Elizabeth George Books in Order (Inspector Lynley, Edge of Nowhere)
All of Elizabeth George’s Books in Order!
Who is Elizabeth George?
Born Susan Elizabeth George on February 26 of 1949, Elizabeth George is an American crime novelist. She is recognized for her whodunit books featuring Inspector Lynley, in the pure British tradition of the genre.
After receiving her teaching certificate from the University of California, Riverside, Elizabeth George worked as a teacher in the public school system. At the same time, she completed a master’s degree in counseling and psychology.
Her first novel, A Great Deliverance, is published in 1988, introduced to the reader her famous inspector. She won a few awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Awards for her first novel.
Her crime novels have been translated into 30 languages.
How to read Elizabeth George Books in Order?
The Inspector Lynley Series
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley is the 8th Earl of Asherton, and was privately educated-he went to Eton College and Oxford University. Not like his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, who is coming from a working-class background.
Lynley and Havers work on a variety of crimes, going from murder to kidnapping, all while navigating the complexities of their own personal lives. Along the way, they must also confront their own biases and prejudices, as well as the prejudices of others, as they work to bring justice to victims of all backgrounds.
For more details about the plot of the books, you can read our article dedicated to the Inspector Lynley series.
- A Great Deliverance (1988)
- Payment in Blood (1989)
- Well-Schooled in Murder (1990)
- A Suitable Vengeance (1991)
- For the Sake of Elena (1992)
- Missing Joseph (1993)
- Playing for the Ashes (1994)
- In the Presence of the Enemy (1996)
- Deception on His Mind (1997)
- In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner (1999)
- A Traitor to Memory (2001)
- A Place of Hiding (2003)
- With No One as Witness (2005)
- What Came Before He Shot Her (2006)
- Careless in Red (2008)
- This Body of Death (2010)
- Believing the Lie (2012)
- Just One Evil Act (2013)
- A Banquet of Consequences (2015)
- The Punishment She Deserves (2018)
- Something to Hide (2022)
The Edge of Nowhere Series (or the Whidbey Island Saga)
This young adult mystery series is set in the Pacific Northwest and follows the story of 17-year-old Becca King, who has the ability to hear the thoughts of others.
- The Edge of Nowhere (2012)
- The Edge of the Water (2014)
- The Edge of the Shadows (2015)
- The Edge of the Light (2016)
For more information about the books in the Edge of Nowhere series by Elizabeth George, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
The Edge of Nowhere (2012) – Becca King and her mother are on the run from her stepfather who has used Becca’s talent for hearing ‘whispers’ to make a large and illegal sum of money. Now their options for safety are running out. In the town of Langley on Whidbey Island, Becca finds refuge in the home of her mother’s childhood friend while her mother continues on to Canada in search of safety. But on her first day in town Becca meets sixteen years old Derric Mathieson, a Ugandan orphan who was adopted as a ten-year-old by the town’s Deputy Sheriff. Derric has a secret that no one on Whidbey Island knows. Derric and Becca form an un-severable bond. Becca is convinced that she’s the only person who can truly help him, and just maybe Derric can convince Becca that life is too short to live on the run.
The Edge of the Water (2014) – Still on the run from her criminal stepfather, Becca is living in a secret location. Even Derric, the Ugandan orphan with whom Becca shares a close, romantic relationship, can’t be allowed to know her whereabouts. As secrets of past and present are revealed, Becca becomes aware of her growing paranormal powers and events build to a shocking climax anticipated by no one.
The Edge of the Shadows (2015) – Late summer on Whidbey Island after nine weeks of no rain and fire season has arrived . . . along with a fire starter who soon begins tormenting the residents of this peaceful Pacific Northwest idyll with fires that escalate in intensity. Becca King and her friends Jenn and Derric are with her at the county fair when the third fire starts in a shed housing animals. The shed is destroyed, some of the animals are killed, and Becca hears from the nearby forest the ‘whispers’ of the fire starter who has remained to watch the havoc. More fires ensue and the situation escalates until someone dies. Becca thinks she knows who’s behind it all, but only with the help of her friends and the development of her own incipient psychic talents can the perpetrator be brought to justice.
The Edge of the Light (2016) – Becca’s ability to hear the broken thoughts of others has not turned out to be a fabulous gift after all. It has got in the way of her being able to function in the world normally. More seriously, it makes her think she knows things that she doesn’t know at all. Becca’s friends are also dealing with stressful situations and coming to terms with troubling discoveries about themselves. Seth Darrow’s learning disability makes him vulnerable. The girl he loves is not what she appears to be. His grandfather might lose his property and be thrust into care. Jenn has to come to terms with her sexuality, while Derric finds out that the cover-up he has engaged in for the last ten years was never necessary in the first place.
Elizabeth George’s Short Story Collection
I, Richard (2001) – Contains fives tales: “Exposure” (new version of “The Evidence Exposed”), “The Surprise of His Life:”, “Good Fences Aren’t Always Enough”, “Remember, I’ll Always Love You”, and “I, Richard”
Elizabeth George’s Non-fiction books
Write Away (2004) – In Write Away, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George offers would-be writers exactly what they need to know about how to construct a novel. She provides a detailed overview of the craft and gives helpful instruction on all elements of writing, from setting and plot to technique and process. To illustrate her points, George presents excerpts from a number of well-known writers, including Barbara Kingsolver, Harper Lee, E. M. Forster, John Irving, Toni Morrison, Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, and Alice Hoffman.
Mastering the Process (2020) – In these pages, award-winning, number one New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George takes us behind the scenes through each step of her writing process, revealing exactly what it takes to craft a novel.
What should you read if you like Elizabeth George’s novels?
If you like reading Elizabeth George’s stories, you may be interested in Ann Cleeves, Louise Penny, Elly Griffiths, Deborah Crombie…
