Reading in order

I was asked recently by a bookseller whether it was important to read my Lake District Mysteries in the order in which they were written. It’s a reasonable question, and one often asked, but it’s not entirely easy to answer.

My own feeling is that the books can be read in any order, because the main plot in each book is independent. I take a lot of care not to introduce spoilers in later books. I also have a vague worry (which is probably groundless) that if people start with the first novel, The Coffin Trail, they may not enjoy it as much as the later books. I do feel that The Cipher Garden and The Arsenic Labyrinth are superior books, with complex mysteries that I’m rather proud of – yet The Coffin Trail has sold more copies (as is common with first books in series.)

The counter-argument is that many readers like to follow the development of characters and relationships through a series – and, certainly, the evolving relationship between Hannah and Daniel was always intended to be a cornerstone of the series.

This sort of dilemma applies to many modern crime series. It’s the price we pay for character development. It was easier in the old days – Poirot and Miss Marple don’t develop as characters, so it really doesn’t matter in which order you read their cases. On the other hand, Christie was so sure she was writing disposable fiction that she rather carelessly allows Poirot to give away the solutions to some of her earlier books – a sign of modesty, but rather frustrating if you haven’t read the mysteries that came first.