Mark Treasure Books in Order
Part ofDavid Williams Books in OrderSee the Mark Treasure books by David Williams in order, with short summaries, series background, and a clear guide to where to start.
Last updated: July 12, 2026
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Mark Treasure books in publication order
17 books
Unholy Writ
by David Williams
1976
Arthur Moonlight asks Mark Treasure to stop the sale of his troubled family seat, but a hidden Shakespeare manuscript raises the stakes fast. Soon Mitchell Hall is crowded with suspicious visitors, odd accidents, and unmistakable murder.
Treasure by Degrees
by David Williams
1977
A cash-strapped college becomes the prize in a battle between an eccentric American foundation and an Arab prince. Mark Treasure tries to keep the peace, then finds himself dealing with murder, bomb scares, and kidnapping.
Treasure Up in Smoke
by David Williams
1980
On a sleepy British island in the West Indies, Mark Treasure's assistant is tied to a gruesome murder. Treasure arrives to clear him, only to find a chaotic case, a severed head, and suspects everywhere.
Murder for Treasure
by David Williams
1981
In a West Wales sailing village, a corporate takeover and a found body turn a weekend by the sea into a dangerous tangle. Mark Treasure faces assault, a second death, and suspects with money on their minds.
Copper, Gold and Treasure
by David Williams
1982
A retired major and an elderly cabbie stumble into chaos at a bankrupt charitable trust with assets worth millions. Mark Treasure is called in when their rescue plan brings kidnap, violence, and sudden death.
Treasure Preserved
by David Williams
1983
A shabby nineteenth-century Round House stands in the way of a rich south coast development, and plenty of people want it gone. When death enters the property fight, Mark Treasure follows the money through a very mixed cast of schemers.
Advertise for Treasure
by David Williams
1984
The head of a London advertising agency appears to have taken his own life just as a takeover battle heats up. Mark Treasure looks past the verdict and finds money, ego, and old grudges all competing for the same corpse.
Murder in Advent
by David Williams
1985
A battle over the sale of a cathedral's Magna Carta turns ugly when fire destroys the library and a verger is found murdered in the ruins. Mark Treasure arrives in Litchester expecting church politics and finds something far darker.
Wedding Treasure
by David Williams
1985
A rushed wedding at Marton Manor already looks suspicious when the bride stands to lose a fortune by marrying young. By the next day there are unexplained deaths, a disappearance, and far more at stake than family drama.
Treasure in Roubles
by David Williams
1987
After a Hermitage painting is stolen in Leningrad, suspicion falls on an English cultural group visiting the city. When one of their party is murdered at the opera, Mark Treasure has to find the killer while navigating Soviet bureaucracy.
Divided Treasure
by David Williams
1988
In a North Wales town, unrest at a sweet factory mixes with job fears, greed, and violence. Mark Treasure is drawn in as a banker, then has to solve a bizarre double murder before the situation turns even more bitter.
Treasure in Oxford
by David Williams
1988
An Oxford dinner for the governors of an architectural library turns deadly when valuable Constable sketches point straight toward murder. Mark Treasure doubts the police arrest and starts probing the college's respectable inner circle.
Holy Treasure!
by David Williams
1989
A crumbling West London church becomes suddenly valuable when closure and redevelopment loom. Mark Treasure and Molly get drawn into parish politics, big money, and murder as rival groups fight to control the site.
Prescription for Murder
by David Williams
1990
A drug company's much-hyped migraine cure has directors dreaming of fortunes, until activists, kidnapping, and murder derail the float. Mark Treasure returns to find the business under attack from both inside and out.
Treasure by Post
by David Williams
1991
A West Country convent with only three nuns and millions in assets looks like a financial puzzle, until suspicious deaths and arson follow. Mark Treasure fears the police are closing in on the wrong suspect and starts digging.
Planning On Murder
by David Williams
1992
A plan to save an Elizabethan house by turning part of its park into a golf and hotel complex sparks local outrage. When murder follows the public meeting, Mark Treasure must cut through politics, scandal, and a suspicious suicide.
Banking on Murder
by David Williams
1993
A disgraced banker's refusal to sell a football club ends in a death that looks like suicide and feels like murder. Mark Treasure steps into a crowded field of suspects, where money laundering, affairs, and sporting ambition all collide.
Mark Treasure books in chronological order

Unholy Writ
by David Williams
1976Mark Treasure, Book 1
Treasure by Degrees
by David Williams
1977Mark Treasure, Book 2
Treasure Up in Smoke
by David Williams
1980Mark Treasure, Book 3
Murder for Treasure
by David Williams
1981Mark Treasure, Book 4
Copper, Gold and Treasure
by David Williams
1982Mark Treasure, Book 5
Treasure Preserved
by David Williams
1983Mark Treasure, Book 6
Advertise for Treasure
by David Williams
1984Mark Treasure, Book 7
Murder in Advent
by David Williams
1985Mark Treasure, Book 8
Wedding Treasure
by David Williams
1985Mark Treasure, Book 9
Treasure in Roubles
by David Williams
1987Mark Treasure, Book 10
Divided Treasure
by David Williams
1988Mark Treasure, Book 11
Treasure in Oxford
by David Williams
1988Mark Treasure, Book 12
Holy Treasure!
by David Williams
1989Mark Treasure, Book 13
Prescription for Murder
by David Williams
1990Mark Treasure, Book 14
Treasure by Post
by David Williams
1991Mark Treasure, Book 15
Planning On Murder
by David Williams
1992Mark Treasure, Book 16
Banking on Murder
by David Williams
1993Mark Treasure, Book 17
Series background & context
The Mark Treasure books are classic British puzzle mysteries, but their hero is not a policeman or a private detective. Mark Treasure is a London merchant banker, Oxford educated, calm under pressure, and forever getting pulled into other people's disasters because his work, friends, and social circle keep placing him in the path of sudden death. His wife, Molly, a successful actress, is a real part of the appeal. She brings warmth, humor, and social ease, and the marriage at the center of the series feels lived in rather than ornamental.
That setup gives David Williams a lot of room to move. One case begins with a threatened country house sale, another with a cash-strapped college, another with a church about to close, and another with a business deal that has gone very wrong. Books like Unholy Writ, Advertise for Treasure, Treasure in Oxford, Prescription for Murder, and Banking on Murder all start with apparently respectable institutions, then slowly expose the vanity, greed, panic, and deceit underneath.
Money matters here.
So do status, inheritance, committees, and the quiet fear of public embarrassment. Mark is useful because he understands contracts, leverage, boardrooms, and the way power moves behind polite language. He is the sort of sleuth who can sit through a meeting, notice which detail does not belong, and ask the one question nobody else in the room wants asked. He is not flashy, but he is very difficult to fool for long.
The settings do a lot of the work too. Williams liked old churches, Oxford colleges, Welsh towns, stately homes, seaside communities, and businesses that look solid until you inspect the foundations. In Murder in Advent and Holy Treasure! the church setting shapes both the mood and the motive. In Treasure in Roubles the series heads to Soviet Russia, yet the story still turns on Mark's steady eye for fraud, performance, and pressure. Even when the backdrop changes, the books remain interested in how apparently civilized people behave when money or reputation starts slipping away.
These are witty mysteries, but they are not featherweight.
The humor is dry and social, often aimed at committees, experts, clergy, executives, and anyone too pleased with their own importance. The murders can be nasty, yet the tone stays measured and intelligent. That balance is a big part of the charm. If you like detective fiction where clues matter, institutions matter, and marriage is treated as a strength rather than an inconvenience, Mark Treasure is very easy company.
There is no giant cliffhanger running through the series, which makes the books easy to dip into, but they are even better in order because Mark and Molly's partnership becomes more familiar and Williams's recurring concerns come into focus. Start with Unholy Writ if you want the full run, or try Murder in Advent or Treasure in Oxford if churches, colleges, and elegantly mannered murder are more your speed.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
















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