Start with the first coded mystery
Begin with The Blackthorn Key to meet Christopher and learn the apothecary knowledge, friendships, and secrets that later books assume.
Book Series · 6 Books
The Blackthorn Key Books
In order from The Blackthorn Key to The Raven's Revenge.
Six fast-moving historical mysteries follow apothecary's apprentice Christopher Rowe as he deciphers codes and uncovers conspiracies across seventeenth-century Europe.
Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated
Reading order
How to Read The Blackthorn Key Books
Read the six novels in numbered order, beginning with The Blackthorn Key. Christopher's friendships, losses, enemies, and the mystery surrounding the Raven build across the full sequence.
The puzzles and individual investigations give each book a strong immediate mystery, but later volumes reveal answers and consequences from earlier ones.
For parents
What Parents Should Know
This is a more intense middle-grade mystery series. The plots include murder, plague, poison, explosions, weapons, imprisonment, and threats of execution, with important characters placed in serious danger.
Violence is presented as suspenseful historical adventure rather than graphic horror. Friendship, courage, scientific curiosity, and solving layered codes remain central throughout.
Where to start
Where Should My Child Start?
Where the story begins
First Book in the Series
Sale price
$858
Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2015
The Blackthorn Key
By Kevin Sands
An apprentice races against time to unravel a deadly secret threatening the world.
400 pages· 64,908 words· Est. 7 hour read
$8.99Save 5%
Paperback
Summary: Christopher Rowe, an apothecary's apprentice, faces a chilling mystery as a cult targets London's apothecaries. With murders closing in on his mentor's shop, Christopher must solve intricate puzzles and codes to uncover a secret that could shatter the world. Can he decipher the clues before it's too late, or will the cult's sinister plan succeed? Dive into a suspenseful adventure where every skill Christopher has learned is put to the ultimate test.
In reading order
The Blackthorn Key Series
6 books · Published 2015–2023
#1
Sale price
$858
The Blackthorn Key
Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2015
An apprentice races against time to unravel a deadly secret threatening the world.
#2
Sale price
$958
Mark of the Plague
Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2016
A deadly plague, a mysterious cure, and a conspiracy threaten London. Can truth prevail?
#3
Sale price
$1899
The Assassin's Curse
Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2017
A coded message warns of more assassins. Can Christopher stop a royal curse before it's too late?
#4
Sale price
$958
Call of the Wraith
Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2018
Amnesiac Christopher races to solve a ghostly mystery as children vanish in Devonshire.
#5
Sale price
$958
The Traitor's Blade
Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2021
A deadly conspiracy threatens the king; can Christopher unravel the coded riddles in time?
#6
Sale price
$1899
The Raven's Revenge
Chapter Book · Ages 10–14 · 2023
Framed for a crime, Christopher must outwit the Raven in a deadly game across London.
Good to know
Common Questions
How many books are in the Blackthorn Key series?
There are 6 books in the Blackthorn Key series. It began with The Blackthorn Key in 2015, and the newest book, The Raven's Revenge, was published in 2023.
What order should you read the Blackthorn Key books in?
Start with The Blackthorn Key and follow the series order — the books above are numbered #1 through #6.
What ages are the Blackthorn Key books best for?
The series is best for ages 10–14, based on the age ranges of the individual books.
The people
The Creative Behind the Books
The people who bring The Blackthorn Key to life.
Keep exploring
Similar Series
The Theodosia Series
Ages 9–12
The War That Saved My Life
Ages 8–12
The Louisiana Girls Trilogy
Ages 10–12
Crispin
Ages 8–12
Last Musketeer
Ages 9–12
The Apothecary Series
Ages 10–14
The Deadlands
Ages 8–12
Anya
Ages 9–12