Simon Brett Books

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Simon Brett is a British author that writes detective fiction. He shouldn’t be confused with the wood engraver of the same name. According to Brett, this has happened before. Whenever people are astonished by his ability to not only write entertaining novels but to also create beautiful wood engravings, he has to inform them that he has no relation to Simon Brett, the engraver.

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Order of Blotto and Twinks Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Blotto, Twinks, and the Ex-King's Daughter 2009 Description / Buy
2 Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess 2010 Description / Buy
3 Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of the Riviera 2011 Description / Buy
4 Blotto, Twinks and the Bootlegger's Moll 2012 Description / Buy
5 Blotto, Twinks and Riddle of the Sphinx 2013 Description / Buy
6 Blotto, Twinks and the Heir to the Tsar 2015 Description / Buy
7 Blotto, Twinks and the Stars of the Silver Screen 2017 Description / Buy
8 Blotto, Twinks and the Intimate Revue 2019 Description / Buy
9 Blotto, Twinks and the Great Road Race 2019 Description / Buy
10 Blotto, Twinks and the Maharajah's Jewel 2021 Description / Buy
11 Blotto, Twinks and the Suspicious Guests 2023 Description / Buy
12 Blotto, Twinks and the Conquistadors' Gold 2023 Description / Buy
13 Blotto, Twinks and the Phantom Skiers 2024 Description / Buy

Order of Charles Paris Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Cast in Order of Disappearance 1975 Description / Buy
2 So Much Blood 1976 Description / Buy
3 Star Trap 1977 Description / Buy
4 An Amateur Corpse 1978 Description / Buy
5 A Comedian Dies 1979 Description / Buy
6 Dead Side Of The Mike / Mic 1980 Description / Buy
7 Situation Tragedy 1981 Description / Buy
8 Murder Unprompted 1982 Description / Buy
9 Murder in the Title 1983 Description / Buy
10 Not Dead, Only Resting 1984 Description / Buy
11 Dead Giveaway 1985 Description / Buy
12 What Bloody Man is That? 1987 Description / Buy
13 A Series of Murders 1989 Description / Buy
14 Corporate Bodies 1991 Description / Buy
15 A Reconstructed Corpse 1993 Description / Buy
16 Sicken and So Die 1996 Description / Buy
17 Dead Room Farce 1997 Description / Buy
18 A Decent Interval 2013 Description / Buy
19 The Cinderella Killer 2014 Description / Buy
20 A Deadly Habit 2018 Description / Buy

Order of Decluttering Mysteries Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Clutter Corpse 2020 Description / Buy
2 An Untidy Death 2021 Description / Buy
3 Waste of a Life 2022 Description / Buy
4 A Messy Murder 2024 Description / Buy

Order of Fethering Mystery Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Body on the Beach 2000 Description / Buy
2 Death on the Downs 2001 Description / Buy
3 The Torso in the Town 2002 Description / Buy
4 Murder in the Museum 2003 Description / Buy
5 The Hanging in the Hotel 2004 Description / Buy
6 The Witness at the Wedding 2005 Description / Buy
7 The Stabbing in the Stables 2006 Description / Buy
8 Death Under the Dryer 2007 Description / Buy
9 Blood at the Bookies 2008 Description / Buy
10 The Poisoning in the Pub 2009 Description / Buy
11 The Shooting in the Shop 2010 Description / Buy
12 Bones Under the Beach Hut 2011 Description / Buy
13 Guns in the Gallery 2011 Description / Buy
14 The Corpse on the Court 2012 Description / Buy
15 The Strangling on the Stage 2014 Description / Buy
16 The Tomb in Turkey 2015 Description / Buy
17 The Killing in the Cafe 2015 Description / Buy
18 The Liar in the Library 2018 Description / Buy
19 The Killer in the Choir 2019 Description / Buy
20 Guilt at the Garage 2021 Description / Buy
21 Death and the Decorator 2022 Description / Buy

Order of Mrs Pargeter Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 A Nice Class of Corpse 1986 Description / Buy
2 Mrs., Presumed Dead 1988 Description / Buy
3 Mrs. Pargeter's Package 1990 Description / Buy
4 Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh 1992 Description / Buy
5 Mrs. Pargeter's Plot 1996 Description / Buy
6 Mrs. Pargeter's Point of Honour 1998 Description / Buy
7 Mrs Pargeter's Principle 2015 Description / Buy
8 Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations 2017 Description / Buy
9 Mrs Pargeter's Patio 2023 Description / Buy

Order of Sod Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 How to Be a Little Sod (Short Story) 1992 Description / Buy
2 Little Sod's Next Step 1994 Description / Buy
3 Not Another Little Sod (Short Story) 1997 Description / Buy

Order of Three Detectives Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Three Detectives and the Missing Superstar 1986 Description / Buy
2 The Three Detectives and the Knight in Armor 1987 Description / Buy

Order of Simon Brett Standalone Novels

# Read Title Published Details
1 A Shock to the System 1984 Description / Buy
2 Dead Romantic 1986 Description / Buy
3 After Henry 1987 Description / Buy
4 The Booker Book 1989 Description / Buy
5 The Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor 1992 Description / Buy
6 Singled Out 1995 Description / Buy
7 The Penultimate Chance Saloon 2006 Description / Buy

Order of Simon Brett Short Stories/Novellas

# Read Title Published Details
1 Heavenly Bodies (Short Story) 1997 Description / Buy
2 Ways to Kill a Cat (Short Story) 1997 Description / Buy
3 Method Murder (Short Story) 2013 Description / Buy

Order of Simon Brett Short Story Collections

# Read Title Published Details
1 Tickled to Death 1985 Description / Buy
2 A Box of Tricks 1985 Description / Buy
3 Crime Writers and Other Animals 1998 Description / Buy
4 A Crime in Rhyme and Other Mysterious Fragments 2000 Description / Buy

Order of Simon Brett Non-Fiction Books

# Read Title Published Details
1 Seriously Funny, and Other Oxymorons 2003 Description / Buy
2 Baby Tips For Dads (Short Story) 2004 Description / Buy
3 Baby Tips For Mums (Short Story) 2005 Description / Buy
4 Baby Tips for Grandparents (Short Story) 2006 Description / Buy
5 On Second Thoughts 2006 Description / Buy

Order of Simon Brett Plays

# Read Title Published Details
1 Murder In Play (Short Story) 1994 Description / Buy
2 Mr. Quigley's Revenge (Short Story) 1995 Description / Buy
3 Silhouette (Short Story) 1998 Description / Buy
4 The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood (Short Story) 1998 Description / Buy
5 Sleeping Beauty (Short Story) ( With: Unknown) 1999 Description / Buy
6 Putting the Kettle on (Short Story) 2002 Description / Buy
7 A Small Family Murder (Short Story) 2009 Description / Buy
8 A Healthy Grave 2010 Description / Buy

Simon Brett Anthologies

# Read Title Published Details
1 100 Great Detectives, Or, the Detective Directory 1991 Description / Buy
2 1st Culprit 1992 Description / Buy
3 The Man Who... 1992 Description / Buy
4 Fifty Best Mysteries 1993 Description / Buy
5 The Fine Art of Murder: The Mystery Reader's Indispensable Companion 1993 Description / Buy
6 Malice Domestic 6 1997 Description / Buy
7 Once Upon a Crime 1998 Description / Buy
8 Crime Story Collection 2000 Description / Buy
9 Malice Domestic 10 2001 Description / Buy
10 The Sunken Sailor 2004 Description / Buy
11 Thou Shalt Not Kill 2005 Description / Buy
12 The Detection Collection 2005 Description / Buy
13 The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 2011 Description / Buy
14 Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe 2011 Description / Buy
15 Deadly Pleasures 2013 Description / Buy
16 Bodies in the Bookshop 2014 Description / Buy
17 The Sinking Admiral 2016 Description / Buy
18 Ten Year Stretch 2018 Description / Buy
19 Murder Takes a Holiday: Classic Crime Stories for Summer 2021 Description / Buy
20 Ink and Daggers 2023 Description / Buy
+ Click to View all Anthologies
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Brett, the author, was born in 1945 in Worcester Park, Surrey to a chartered surveyor and a teacher. He spent his childhood in Banstead, Surrey. His father started working for Lemon and Blizzard when he was 19.

John Brett stayed with the company until he was 67. Simon Brett attended the same school in Barnstead where his mother was a reception class teacher (Beacon School). He was also a student at Homefield, a school in Sutton.

A Major Scholarship in history took him to Wadham College, Oxford. He abandoned History for English. By 1967, Brett had a First Class Honors Degree. The author’s interest in theater was ignited during his Dulwich College days where he participated in school plays.

He went on to become the president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. His involvement with the society gave Brett plenty of opportunities to write and direct. Life after college did not bring immediate success.

The author spent several weeks working as a Father Christmas at a department store. It did not take Brett long to enter the Radio Entertainment Arena. He worked for the BBC as a trainee. As his career advanced, he had the opportunity to work as a producer on shows like ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ and ‘The Burkiss Way’, not to mention the ‘Lord Peter Wimsey’ adaptation.

The author has fond memories of his time at the BBC, not just because it allowed him to write a variety of sitcoms but also because it introduced him to Lucy, his wife. Lucy was the Studio Manager when they met.

She was involved in the production of a number of the shows on which Simon Brett worked. They wedded in 1971. By 1981, they had three children.

Brett’s career wasn’t limited to Radio. He also tried his hand at television. But he did not enjoy the field because the production process was so slow. It didn’t help matters that the author was working so hard to launch his writing career.

It was during his stint as a television producer that Brett started to contemplate the notion of becoming a full-time writer. He wasn’t convinced that he could make his dream a reality whilst also working as a television producer.

The writer stayed with London Weekend Television for a while. But once he left, Brett committed his life to his writing, which is why he saw no need to apply for another day job. He has continued to write for radio and the theater.

Simon Brett Awards

Brett was nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Awards in 1986 and 1998.

Best Simon Brett Books

Besides reading, writing, and the theater, Brett also loves Tennis and The Times Crossword. Some of his best books include:

The Body on the Beach: Carole Seddon wants peace and quiet. This is why she left everything, including her husband and career, to settle in Fethering. The retirement town is everything she wants, calm, and controlled. As such, Carole is less than amused when Jude joins her neighborhood.

Jude has a name and history that do not meet Carole’s expectations as a Fethering resident. But any irritation Carole felt towards Jude goes out the window when a dead body is discovered on the beach.

Death on the Downs: Carole and Jude have a new mystery on their hands. Like the first one, Carole did not ask for this one. The rain accosted her during her walk and she was forced to hide in a dilapidated barn. It was here that she found the skeleton.

With Jude’s help, Carole attempts to identify the identity of the remains. She learns that they most likely belong to a young woman who disappeared months ago. Detective Bayliss has no interest in collaborating with Carole to resolve the mystery of the disappearance, and neither is the victim’s mother, who is convinced that her daughter is alive.

When Does The Next Simon Brett book come out?

Simon Brett doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is A Messy Murder and was released on September, 3rd 2024. It is the newest book in the Decluttering Mysteries Series.

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