📖 About Inspector Shan

Inspector Shan is a series universe written by Eliot Pattison. The complete collection runs to 10 books across 1 series, published between 1999 and 2019.

The main series is Publication Order of Inspector Shan Books with 10 books. It opens with The Skull Mantra (1999) and currently runs to Bones of the Earth (2019).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Inspector Shan

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: The Skull Mantra (1999), book 1 of Publication Order of Inspector Shan Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

Each of the 1 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Inspector Shan Books in Order

Publication Order of Inspector Shan Books
10 books
1
The Skull Mantra book cover1The Skull Mantra1999Buy on Amazon
Water Touching Stone book cover2Water Touching Stone2001Buy on Amazon
Bone Mountain book cover3Bone Mountain2002Buy on Amazon
Beautiful Ghosts book cover4Beautiful Ghosts2004Buy on Amazon
Prayer of the Dragon book cover5Prayer of the Dragon2007Buy on Amazon
The Lord of Death book cover6The Lord of Death2009Buy on Amazon
Mandarin Gate book cover7Mandarin Gate2012Buy on Amazon
Soul of the Fire book cover8Soul of the Fire2014Buy on Amazon
Skeleton God book cover9Skeleton God2017Buy on Amazon
Bones of the Earth book cover10Bones of the Earth2019Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Inspector Shan books are there?
There are 10 books in the Inspector Shan collection, organised into 1 series and published between 1999 and 2019.
What is the first Inspector Shan book?
The first book is The Skull Mantra, published in 1999.
What order should I read the Inspector Shan books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Inspector Shan books?
The Inspector Shan books were written by Eliot Pattison.
Is the Inspector Shan series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Inspector Shan Books, has 10 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Inspector Shan series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1999, and the most recent in 2019.