🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Edith Pargeter
Edith Pargeter was a successful published author. She was a novelist known by many other pen names, including Peter Benedict, Ellis Peters, Jolyon Carr, and John Redfern. She was born in Shropshire in the United Kingdom on September 29, 1913 and passed away on October 14, 1995. Her father worked at a local ironworks as a clerk. Edith would go to school locally at the Dawley Church of England School and the Coalbrookdale High School for Girls. Edith would come to love Shropshire’s history and countryside through her mother and made it her home her entire life. Prior to World War II, she was employed as a chemist’s assistant. She started writing for publication seriously while also getting information on medicines that she would use later while writing crime stories.
All Book Series by Edith Pargeter
A Morbid Taste for Bones
Series opener · book 1 of 23 · published 1977 Pen name · Ellis Peters
The Raven in the Foregate
Book 12 of 23 · published 1986 Pen name · Ellis Peters
The Hermit of Eyton Forest
Book 14 of 23 · published 1987 Pen name · Ellis Peters
The Confession of Brother Haluin
Book 15 of 23 · published 1988 Pen name · Ellis Peters
The Heretic's Apprentice
Book 17 of 23 · published 1989 Pen name · Ellis Peters
Brother Cadfael's Penance
Latest in the series · book 23 of 23 · published 1994 Pen name · Ellis Peters
The Assize of the Dying
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1958 Pen name · Ellis Peters
The Trinity Cat
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2006 Pen name · Ellis Peters
Murder in Midsummer: Classic Mysteries for the Holidays
Book 5 of 6 · published 2019
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Edith Pargeter?
Edith Pargeter was a successful published author. She was a novelist known by many other pen names, including Peter Benedict, Ellis Peters, Jolyon Carr, and John Redfern. She was born in Shropshire in the United Kingdom on September 29, 1913 and passed away on October 14, 1995.
Which Edith Pargeter series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Second World War Trilogy series, the earliest of Edith Pargeter's multi-book series: it opens with The Eighth Champion of Christendom (1945) and runs to 3 books across 1945–1947, ending with Warfare Accomplished (1947). Edith Pargeter's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Edith Pargeter written?
Edith Pargeter has 78 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1936 and 2024. 55 of them belong to 7 named series — the largest being the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series with 23 books — and 23 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Edith Pargeter's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Edith Pargeter's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Second World War Trilogy (1945–1947, 3 books), Inspector Felse (1951–1978, 13 books) and Ellis Peters Short Story Collections (1958–2006, 2 books), plus 3 more.
How are Edith Pargeter's books organised into series?
This guide splits Edith Pargeter's 78 books into 7 named series and 23 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Chronicles of Brother Cadfael (23 books, 1977–1994); Inspector Felse (13 books, 1951–1978); Brothers of Gwynedd (4 books, 1974–1977); Heaven Tree (3 books, 1960–1963); Second World War Trilogy (3 books, 1945–1947), plus 2 further series.