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Standalone Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Standalone books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: April 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Standalone series? Start with "Painting the Roses Red" (1974) and follow publication order through all 17 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
Painting the Roses Red
1974
The Delectable Mountains, Or, Entertaining Strangers
1976
Dingley Falls
1980
Handling Sin
1986
Foolscap
1991
The Last Noel
2002
The Killing Club (With: Marcie Walsh)
2005
The Four Corners of the Sky
2009
Red Clay
2002
Red Clay, Blue Cadillac
2002
Growing Up in the South
1991
Murder For Love
1996
The Best American Mystery Stories 1997
1997
Murder at the Foul Line
2003
Tar Heel Dead
2005
Twenty-Seven Views of Hillsborough
2010
He passed in 2022.
20
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