Christopher Shevlin Books In Order

Publication Order of Jonathon Fairfax Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Christopher Shevlin
Christopher Shevlin wrote his very first book when he was just six years old. It was this moving evocation of medieval life titled “King Moonfred and His Knights (and Other Stories)”.

Christopher had still wanted to be a cowboy at this time, however by the time he was ten years old he’d decided that being a writer was the closest feasible alternative to that. This was when Miss Maynard (one of those kind teachers that does a lot to help strange kids survive) said he should become an author. She had gotten so caught up in a story he’d written that she totally forgot to correct all of his spelling mistakes.

He was also pushed in this direction by his own childhood perception that every adult job was boring, totally beyond him, or incomprehensible. It’s a totally accurate judgment he has subsequently found.

He has always been prepared to take no for an answer, even when it’s not. The result is that for his first two novels, he resigned himself to failure from early on, sadly packing his writing dreams away and moving on to something that was much more sensible. And then, each time, was blind sided when they began selling well months later. Twice he has been through the pleasant yet time consuming business of un-resigning himself to failure.

Christopher has also punctuated the gaps between each of his novels by having a huge depressive breakdown, moving to another country, and taking on some huge freelance contract. This, he’s learned, is not the way to become a prolific novelist.

His third novel bucked the trend, and it did well right from the start. Instead of just assuming this was some short lived aberration and waiting for things to fail on him, he has decided to begin writing a new book immediately.

“The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax” is the first novel in the “Jonathon Fairfax” series and was released in 2012. When Jonathon Fairfax helps a murderer bump off Sarah Morecambe (secretary of some senior politician) by accident, he sets this chain of events off which astonishes even him. He is wrong footed by even the most everyday of things, so he is especially startled to find he’s being caught up in this conspiracy which goes right to the heart of government.

Teaming up with the probable love of his life, this suave private investigator, and one glamorous grannie, he must face his greatest fears, which include talking to balaclava clad murderers and girls, as well as answer some tough questions. Such as what’s the odd secret that unites the whole British government? Who killed Sarah Morecambe? And what does it feel like exactly to kiss a real life woman?

With its reluctant and naive hero and wry look at life, this novel has been compared to books written by Carl Hiaasen, Douglas Adams, and PG Wodehouse.

This novel is filled with throwaway detail, some joyously funny dialogue, and some slightly absurd characters. Chris delivers a nonstop page turner, with some tight writing, a great pace, laughing, and some smart references. Readers found that Chris has a knack for combining kindness, silliness, and more than just a few touching surprises, all of which fill the spot that Douglas Adams left.

“Jonathon Fairfax Must Be Destroyed” is the second novel in the “Jonathon Fairfax” series and was released in 2017. Jonathon Fairfax, the most socially awkward hero in the world, works for this giant corporation where he specializes in tripping over bins and muttering ‘um’.

He accidentally discovers this colossal corporate conspiracy, it quickly becomes obvious that somebody will do whatever it takes to keep it secret, including murder.

“Jonathon Fairfax Must Be Destroyed” was longlisted for a 2017 Bath Novel Award.

Chris writes the funniest dialogue so you might want to find a private space to enjoy this book unless you do not mind laughing out loud in public. It is so funny yet also thought provoking in equal measure.

“The Spy Who Came in From the Bin” is the third novel in the “Jonathon Fairfax” series and was released in 2020. He just knows three things about himself: he likes tea, he is polite, and everybody wants to murder him.

In Berlin, a man wakes up in a bin (or trashcan), without any ideas of who he is. He gets taken to the hospital for treatment. Then people begin attempting to assassinate him.

The man must figure out how to get them to stop, why they started in the first place, and what the CIA could possibly have to do with all of this. There is also the little issue of working out who he used to be, and why that changed. Meanwhile, Lance (his best friend) and Piper (his girlfriend) are trying to locate him.

Jonathon Fairfax, who is still the world’s most socially awkward hero, has returned. If he just knew.

“The Pursuit of Coconuts” is the first stand alone novella and was released in 2022. How many coconuts does a person actually need?

Peter wakes up on a perfect and unspoiled tropical island. But he has no idea who he even is.

Neither does Tom. Nor Fifi, nor Larry, nor Angela. They know the names that they have invented for themselves, but not who would dress them up in identical clothes and supply them with the handy tools that they find in their backpacks.

Still, they’ve got everything that they need. Shelter, warm sun, plenty of fruit to eat. What could possibly go wrong? Oh. Really?

This is a satirical fable about modern life, from the bestselling author of the Jonathon Fairfax books.

Where the Jonathon Fairfax books are inspired by PG Wodehouse and Douglas Adams, both are Shevlin’s heroes, this has more the feel of authors like Andrew Kaufman and George Saunders, or like an advance reader said, a Black Mirror episode.

Chris has always liked this story, ever since it popped into his mind a few years back. He kept returning to it obsessively, and he finally finished the thing while in lock down.