Ribs of Death Books in Order

The Ribs of Death books belong to Joan Aiken's adult suspense side. They are not children's fantasies in disguise, and they are not cozy mysteries either. These are darker, more sardonic novels, the kind where shabby motives, greed, fear, and bad judgment push people into real danger.

This is a looser series than some of Aiken's others. It is best thought of as a linked corner of her crime and suspense writing rather than one long continuous story. Ribs of Death sets the tone, and Foul Matter continues in that same blackly comic, unnerving vein.

The pleasure here is in the pressure.

Aiken was very good at taking ordinary adults, or adults who think of themselves as ordinary, and letting panic, self-interest, vanity, or hidden history turn the screws. People lie for practical reasons, then have to lie again. Small schemes become larger traps. What looked grubby but manageable becomes genuinely dangerous.

These books also show her talent for atmosphere in a different register. Instead of wolves, witches, or magical gardens, you get rooms full of unease, conversations edged with threat, and social settings where everyone is trying to read everybody else. Even when the plots move quickly, there is often a sense of decay in the background, emotional, moral, or literal.

There is humor, but it is not gentle humor.

Aiken's adult thrillers can be very funny in a dry and ruthless way. She sees the absurdity of pretension and the weakness of people who think they are in control. That edge keeps the books lively. They do not sink into solemn darkness, even when the consequences are serious.

If you are coming to this series from her children's work, the main adjustment is tone. The storytelling energy is still there, but the mercy level is lower. Adults make messes, and not everyone gets out of them cleanly.

For readers who like vintage suspense, sharp observation, and plots driven by human folly rather than puzzle mechanics, the Ribs of Death books offer a very interesting side of Joan Aiken.