Christianna Brand Books In Order

Publication Order of Inspector Charlesworth Books

Publication Order of Inspector Chucky Books

Publication Order of Inspector Cockrill Books

Publication Order of Nurse Matilda Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of British Library Crime Classics Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Christianna Brand is a mystery, thriller and children’s fiction author who also writes as Mary Christianna Milne Lewis. The author was born in 1907 Malaya and spent her childhood in the country and India. She would then return to England and attend Franciscan convent school.
While her father was once rich, he lost much of the money she had and aged seventeen, Christianna is forced to work a number of low paying jobs. Some of the jobs that she held during this time included governess, sales girl model, shop assistant and dancer.
Aside from her real name she has also written novels and short stories as Chna Thompson, Mary Ann Ashe, Mary Roland, Mary Brand and Annabel Jones. Christianna is also active in the writer community and between 1972 and 1973 she was the chair of the Crime Writers Association.

Brand’s writing career started in a very bizarre manner while she was working as a sales girl. She came to dislike one of her colleagues so much that as a form of revenge she wrote the opening chapters of “Death in High Heels” based on her.
Her novel would get more than a dozen rejections from publishers before one accepted it without asking for any revisions. When the novel was published in 1941, it quickly became a bestseller and received much critical acclaim. Over the next fourteen years she went on to write short stories and several series of novels.

While she was a very successful author, she came into her own when she wrote Green for Danger, the first of her most popular series, the ‘Inspector Cockrill” series. The lead is a man who is an exceptional judge of human character and brilliant powers of deduction.
She also wrote several other successful mystery novels in the ‘Inspector Charlesworth,” “Inspector Chucky,” and “Nurse Matilda’ series of novels. She got some of the novels in the Nurse Matilda childrens series of novels adapted for TV in 2005 under the title Nanny McPhee. For her short stories Poison in the Cup and Twist for Twist she got two Edgar Award nominations.

Christianna Brand has made a name for herself for her ability to surprise readers, clever plotting and an incredible sense of humor. Her most popular work “Green Danger” is now deemed a classic novel of mystery fiction.
In the novel, foul play is suspected in the death of a patient that had been undergoing treatment at a hospital for bombing victims. Brand, who was married to volunteer Roland Lewis during the Second World War had a lot of knowledge about hospitals and the war. It is from this that she was inspired to write the classic work.
Christianna also worked at the Kent Voluntary Aid Detachment and she would soon become very knowledgeable on the protocols during the bombing raids most of which happened at night. She also volunteered at the government bureau Emergency Bed Service and was involved in assigning patients injured in the raids to the nearest hospital.
Her novel “Green for Danger” was optioned by the J Arthur Rank corporation which made it into a very successful movie. Christianna Brand died in 1988 after having written more than twenty five novels.

“Heads You Lose” by Christianna Brand is a novel set at the height of the World War. It opens to a house party held at an estate in London where Stephen Pendock the owner is entertaining guests. Among the guests are James Nicholl, Lady Hart, Francesca and Venetiaher two granddaughters and Henry who is the husband to Venetia.
Grace Morland who loves to paint the church tower has come over and is waiting on the patio preparing to paint the tower despite the heavy snow. As is customary, she is asked to come in and have some tea once she is done. She is obsessed with the owner Stephen Pendock though the man seems to prefer Francesca.
The previous summer someone had been murdered in the wooded area beside the house. The killer had abandoned the scythe he used to decapitate his young victim but the mystery had never been resolved. Even aS they are having their party, the memory of the murder hangs heavy.
Things get interesting when Pippi, who is Grace Morland’s cousin, arrives at the party. But then Grace is found dead the following morning decapitated in a bizarre manner not unsimilar to the murder the previous summer. It is now up to Inpector Cockrill to investigate the case and resolve the two murder mysteries.

Christianna Brand’s ‘Green for Danger” opens to the postman heading to the hospital. In his bag he carries the acceptance letters of seven people that had been offered positions at the hospital.
Gervase Eden is a doctor who works with hypochondriac rich people and is known for harming women. Despite his unusual personality he wants to provide his services to the war effort.
Party girl Jane Woods has signed up for nursing duty but is not so sure if she is ready for service. Esther Sanson is a nurse who is running away from having to take care of a needy mother.
Mr Moon is an aging surgeon who believes this is a great opportunity to get away from the lonely empty home where he had lived all alone ever since the death of his young son and wife.
Dr Barnes has left his work station when one of his patients died making him the subject of local gossip. For Frederica Linley the job is all about getting away from the awful stepmother recently married to her father.
Sister Bates is taking the job as she hopes to meet some handsome eligible officers.
When a patient who had been in surgery dies and the attending nurse is murdered soon after, Inspector Cockrill finds himself having to sift through seven suspects.

“Suddenly at his Residence” by Christianna Brand is a novel set in a beautiful summer in England. A grandfather is found murdered in a small Greek inspired lodge. Inspector Cokrill thinks Sir Richard was murdered and that the killer is among the high born members of his family that had come to visit the rural manor.
But just who would kill such a man and especially given that this is a family member. What he learns is that Sir Richard was a cantankerous man that was planning to write his offspring from his will. It seems someone got wind of the plan and moved to protect their interests.
But this is no easy case as the killer had not left any clues on the manicured lawns or carefully ranked footpaths of the estate.