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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 "Retreat from Oblivion" (1939) and follow publication order through all 22 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
Retreat from Oblivion
1939
Dark Passage
1946
Behold This Woman
1947
Nightfall/Missing Believed Murdered / The Dark Chase / Convicted
1947
Of Missing Persons
1950
Cassidy's Girl
1951
Of Tender Sin
1952
Street of the Lost
1952
The Burglar
1953
The Moon in the Gutter
1953
Black Friday
1954
The Blonde on the Street Corner
1954
Street of No Return
1954
The Wounded and the Slain
1955
Down There/Shoot the Piano Player
1956
Fire in the Flesh
1957
Night Squad
1961
Somebody's Done For
1967
Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories
1996
Dames, Booze, Guns & Gumshoes
2013
Shoot the Piano Player – 1956
19
Nightfall – 1947
19
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