🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon
Author Barbara “Elizabeth” Linington was born on March 11, 1921 in Aurora, Illinois. She was regarded as the Queen of Procedurals (to Ed McBain’s King of Procedurals) for being one of the first female authors to pen procedurals. She died at the age of 67 on April 5, 1988 in Arroyo Grande, California. Linington wrote under a few pen names, some of which include: Egan O’Neill Lesley Egan, Dell Shannon, and Anne Blaisdell, she wrote under her own as well. Besides crime, Linington was also interested in things like: the occult, archaeology, languages, antique weapons, and gemstones. She was also with the John Birch Society as an active member, and was a conservative political activist.
All Book Series by Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon
Strange Felony
Latest in the series · book 13 of 13 · published 1986 Pen name · Dell Shannon
Nightmare
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1962 Pen name · Anne Blaisdell
Sorrow to the Grave
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 1992 Pen name · Dell Shannon
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon?
Author Barbara “Elizabeth” Linington was born on March 11, 1921 in Aurora, Illinois. She was regarded as the Queen of Procedurals (to Ed McBain's King of Procedurals) for being one of the first female authors to pen procedurals. She died at the age of 67 on April 5, 1988 in Arroyo Grande, California.
Which Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Lieutenant Luis Mendoza series, the earliest of Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon's multi-book series: it opens with Case Pending (1960) and runs to 37 books across 1960–1986, ending with Blood Count (1986). Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon written?
Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon has 83 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1960 and 1992. 76 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Lieutenant Luis Mendoza series with 37 books — and 7 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Lieutenant Luis Mendoza (1960–1986, 37 books), Jesse Falkenstein (1961–1985, 13 books) and Vic Varallo Mystery (1962–1986, 13 books), plus 1 more.
How are Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon's books organised into series?
This guide splits Elizabeth Linington / Dell Shannon's 83 books into 4 named series and 7 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Lieutenant Luis Mendoza (37 books, 1960–1986); Ivor Maddox (13 books, 1964–1986); Jesse Falkenstein (13 books, 1961–1985); Vic Varallo Mystery (13 books, 1962–1986).