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: January 2026
Publication Order
The Castle of the Demon / The Turning of the Tide (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1971
A Fairly Dangerous Thing
Buy on Amazon1972
Red Christmas (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1972
Matlock's System / Heart Clock (As: Dick Morland)
Buy on Amazon1973
A Very Good Hater
Buy on Amazon1974
Albion! Albion! / Singleton's Law (As: Dick Morland)
Buy on Amazon1974
The Low Road / Death Takes the Low Road (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1974
Urn Burial / Beyond the Bone (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1975
Another Death in Venice
Buy on Amazon1976
The Spy's Wife
Buy on Amazon1980
Who Guards a Prince? / Guardians of the Prince
Buy on Amazon1982
Traitor's Blood
Buy on Amazon1983
No Man's Land
Buy on Amazon1985
Fell of Dark
Buy on Amazon1986
Death of a Dormouse (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1987
The Collaborators
Buy on Amazon1987
The Long Kill (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1988
Dream of Darkness (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1989
The Only Game (As: Patrick Ruell)
Buy on Amazon1993
The Stranger House
Buy on Amazon2005
The Woodcutter
Buy on Amazon2010
Proxime Accessit
Buy on Amazon1990
A Candle for Christmas
Buy on Amazon2000
There Are No Ghosts in the Soviet Union
Buy on Amazon1987
Brother's Keeper
Buy on Amazon1992
A Candle for Christmas & Other Stories
Buy on Amazon2023
Crime Writers
Buy on Amazon1978
The Man Who...
Buy on Amazon1992
2nd Culprit
Buy on Amazon1993
Thou Shalt Not Kill
Buy on Amazon2005
The Detection Collection
Buy on Amazon2005
Frequently Asked Questions
The recommended reading order for the Standalone series is publication order: 1. The Castle of the Demon / The Turning of the Tide (As: Patrick Ruell) (1971), 2. A Fairly Dangerous Thing (1972), 3. Red Christmas (As: Patrick Ruell) (1972), 4. Matlock's System / Heart Clock (As: Dick Morland) (1973), 5. A Very Good Hater (1974), and 26 more. This is generally the best way to experience the story as the author intended.
The Standalone series by Reginald Hill contains 31 books. The series began in 1971 and continues to be a popular choice for readers.
The Standalone series is written by Reginald Hill. You can find more books and series by this author on our website.
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