Eric Ward becomes involved with a troubled woman who is soon murdered. To clear his name, he follows a deadly trail through drugs, deceit and compromised loyalties.
The Nightwalker / The Wasteful Murder
by Roy Lewis
2002
When a murder disrupts the nighttime routines of a troubled community, Eric Ward looks past the obvious suspect. His inquiry reveals the private resentments and hidden dealings behind a dangerous crime.
Dead Man Running / The Slaughterhouse Murder
by Roy Lewis
2003
Eric Ward investigates a death tied to a slaughterhouse, where fear and self-interest cloud the evidence. His search moves from legal questions to a more urgent effort to stop a killer.
Phantom / The Phantom Murder
by Roy Lewis
2003
A seemingly elusive killer draws Eric Ward into a case full of false impressions. As a solicitor with a policeman's instincts, Ward must decide which accounts are reliable before the phantom disappears again.
Embers of the Dead / The Tattoo Murder
by Roy Lewis
2005
Eric Ward investigates a murder marked by a tattoo and surrounded by uncertain identities. The case leads him through personal secrets and legal complications, where one overlooked detail could change everything.
Death Squad / The Football Murder
by Roy Lewis
2007
A death connected to football brings solicitor Eric Ward into a case where loyalty and rivalry run high. He must untangle the people around the victim before suspicion hardens into another tragedy.
Guardian of the Dead / The Tutankhamun Murder
by Roy Lewis
2008
Eric Ward is drawn into a murder mystery involving the shadow of Tutankhamun and valuable antiquities. His legal skills and police experience are tested as the case reaches beyond ordinary professional boundaries.
Design for Murder / The Zodiac Murder
by Roy Lewis
2010
Solicitor Eric Ward faces a murder case with a pattern that refuses to fit the obvious explanation. Legal pressure, private motives and Ward's old investigative instincts drive him toward a carefully hidden design.
Eric Ward books in chronological order

A Certain Blindness / The Sedleigh Hall Murder
by Roy Lewis
1980Eric Ward, Book 1
Dwell in Danger / The Farming Murder
by Roy Lewis
1982Eric Ward, Book 2
A Limited Vision / The Quayside Murder
by Roy Lewis
1983Eric Ward, Book 3
Once Dying, Twice Dead / The Diamond Murder
by Roy Lewis
1984Eric Ward, Book 4
A Blurred Reality / The Geordie Murder
by Roy Lewis
1985Eric Ward, Book 5
Premium on Death / The Shipping Murder
by Roy Lewis
1986Eric Ward, Book 6
The Salamander Chill / The City of London Murder
by Roy Lewis
1988Eric Ward, Book 7
A Necessary Dealing / The Apartment Murder
by Roy Lewis
1989Eric Ward, Book 8
A Kind of Transaction / The Spanish Villa Murder
by Roy Lewis
1991Eric Ward, Book 9
A Form of Death / The Marriage Murder
by Roy Lewis
2001Eric Ward, Book 10
The Nightwalker / The Wasteful Murder
by Roy Lewis
2002Eric Ward, Book 11
Phantom / The Phantom Murder
by Roy Lewis
2003Eric Ward, Book 12
Dead Man Running / The Slaughterhouse Murder
by Roy Lewis
2003Eric Ward, Book 13
Embers of the Dead / The Tattoo Murder
by Roy Lewis
2005Eric Ward, Book 14
Death Squad / The Football Murder
by Roy Lewis
2007Eric Ward, Book 15
Guardian of the Dead / The Tutankhamun Murder
by Roy Lewis
2008Eric Ward, Book 16
Design for Murder / The Zodiac Murder
by Roy Lewis
2010Eric Ward, Book 17
Series background & context
Eric Ward begins this series at a difficult turning point. Formerly a police officer, he has had to leave the force because glaucoma threatens his sight. He retrains as a solicitor, but he cannot simply switch off the habits that made him an investigator. When a case feels wrong, Ward keeps asking questions.
A Certain Blindness introduces him in the legal world, where an inheritance and an old murder pull him into dangerous territory. The premise gives Roy Lewis room to combine two kinds of mystery. Ward has to understand the rules of law, money and professional responsibility, while also recognizing that the official version of events may be hiding a crime.
His past keeps following him.
Most of the books are set in northern England, particularly around Newcastle and the northeast, though the cases can travel further. Ward handles clients whose problems involve estates, businesses, property, family disputes and criminal allegations. What begins as legal work can become a search for a missing person, an explanation for a suspicious death or a way to stop someone from exploiting the system.
Ward is not an all-powerful private detective. His health, his previous career and his personal choices all put pressure on him, and he sometimes has reasons to fear what an investigation will uncover. That vulnerability is part of the series' appeal. He is a lawyer trying to do the right thing in situations where the facts, and the people, are messy.
The tone is classic British crime fiction with a strong legal thread. Expect methodical inquiries, financial motives, old resentments and a close look at how institutions work when someone inside them has something to hide. The later novels keep Ward's legal perspective while placing him in cases involving cities, shipping, apartments, football, tattoos and international artifacts.
Start with A Certain Blindness. It establishes Ward's move from policing to law and introduces the mix of legal puzzle and personal danger that drives the series.
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