Robert Barnard Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Amadeus Mozart Books
Dead, Mr. Mozart | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Too Many Notes, Mr. Mozart | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Charlie Peace Books
Death and the Chaste Apprentice | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Fatal Attachment | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Hovering of Vultures | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Bad Samaritan | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
No Place of Safety | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Unholy Dying / Turbulent Priest | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Bones in the Attic | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Fall from Grace | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Killings on Jubilee Terrace | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Charitable Body | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Idwal Meredith Books
Unruly Son / Death of a Mystery Writer | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
At Death's Door | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of John Sutcliffe Books
Political Suicide | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Scandal in Belgravia | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Perry Trethowan Books
Death by Sheer Torture / Sheer Torture | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death and the Princess | (1982) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Case of the Missing Brontë / The Missing Brontë | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Bodies | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death In Purple Prose / The Cherry Blossom Corpse | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Death of an Old Goat | (1974) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Little Local Murder | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death on the High C's | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Blood Brotherhood | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Posthumous Papers / Death of a Literary Widow | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death in a Cold Climate | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death of a Perfect Mother / Mother's Boys | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
School for Murder / Little Victims | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Corpse in a Gilded Cage | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fete Fatale / The Disposal of the Living | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Out of the Blackout | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Skeleton in the Grass | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A City of Strangers | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
To Die Like a Gentleman | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Masters of the House | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Mansion and Its Murder | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Murder in Mayfair / Touched by the Dead | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Mistress of Alderley | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Cry from the Dark | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dying Flames | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Graveyard Position | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Last Post | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Stranger in the Family | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
Breakfast Television | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Woman in the Wardrobe | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
More Final Than Divorce | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Habit of Widowhood | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Gentleman in the Lake | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Nothing to Lose | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dognapped | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everybody’s Girl | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Old Couple | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Provenance | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Habit of Widowhood and Other Murderous Proclivities | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rogue's Gallery | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens | (1974) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Talent to Deceive: Appreciation of Agatha Christie | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Short History of English Literature | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Emily Brontë | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Bronte Encyclopedia | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Leisure Hour Improved: Or Moral Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, Original and Selected | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Wreath from the Wilderness, a Selection from the Metrical Arrangements of Accola Montis-Am Ni | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Malice Domestic Books
Malice Domestic 1 | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Malice Domestic 2 | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Malice Domestic 14 | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Each book is an anthology, with the listed author credited as the editor of the book. |
Publication Order of Anthologies
A Suit of Diamonds | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fifty Best Mysteries | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
2nd Culprit | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Criminal Records | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Malice Domestic 9 | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2 | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Much Ado About Murder | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Thou Shalt Not Kill | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Detection Collection | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 7 | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Robert Barnard was one of the UK’s most famous crime writers, intellectuals, political activist and literature critics. He is most well-known for his mystery novels, Charlie Peace series and Perry Trethowan novels. He also wrote under an alter ego, “Bernand Bastable” – producing four works under this name, one of which featured Mozart as a detective.
Life and background
Barnard was born in in the English county of Essex, in 1936, and he attended the prestigious Colchester Royal Grammar school. His father had been a romance writer, with published work in many women’s magazines. After this he went to Oxford, where he studied for an English degree. He was involved in politics after leaving university, and worked for a liberal organisation, The Fabian Society. In 1961 he moved to Australia. He was married to his wife, Louise, for 50 years. He was widely travelled, and also lived for a time in Norway.
Works and influence
Later reflecting on his life, Barnard described himself as “a horrid, snobbish little schoolboy”, which is an interesting way to describe your own life! He credited this time at school as developing his early interest in mystery stories, and starting off his incredibly successful career.
He had an academic background, and he wrote several thesis and critical works on authors such as Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie, and this influence is visible in his work. He noted Christie as one of his favourite writers. He spent time gathering information and inspiration for his work in all the countries he lived in, for example setting Death in a Cold Climate in Norway, drawing on experience from his time as a lecturer there.
Characters
He was famous for his series focused around characters. They were all detective – and one of his most famous, Charlie Peace, was actually based on a real life murderer in the 19th century. They all had varied and interesting backgrounds, such as Scotland Yard superintendent Perry Trethowan.
He deliberately made his villains unlikeable – and even those who were meant to be heroes in the piece. He said this stemmed from the fact they were suspected murders, and he believed anyone bad enough to be the suspect of murder couldn’t be considered a decent person.
Work history
He was a prolific writer, creating more than 30 published works during his life. These also included several non-fiction works which studied other authors, including books on the Bronte sisters. His writing style was very varied, and over the course of his books he changed his style from light and humour-filled, to exploring the darker side of human psychology. In wider society he was noted for his cheerfulness, and he had a sharp wit. He was a member of the Crime Writers’ Association, and spoke at many conventions and conferences for writers and their fans.
He always liked a challenge, and set about to finish one of the book world’s unsolved mysteries – The Mystery of Edwin Drood. This was a book which had never been completed by Charles Dickens.
TV and film adaptions
Unlike many of the authors alive at the same time, his work was never turned into a TV or film adaption, and the books were rarely reprinted.
Among his contemporaries, were several other crime writers. These included Reginald Hill, Jonathan Gash and Peter Lovesey, who were all born in 1936. They all achieved great fame and began the writing tradition and style that is evident in Barnard’s work. Along this theme, there is evidence of the so called “cosy” school of crime writing – that is, works similar to Agatha Christie. While he never actively adopted this, he never denounced it either. He and Christie shared the same editor at his publishing house, which would also provide a reason for the similar writing styles.
Early works
A Scandal in Belgravia was one of his most popular works. It was first published in 1991. Its popularity has meant that it has been reprinted several times, and is also now available on several eBook formats. This award winning work won the Nero Award the year after it was published.
Set in London’s exclusive Belgravia, former politician Peter Proctor introduces the book. The story focuses on the murder of his friend Timothy Wycliffe, which happens 30 years before. We discover that Wycliffe was gay, a crime at the time he was murdered. Proctor is determined to solve the murder.
The book received a huge amount of praise, and was even the inspiration for a Sherlock Holmes TV episode title.
Death by Sheer Torture, which predated A Scandal in Belgravia was another of his prominent early works. This is one in the series of his well-received Perry Trethowan books. Trethowan’s father is found dead on a torture device of his own creation. There is an assumed sexual undertone to the circumstances and Perry fears for his own reputation. However, he soon discovers the actual killer may be a member of his own family, and he sets out to reconnect to the family he thought he’d left behind a long time before. This was one of his most successful works in terms of sales.
Reception and criticism
Robert Barnard’s work was generally well received, but his most prominent success came outside of his native England. The United States was where his work sold best, and had its biggest fans. His first book published in the states (titled “A Little Local Murder”), was very well received and the New York Times praised his style. He has also been the subject of academic reviews, and Robin Winks, a prominent crime academic has given him high praise.
Conclusion
Fundamentally, he set out to entertain his readers. He set out, like Christie, to create a pleasure in reading crime fiction. His legacy was just that, and he will be remembered for his charm and intelligence, as well as his political activism and great, enjoyable books. Towards the end of his life he began to suffer from dementia, and spent his last year in a care home in Leeds, England. He received a lifetime achievement award, the Crime Writers’ Diamond Dagger. He and his wife had no children. His death was recognised by newspapers and television news shows around the world.
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