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ⓘ About Freeman Wills Crofts
Freeman Wills Crofts was an Irish author who made his name with the “Inspector French” series of novels. He was born in Dublin though his roots are English. He went to Campbell and Methodist Colleges in Belfast and when he was seventeen he became apprenticed to Berkeley D Wise his uncle. His uncle was then a chief engineer of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway. In 1899, he graduated from apprentice to become a railway engineer. He then moved up the ranks to become a district engineer and by the time he left the service, he was a chief assistant engineer. His first foray into writing was when he was recovering from a serious illness and had to take an extended stay away from work.
All Book Series by Freeman Wills Crofts
Inspector French and Sir John Magill’s Last Journey
Book 6 of 30 · published 1930
Mystery of the Sleeping Car Express
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1956
The Notting Hill Mystery
Series opener · book 1 of 102 · published 1862 Anthology · Charles Warren Adams
The Poisoned Chocolates Case
Book 2 of 102 · published 1929 Anthology · Anthony Berkeley
The Secret of High Eldersham / The Mystery of High Eldersham
Book 4 of 102 · published 1930 Anthology · Miles Burton
Murder of a Lady / The Silver Scale Mystery
Book 6 of 102 · published 1931 Anthology · Anthony Wynne
The Incredible Crime
Book 8 of 102 · published 1931 Anthology · Lois Austen-Leigh
The Corpse in the Waxworks / The Waxworks Murder
Book 11 of 102 · published 1932 Anthology · John Dickson Carr
The Division Bell Mystery
Book 12 of 102 · published 1932 Anthology · Ellen Wilkinson
Portrait of a Murderer
Book 13 of 102 · published 1933 Anthology · Anne Meredith
Death in Fancy Dress
Book 14 of 102 · published 1933 Anthology · Anthony Gilbert
The Mysterious Mr. Badman
Book 17 of 102 · published 1934 Anthology · William Fryer Harvey
Murder Underground
Book 18 of 102 · published 1934 Anthology · Mavis Doriel Hay
Death of an Airman
Book 20 of 102 · published 1934 Anthology · Christopher Sprigg
The Spy Paramount
Book 21 of 102 · published 1934 Anthology · E. Phillips Oppenheim
The Chianti Flask
Book 23 of 102 · published 1934 Anthology · Marie Belloc Lowndes
Death on the Cherwell
Book 27 of 102 · published 1935 Anthology · Mavis Doriel Hay
The Santa Klaus Murder
Book 30 of 102 · published 1936 Anthology · Mavis Doriel Hay
The Wheel Spins / Passengers / The Lady Vanishes
Book 34 of 102 · published 1936 Anthology · Ethel Lina White
Death in the Tunnel / Dark in the Tunnel
Book 35 of 102 · published 1936 Anthology · Miles Burton
Murder in Piccadilly
Book 36 of 102 · published 1936 Anthology · Charles Kingston
Mystery in White
Book 37 of 102 · published 1937 Anthology · J. Jefferson Farjeon
The Cheltenham Square Murder
Book 39 of 102 · published 1937 Anthology · John Bude
Thirteen Guests
Book 43 of 102 · published 1938 Anthology · J. Jefferson Farjeon
The Port of London Murders
Book 44 of 102 · published 1938 Anthology · Josephine Bell
The Arsenal Stadium Mystery
Book 45 of 102 · published 1939 Anthology · Leonard R. Gribble
Death of a Busybody
Book 49 of 102 · published 1942 Anthology · George Bellairs
The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack
Book 50 of 102 · published 1942 Anthology · George Bellairs
Somebody at the Door
Book 51 of 102 · published 1943 Anthology · Raymond Postgate
Trouble on the Thames
Book 56 of 102 · published 1945 Anthology · Victor Bridges
Death Has Deep Roots
Book 61 of 102 · published 1951 Anthology · Michael Gilbert
The Danger Within / Death in Captivity
Book 63 of 102 · published 1952 Anthology · Michael Gilbert
London Particular / Fog of Doubt
Book 65 of 102 · published 1952 Anthology · Christianna Brand
Murder in the Mill-Race / Speak Justly of the Dead
Book 67 of 102 · published 1952 Anthology · E.C.R. Lorac
The Man Who Didn't Fly
Book 69 of 102 · published 1955 Anthology · Margot Bennett
The Progress of a Crime
Book 72 of 102 · published 1960 Anthology · Julian Symons
Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm
Book 73 of 102 · published 1960 Anthology · Gil North
The Body in the Dumb River
Book 75 of 102 · published 1961 Anthology · George Bellairs
Due to a Death / The Dead of Summer
Book 76 of 102 · published 1963 Anthology · Mary Kelly
Surfeit of Suspects
Book 77 of 102 · published 1964 Anthology · George Bellairs
The Belting Inheritance
Book 78 of 102 · published 1965 Anthology · Julian Symons
Capital Crimes
Book 82 of 102 · published 2015 Anthology · Martin Edwards,Richard Marsh
Crimson Snow
Book 87 of 102 · published 2016 Anthology · Martin Edwards,Fergus Hume
Foreign Bodies
Book 88 of 102 · published 2017 Anthology · Martin Edwards,Palle Rosenkrantz
The Long Arm of the Law
Book 89 of 102 · published 2017 Anthology · Martin Edwards
Miraculous Mysteries
Book 90 of 102 · published 2017 Anthology · Martin Edwards
The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories
Book 93 of 102 · published 2018 Anthology · Martin Edwards
Golden Age of Detection Puzzle Book
Book 94 of 102 · published 2018 Anthology · Kate Jackson
The Measure of Malice
Book 96 of 102 · published 2019 Anthology · Martin Edwards
A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries
Book 98 of 102 · published 2020 Anthology · Martin Edwards
Lessons in Crime
Latest in the series · book 102 of 102 · published 2024 Anthology · Martin Edwards
Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror
Series opener · book 1 of 10 · published 1931
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Freeman Wills Crofts?
Freeman Wills Crofts was an Irish author who made his name with the “Inspector French” series of novels. He was born in Dublin though his roots are English. He went to Campbell and Methodist Colleges in Belfast and when he was seventeen he became apprenticed to Berkeley D Wise his uncle.
Which Freeman Wills Crofts series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Freeman Wills Crofts Standalone Novels series, the earliest of Freeman Wills Crofts's multi-book series: it opens with The Cask (1920) and runs to 4 books across 1920–1923, ending with The Groote Park Murder (1923). Freeman Wills Crofts's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Freeman Wills Crofts written?
Freeman Wills Crofts has 148 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1862 and 2024. 138 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Inspector French series with 30 books — and 10 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Freeman Wills Crofts's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Freeman Wills Crofts's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Freeman Wills Crofts Standalone Novels (1920–1923, 4 books), Inspector French (1924–1957, 30 books) and Freeman Wills Crofts Short Story Collections (1947–1956, 2 books).
How are Freeman Wills Crofts's books organised into series?
This guide splits Freeman Wills Crofts's 148 books into 4 named series and 10 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Inspector French (30 books, 1924–1957); Freeman Wills Crofts Standalone Novels (4 books, 1920–1923); Freeman Wills Crofts Short Story Collections (2 books, 1947–1956); British Library Crime Classics (102 books, 1862–2024).