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Mrs Bradley Books in Order

Part ofGladys Mitchell Books in Order

Browse the Mrs Bradley books in order by Gladys Mitchell, with short summaries, series background, and tips on where to start with these sly, strange mysteries.

Last updated: June 29, 2026

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66 books

1

A Speedy Death

by Gladys Mitchell

1929

At a country-house dinner, a missing explorer is found drowned in a bath, and the corpse is not who everyone thought it was. Mrs Bradley's first case grows stranger with poison, panic, and a house full of suspects.

2

The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop

by Gladys Mitchell

1929

Rupert Sethleigh vanishes, then a dismembered body turns up hanging in a butcher's shop. With skulls, false trails, and village gossip everywhere, Mrs Bradley has to sort out one of Mitchell's knottiest early puzzles.

3

The Longer Bodies

by Gladys Mitchell

1930

A ninety-year-old aunt stages a private Olympics to decide who will inherit her fortune. When a body appears on the training ground and a javelin keeps turning up at the wrong moments, Mrs Bradley steps in.

4

The Saltmarsh Murders

by Gladys Mitchell

1932

A village scandal over a servant girl and her missing baby turns deadly when she is found strangled after the holiday fête. Mrs Bradley picks through gossip, secrets, and comic narration from a nervous young curate.

5

Death at the Opera

by Gladys Mitchell

1934

At a school production of *The Mikado*, an unpopular maths mistress disappears after the show and is found drowned backstage. Mrs Bradley uncovers rivalries, love affairs, and a very crowded suspect list.

6

The Devil at Saxon Wall

by Gladys Mitchell

1935

A harsh village steeped in superstition still feels the aftershocks of two mysterious deaths from years earlier. When Mrs Bradley looks into Saxon Wall, pagan fears and old grudges begin to fit together.

7

Dead Men's Morris

by Gladys Mitchell

1936

Mrs Bradley spends Christmas at her nephew's pig farm, where a ghost-watch death is followed by a second killing and whispers of old village customs. The case builds toward a memorable morris-dance climax.

8

Come Away, Death

by Gladys Mitchell

1937

A scholarly tour of Greece turns dangerous when ritual obsessions, vipers, and a severed head upset the journey. Mrs Bradley must untangle murder from myth as the party moves from ruin to ruin.

9

St Peter's Finger

by Gladys Mitchell

1938

A schoolgirl is found dead in a convent bath, but the coroner discovers she was poisoned first. Inside the disciplined, secretive world of St Peter's Finger, Mrs Bradley has to separate faith, fear, and murder.

10

Printer's Error

by Gladys Mitchell

1939

A contentious book project sets off threats, disappearances, arson, and a trail of severed body parts. Mrs Bradley follows the chaos through a printing-house mystery with political shadows in the background.

11

Brazen Tongue

by Gladys Mitchell

1940

In a blackout village during the war, three violent deaths strike in quick succession: a woman in a cistern, a councillor in a doorway, and a telephonist by a fountain. Mrs Bradley hunts for the links.

12

Hangman's Curfew

by Gladys Mitchell

1941

A chance meeting on a Northumberland walk draws Gillian and Mrs Bradley into poisonings, false identities, and hidden treasure. A theatre stabbing and an old castle push the case into full adventure mode.

13

When Last I Died

by Gladys Mitchell

1941

An old diary leads Mrs Bradley back into a buried case of suspicious deaths, missing boys, and a woman once tried for murder. To solve it, she moves into a haunted house and starts asking rude questions.

14

Laurels Are Poison

by Gladys Mitchell

1942

At a women's training college, pranks turn nasty after a warden disappears and a cook is found dead in the river. Mrs Bradley and the formidable Laura Menzies face ghosts, violence, and very live suspects.

15

Sunset Over Soho

by Gladys Mitchell

1943

A novelist on a riverboat is told that a man has been killed, only for the body to vanish. Wartime waterways, missing people, and shifting stories carry Mrs Bradley into one of Mitchell's strangest plots.

16

The Worsted Viper

by Gladys Mitchell

1943

Laura, Kitty, and Alice find a woman's body on a Norfolk Broads houseboat with a knitted viper stuck in the wound. As more victims appear, Mrs Bradley suspects both Satanic theatrics and a personal vendetta.

17

My Father Sleeps

by Gladys Mitchell

1944

A Highland holiday turns uneasy when a landowner hears ghostly voices, his housekeeper vanishes, and identities begin to wobble. Mrs Bradley and Laura pick through clan history, landscape, and murder.

18

The Rising of the Moon

by Gladys Mitchell

1945

Two brothers investigate a run of moonlit killings after a circus arrives in their quiet village. When suspicion brushes their own family, they turn to the odd old woman called Mrs Bradley.

19

Here Comes a Chopper

by Gladys Mitchell

1946

Two young walkers are unexpectedly drawn into a country-house party, and the missing guest is soon found headless in the woods. Mrs Bradley faces beheadings, threats, and a plot that gets wilder by the chapter.

20

Death and the Maiden

by Gladys Mitchell

1947

A family outing inspired by talk of a water nymph ends in drowned boys, attempted murder, and deep family unease. Mrs Bradley has to cut through superstition to find the human malice underneath.

21

The Dancing Druids

by Gladys Mitchell

1948

After helping move what may already be a corpse, a young runner stumbles into a case centered on a prehistoric stone circle. Mrs Bradley, Laura, and company chase killers through one of Mitchell's liveliest adventures.

22

Tom Brown's Body

by Gladys Mitchell

1949

While searching for an old family spell book, Mrs Bradley finds a public school buzzing with grudges and occult hints. A loathed master turns up dead, and even the school play proves dangerous.

23

Groaning Spinney

by Gladys Mitchell

1950

A village ghost story, vicious anonymous letters, and a corpse posed on a woodland gate make for a sharp winter mystery. Mrs Bradley follows the poison-pen malice through snow and thaw alike.

24

The Devil's Elbow

by Gladys Mitchell

1951

A Scottish coach tour turns fatal when a missing passenger is found dead aboard a boat, wrapped in a rug. Through letters and interviews, Mrs Bradley works through a lively crowd of travelers.

25

The Echoing Strangers

by Gladys Mitchell

1952

A body chained under a dinghy and a murder on the cricket field lead Mrs Bradley toward twin brothers with a troubled past. The case turns on divided identities, family damage, and what the boys are hiding.

26

Merlin's Furlong

by Gladys Mitchell

1953

A rewritten will, a strange advertisement about a warlock, and a bludgeoned corpse send Mrs Bradley into a case full of occult clutter. Secret rooms, dolls' heads, and a live monkey all make an appearance.

27

Faintley Speaking

by Gladys Mitchell

1954

A wrong-number phone call nudges a broke writer into suspicious errands just as a schoolmistress vanishes on holiday. Laura and a schoolboy find the body first, and Mrs Bradley takes it from there.

28

Watson's Choice

by Gladys Mitchell

1955

A Sherlock Holmes themed house party produces a glowing hound, a bogus abduction, and then a real corpse in an abandoned station. Mrs Bradley and Laura sort theatre from truth.

29

Twelve Horses and the Hangman's Noose

by Gladys Mitchell

1956

A stable owner is found dead in his stall, and the easiest explanation, a violent horse, does not satisfy Laura or Dame Beatrice. More deaths and school intrigues quickly complicate the picture.

30

The Twenty-Third Man

by Gladys Mitchell

1957

On a Canary island, a missing man's body is discovered posed among ancient mummified kings in a cave. Dame Beatrice has to read the island's outsiders, grudges, and strange customs to find justice.

31

Spotted Hemlock

by Gladys Mitchell

1958

A prank near a women's agricultural college uncovers a corpse dressed like a student, but the age of the dead woman tells a different story. Dame Beatrice follows poison, gossip, and a ghostly horseman.

32

The Man Who Grew Tomatoes

by Gladys Mitchell

1959

At a disputed family estate, two earlier drownings start to look less accidental once anonymous letters and poisoned tomatoes enter the story. Dame Beatrice follows the trouble from Norfolk to Scotland.

33

Say It with Flowers

by Gladys Mitchell

1960

A village dig meant to uncover Roman remains instead turns up a modern skeleton. From there Dame Beatrice follows missing travelers, suspicious archaeologists, and another body in a ruined tower.

34

Nodding Canaries

by Gladys Mitchell

1961

A visit to abandoned mine workings nearly kills two teachers and reveals a corpse hidden underground. Dame Beatrice turns from the gas attack to an archaeological society with more than one secret.

35

My Bones Will Keep

by Gladys Mitchell

1962

Laura's Scottish trip leaves her stranded on a ghostly island with a false laird, a stranger in a boathouse, and murder out on the loch. Dame Beatrice follows the trail through legend and landscape.

36

Adders on the Heath

by Gladys Mitchell

1963

A holiday tent becomes a crime scene when a dead man appears, vanishes, and is replaced by another corpse. Dame Beatrice tackles blackmail, athletics, and murky business on the heath.

37

Death of a Delft Blue

by Gladys Mitchell

1964

A Dutch conference leads Dame Beatrice into a sprawling family quarrel, a vanished young man, and a pair of barmaids killed by poisoned chocolates. The case moves between Holland and Derbyshire caves.

38

Pageant of Murder

by Gladys Mitchell

1965

A town's historical pageant seems harmless until Falstaff turns up stabbed, Henry VIII loses his head, and another performer dies in costume. Dame Beatrice follows a killer using history as camouflage.

39

The Croaking Raven

by Gladys Mitchell

1966

At a rented manor on castle grounds, Dame Beatrice starts looking into an old fatal fall that the family would rather forget. Visitors, history, and long-held resentments stir the place up again.

40

Skeleton Island

by Gladys Mitchell

1967

While Laura is tied up with school duties, Dame Beatrice drifts into a case involving a disappearance, quarry searches, and a lonely stretch of coast. Holiday time does not stay peaceful for long.

41

Three Quick and Five Dead

by Gladys Mitchell

1968

A walk in the New Forest with Fergus the wolfhound leads Laura toward the first of several linked deaths. Dame Beatrice faces a case that grows broader and bloodier by the hour.

42

Dance to Your Daddy

by Gladys Mitchell

1969

Called to Galliard Hall to assess a troubled young wife, Dame Beatrice soon finds a murdered parson and hints of a family secret. The psychological problem quickly turns into a criminal one.

43

Gory Dew

by Gladys Mitchell

1970

44

Lament for Leto

by Gladys Mitchell

1971

A second journey to Greek sites seems unconnected to an older death, but Dame Beatrice is not convinced. As the pilgrimage darkens, past and present violence begin to echo one another.

45

A Hearse on May-Day

by Gladys Mitchell

1972

Fenella Lestrange stops in a village preparing for secret May rites and soon finds herself caught up in the suspicious death of a drunken patriarch. Dame Beatrice enters a case steeped in seasonal ritual.

46

The Murder of Busy Lizzie

by Gladys Mitchell

1973

A family trip to an island hotel starts as an awkward attempt at reconciliation and slides toward murder. Great Skua's isolation gives Dame Beatrice plenty of motive, gossip, and bad feeling to work with.

47

A Javelin for Jonah

by Gladys Mitchell

1974

After Jones's death, a tense circle of students comes under Dame Beatrice's eye. What begins as an attempt to size people up soon hardens into a full murder investigation.

48

Winking at the Brim

by Gladys Mitchell

1974

Strange sights on the water, including a creature that looks almost prehistoric, add fear to an already dangerous case. Dame Beatrice works out what belongs to legend and what belongs to murder.

49

Convent on Styx

by Gladys Mitchell

1975

Poison-pen letters stir up old grievances and fresh danger around a religious community. Dame Beatrice follows the malice behind the notes before it hardens into something worse.

50

Late, Late in the Evening

by Gladys Mitchell

1976

Clues gathered by younger observers lead back to the manor, where Mrs Bradley decides what matters and what does not. The case builds through watchfulness, village talk, and withheld facts.

51

Fault in the Structure

by Gladys Mitchell

1977

An ambitious young man with inheritance in mind is only one crack in a family arrangement already under strain. Dame Beatrice follows the damage from an apparently fortunate death.

52

Noonday and Night

by Gladys Mitchell

1977

This later Bradley case circles a simple truth Mrs Bradley knows well: murder may be easy, but hiding the body is harder. The puzzle turns on concealment as much as killing.

53

Mingled with Venom

by Gladys Mitchell

1978

A sudden death from aconitine points straight back to the kitchen and a pot of homemade pickle. Dame Beatrice works through household tensions, poison, and motive.

54

Wraiths and Changelings

by Gladys Mitchell

1978

Ghostly talk and an uncanny All Hallows atmosphere give this later mystery a supernatural edge. Dame Beatrice listens to the stories, then starts asking who benefits if everyone stays frightened.

55

Nest of Vipers

by Gladys Mitchell

1979

Dame Beatrice walks into another tightly coiled group of suspects, where old resentments and hidden motives make every relationship look dangerous. The calm surface does not last for long.

56

The Mudflats of the Dead

by Gladys Mitchell

1979

The coast gives up grim evidence in a case that pulls Dame Beatrice into treacherous ground, both physical and emotional. The mudflats are only the most obvious hazard.

57

The Whispering Knights

by Gladys Mitchell

1980

Ancient stones and hints of pagan ritual set a dark mood around this late Bradley case. Dame Beatrice has to decide whether the menace belongs to the landscape or the people moving through it.

58

Uncoffin'd Clay

by Gladys Mitchell

1980

A museum theft, a sprung man-trap, and a missing land agent disturb a normally quiet Dorset village. When the victim is found pinned with one of the stolen curios, Dame Beatrice starts connecting the oddities.

59

Lovers, Make Moan

by Gladys Mitchell

1981

60

The Death Cap Dancers

by Gladys Mitchell

1981

61

Death of a Burrowing Mole

by Gladys Mitchell

1982

62

Here Lies Gloria Mundy

by Gladys Mitchell

1982

63

Cold, Lone, and Still

by Gladys Mitchell

1983

64

The Greenstone Griffins

by Gladys Mitchell

1983

65

No Winding-Sheet

by Gladys Mitchell

1984

66

The Crozier Pharaohs

by Gladys Mitchell

1984

Series background & context

The Mrs Bradley books follow Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley, a psychoanalyst and Home Office consultant who treats crime as a problem of motive, impulse, and human weakness. She first appears in A Speedy Death, and over the long run of the series she remains a startling presence, clever, dry, yellow-faced, black-eyed, and far less interested in social niceties than in the truth.

She is not a cosy aunt.

The cases range widely. Some begin in country houses, villages, and schools. Others move out into Scotland, Greece, the Canary Islands, convents, archaeological digs, and places touched by folklore or old ritual. A missing guest at dinner, a teacher found drowned after a school opera, a body chained beneath a boat, a murder hidden inside local pageantry, Mitchell keeps changing the furniture around her detective.

That variety is one of the pleasures of the series. Another is the way recurring characters slowly build a world around Dame Beatrice. Laura Menzies, later Laura Gavin, becomes her secretary, helper, and frequent field agent. George Cuddleup, the chauffeur, supplies steadiness and good sense. Various Lestrange relatives, school friends, and young allies appear and reappear, so even when the setting changes, the books still feel connected.

The tone is hard to mistake. These are detective novels, but they are rarely neat little clockwork puzzles and they are not always soothing. Mitchell liked psychology, witchcraft, village legend, mischief, strange scenery, and suspects who behave in ways that are not entirely reasonable. The books can be funny, eerie, messy, shrewd, and suddenly violent, sometimes all in the same chapter.

Start early if you want the wildest Mrs Bradley, the one who startles grown men and charms children by sheer force of personality. The first novels, especially A Speedy Death, The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop, and The Saltmarsh Murders, are sharp, comic, and gleefully odd. Mid-series books like Laurels Are Poison, The Rising of the Moon, and The Echoing Strangers show a steadier Mitchell without losing the bite.

There was also a television adaptation in the 1990s, but the books give you the fuller and stranger version of Dame Beatrice. If you want a detective series that keeps one foot in classic British crime and the other in something weirder, this is the one to read.

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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