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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: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Standalone series? Start with "Gripless" (1999) and follow publication order through all 25 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order

Gripless
1999

Cordial and Corrosive
2000

The Superpower of Love
2002

The Orphan Choir
2014

A Game for All the Family
2015

Keep Her Safe / Did You See Melody?
2017

The Understudy (With: Clare Mackintosh,B.A. Paris,Holly Brown)
2019

Perfect Little Children / Haven't They Grown
2020
No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done
2025
The Opposite of Murder
2026

Pictures or It Didn't Happen
2015

The Warning
2015

Only Joseph
2018

Second Helping of Your Heart
1994

The Hero and the Girl Next Door
1995

Hotels like Houses
1997

Leaving and Leaving You
1999

First of the Last Chances
2003

Leeds Stories 2
2005

Pessimism for Beginners
2007

The Fantastic Book of Everybody's Secrets
2008

Ideas Above Our Station
2010

The Poetry of Sex
2014

Marrying the Ugly Millionaire
2015

The Visitors Book
2016
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