Inspector De Silva Mysteries Books In Order

Publication Order of The Inspector de Silva Mysteries Books

Inspector de Silva series by Harriet Steel
“Inspector Shanti de Silva” series of mystery novels is written by Harriet Steel. The series began publication in the year 2016, when “Trouble in Nuala” was released.

Shanti de Silva is a happily married man, and likes gardens and books. He is married to an English woman named Jane, who helps him solve his cases and was once a governess to a colonial family Ceylon. He is pragmatic yet principled and has a dry sense of humor. Shanti keeps at something until he is able to solve it.

Jane makes food for Shanti to try out and, in his head, he thinks about ways he could spice it up by adding this or that, but never says so out loud. This is a couple that worships and adores one another.

While working on a case, he will talk to Jane about it and keep her up to date on everything. In return, she makes little suggestions in order to help him.

The series is set during the 1930s in the rolling green hills of colonial Ceylon in a town called Nuala.

Harriet finds that she likes writing Shanti de Silva the most out of the characters in this series. Since she found many murder mysteries that have detectives with messy private lives, she just wanted Shanti to be a normal guy that has to deal with some abnormal situations for his job.

One reason she enjoys writing the series is because she likes the idea of characters coming with her from novel to novel. It gives her the chance to put them in some new situations without risking the story getting disjointed. After she wrote three books in the series, she felt she had gotten to know her regular cast of characters quite well. It has made writing about them like spending time with some of her old friends.

“Trouble in Nuala” is the first novel in the “Inspector Shanti de Silva” series and was released in the year 2016. Inspector de Silva and Jane move to start his new job out in the sleepy hill town of Nuala. He expects he will find a much more relaxing life than what typical big city police work entails.

However, some crusading lawyer, the arrogant plantation owner with a lonely wife, and a death under suspicious circumstances give Shanti a riddle that he will need all of his experience in order to solve.

Fans found this to be quite the treasure, and provides an interesting glimpse at colonialism from the colonial side of things. The book keeps you engaged right from the first page and keeps you in thrall until the very end. Shanti and Jane are both well drawn characters and readers plan to read as much as they can about them.

“Offstage in Nuala” is the third novel in the “Inspector Shanti de Silva” series and was released in the year 2017. There is a lot of excitement when a professional theater company comes to Nuala. Matters take quite the dark turn, though, once the company’s actor and manager ends up getting killed.

Inspector de Silva has a new case he must solve and must consider some unsavory motives for the crime. He will need all his persistence, and Jane’s too, who is invaluable helping him to unmask this murderer.

“Passage From in Nuala” is the sixth novel in the “Inspector Shanti de Silva” series and was released in the year 2019. Shanti and Jane go on a cruise to Egypt in order to visit the pyramids. They are excited at the mere prospect of two weeks of relaxation, sun, and sea. With de Silva’s duties as a cop and Nuala both far behind them at the moment, what could possibly ruin these plans?

Their fun vacation is disrupted when a writer is discovered killed in his cabin, having been suffocated by newspaper that was thrust down his throat. Once more, de Silva has to swing into action.

These are well developed characters, as they are like real people with faults and virtues of their own. Even though each book can be read as a stand alone, the whole series is highly fascinating. Learning more about the rich culture of Ceylon is just an added bonus and enriches the experience.

As always, Harriet does a fantastic job of dotting her tales with fascinating characters from all sorts of different backgrounds. Readers liked seeing a different side of the Petries in this one from what was shown previously. Fans had a fun time trying to figure out who the killer was, with some red herrings to throw them off of the scent.

“Rough Time in Nuala” is the seventh novel in the “Inspector Shanti de Silva” series and was released in the year 2019. The quiet evening de Silva was planning on ends up getting interrupted once he is called out to the Royal Nuala Golf Club. This is after a wealthy member was discovered savagely murdered. Is it possible this was a private feud, or could the killer have some other twisted motive that will cause them to kill once again?

With the aid of Jane, his rather resourceful wife, and an unexpected new ally, he must navigate his way right into the middle of the privileged British establishment to find out the answers he needs. There is not too much time remaining, either.

“Taken in Nuala” is the eighth novel in the “Inspector Shanti de Silva” series and was released in the year 2020. An American millionaire along with his glamorous daughter come to Nuala, the splendor that they bring to this town’s high society soon gets horribly tarnished by a sinister crime.

With many avenues of inquiry to follow, including involving a mysterious fortune teller, he will need every bit of his resources to unravel all of the evidence and avert any further disaster.

Once again, Harriet delivers a read with engaging characters, gentle humor, an appealing exotic historical setting, and a clever whodunit plot with enough red herrings. The world is brought to life so exquisitely that readers felt like they could feel both the warmth and humidity of this climate and smell the flowers.

6 Responses to “Inspector De Silva Mysteries”

1. margaret goulding: 2 years ago

   I am addicted to these books and don’t know what I’m going to do when I’ve read them all!!!
   Such a fabulous change to have easy reading with such lovely characters.
   Please keep writing them!

   Reply
2. KARL FROMBERG: 2 years ago

   what are the titles of the latest two nuala books? are they break from nuala and figures of nuala?

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     I can’t find any details about Figures of Nuala. The most recent novel was Break from Nuala, published in March 2022.

     Reply
3. Amanda Button: 3 years ago

   My husband and I both love the Nuala books. Was there one covering Doctor Hebden’s marriage. Also Jane and Shanti suddenly have two kittens in Fat Finds in Nuala, was there a book introducing them?

   Reply
4. Helen Lynch: 3 years ago

   Will there be more Nuala books after the last, Taken in Nuala?? Love love the books, as I do Sri Lanka!

   Reply
   • Graeme: 3 years ago

     Hi Helen,

     Actually, there are two more books after that currently. High Wire in Nuala and Cold Case in Nuala. They were in our database but not showing up on the page for some reason. I refreshed it and they are there now 🙂

     Reply