3 Answers2026-07-26 11:01:23
Quick question for the thread while we're on Horst: does the series get more fast-paced after the first one, or does it maintain that same deliberate speed? I liked 'The Key Witness' but my friend found it too slow.
8 Answers2026-07-25 19:08:02
The beauty is you can't go too wrong. It's not like you'll spoil massive plot twists by reading out of order. Some character development will be missed, but each book has its own central mystery. For the purest arc, though, follow the numbering.
4 Answers2026-07-08 22:00:02
First things first, there isn't one single 'correct' order because Archer started a prequel series! The main sequence begins with 'Nothing Ventured', then 'Hidden in Plain Sight', 'Turn a Blind Eye', 'Over My Dead Body', and 'Next in Line'.
But here's the curveball: he wrote three 'William Warwick Novels' set in the 80s that are actually the character's origin. Those are 'This Was a Man', 'Something to Hide', and 'Fools and Mortals'—wait, scratch that, I think 'Fools and Mortals' is a Shakespeare standalone. My memory's fuzzy. The publication order is safest, but starting with the prequels gives you his career from the beginning, even if they were written later.
Honestly, I read them as they came out, so my experience was totally jumbled. It didn't ruin anything, but you notice the timeline jumps.
4 Answers2026-07-25 15:39:54
The progression is essentially the timeline of William's career in the Metropolitan Police. 'Nothing Ventured' (2019) starts him as a DC. 'Hidden in Plain Sight' (2020) moves him to the Drugs Squad as a DS. 'Turn a Blind Eye' (2021) has him as a DI investigating corruption within the force. 'Over My Dead Body' (2022) continues his DI tenure with a case involving the Royal Opera House. The most recent, 'Next in Line' (2023), advances him to DCI. Archer publishes roughly one per year, so the publication order matches the internal chronology perfectly.
It's a very linear series, which is nice for readers who hate jumping around timelines or dealing with prequels released later.
4 Answers2026-07-25 01:56:08
Here’s the full rundown for a clean bookshelf: 1. Nothing Ventured, 2. Hidden in Plain Sight, 3. Turn a Blind Eye, 4. Over My Dead Body, 5. Next in Line, 6. A Prisoner of Birth, 7. Traitor's Gate, 8. This Was a Man. Make sure you get 'A Prisoner of Birth' – it's a Warwick story but sometimes gets mis-shelved because it shares a title with an older standalone novel.
Keep them in that order, and you're golden for the whole saga.
3 Answers2025-08-13 21:08:36
I recently dove into Susan Wiggs' books after stumbling upon 'The Lakeshore Chronicles' series, and I was hooked. Her books often intertwine characters and settings, so I recommend starting with 'Summer at Willow Lake'—it’s the first in the Lakeshore series and sets the tone for her cozy, small-town romances. From there, you can follow the series order, which feels like revisiting old friends with each book. For her standalone novels like 'The Oysterville Sewing Circle,' you can read them anytime—they’re heartfelt but don’t rely on prior knowledge. If you love historicals, 'The Charm School' is a gem, though it’s part of an older series. Wiggs’ writing is warm and immersive, so no matter where you start, you’ll likely want to binge the rest.