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Johnny Dixon (Brad Strickland) Books in Order

Part ofBrad Strickland Books in Order

Find the Johnny Dixon continuation books by Brad Strickland in order, with summaries, background on the later adventures, and starting guidance.

Last updated: July 15, 2026

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Johnny Dixon (Brad Strickland) books in publication order

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13 books

1

The Curse of the Blue Figurine

by John Bellairs

1983

Johnny Dixon does not believe the ghost stories about Father Baart until a scroll, a blue figurine, and a mysterious ring drag him into real danger. What starts in a church basement becomes a full-blown supernatural chase.

2

The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt

by John Bellairs

1983

Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass search for the hidden will of an eccentric cereal tycoon. The trail leads to a deserted mansion, buried grudges, and something undead that does not want them leaving with answers.

3

The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull

by John Bellairs

1984

An old clock, a vanished professor, and a tiny skull with terrible power send Johnny Dixon into one of his darkest cases. The search pulls him toward an isolated island and an enemy with deep roots in the past.

4

The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost

by John Bellairs

1985

Johnny Dixon, Fergie, and Professor Childermass are drawn into a dangerous case involving an old magician, buried secrets, and a ghost that refuses to stay buried. The clues come fast, but so does the danger.

5

The Eyes of the Killer Robot

by John Bellairs

1986

A scientist named Evaristus Sloane has built a baseball-playing robot, but the machine needs human eyes to work. When Johnny becomes the target, the case turns from weird to horrifying in a hurry.

6

The Chessmen of Doom

by John Bellairs

1989

A strange will sends Johnny, Fergie, and Professor Childermass to a bleak estate for the summer. Waiting there is a madman, a sinister game, and a plan that could put far more than their own lives at risk.

7

The Trolley to Yesterday

by John Bellairs

1989

Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass discover a trolley that does not stay in the present. Their ride sends them back to Constantinople in 1453, where history itself becomes part of the danger.

8

The Secret of the Underground Room

by John Bellairs

1990

When Father Higgins claims a ghost is trying to contact him, Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass expect a puzzle. Instead they find possession, an ancient enemy, and a fight that reaches all the way to England.

9

The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie

by John Bellairs

1994

Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass try to save the elderly Dr. Coote, only to find themselves up against a menacing voodoo cult. The case is short, sharp, and full of mounting dread.

10

The Hand of the Necromancer

by John Bellairs

1996

Johnny Dixon faces another brush with dark magic when a necromancer's shadow falls across his circle of friends. With Fergie and Professor Childermass beside him, he has to stop the dead from becoming somebody else's tools.

11

The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder

by John Bellairs

1997

Fergie steals an enchanted book from the library and slowly falls under the spell of the evil sorcerer Jarmyn Thanatos. Johnny and Professor Childermass have to save him before the magic takes full hold.

12

The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost

by John Bellairs

1999

Johnny Dixon's father falls into a coma, and Johnny is sure a malevolent force is behind it. With Fergie and Professor Childermass, he has to fight through a weird otherworld to bring him back.

13

The Stone, the Cipher, and the Shadows

by Brad Strickland

2022

During a flu outbreak in Duston Heights, Johnny sees terrifying visions and finds a strange cemetery map. With Fergie, Sarah, and Professor Childermass, he must stop a sorcerer seeking power over a shadow realm.

Johnny Dixon (Brad Strickland) books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Curse of the Blue Figurine"

    The Curse of the Blue Figurine

    by John Bellairs

    1983Johnny Dixon, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt"

    The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt

    by John Bellairs

    1983Johnny Dixon, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull"

    The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull

    by John Bellairs

    1984Johnny Dixon, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost"

    The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost

    by John Bellairs

    1985Johnny Dixon, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Eyes of the Killer Robot"

    The Eyes of the Killer Robot

    by John Bellairs

    1986Johnny Dixon, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "The Trolley to Yesterday"

    The Trolley to Yesterday

    by John Bellairs

    1989Johnny Dixon, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "The Chessmen of Doom"

    The Chessmen of Doom

    by John Bellairs

    1989Johnny Dixon, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "The Secret of the Underground Room"

    The Secret of the Underground Room

    by John Bellairs

    1990Johnny Dixon, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie"

    The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie

    by John Bellairs

    1994Johnny Dixon, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The Hand of the Necromancer"

    The Hand of the Necromancer

    by John Bellairs

    1996Johnny Dixon, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder"

    The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder

    by John Bellairs

    1997Johnny Dixon, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost"

    The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost

    by John Bellairs

    1999Johnny Dixon, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Stone, the Cipher, and the Shadows"

    The Stone, the Cipher, and the Shadows

    by Brad Strickland

    2022Johnny Dixon, Book 13

Series background & context

Brad Strickland's Johnny Dixon books pick up after John Bellairs's original series, keeping Johnny's 1950s New England world intact. Johnny is still thoughtful, nervous, and willing to investigate when something looks wrong. Professor Roderick Childermass remains the learned, eccentric adult who recognizes danger, while Fergie Ferguson adds nerve, humor, and a useful willingness to charge in.

The first continuation, The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie, was completed from material Bellairs had left behind. After that, Strickland wrote new cases for the trio. They deal with necromancy, enchanted books, ghosts, sinister magicians, hidden graves, and the kind of old secrets that never stay safely in the past.

Duston Heights remains an important part of the appeal. Its ordinary streets, libraries, churches, homes, and graveyards give the supernatural events somewhere believable to happen. The books often start with a small clue, an unsettling object, a strange illness, a message, or a suspicious stranger. Soon Johnny and his friends are trying to stop magic that reaches much further than they first expected.

Nobody gets through it alone.

Strickland writes these later adventures with the same basic balance of comfort and unease that defines the Bellairs books. Johnny worries. Fergie jokes and pushes ahead. The professor explains what he can, though he rarely has every answer. The danger is spooky, sometimes large in scale, but friendship and trust keep the stories grounded.

Start after Bellairs's original Johnny Dixon novels if you want the whole journey in sequence. If you are already familiar with the cast, The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie is the right entry into Strickland's part of the series. Later books can be read as further cases, each with its own mystery and threat.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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