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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 "Selected Writings of Samuel Johnson Falcon Prose Classics" (1949) and follow publication order through all 31 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order

Selected Writings of Samuel Johnson Falcon Prose Classics
1949

The 31st Of February
1950

The Clue in the Book
1952

The Broken Penny
1953

The Paper Chase / Bogue's Fortune
1956

The Colour Of Murder
1957

The Progress of a Crime
1960

The Killing Of Francie Lake / The Plain Man
1962

Carlyle: Selected Works, Reminiscences and Letters
1963

The End of Solomon Grundy
1964

The Belting Inheritance
1965

Death's Darkest Face
1966

CRIME A Pictorial History of Crime 1840 to the Present
1966

Critical Occasions
1966

The Blackheath Poisonings
1978

The Modern Crime Story
1980

Agatha Christie Cover Story
1982

The Name of Annabel Lee
1983

Crime and Detection Quiz
1983
The Remarkable Daniel Dunglas Home
1983

1948 and 1984: The second Orwell memorial lecture
1984

Dashiell Hammett
1985

The Criminal Comedy of the Contented Couple / A Criminal Comedy
1986

The General Strike
1987

Mortal Consequences
1987

Conan Doyle: Portrait of an Artist
1989

The Thirties and the Nineties
1990

Something Like a Love Affair
1993

Criminal Practices
1994

Playing Happy Families
1995

A Sort Of Virtue
1996
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