🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About David Donachie
David Donachie was born in 1944, in Edinburgh; Scotland. His father served in the Royal Airforce, which gave him the chance to get decent schooling. David left school at an early teenage of 14 years out of sheer boredom. Despite his loathe for school, David Donachie relished history, but before he could pen his first book he took on several odd jobs like truck driving, ice cream vending, salesmanship, and theater jobs among others, to survive. Some of his most exciting odd job moments were painting Sean Connery’s mom’s condo, which pricked his ambition to do something special. Working in the theater alongside Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, Alec Guinness, and Rudolf among dozens of other recognized names worldwide made him even more excited.
All Book Series by David Donachie
If I'd Known You in a Better Time
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2024
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is David Donachie?
David Donachie was born in 1944, in Edinburgh; Scotland. His father served in the Royal Airforce, which gave him the chance to get decent schooling. David left school at an early teenage of 14 years out of sheer boredom.
Which David Donachie series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Privateersman Mysteries series, the earliest of David Donachie's multi-book series: it opens with The Devil's Own Luck (1993) and runs to 6 books across 1993–1997, ending with A Game of Bones (1997). David Donachie's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has David Donachie written?
David Donachie has 57 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1993 and 2024. 55 of them belong to 13 named series — the largest being the John Pearce series with 18 books — and 2 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should David Donachie's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. David Donachie's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Privateersman Mysteries (1993–1997, 6 books), Markham Of The Marines (1996–1998, 3 books) and SAS Boat Troop (1998, 2 books), plus 10 more.
How are David Donachie's books organised into series?
This guide splits David Donachie's 57 books into 13 named series and 2 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: John Pearce (18 books, 2005–2023); Privateersman Mysteries (6 books, 1993–1997); Midshipman Wormwood (4 books, 2019–2020); Conquest Trilogy (3 books, 2009–2010); Contraband Shore (3 books, 2017–2020), plus 8 further series.