Book 1

Caroline Minuscule

by Andrew Taylor

Published 1 July 1982

The first book in the brilliant William Dougal crime series, from the bestselling author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London.

William Dougal, a post-graduate expert in the medieval script of Caroline Minuscule, stumbles on the garroted corpse of his tutor - and finds himself embroiled in a hunt for a cache of diamonds, a deadly fairy story in which no one obeys the rules, least of all Dougal's girlfriend Amanda. As the body count rises, the couple pursue both the diamonds and their doom from London, to an East Anglian cathedral close, from Cambridge to a wintry Suffolk estuary.


Book 2

William Dougal is blackmailed into doing a job for his old adversary James Hanbury. All he has to do is keep an eye on Dr Vertag, the leader of a lunatic fringe survival group. But he has hardly started when the barman who tried to warn him off is murdered. Suddenly, Zelda appears from Dougal's murky past, just as suddenly she is kidnapped from his flat. His natural desire to rescue her plunges him into a maelstrom of criminal activities. The shadow of James Hanbury hangs over everything. Like truth itself, Hanbury is rarely pure and never simple ...

Freelance Death

by Andrew Taylor

Published 31 December 1987

The fifth part of the acclaimed William Dougal crime series, from the bestselling author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London.

Rod Lorton wants revenge. After his wife's death, he discovers unsavoury truths about her and her former employer, PR chief Ivor Newley.

Called in to investigate Lorton's new-found enemy, private detective William Dougal uncovers a weakness to exploit: Newley's rare collection of coins, coins that would leave Newley susceptible to blackmail if the collection were to disappear . . .


Blood Relation

by Andrew Taylor

Published 1 September 1990

The sixth instalment of the brilliant William Dougal crime series, from the bestselling author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London.

William Dougal's life seems to be running smoothly. Now working with his old rival, Hanbury, his reputation is gaining him cases from every corner. But with every climb, there has to come a fall . . .

When Dougal agrees to investigate the disappearance and suspected murder of publisher Oswald Finwood, he is faced with an array of suspects, all with the means and motive - from Finwood's estranged wife to an elusive author who had an appointment with Finwood on the day he disappeared.

As Dougal probes deeper, he finds himself tangled in a complex web of greed, deceit and deadly family revenge . . .


The Sleeping Policeman

by Andrew Taylor

Published 19 March 1992
The seventh novel featuring William Dougal, amoral private detective. A young doctor asks him to investigate blackmail, but Dougal suspects that information is being withheld. When invited down to the doctor's country cottage, he finds the small community seething with suspicions and rivalries.

Odd Man out

by Andrew Taylor

Published 30 September 1998

The eighth in the acclaimed William Dougal crime series, from the bestselling author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London.

William Dougal is a respectable private detective, a hardworking citizen and a responsible father - and now he's also a killer. After a violent squabble takes a dangerous turn, Dougal decides to shun the police and instead take things into his own hands. He accepts the assistance of his old rival and current employer, Hanbury, to dispose of the corpse.

But Dougal quickly finds that help doesn't come cheap. In fact, it's often more trouble - and danger - than it's worth . . .