Ruth Rendell published 78 novels, 3 novellas, 8 short story collections, 1 non-fiction book, 1 children's book and 2 other books, beginning with From Doon with Death (1964). The series is Inspector Wexford (28 books, starting with From Doon with Death). The best-known is A Dark-Adapted Eye (1986).
Updated September 2026
Inspector Wexford books in order (28)Series page
Reading order: 1 From Doon with Death (1964) · 2 A New Lease of Death (1967) · 3 Wolf to the Slaughter (1967) · 4 The Best Man to Die (1969) · 5 A Guilty Thing Surprised (1970) · 6 No More Dying Then (1971) · 7 Murder Being Once Done (1972) · 8 Some Lie and Some Die (1973) · 9 Shake Hands Forever (1975) · 10 A Sleeping Life (1978) · … all 28 below
- 1.
From Doon with Death (1964)
- 2.
A New Lease of Death (1967)
- 3.
Wolf to the Slaughter (1967)
- 4.
The Best Man to Die (Jun 1969)
- 5.
A Guilty Thing Surprised (1970)
- 6.
No More Dying Then (Oct 1971)
- 7.
Murder Being Once Done (1972)
- 8.
Some Lie and Some Die (Apr 1973)
- 9.
Shake Hands Forever (Apr 1975)
- 10.
A Sleeping Life (May 1978)
- 11.
Put on By Cunning (Apr 1981)
- 12.
The Speaker of Mandarin (Feb 1983)
- 13.
An Unkindness of Ravens (Apr 1985)
- 14.
The Veiled One (1988)
- 15.
Kissing the Gunner's Daughter (1992)
- 16.
Simisola (Sep 1994)
- 17.
Road Rage (Sep 1997)
- 18.
Harm Done (Sep 1999)
- 19.
The Babes in the Wood (2002)
- 20.
End in Tears (Oct 2005)
- 21.
Not in the Flesh (2007)
- 22.
The Monster in the Box (2009)
- 23.
The Vault (2011)
- 24.
No Mans Nightingale (2013)
Murder (Jul 1972)
The Copper Peacock, and Other Stories (1991)
Inspector Wexford (1993)
Three Cases for Chief Inspector Wexford (2002)
Where to start with Ruth Rendell
Start here
A Dark-Adapted Eye
Ruth Rendell's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
To Fear a Painted Devil (1965)
Vanity Dies Hard (1966)
Sins of the Fathers (1967)
The Secret House of Death (1968)
One Across, Two Down (Mar 1971)
The Face of Trespass (1974)
A Demon in My View (1976)
A Judgement in Stone (1977)
Make Death Love Me (1979)
The Lake of Darkness (1980)
Master of the Moor (1982)
The Killing Doll (Mar 1984)
The Tree of Hands (Oct 1984)
A Dark-Adapted Eye (1986)
Live Flesh (1986)
A Fatal Inversion (1987)
Talking to Strange Men (May 1987)
Wexford (1988)
The House of Stairs (Sep 1988)
The Bridesmaid (1989)
Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1990)
Gallowglass (Mar 1990)
Going Wrong (Sep 1990)
King Solomon's Carpet (Aug 1991)
More Murder Most Cozy (1993)
Asta's Book (Mar 1993)
The Crocodile Bird (Sep 1993)
No Night Is Too Long (May 1994)
Anthology of the Murderous Mind (1996)
The Keys to the Street (1996)
The Brimstone Wedding (Mar 1996)
A Sight for Sore Eyes (1998)
The Bridesmaid/To Fear a Painted Devil (1998)
The Chimney-sweeper's Boy (Mar 1998)
Past Crimes (1999)
Grasshopper (Jun 2000)
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me (2001)
The Blood Doctor (Jun 2002)
The Rottweiler (Oct 2003)
13 Steps Down (2004)
Thirteen Steps Down (2004)
The Minotaur (Apr 2005)
The Water's Lovely (2006)
The Birthday Present (2008)
Portobello (Nov 2008)
Tigerlily's Orchids (Aug 2010)
The Child's Child (2012)
The St Zita Society (2012)
The Girl Next Door (2014)
Dark Corners (2015)
Novellas in order
Heartstones (Apr 1987)
Suffolk (1989)
The Thief (2005)
Short story collections in order
The Fallen Curtain ... And Other Stories (1976)
Means of Evil (1979)
The Fever Tree (Sep 1982)
The New Girl Friend and Other Stories of Suspense (1985)
Collected Short Stories (1987)
Collected Stories (1987)
Blood Lines (1995)
Piranha to Scurfy (Sep 2000)
Non-fiction in order
Reason Why, the (1995)
Children's books in order
Archie and Archie (2013)
Other books in order
In the Time of His Prosperity (1995)
The Strawberry Tree (2002)
Film and TV adaptations
- Live Flesh (1997)Film · from Live Flesh
About Ruth Rendell
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ruth Rendell FAQ
- How many books has Ruth Rendell written?
- Ruth Rendell published 78 novels, 3 novellas, 8 short story collections, 1 non-fiction book, 1 children's book and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Ruth Rendell's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Inspector Wexford with From Doon with Death. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Ruth Rendell's last book?
- Dark Corners (2015).
- What is Ruth Rendell's most famous book?
- A Dark-Adapted Eye (1986) is Ruth Rendell's most widely read book.
- Are Ruth Rendell's books connected?
- 28 books belong to 1 series (Inspector Wexford); the other 65 books stand alone.
- Does Ruth Rendell write under a pen name?
- Yes: Ruth Rendell has also published as Barbara Vine.
- Which Ruth Rendell books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Live Flesh (film, 1997).
Authors like Ruth Rendell
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.