Reading Order
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Start with The Apothecary Rose and continue through all 15 books in the listed reading order.
Start Here
Start with The Apothecary Rose
Book 1 by Candace Robb • Published 1993
York, 1363. When two men die after taking a physic from Nicholas Wilton's shop, one-eyed ex-archer Owen Archer goes undercover as the apothecary's apprentice, only to discover that Wilton's clever wife Lucie may hold...
Complete List
Owen Archer reading order
Ends with A Fox in the Fold
- 1
Book 1:The Apothecary Rose
Candace Robb • 1993
York, 1363. When two men die after taking a physic from Nicholas Wilton's shop, one-eyed ex-archer Owen Archer goes undercover as the apothecary's apprentice, only to discover that Wilton's clever wife Lucie may hold...
- 2
Book 2:The Nun's Tale
Candace Robb • 1993
After a young nun is buried in Beverley, a woman claiming to be her returns months later with a stolen relic and a year she refuses to explain. As Joanna Calverley's story unravels, Owen Archer and his wife Lucie must...
- 3
Book 3:The Lady Chapel
Candace Robb • 1994
On the night after York's Corpus Christi procession, a wealthy wool merchant is found with his throat cut on the minster steps and his severed hand left in another man's room. Owen Archer follows a trail of guild riva...
- 4
Book 4:The King's Bishop
Candace Robb • 1996
King Edward's push to install William of Wykeham as Bishop of Winchester sends Owen Archer north with a diplomatic party that soon turns deadly. When his friend Ned Townley is blamed for a string of suspicious drownin...
- 5
Book 5:The Riddle of St. Leonard's
Candace Robb • 1997
In plague-stricken York, a run of unexplained deaths at St Leonard's Hospital threatens scandal for its ambitious master. Drawn in despite himself, Owen Archer uncovers old grudges, hidden debts and a puzzle among the...
- 6
Book 6:A Gift of Sanctuary
Candace Robb • 1998
Escorting a pilgrimage to St David's in 1369, Owen Archer is secretly charged with testing the loyalty of the Duke of Lancaster's steward in south Wales. A dead man in ducal livery and a violent household riven by the...
- 7
Book 7:A Spy for the Redeemer
Candace Robb • 1999
While Owen Archer finishes dangerous work for John of Gaunt in his native Wales, rebel leaders urge him to stay and fight for their cause. In York, Lucie Wilton struggles with slander against her apothecary and an ala...
- 8
Book 8:The Cross-Legged Knight
Candace Robb • 2002
When the remains of powerful knight Sir Ranulf Pagnell are brought home to York, his resentful kin blame Bishop Wykeham for his death. After a near-fatal accident and a fire that reveals a dead midwife in the bishop's...
- 9
Book 9:The Guilt of Innocents
Candace Robb • 2007
A winter brawl on York's riverside ends with a pilot pushed into the icy Ouse, but his wounds show he was attacked before he fell. As more bodies surface and a frightened schoolboy vanishes, Owen Archer and his adopte...
- 10
Book 10:A Vigil of Spies
Candace Robb • 2008
With Archbishop John Thoresby gravely ill, York's great families are already scheming over his successor when the Princess of Wales arrives at his bedside. A courtier is murdered and a royal messenger found hanged, fo...
- 11
Book 11:The Bone Jar
Candace Robb • 2016
Wise woman Magda Digby summons Owen Archer to her island hut on the River Ouse with an unsettling request. She wants him to guard a jar of human bones from ruthless relic dealers and a shadowy figure who seems willing...
- 12
Book 12:A Conspiracy of Wolves
Candace Robb • 2019
In 1374, the mutilated body of Hoban Swann is discovered in the forest outside York, his throat ripped and his hunting dogs missing. Rumours blame wolves, but Owen Archer suspects human hands, and as more violence fol...
- 13
Book 13:A Choir of Crows
Candace Robb • 2020
As York prepares to welcome a new archbishop, two corpses are found in the grounds of the minster and a golden-haired singer is discovered locked in the chapter house. Under pressure to keep scandal from the powerful...
- 14
Book 14:The Riverwoman's Dragon
Candace Robb • 2021
Returning to York in 1375, Owen Archer and his wife Lucie find the city terrified of plague and quick to blame healers like their friend Magda Digby. When a merchant's servant is pulled dead from the river and a fire...
- 15
Book 15:A Fox in the Fold
Candace Robb • 2022
In 1376, a stabbed stranger is found just beyond York's walls beside a cart of carved stones meant for a priory. As Owen Archer traces the shipment back to Bishop Wykeham and uncovers the hand of a treacherous archer...
Quick Answers
Owen Archer FAQ
What is the best order to read the Owen Archer series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with The Apothecary Rose.
How many books are in the Owen Archer series?
There are 15 books currently listed in the Owen Archer series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Owen Archer series?
New readers should start with The Apothecary Rose, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Owen Archer series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1993 to 2022.