Matthew Jenkyn Books in Order
Part ofPaul Doherty Books in OrderThis page lists the Matthew Jenkyn mysteries in order by Paul Doherty, with short summaries, series background, and a clear place to start.
Last updated: January 13, 2026
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Publication Order
2 books
The Serpent Amongst the Lilies
by Paul Doherty
1990
Tudor England is full of polished courtiers and hidden knives, and Matthew Jenkyn is pulled into a case where betrayal wears a friendly face. Following clues through rumor and faction, he searches for the serpent in a world that rewards deception.
The Whyte Harte
by Paul Doherty
1988
In Tudor England, Matthew Jenkyn is drawn into a murder case where politics and personal grudges overlap. Moving between rough streets and powerful households, he hunts for the truth behind a death, knowing the wrong answer could make him the next target.
Series background & context
Matthew Jenkyn is a Tudor-era wanderer with just enough education and charm to get into trouble, and just enough nerve to get back out. He moves through a world where the church, the crown, and private grudges all collide.
These mysteries follow Matthew as he is pulled into conspiracies and killings that powerful people want handled quietly. He is not a formal officer of the law. He survives by being useful, by reading situations quickly, and by knowing when to disappear.
He survives by being useful.
The tone is fast and suspicious. The settings range from courts and great houses to the rougher parts of town, where information is traded the same way it is in palaces, only cheaper and more dangerous.
In this set, the books are The Whyte Harte and The Serpent Amongst the Lilies. Together they sketch a Tudor landscape of fear, ambition, and opportunism, with Matthew caught between factions that do not hesitate to use violence.
You can start with The Whyte Harte and read forward to see how Matthew’s world is established and how the pressure on him grows. Each book still works as a self-contained mystery, but the continuity adds weight.
If you like historical mysteries with a roguish lead and a strong sense of political danger, this small series is a good fit.
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