Molly Murphy Books in Order: How to read Rhys Bowen’s series?

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Written by British author Rhys Bowen (a pseudonym used by Janet Quin-Harkin to write mystery novels), the Molly Murphy series is about a detective in early 20th-century New York.

A spirited redhead who grew up a peasant on the coast of Ireland, Molly Murphy has crossed the Atlantic and, after being accused of a crime she didn’t commit, she became a private investigator in New York City, often working with NYPD Detective Daniel Sullivan.

How to read the Molly Murphy Books in Order?

All the entry of the Molly Murphy book series offer standalone stories but Molly’s life is developed a little more in each novel.

0. The Amersham Rubies (short story) – The Hartleys are hosting a ball at their manor house, and there will be so many fine gentlemen and ladies in attendance that Lady Hartley needs Molly Murphy to help some of her guests prepare for the ball. Beautiful debutantes, dresses of the finest fabrics, and sparkling chandeliers are all on display, as are heirloom jewels like the Amersham rubies-a stunning and priceless ruby necklace that has been in the Amersham family for generations. When the rubies go inexplicably missing from Lady Amersham’s neck in the middle of the party, the high-spirited Molly must rely on her wits to solve her first case.
1. Murphy’s Law – When her ship sails into New York Harbor, Molly is sure her whole life is in front of her. But she’s got one last hurdle to clear: Ellis Island. Unfortunately for Molly, before she is able to leave the island a man is brutally murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear, and coincidence and fate make her a suspect in a crime she didn’t commit. Under a cloud of suspicion, she is allowed to leave Ellis Island for Manhattan. Unfortunately, she’s got a mission she couldn’t have anticipated: clear her own name of murder.
2. Death of Riley – Paddy Riley is a tough old Cockney p.i. who specializes in divorce work, and with a little persuasion, he’s ready to take on Molly as an apprentice. It’s not exactly what she imagined, but she plans to make the most of it. That is, until she comes in to work one day to find her new world turned upside down and all expectations for her professional life suddenly up in the air.
3. For the Love of Mike – Molly Murphy is starting to think the cards are stacked against her. She’s determined to be a private detective, but hampering her investigations is the fact that she’s finding many places in turn-of-the-century New York City where women are not welcome, something that’s as frustrating to her fiery Irish pride as it is to her rapidly emptying pocketbook. Then two business opportunities pop up simultaneously.

4. In Like Flynn – Fledgling private investigator Molly Murphy’s latest assignment gives her the opportunity to escape the typhoid epidemic sweeping across New York City in the summer of 1902 for the lush Hudson River Valley. And it comes from an unlikely source-Captain Daniel Sullivan, a New York City police detective and erstwhile beau of Molly’s. She has vowed to keep him at arm’s length until he can rid himself of his socialite fiancée, but she can’t pass up the chance to take advantage of his offer of a real detective job.
5. Oh Danny Boy – Molly Murphy is contemplating giving up PI work for something a little less complicated, less exciting. Molly has had quite enough excitement recently, thank you very much. Especially from deceptive NYPD captain Daniel Sullivan, whom she’d like to avoid completely. But when Daniel is accused of accepting bribes and lands himself in the Tombs, the notorious city jail, he begs Molly to help prove he was framed, and after everything they’ve been through, she cannot turn him down.
6. In Dublin’s Fair City – Molly Murphy’s beau Captain Daniel Sullivan may be out of jail on bail, but he’s still a ways from clearing his name, and his foul mood has Molly in search of a little breathing room when providence steps in in the form of a proposition from New York City’s renowned theatrical impresario Tommy Burke.

7. Tell Me, Pretty Maiden – It’s wintertime in New York, and for the first time since Molly Murphy started her detective agency, she is completely snowed in with work. While she’s proving to be quite the entrepreneur and is very much in demand by some of Broadway’s brightest stars and Fifth Avenue’s richest families, she has to grudgingly admit that if she’s going to work more than one case at a time, then she’s going to need some help.
8. In a Gilded Cage – Molly Murphy and her New York City P.I. business are in the midst of a sweeping influenza epidemic and a fight for women’s suffrage that lands her in jail. Her betrothed, Police Captain Daniel Sullivan, finds her, but he hardly has time to bail her out, what with Chinese gangs battling for control of a thriving opium trade. The only consolation Molly can take from her vexing afternoon in the clink is that it made her some new friends among the Vassar suffragists—and brought her a pair of new cases.
9. The Last Illusion – PI Molly Murphy is thrilled to have a ticket to the theater to see a trio of illusionists that are all the rage. Indeed, headlining is Harry Houdini, the most sensational of them all. But before Houdini can even take the stage, the opening act goes horribly wrong and to the crowd’s shock the illusionist saws into his assistant. In the aftermath, the stunned performer accuses Houdini of tampering with the equipment he keeps under lock and key. With everyone on edge, Houdini’s wife hires Molly to be part investigator/part bodyguard.

10. Bless the Bride – With Molly Murphy’s wedding to NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan quickly approaching, she heads to the Westchester County countryside, where his mother can lend her a hand and advise her on a bride’s proper place. And shockingly, Molly seems to be agreeing. She has already promised that she’ll close up her PI business and settle down after marrying, but she isn’t a married woman yet. So, when she gets word of a possible case, she sneaks back into the city to squeeze in a little more sleuthing before the wedding bells can ring.
11. Hush Now, Don’t You Cry – Molly Murphy and her husband Daniel have been invited to spend their honeymoon on the Newport, RI, estate of Alderman Brian Hannan in the spring of 1904. Molly doesn’t entirely trust the offer. Hannan has his eye on a senate seat and intentions of taking Tammany Hall to get it. When Hannan is found dead at the base of the cliffs that overlook the Atlantic, Molly’s suspicions are quickly justified.
12. The Face in the Mirror (short story) – Molly Murphy is bored. But when she secretly attends a suffragist meeting with her friends Sid and Gus and meets a shy, distracted woman who claims to live in a haunted house, everything is about to change.
13. The Family Way – Molly Murphy-now Molly Sullivan-is a year into her marriage, expecting her first child, and confined to the life of a housewife. She’s restless and irritable in the enforced idleness of pregnancy and the heat of a New York summer in 1905. So when a trip to the post office brings a letter addressed to her old detective agency asking her to locate a missing Irish serving maid, Molly figures it couldn’t hurt to at least ask around, despite her promise to Daniel to give up her old career as a detective. On the same day, Molly learns that five babies have been kidnapped in the past month.
14. Through the Window (short story) – Molly Murphy–now Molly Sullivan–is absolutely thrilled to give birth to her first child, a beautiful little boy named Liam. But while confined to bed rest for the weeks following his birth, she finds herself watching the activity across the street through her window, and she soon begins to notice some odd goings-on that set her detective’s sixth sense to tingling.

15. City of Darkness and Light – Molly and Daniel Sullivan are settling happily into the new routines of parenthood, but their domestic bliss is shattered the night a gang retaliates against Daniel for making a big arrest. Daniel wants his family safely out of New York City as soon as possible. Molly agrees to take their infant son Liam on the long journey to Paris to stay with her friends Sid and Gus. But upon arriving in Paris, nothing goes as planned. Sid and Gus seem to have vanished into thin air.
16. The Edge of Dreams – Molly Murphy Sullivan’s husband Daniel is stumped. He’s chasing a murderer whose victims have nothing in common-nothing except for the taunting notes that are delivered to Daniel after each murder. And when Daniel receives a note immediately after Molly and her young son Liam are in a terrible train crash, Daniel and Molly both begin to fear that maybe Molly herself was the target.
17. Away in a Manger – It’s Christmastime in 1905 New York City, and for once Molly Murphy Sullivan is looking forward to the approaching holidays. As Molly and the children listen to carolers in the street, they hear a lovely voice, the voice of an angel, and see a beggar girl huddled in a doorway, singing “Away in a Manger”. They give her a quarter only to watch a bigger boy take it from her. But Molly discovers the boy is the girl’s older brother. They’ve come from England, and their mother has disappeared, and they’re living with an aunt who mistreats them terribly. Molly quickly realizes that these children are not the usual city waifs. They are well-spoken and clearly used to better things. So who are they? And what’s happened to their mother?

18. Time of Fog and Fire – Molly Murphy Sullivan’s husband Daniel is in a precarious position. The new police commissioner wants him off the force altogether. So when Daniel’s offered an assignment from John Wilkie, head of the secret service, he’s eager to accept. Molly can’t draw any details of the assignment out of him, even where he’ll be working. But when she spots him in San Francisco during a movie news segment, she starts to wonder if he’s in even more danger than she had first believed.
19. The Ghost of Christmas Past – Molly and Daniel are invited for Christmas at a mansion on the Hudson, and they gratefully accept, expecting a peaceful and relaxing holiday season. Not long after they arrive, they learn that the host couple’s young daughter wandered out into the snow ten years ago and was never seen again. Molly can identify with the mother’s pain at never knowing what happened to her child and wants to help, but there is so little to go on. No ransom note. No body ever found. But Molly slowly begins to suspect that the occupants of the house know more than they are letting on.
20. Wild Irish Rose – New York, 1907: Molly Murphy Sullivan is looking forward to a time of settled tranquility with friends and family. Back in New York, she decides to accompany some friends to Ellis Island to help distribute clothing to those in need. This journey quickly stirs up memories for Molly. That evening, Daniel comes with a tale to tell: there was a murder on Ellis Island that day, and the main suspect is the spitting image of Molly. The circumstances are eerily similar to when Molly herself arrived on Ellis Island, and she can’t help but feel a sense of fate. Molly was meant to be there that day so that she can clear this woman’s name.

21. All That Is Hidden – New York, Autumn, 1907: Fo Molly Murphy Sullivan is happy with her place in the world. So when she and her policeman husband, Daniel, are moving to a fancy home on Fifth Avenue―and that he’s running for the sheriff of New York―Molly is left reeling. Daniel begs Molly to trust him, but why would he run for sheriff on the Tammany ticket? A party known more for kickbacks and quid pro quo than anything else, it used to be everything Daniel despised. So what’s changed? And why didn’t he discuss it with her beforehand? Molly can’t help but wonder what Daniel’s got himself tangled up in… and whether he needs her help to get out.
22. In Sunshine or in Shadow (2024) – New York, 1908: The days are getting longer—and warmer—in Manhattan. Molly Murphy Sullivan doesn’t want to leave her home in the city, but typhoid is back, and she’s expecting. So she heads north with the children to summer with her mother-in-law in Westchester County. Molly tells herself it won’t be so bad, after all the countryside is pretty, and she’s determined to make the best of it. Even if she’s leaving her husband, Daniel, behind. And at least she’s not the only one heading north. Her great friends, Sid and Gus, are headed to the Catskills to visit Sid’s family.

If you like our article about the Molly Murphy reading order, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also like by the same author the Her Royal Spyness series and the Constable Evan Evans mysteries.