Marwood and Lovett Books in Order: How to read Andrew Taylor’s series?

Andrew Taylor is a British author best known for his crime and historical novels, and the Marwood and Lovett series is combining the two genres. The story is taking us to 17th-century England as the first book began the with Great Fire of London in 1666. In the heart of the tragedy, we met James Marwood, son of a disgraced printer, and reluctant government informer, who is tasked to hunt down a killer.

Cat Lovett, the daughter of a regicide who was involved in the execution of King Charles I, seems to be connected. Burdened by shameful family histories, the two were destined to meet and become friends. As the series progresses, Marwood goes on new investigations as Cat helps him, even if her position is hard to sustain as she is on the run.

How to Read the Marwood and Lovett Series in Order?

Every entry in the Marwood and Lovett book series works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.

1. The Ashes of London (2016) – London, 1666. As the Great Fire consumes everything in its path, the body of a man is found in the ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral – stabbed in the neck, thumbs tied behind his back. The son of a traitor, James Marwood is forced to hunt the killer through the city’s devastated streets. There, he encounters a determined young woman, who will stop at nothing to secure her freedom. When a second murder victim is discovered in the Fleet Ditch, Marwood is drawn into the political and religious intrigue of Westminster – and across the path of a killer with nothing to lose…
2. The Fire Court (2018) – The Great Fire has ravaged London. Now, guided by the Fire Court, the city is rebuilding, but times are volatile and danger is only ever a heartbeat away. James Marwood is thrust into this treacherous environment when his father discovers a dead woman in the very place where the Fire Court sits. The next day his father is run down. Accident? Or another murder…? Determined to uncover the truth, Marwood turns to the one person he can trust – Cat Lovett, the daughter of a despised regicide. Then comes a third death… and Marwood and Cat are forced to confront a vicious killer who threatens the future of the city itself.

3. The King’s Evil (2019) – In the Court of Charles II, it’s a dangerous time to be alive – a wrong move may lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a body at the home of one of the highest courtiers in the land could therefore have catastrophic consequences. James Marwood, a traitor’s son, is ordered to cover up the killing. But the dead man is known to Marwood – as is the most likely culprit, Cat Lovett. Marwood is sure Cat is innocent so determines to discover the true murderer. But time is running out. If he makes a mistake, it could threaten the King himself…
4. The Last Protector (2020) – Brother against brother. Father against son. Friends turned into enemies. No one in England wants a return to the bloody days of the Civil War. But Oliver Cromwell’s son, Richard, has abandoned his exile and slipped back into England. The consequences could be catastrophic. James Marwood, a traitor’s son turned government agent, is tasked with uncovering Cromwell’s motives. But his assignment is complicated by his friend – the regicide’s daughter, Cat Lovett – who knew the Cromwells as a child, and who now seems to be hiding a secret of her own about the family. Both Marwood and Cat know they are putting themselves in great danger. And when they find themselves on a top secret mission in the Palace of Whitehall, they realize they are risking their lives…and could even be sent to the block for treason.

5. The Royal Secret (2021) – Two young girls plot a murder by witchcraft. Soon afterwards a government clerk dies painfully in mysterious circumstances. His colleague James Marwood is asked to investigate – but the task brings unexpected dangers. Meanwhile, architect Cat Hakesby is working for a merchant who lives on Slaughter Street, where the air smells of blood and a captive Barbary lion prowls the stables. Then a prestigious new commission arrives. Cat must design a Poultry House for the woman that the King loves most in all the world. Unbeknownst to all, at the heart of this lies a royal secret so explosive that it could not only rip apart England but change the entire face of Europe…
6. The Shadows of London (2023) – London 1671. The damage caused by the Great Fire still overshadows the capital. When a man’s brutally disfigured body is discovered in the ruins of an ancient almshouse, architect Cat Hakesby is ordered to stop restoration work. It is obvious he has been murdered, and Whitehall secretary James Marwood is ordered to investigate. It’s possible the victim could be one of two local men who have vanished – the first, a feckless French tutor connected to the almshouse’s owner; the second, a possibly treacherous employee of the Council of Foreign Plantations. The pressure on Marwood mounts as Charles II’s most influential courtiers, Lord Arlington and the Duke of Buckingham, show an interest in his activities – and Marwood soon begins to suspect the murder trail may lead right to the heart of government. Meanwhile, a young, impoverished Frenchwoman has caught the eye of the king, a quiet affair that will have monumental consequences…

If you like the Marwood and Lovett reading order, you may be interested in the Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom, or the Giordano Bruno series by S. J. Parris.