How to read Rhys Bowen’s books in order

Rhys Bowen has penned more than fifty novels in various genres, although the majority of them fall into the mystery category. Her creativity and meticulous attention to detail garner extra readership each year, and if you’re looking to explore her fiction, too, we’ve got just the reading list for you.

Who is Rhys Bowen?

Rhys Bowen is the nom de plume of Janet Quin-Harkin, a British author originally from Bath, Somerset. She started her writing career in the early ’80s when she published the first installment in the Sweet Dreams series of teen romance novels. In the following decade, she switched focus to mystery novels, changing her name to Rhys Bowen.

In addition to being a novelist, Bowen has also worked as a drama and dance teacher. She currently resides in San Francisco with her husband.

Exploring the writings of Janet Quin-Harkin

Bowen’s, that is, Quin-Harkin’s, work is characterized by its well-researched foundation, and she manages to draw inspiration from her own globetrotting and fuse her own experiences with that of others to weave believable stories that transport the reader across time and space.

Bowen’s writing shows a clear interest in history and the British royal family. Her narratives are versatile, taking place in urban and rural settings, in the early 1900s and the contemporary era, during the war and in peace, etc., which has won her numerous awards across various categories, including the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.

She’s written a number of series under both names, as well as numerous standalone novels.

Book series by Rhys Bowen

Quin-Harkin has written several book series under her pseudonym, which constitutes the majority of her opus.

Constable Evans series

Constable Evan Evans is a young man from Wales. He’s a bit of a recluse, somewhat self-effacing, but he’s still quite popular among the ladies in his village, far away from the noise, rush, and violence of the city. But as it often happens, there’s a snake lurking in his little piece of Welsh Eden, and he soon finds himself in the midst of a series of murders that turn his world upside down.

Molly Murphy series

The Molly Murphy mysteries center on the titular heroine, a rather intelligent but overly curious girl from Ireland. Her mother’s always warned her she’d end up in trouble, and she was right. When Molly kills a man in self-defense, she must flee Ireland and go to America, to New York. Unfortunately, she gets accused of another murder right there on Elis Island.

Her Royal Spyness series

The Royal Spyness mystery series take place during the early 20th century and follows the adventures of Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, a poor girl and a lady only by name. Being thirty-fourth in line for inheritance, Victoria has little hope that she can make it by a stroke of divine luck, so it’s up to her to pull herself up and navigate all the challenges destiny keeps throwing at her.

Book series as Janet Quin-Harkin

Quin-Harkin has only published standalone novels under her actual name as well as a number of short stories in various anthologies. She also wrote a picture book in 1976. Her last book, published under the name Janet Quin-Harkin came out in 1999.

Order of Rhys Bowen’s books

While Janet Quin-Harkin’s novels can be read in any order, Rhys Bowen’s historical mysteries are pretty much all serialized and thus merit a chronological reading if all the character development and plot twists are to be appreciated for what they are.

Constable Evans books in order

The Constable Evans series features ten books published between 1997 and 2006:

1. Evans Above (1997)
2. Evan Help Us (1998)
3. Evanly Choirs (1999)
4. Evan and Elle (2000)
5. Evan Can Wait (2001)
6. Evans to Betsy (2002)
7. Evan Only Knows (2003)
8. Evan’s Gate (2004)
9. Evan Blessed (2005)
10. Evanly Bodies (2006)

Molly Murphy books in order

The exploits of Molly Murphy span eighteen novels published between 2001 and 2022:

1. Murphy’s Law (2001)
2. Death of Riley (2002)
3. For the Love of Mike (2003)
4. In Like Flynn (2005)
5. Oh Danny Boy (2006)
6. In Dublin’s Fair City (2007)
7. Tell Me, Pretty Maiden (2008)
8. In a Gilded Cage (2009)
9. The Last Illusion (2010)
10. Bless the Bride (2011)
11. Hush Now, Don’t You Cry (2012)
12. The Family Way (2013)
13. City of Darkness and Light (2014)
14. The Edge of Dreams (2015)
15. Away in a Manger (2015)
16. Time of Fog and Fire (2016)
17. The Ghost of Christmas Past (2017)
18. Wild Irish Rose (2022)

All That Is Hidden

Bowen has published three anthologies of short stories featuring Molly Murphy.

1. The Amersham Rubies (2011)
2. The Face in the Mirror (2013)
3. Through the Window (2014)

Her Royal Spyness books in order

Her Royal Spyness novels are Bowen’s second longest-running series, spanning sixteen novels published in the past fifteen years.

1. Her Royal Spyness (2007)
2. A Royal Pain (2008)
3. Royal Flush (2009)
4. Royal Blood (2010)
5. Naughty in Nice (2011)
6. The Twelve Clues of Christmas (2012)
7. Heirs and Graces (2013)
8. Queen of Hearts (2014)
9. Malice at the Palace (2015)
10. Crowned and Dangerous (2016)
11. On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service (2017)
12. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (2018)
13. Love and Death Among the Cheetahs (2019)
14. The Last Mrs. Summers (2020)
15. God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (2021)
16. Peril in Paris (2022)

Her Royal Spyness short stories

If you can’t get enough of Lady Victoria, you can read Bowen’s 2012 short story collection set in the same universe.

1. Masked Ball at Broxley Manor (2012)

Red Dragon Academy books in order

The Red Dragon Academy series is an ongoing young adult series featuring Addy, a Californian girl sent to Wales following her mother’s death. When she starts attending a new boarding school, she realizes she’s not in Europe but in another universe.

1. Dreamwalker (2014)

Rhys Bowen standalone books in order

If you don’t have the time to dive into a whole series but are curious as to what Bowen’s writing style is like, you can read any of her standalone novels.

1. In Farleigh Field (2017)
2. The Tuscan Child (2018)
3. The Victory Garden (2019)
4. Above the Bay of Angels (2020)
5. The Venice Sketchbook (2021)
6. Where the Sky Begins (2022)
7. The Paris Assignment (2023)

Rhys Bowen short stories in order

For an even quicker read, you can check out Bowen’s standalone short story collections. The first is a young adult collection about paranormal school activities, and the other is an anthology of stories set in England during World War 2.

1. Low School (2012)
2. What Child is This (2018)

Rhys Bowen audiobooks

Rhys Bowen is one of the most-selling mystery authors working today, so her books are available in every format: paperback, hardback, e-book, and audiobook. You can order them from Amazon or the author’s official page, or you can listen to them on various audiobook platforms if you want to add a whole new dimension to her narrative.

Listen to more mystery novels with Speechify

If you love Rhys Bowen’s work, you’ll also love the countless mystery novels available on Speechify, a new audiobook platform featuring tens of thousands of titles across young adult, mystery, and historical fiction genres for you to enjoy.

Speechify is available for download on multiple devices, giving you the option of enjoying your favorite books both at home and on the go. The app is easy to install and use, the narration quality is top-notch, and the first premium book is free.