🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Carter Dickson
Carter Dickson is the pseudonym used by the famous American writer of detective stories, John Dickson Carr. Dickson was one of the prominent authors of his time who has written many successful novels based on the mystery and thriller genres. He was born on November 30, 1906 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, United States and died on February 27, 1977 in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Dickson used to use a number of pen names for writing his novels, some of which include Carr Dickson, Roger Fairbairn, and Carter Dickson. Because of his extensive works based on the detective stories he is regarded as one of the noteworthy writers of the Golden Age mystery novels. His writings generally depict complex plots filled with puzzles.
All Book Series by Carter Dickson
The Punch and Judy Murders /The Magic Lantern Murders
Book 5 of 23 · published 1936
Nine and Death Makes Ten / Murder in the Submarine Zone
Book 11 of 23 · published 1940
The Curse of the Bronze Lamp / Lord of the Sorcerers
Book 16 of 23 · published 1945
Merrivale, March and Murder
Latest in the series · book 23 of 23 · published 1991
Fatal Descent / Drop to His Death
Book 2 of 3 · published 1939 Co-authored · John Rhode
The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2018
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Carter Dickson?
Carter Dickson is the pseudonym used by the famous American writer of detective stories, John Dickson Carr. Dickson was one of the prominent authors of his time who has written many successful novels based on the mystery and thriller genres. He was born on November 30, 1906 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, United States and died on February 27, 1977 in Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
Which Carter Dickson series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Sir Henry Merrivale series, the earliest of Carter Dickson's multi-book series: it opens with The Plague Court Murders (1934) and runs to 23 books across 1934–1991, ending with Merrivale, March and Murder (1991).
How many books has Carter Dickson written?
Carter Dickson has 29 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1933 and 2018. 24 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Sir Henry Merrivale series with 23 books — and 5 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Carter Dickson's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Carter Dickson's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Sir Henry Merrivale (1934–1991, 23 books) and Department D-3 (1940, 1 book).
How are Carter Dickson's books organised into series?
This guide splits Carter Dickson's 29 books into 2 named series and 5 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Sir Henry Merrivale (23 books, 1934–1991); Department D-3 (1 book, 1940).