Michael Gilbert

Michael was born in Lincolnshire, the UK in 1912; he studied in Sussex before joining London University where he graduated with a distinction in LLB in 1937. Gilbert was a founder/member of the British Crime Writers Association and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America -in 1988, an accomplishment that was long past due. In 1980, Gilbert received the queen’s honor of a knight as a Commander in the Order of the British Empire.

The best place to start is the Inspector Hazelrigg series, the earliest of Michael Gilbert's multi-book series: it opens with Close Quarters (1947) and runs to 6 books across 1947–1953, ending with Fear to Tread (1953). Michael Gilbert's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.

Michael Gilbert has 160 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1862 and 2024. 117 of them belong to 5 named series — the largest being the Inspector Hazelrigg series with 6 books — and 43 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Michael Gilbert's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Inspector Hazelrigg (1947–1953, 6 books), Patrick Petrella (1959–1994, 4 books) and Inspector Mercer (1978–1980, 2 books), plus 1 more.

This guide splits Michael Gilbert's 160 books into 5 named series and 43 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Inspector Hazelrigg (6 books, 1947–1953); Patrick Petrella (4 books, 1959–1994); Luke Pagan (3 books, 1995–1999); Inspector Mercer (2 books, 1978–1980); British Library Crime Classics (102 books, 1862–2024).