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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 "The Sleeping and the Dead" (2001) and follow publication order through all 17 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
The Sleeping and the Dead
2001
Burial of Ghosts
2003
Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey
2016
Offshore
2014
Best Eaten Cold and Other Stories: A Murder Squad Anthology
2011
The Library Book
2012
Deadly Pleasures
2013
The Starlings & Other Stories
2015
Crime Writers: A Decade of Crime
2016
CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour
2017
Ten Year Stretch
2018
Bloody Scotland
2019
Many Deadly Returns
2021
An Unnecessary Assassin
2023
Killin’ Time in San Diego: Bouchercon Anthology 2023
2023
Ink and Daggers
2023
Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club
2025
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