Johnny Dixon (Brad Strickland) Books in Order
Part ofBrad Strickland Books in OrderFind 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
13 books
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

The Curse of the Blue Figurine
by John Bellairs
1983Johnny Dixon, Book 1
The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt
by John Bellairs
1983Johnny Dixon, Book 2
The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull
by John Bellairs
1984Johnny Dixon, Book 3
The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost
by John Bellairs
1985Johnny Dixon, Book 4
The Eyes of the Killer Robot
by John Bellairs
1986Johnny Dixon, Book 5
The Trolley to Yesterday
by John Bellairs
1989Johnny Dixon, Book 6
The Chessmen of Doom
by John Bellairs
1989Johnny Dixon, Book 7
The Secret of the Underground Room
by John Bellairs
1990Johnny Dixon, Book 8
The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie
by John Bellairs
1994Johnny Dixon, Book 9
The Hand of the Necromancer
by John Bellairs
1996Johnny Dixon, Book 10
The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder
by John Bellairs
1997Johnny Dixon, Book 11
The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost
by John Bellairs
1999Johnny Dixon, Book 12
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.
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