Cormoran Strike reading order

A plan for the whole series

8 volumes, 5,973 pages, about 110 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 months.

• The thickest volume runs 999 pages. One volume is one stage: a break after it, not the next volume.
• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 6, “The Ink Black Heart” (by 29%).
• Readers scored volume 6, “The Ink Black Heart”, below its predecessor (7.8 after 8.1). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2025. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

7 stages, with 6 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around May 7, 2027, about 6 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 18 h11 daysby November 9, 2026

   • 1. The Cuckoo's Calling2013 · 449 pages · 8 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 13, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 220 habout 4 weeksby December 9, 2026

   • 2. The Silkworm2014 · 542 pages · 10 h
   • 3. Career of Evil2015 · 544 pages · 10 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 13, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 312 h16 daysby December 29, 2026

   • 4. Lethal White2018 · 656 pages · 12 h
6. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by January 7, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 417 habout 3 weeksby January 30, 2027

   • 5. Troubled Blood2020 · 944 pages · 17 h
8. BreakBorn a Crime · Trevor Noah · 304 pp. · score 8.96 h, by February 9, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 517 habout 3 weeksby March 4, 2027

   • 6. The Ink Black Heart2022 · 943 pages · 17 h
10. BreakI'm Glad My Mom Died · Jennette McCurdy · 320 pp. · score 8.96 h, by March 13, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 618 habout 3 weeksby April 7, 2027

    • 7. The Running Grave2023 · 999 pages · 18 h
12. BreakFlowers for Algernon · Daniel Keyes · 274 pp. · score 8.85 h, by April 16, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 716 habout 3 weeksby May 7, 2027

    • 8. The Hallmarked Man2025 · 896 pages · 16 h
14. The end of the series

    May 7, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: peak in the middle. The middle volumes (8.1) are the best; the ending (7.8) does not match them.

Best volume: Troubled Blood (8.1, 266 ratings). Weakest: The Cuckoo's Calling (7.7). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 5 and 6: 29%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2025. The last volume (7.8) scores close to the series average or above it.