Settings used in Canning's novels and stories

Book titles are in italics. Novella and short story titles are enclosed in inverted commas. Bold face for a book title shows that a substantial part of the action occurs in that place.

Most of the work set overseas is from Canning's middle period, roughly 1943 to 1967. He is quoted as saying that he had to set his thrillers abroad because "in this country you can always call a policeman". However almost all his early work (1934-1940) and late work (1968-1986) is set within the United Kingdom, and most of that is in the southern counties of England.

• Africa
  • Algeria—The golden salamander
  • Libya—The python project
  • Morocco—"The stranger who called at Room 12"
  • Tunisia—The python project, "The Sleigmann letter"
  • West Africa and Sahara—"Death of a brother", "Terror at the lighthouse", "A son for M'Lassa", "Oasis Nine", "Don't talk to me about women"
  • Red Sea Coast of Sudan—His bones are coral
  • Somalia—The burning eye
  • Kenya and the Congo—Black flamingo
  • Tanganyika—"A case of dollars"
• Americas and Caribbean—The man from the Turkish Slave, A delivery of furies, "The coral tree", "Trouble in Limoy", "Arabella's last petticoat", "The girl and the bearded beachcomber"
• Atlantic Ocean (San Borodon, fictional island based on Ascension or St. Helena)—The dragon tree
• Australia—"Shadow in the dark", "Delay on Turtle", "Give and take"
• Biblical Palestine—"Trouble in the city"
• China and Hong Kong—"Chinese triangle", "The six deaths of Dr. Kang"
• England
  • Birmingham—Polycarp's progress
  • Bristol—Polycarp's progress
  • Cornwall—Mr. Finchley discovers his England, Two men fought, The viaduct, Finger of Saturn
  • Cumbria and the Lake District—Fly away Paul, "The vanishing victim"
  • Derbyshire and the Peak District—Fly away Paul
  • Devon—Mr. Finchley discovers his England, Every creature of God is good, The viaduct, The wooden angel, The man from the Turkish Slave, Queen's pawn, Firecrest, The painted tent, The finger of Saturn, The mask of memory, The Kingsford mark, Fall from grace, The boy on Platform One, Birds of a feather, "The leaning man", "Through the eyes of love"
  • Dorset—The finger of Saturn
  • East Anglia—Polycarp's progress, Fly away Paul, Atlantic company, House of the Seven Flies
  • Gloucestershire—Birdcage
  • Hampshire—The Great Affair, The Rainbird pattern, The doomsday carrier
  • Herefordshire—The Satan sampler
  • Hertfordshire—Mr. Finchley discovers his England, Firecrest
  • Isle of Wight—The hidden face, "It never pays off", "Breakaway"
  • Kent—Mercy Lane, Sanctuary from the dragon, Fountain Inn, Mr. Finchley takes the road, The hidden face, The Limbo line, The python project
  • Leicester—Fly away Paul
  • London—Mr. Finchley discovers his England, Polycarp's progress, Fly away Paul, Mr. Finchley goes to Paris, Fountain Inn, Mr. Finchley takes the road, The hidden face, The Limbo line, The Scorpio letters, The whip hand, Doubled in diamonds, The python project, The melting man, Queen's pawn, Firecrest, The mask of memory, Birdcage, Birds of a feather, Table number seven, "Twenty-four hours to his day", "Dick Whittington's cat", "Cook wanted", "The Crown Jewels robbery", "The prisoner in the embassy", "Disappearing trick", "Take a second look", "Twinkle twinkle", "Copy coupon", "Star stuff", "Monkey tricks", "The Trojan crate", "Three Heads are better than one", "A stroke of genius"
  • Oxfordshire—Polycarp's progress, The hidden face
  • Somerset—Mr. Finchley discovers his England, Polycarp's progress, Every creature of God is good, The Rainbird pattern
  • Sussex—Matthew Silverman, The hidden face, The whip hand, The melting man
  • Wiltshire—The Great Affair, The runaways, The Rainbird pattern, The mask of memory, The doomsday carrier, Vanishing point
• France
  • Central or unspecified—Doubled in diamonds , "Family man", "Food for thought", "The nigger boy pattern", "Tattoo pattern", "Chicken breast pattern", "The boat was handy", "The botany pattern"
  • Normandy and Brittany—Green battlefield, Queen's pawn, The boy on Platform One, "The doomsday pattern"
  • Paris—Mr.Finchley goes to Paris, The Limbo line, The Scorpio letters, The whip hand, The python project, The great affair, "A matter of time", "A toast to treachery", "Edge of fear", "Baskets of apples and roses"
  • South and east—The Scorpio letters, The melting man, Vanishing point, "Young man on a bicycle", "This bride is dangerous", "Chance at the wheel", "Vacation with violence", "Emergency case"
  • South west—Castle Minerva, The hidden face, The Limbo line, The great affair, Birdcage, "Carnation pattern"
• Greece—The great affair, "Gemma two-five", "The girl from the Argola"
• India/Nepal—"The survival man"
• Ireland (Republic)—Doubled in diamonds, "Who murdered Grogan the poet?", "Mr. Flynn finds out"
• Italy—The chasm, Panthers' moon, Venetian Bird, The whip hand, The python project, The melting man, The great affair, The finger of Saturn, Vanishing point, "Family man", "Let sleeping dogs lie", "The sleeping man", "Wet stepping stones", "Death in the tunnel", "The voyage of fear", "Midnight on the lagoon", "The Goldini bath", "Wall of death", "Two good men", "Adriatic crossing", "Curtains for Mario"
• Netherlands—House of the seven flies, Birds of a feather
• Northern Ireland—"Fighting cockerel"
• Portugal—The Great Affair, Birdcage
• Scotland—Fly away Paul, Flight of the grey goose
• Spain—The dragon tree, The great affair
• Spain (Balearic Islands)—The Manasco road, The python project
• Switzerland—Panthers' moon, The Scorpio letters, The melting man
• Wales—Fountain Inn, Castle Minerva, The hidden face, "The Aberdyll onion", "The white spell"
• Yugoslavia and Albania—A forest of eyes, "Dialogue behind a curtain", "You are a spy", "Adriatic crossing", "The key"