L. C. Tyler Books in Order (Updated February 25, 2026)

L. C. Tyler (often credited as Len Tyler) writes two very different kinds of crime fiction: modern comic mysteries featuring an author/agent duo, and historical mysteries led by lawyer-and-spy John Grey.

The books are best read by staying inside the series you chose, because each series has its own tone, cast, and running jokes.

A simple bookshelf test

If you want modern, witty, “publishing-world” sleuthing: read the Herring Mysteries (also known as Elsie and Ethelred).
If you want 17th-century intrigue and law: read the John Grey Historical Mysteries.

There’s no need to interleave them.

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The Herring Mysteries (Elsie and Ethelred) – publication order

These follow crime writer Ethelred Tressider and his agent Elsie Thirkettle. The cases stand alone, but the personal dynamics and recurring figures land best in order.

1. The Herring Seller’s Apprentice (2007): A messy first investigation drops Elsie and Ethelred into real danger, setting the series’ blend of ego, irony, and consequence.
2. A Very Persistent Illusion (2009): A standalone outside the series (listed below), don’t confuse it with Book 2.
3. Ten Little Herrings (2009): A “closed-circle” style setup where everyone has a motive and the pair’s partnership starts to look oddly functional.
4. The Herring in the Library (2010): A literary-world mystery that sharpens the series’ love of rivalry, reputation, and weaponized gossip.
5. Herring on the Nile (2011): A trip meant to be useful (and relaxing) becomes anything but, pushing the duo into a more outwardly dangerous case.
6. Crooked Herring (2014): A later-series return that plays with what people “remember” versus what actually happened.
7. Cat Among the Herrings (2016): A case where domestic calm is repeatedly punctured, and the cast’s long-running frictions start to matter more.
8. Herring in the Smoke (2017): Smoke-screen motives and slippery testimony keep the investigation off-balance.
9. The Maltese Herring (2019): A propulsive entry that leans into classic-mystery shape while keeping the series’ modern bite.
10. Farewell My Herring (2021): A wintry, pressure-cooker mystery that reads like a capstone for the duo as currently published.

Best starting point: The Herring Seller’s Apprentice (2007).

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John Grey Historical Mystery – publication order

This series is set in the 17th century and follows John Grey, a lawyer drawn into state secrets, surveillance, and violence. It’s more serious in tone than the Herrings and is best read strictly in order.

1. A Cruel Necessity (2014): Grey is pulled into a political murder problem where “justice” and “safety” point in different directions.
2. A Masterpiece of Corruption (2016): London pressures tighten as patronage, bribery, and leverage drive the mystery as much as evidence does.
3. The Plague Road (2016): A journey-and-pursuit structure where contagion becomes part of the threat landscape, not just background.
4. Fire (2017): A fast-moving case that treats rumor as tinder and shows how quickly power reshapes the truth.
5. The Bleak Midwinter (2018): Winter hardship and political anxiety harden the choices Grey has to make.
6. Death of a Shipbuilder (2020): Money, influence, and official protection collide, turning investigation into a risk management exercise.
7. Too Much of Water (2021): A coastal setting and looming disaster energy push the series toward wider, messier stakes.
8. The Summer Birdcage (2022): A warmer-season case that still traps its characters, using social control as the real lock.
9. A Well-Earned Death (2023): A case shaped by ambition and consequence, with Grey forced to weigh duty against survival again.
10. The Three Deaths of Justice Godfrey (2024): A high-profile historical mystery where competing “explanations” become the battlefield.

Best starting point: A Cruel Necessity (2014).

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Standalone novel

These do not connect to either series.

• A Very Persistent Illusion (2009): A self-contained mystery built around what people insist is true, even when the facts won’t cooperate.

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Short fiction (optional)

• The Trials of Margaret (commonly listed 2016): A short story (often encountered via anthology appearances), best treated as an extra rather than part of any series order.

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What’s the latest L. C. Tyler novel?

• Latest John Grey novel: The Three Deaths of Justice Godfrey (2024)
• Latest Herring/Elsie & Ethelred novel: Farewell My Herring (2021)

As of February 25, 2026, I don’t see a reliably announced, widely listed next novel beyond those.

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The calm recommendation

If you want the widest runway and most recent momentum, start with John Grey at A Cruel Necessity (2014).
If you want lighter, slyer modern mysteries, start with the Herrings at The Herring Seller’s Apprentice (2007) and read straight through.