John Rhode

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  • Bibliography:
    37 Books
  • First Book:
    January 1938
  • Latest Book:
    January 2025
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Book List in Order: 37 titles

  • Body Unidentified

    Mr. Wedgwood was puzzled. It was odd, he thought, as he looked from his bedroom window, that someone should leave a large closed car in the middle of his front yard, but what confused him even more was the shimmering brilliance it seemed to assume as...

  • Death of an Author

  • Death at the Inn

    Book cover comes from the original 1953 dust jacket edition. Here Waghorn, newly returned from his honeymoon and sufficiently disinclined to be away from home, is faced with the task of investigating the death of Henry Bailey, found dead at Waterlo...

  • The Claverton Affair

    First published in the US in 1933. Priestley goes to visit his friend Sir John Claverton at his gloomy house, and shortly afterwards hears that he has died. The dead man's  doctor  is not convinced it was a natural death, and evidence o...

  • Death in Harley Street

    An “extremely clever” mystery about a doctor who appears to have fatally injected himself and a dinner party devoted to detection (The Saturday Review).   Dr. Richard Mawsley was a happy man and a careful man. So how and why did the Harley S...

  • Fatal Descent

  • Mystery at Greycombe Farm

    The low, graystone buildings of Greycombe Farm were the very embodiment of peace and security. Nothing ever disturbed the general air of tranquility so typical of a West Country farm until -- one memorable night -- fire broke out in Farmer Jim's ...

  • Death Sits on the Board

    At his residence in  Beckenham  in  Kent  on the outskirts of  London, Sir Andrew Wiggenhall the chairman of the  board of directors  of a large firm of  ironmongers  is killed by an explosion that largely...

  • Dr. Priestley Lays a Trap

    During an overnight thousand mile motor rally an accident to one of the cars leads to the death of the two occupants. The local police are far from convinced that everything is above board and call in  Scotland Yard. Inspector Hanslet leads the ...



  • The Harvest Murder

    The Harvest Murder, first published in 1937 (and also published under the title Death in the Hop Fields) is part of the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley. Author John Rhode , a pen name of Cecil Street (1884-1964), was a p...

  • The Bloody Tower

    The crumbling Farningcote Priory has been the home of the Glapthorne family for generations. In the grounds stand a  tower, built as a  folly  during the eighteenth century which seems to have a strange, almost mystical power over the ...

  • Death at Breakfast

    A classic winter's crime novel by one of the most highly regarded exponents of the genre. Victor Harleston awoke with uncharacteristic optimism. Today he would be rich at last. Half an hour later, he gulped down his breakfast coffee and pitched to...

  • Mystery at Olympia

    The next time you visit Olympia, take a good look around and see if you think it would be possible to murder someone in the middle of the crowd there without being seen.The new Comet was fully expected to be the sensation of the annual Motor Show at ...

  • Invisible Weapons

    A classic crime novel by one of the most highly regarded exponents of the genre.The murder of old Mr Fransham while washing his hands in his niece’s cloakroom was one of the most astounding problems that ever confronted Scotland Yard. Not only was ...

  • The Paddington Mystery

    First published in 1925, now public domain in the US and Canada. After returning one night from a nightclub, Harold Merefield finds a man's dead body lying in his bed. He turns to Doctor Priestley, the father of his former fiancée April....

  • Death on the Boat Train

    A passenger in a private compartment on the  boat train  from  Southampton  to  London Waterloo  is found dead with a  needle  puncture in is back. He had travelled on  Guernsey  on a  channel&#x...

  • The Fatal Garden

    When Pauline Clobury is found murdered in the dark and the rain near the gate of Prior’s Farm, suspicion centers on her young husband whom she plans to divorce. But when a new development occurs at the greenhouse of the same estate, both Superinten...

  • Licensed for Murder

    ''Licensed for Murder'' concerns the new managers of an English country inn, who, during the inn's renovation, discover the grisly, burned remains of a man behind corrugated sheeting in the inn's main fireplace. With the man's identity impossible to ...

  • Murder at Derivale

    Murder at Derivale  one of the final books in the Priestley series, has Inspector Jimmy Waghorn (assisted by the now elderly Dr. Priestley) investigating the death by poisoning of a man found dead in a truck parked in his neighbor's yard. Diamon...



  • The Mysterious Suspect

    The Mysterious Suspect, first published in 1953 (and also known by the title By Registered Post), is part of the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley. Author John Rhode, a pen name of Cecil Street (1884-1964), was a prolific ...

  • The Robthorne Mystery

    The Robthorne Mystery, first published in 1934, is part of the series of mysteries featuring private detective Dr. Priestley. Author John Rhode, a pen name of Cecil Street (1884-1964), was a prolific writer of mostly detective novels, publishing more...

  • Dr. Priestley Investigates

    Was it a tragic drunk-driving accident, or something more twisted? “You can never go far wrong with a Dr. Priestley story.” -- The New York Times   Superintendent King has concluded that the drunk driver with a dead body in his car was only...

  • Peril at Cranbury Hall

    A shady operator is targeted for death and needs help from a professor with an “uncanny ability to ferret out the truth” (The New York Times).   An expert in alternative medicine is creating a clinic in Cranbury Hall that promises to cure fa...

  • Tragedy on the Line

    A body on the tracks and a pair of missing wills have Dr. Priestley puzzled . . .   Gervase Wickenden’s estate is close to a railroad line -- and that’s where his mangled body is found after an unfortunate meeting with a train...

  • The Venner Crime

    The “astute and sharp-spoken” crime-solving professor must find out if a missing man got away with murder (The New York Times).   After some initial suspicion, the death of Ernest Venner’s wealthy uncle was attributed to natural causes -- ...

  • Blackthorn House

    A man’s car is impounded as a stolen vehicle -- but that’s not the worst of it -- in this classic British mystery starring a “tartly logical professor” (The New York Times).   Kenneth Winslow’s company has sold a car to his nephew, Noe...

  • Death Takes a Partner

    No two men could have been more opposite in every way than Wilfred and Clarence Cheriton. Wilfred, forever immersed in some engineering experiment, had little use for people and business activities, whereas Clarence was a sociable man with a gift for...

  • The Murders in Praed Street

    Dive into the intricate world of classic detective fiction with John Rhode's The Murders in Praed Street. This meticulously prepared edition revives a timeless tale of crime and suspense, showcasing the brilliance of Lancelot Priestley, the quintesse...

  • The Claverton Mystery



  • In Face of the Verdict

  • The Motor Rally Mystery

  • The Ellerby Case

  • The Elm Tree Murder

    A forger is at work, arranging for rich people to be robbed and then cashing cheques before the victim catches on. The Reverend Frank Lextable is crushed by a falling branch from an elm tree. Is the death linked to the forgery? Was it murder or an ac...

  • The Fatal Pool

    In ''The Fatal Pool,'' the family and friends of Colonel Gayton have gathered together at Framby Hall, and while most of the guests are at breakfast, Yvonne Bardwell is found drowned but with bruises on her shoulders indicating that she was held unde...

  • Murder at Lilac Cottage

    In a largely peaceful village in England during the early stages of the Second World War the body of the young man who owns Lilac Cottage is found dead. The only clue that the investigating officers of  Scotland Yard can find is a five pound not...

  • Tragedy at the Unicorn

    A party of five yachtsmen check-in one late summer Sunday evening at the Unicorn, an old-fashioned country hotel on the south coast of England. A sixth guest, Dr Victor Grinling, known to the group, is also in residence. The next morning Dr Grinling...

  • The Elusive Bullet

    • / Mystery
    • Buy Buy

    Despite starting out life as an officer in the British army, Cecil Street went on to become a successful author of detective fiction. His most famous crime-solver, Dr. Priestly, featured in almost fifty novels, including the acclaimed The Elusive Bul...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

John Rhode has published 37 books.

John Rhode does not have a new book coming out soon. The latest book, Murder at Lilac Cottage, was published in January 2025.

The first book by John Rhode, Body Unidentified, was published in January 1938.

No. John Rhode does not write books in series.
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