Glass and Steele Books in Order
Part ofCJ Archer Books in OrderSee the Glass and Steele series by CJ Archer in order, with book summaries, series background and guidance on enjoying this magical Victorian mystery romance.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
13 books
The Mapmaker's Apprentice
by CJ Archer
2016
When a talented mapmaker’s apprentice disappears along with an important enchanted map, India and Matt are hired to find him. Their search through London’s docks, guild halls and seedy lanes uncovers smugglers, rival magicians and a scheme that could shift the balance of power.
The Watchmaker's Daughter
by CJ Archer
2016
Disinherited and blacklisted after her father’s death, India Steele reluctantly takes a position with enigmatic American Matthew Glass, whose strange watch restores his health. Helping him find a particular watchmaker pulls her into London's magical underworld and a partnership that could change both their lives.
The Apothecary's Poison
by CJ Archer
2017
When a respected apothecary is accused of murder by poison, India and Matt investigate on behalf of his desperate daughter. Delving into guild rivalries and dangerous brews, they must find the real killer before scandal destroys innocent lives and their own secrets are exposed.
The Magician's Diary
by CJ Archer
2017
A missing diary written by a powerful magician could answer vital questions about India’s magic and Matt’s enemies. Tracking it through collectors, thieves and jealous magicians, they uncover truths that shake India’s understanding of her past and the future she thought she wanted.
The Convent's Secret
by CJ Archer
2018
India and Matt’s search for a missing girl leads them to a secluded convent with ties to forbidden magic. As they peel back layers of piety and pretense, they uncover experiments, hidden relics and a scheme that could imprison magicians forever.
The Ink Master's Silence
by CJ Archer
2018
A reclusive ink magician vanishes, leaving behind only enchanted pages and a trail of enemies. Investigating his disappearance, India and Matt find themselves trapped in a maze of illusions where written words hold deadly power and silence can be as dangerous as any spell.
The Cheater's Game
by CJ Archer
2019
Tasked with exposing a ring of gamblers using magic to fix high stakes games, India and Matt enter a world of card sharps, crooked clubs and desperate players. Outwitting cheaters who bend luck itself will take every trick they know and a few new ones.
The Prisoner's Key
by CJ Archer
2019
A prisoner scheduled for execution claims to hold information vital to Matt’s past. Breaking him out pits India and Matt against corrupt officials, dangerous magicians and their own doubts about who deserves saving and what justice really looks like.
The Imposter's Inheritance
by CJ Archer
2020
A titled gentleman who may not be who he claims becomes the center of India and Matt’s latest case. Untangling forged identities, hidden heirs and old grudges forces them to decide how much of the past must be revealed for justice to be done.
The Kidnapper's Accomplice
by CJ Archer
2020
When a wealthy man’s child is snatched and ransom demands arrive wrapped in magic, India and Matt are drawn into a rescue that pits them against merciless criminals. The trail leads through London’s underbelly and into the halls of people who would rather the child stayed missing.
The Spy Master's Scheme
by CJ Archer
2021
Summoned to help unravel a plot that could expose magic to the wider world, India and Matt find themselves up against a ruthless spymaster manipulating events from the shadows. To stop him, they must outplay the crown’s own agents and protect friends on both sides of the law.
The Toymaker's Curse
by CJ Archer
2021
After a toymaker magician’s lecture ends with a stolen spell and a strangled man, India and Matt follow the trail into the Romany community, where curses are wielded like weapons. As old foes resurface, a tragedy strikes close to home, threatening the household they have built.
The Goldsmith's Conspiracy
by CJ Archer
2022
In the final Glass and Steele novel, tensions between magicians and the artless erupt when a jeweler is murdered and someone dear to India and Matt is framed. Exposing Lord Coyle’s last, vengeful scheme will demand every ally they have and could cost them their hard won peace.
Series background & context
Glass and Steele is a sprawling historical fantasy mystery series set in an alternate Victorian London where magic exists but is tightly regulated by guilds and watched nervously by the crown. At its heart are two outsiders who are dangerous in very different ways.
India Steele grew up in her father’s watchmaker’s shop, learning the craft she loves and expecting to inherit the business. Instead, after his death she is cheated out of her inheritance by her fiancé and quietly blacklisted by the rest of the guild. When the series opens in The Watchmaker's Daughter, she is unemployed, nearly broke and furious.
Enter Matthew Glass, an enigmatic American who walks into London with a strange watch that restores his health every time he is ill. He hires India as his assistant, despite the whispers around her name, in exchange for her help finding a particular watchmaker. He will not say why this craftsman matters or what, exactly, he does back home.
Their partnership pulls India into a world of magical artisans, from mapmakers and apothecaries to ink masters and toymakers. Each book revolves around a fresh mystery tied to a specific kind of magic. The Mapmaker’s Apprentice deals with a missing boy and a valuable map. The Apothecary’s Poison involves deadly brews and old grudges. Later books tackle conspiracies within the watchmaking guild, cursed objects and attempts to destabilize the uneasy peace between magicians and “artless” folk.
Over time, India learns that her own connection to magic is far from ordinary. Matt’s past as an outlaw and his role in American politics become impossible to hide. The cast expands to include bodyguards, inventors, magicians from other nations and members of the powerful Coyle family whose schemes ripple through both this series and the Glass Library books.
The tone stays light on the surface, with banter, friendship and a slowly intensifying romance between India and Matt. Underneath is a steady thread of danger as they discover how far some people will go to control magic. By the final volume, The Goldsmith’s Conspiracy, their actions have helped reshape how magicians live in Britain.
If you enjoy puzzle like mysteries, character driven series and a city that feels both familiar and delightfully askew, Glass and Steele is a natural starting point in Archer’s interconnected magical London.
Edited by
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