🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Patrick Quentin
Most of the tales were penned by Wheeler and Webb together, or by Wheeler alone. The authors’ most famous creation is Peter Duluth, the amateur detective. The name’s origins come from Martha Mott Kelley and Richard Wilson Webb’s names. Kelley was known as Patsy (Patsy Kelly was a well-known character actress of the period). Webb, an Englishman who worked for a pharmaceutical company in Philadelphia, was known as Rick, so they came up with the name Q. Patrick by combining both their nicknames. The Q they added because it was unusual. Kelley and Webb’s literary partnership quickly ended, with Kelley marrying Stephen Wilson. Webb would continue to writing as Q. Patrick, as he looked for a new partner.
All Book Series by Patrick Quentin
Turn of the Table / Funeral for Five
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1940
The Scarlet Circle / Light from a Lantern
Book 2 of 5 · published 1943 Pen name · Jonathan Stagge
Death, My Darling Daughters / Death and the Dear Girls
Book 3 of 5 · published 1945 Pen name · Jonathan Stagge
The Three Fears
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 1949 Pen name · Jonathan Stagge
The Puzzles of Peter Duluth
Latest in the series · book 10 of 10 · published 2016
Death for Dear Clara
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1937 Pen name · Q. Patrick
Murder at the Women's City Club
Book 2 of 10 · published 1932 Pen name · Q. Patrick
The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow: And Other Stories
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2018
Death Freight and Other Murderous Excursions
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2022
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Patrick Quentin?
Most of the tales were penned by Wheeler and Webb together, or by Wheeler alone. The authors’ most famous creation is Peter Duluth, the amateur detective. The name’s origins come from Martha Mott Kelley and Richard Wilson Webb’s names.
Which Patrick Quentin series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Peter Duluth Mystery series, the earliest of Patrick Quentin's multi-book series: it opens with A Puzzle for Fools (1936) and runs to 10 books across 1936–2016, ending with The Puzzles of Peter Duluth (2016). Patrick Quentin's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Patrick Quentin written?
Patrick Quentin has 40 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1931 and 2022. 23 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Peter Duluth Mystery series with 10 books — and 17 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Patrick Quentin's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Patrick Quentin's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Peter Duluth Mystery (1936–2016, 10 books), Timothy Trant (1937–2020, 6 books) and Crimefile (1937–1938, 2 books), plus 1 more.
How are Patrick Quentin's books organised into series?
This guide splits Patrick Quentin's 40 books into 4 named series and 17 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Peter Duluth Mystery (10 books, 1936–2016); Timothy Trant (6 books, 1937–2020); Dr. Westlake (5 books, 1940–1949); Crimefile (2 books, 1937–1938).