George and Molly Palmer-Jones
cozy mystery
Series · mystery
The Diamond Brothers
The Diamond Brothers series by Anthony Horowitz has 8 known books (8 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Falcon's Malteser (1986).
- Books
- 8 known books (8 novels)
- Published
- 8
- First published
- 1986
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: The Falcon's Malteser (1986) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Falcon's Malteser
The Falcon's Malteser is the book that opens Anthony Horowitz's The Diamond Brothers series, published in 1986 at 160 pages. It's the natural place to begin the 8-book series, and is followed here by Public Enemy Number Two.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Falcon's Malteser - Book 2:
Public Enemy Number Two
Public Enemy Number Two is Anthony Horowitz's 2nd The Diamond Brothers novel, published in 1987 at 208 pages. It follows The Falcon's Malteser and precedes South by South East in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Public Enemy Number Two - Book 3:
South by South East
South by South East continues Anthony Horowitz's The Diamond Brothers series as the 3rd book, published in 1991 at 293 pages. It follows Public Enemy Number Two and precedes The Blurred Man in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of South by South East - Book 4:
The Blurred Man
The Blurred Man is the 4th book in The Diamond Brothers series, written by Anthony Horowitz, published in 2003. It follows South by South East and precedes The French Confection in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Blurred Man - Book 5:
The French Confection
The French Confection sits as the 5th book in Anthony Horowitz's The Diamond Brothers series, published in 2003 at 168 pages. It follows The Blurred Man and precedes I Know What You Did Last Wednesday in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The French Confection - Book 6:
I Know What You Did Last Wednesday
I Know What You Did Last Wednesday is the 6th book in Anthony Horowitz's The Diamond Brothers series, published in 2003 at 98 pages. It follows The French Confection and precedes The Greek Who Stole Christmas in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Know What You Did Last Wednesday - Book 7:
The Greek Who Stole Christmas
The Greek Who Stole Christmas is Anthony Horowitz's 7th The Diamond Brothers novel, published in 2007 at 105 pages. It follows I Know What You Did Last Wednesday and precedes Where Seagulls Dare in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Greek Who Stole Christmas - Book 8:
Where Seagulls Dare
Where Seagulls Dare is currently the newest book in Anthony Horowitz's The Diamond Brothers series, published in 2022. It follows The Greek Who Stole Christmas, the 8th of 8 books published in the series so far.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Where Seagulls Dare
About The Diamond Brothers
Tim Diamond is London's worst private detective -- broke, hopeless, and permanently one step behind every case he takes. Luckily his much smarter kid brother Nick narrates the investigations and quietly does the actual detective work, dragging Tim through blackmail plots, kidnappings, and murder cases that are always several sizes too big for him. Anthony Horowitz wrote these before Alex Rider made him famous, and they read like it: gleefully silly hard-boiled parody, stuffed with puns, absurd villains, and plots that spoof noir detective fiction while still working as genuine, twisty mysteries in their own right.
Where Alex Rider plays espionage straight for thrills, the Diamond Brothers plays detective fiction for laughs -- Tim's incompetence and Nick's exasperated commentary are the engine of the comedy, while the mysteries themselves are constructed with real Horowitz craft underneath the jokes. It's a rare children's series that works as both a comedy and an actual fair-play mystery, and its send-up of Chandler-esque hardboiled tropes gives it a different flavor from anything else in Horowitz's catalogue.
Published across four decades, from 1986 to a surprise 2022 return, the series has stayed a cult favorite for readers who want their detective fiction with a much lighter touch than Alex Rider's globe-trotting spy plots.
Frequently asked questions
How many Diamond Brothers books are there?
Eight, published between 1986 and 2022: The Falcon's Malteser, Public Enemy Number Two, South by South East, The Blurred Man, The French Confection, I Know What You Did Last Wednesday, The Greek Who Stole Christmas, and Where Seagulls Dare.
What order should I read the Diamond Brothers in?
Publication order, starting with The Falcon's Malteser. Each case is self-contained, so strict order isn't essential, but it's how the series is usually presented.
Is the Diamond Brothers series related to Alex Rider?
Both are by Anthony Horowitz, but the Diamond Brothers came first and is a comic parody of hardboiled detective fiction rather than a straight spy thriller.
Is the Diamond Brothers series finished?
Uncertain -- after a long gap, Horowitz returned to the series with Where Seagulls Dare in 2022, and no further title has been announced since.
What age group is the Diamond Brothers series for?
Roughly ages 9-13, similar to Horowitz's other children's fiction, though the hardboiled parody and puns appeal to adult readers too.
If you like The Diamond Brothers
Reading order last verified .