Harry Hole series reading order

A plan for the whole series

13 volumes, 7,071 pages, about 130 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 6 months.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 6, “The Redeemer” (by 40%). Plan your break after volume 5, before the series plans it for you.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2022. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

10 stages, with 9 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around May 31, 2027, about 6 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 114 h19 daysby November 17, 2026

   • 1. The Bat1997 · 396 pages · 7 h
   • 2. Cockroaches1998 · 392 pages · 7 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 21, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 211 h15 daysby December 6, 2026

   • 3. The Redbreast2000 · 626 pages · 11 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 10, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 312 h16 daysby December 26, 2026

   • 4. Nemesis2002 · 672 pages · 12 h
6. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 30, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 410 h13 daysby January 12, 2027

   • 5. The Devil's Star2003 · 522 pages · 10 h
8. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by January 21, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 518 habout 3 weeksby February 14, 2027

   • 6. The Redeemer2005 · 520 pages · 10 h
   • 7. The Snowman2007 · 438 pages · 8 h
10. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by February 18, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 613 h18 daysby March 8, 2027

    • 8. The Leopard2009 · 722 pages · 13 h
12. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by March 12, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 79 h13 daysby March 25, 2027

    • 9. Phantom2011 · 517 pages · 9 h
14. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by March 28, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
15. 8
    Stage 811 h15 daysby April 12, 2027

    • 10. Police2013 · 607 pages · 11 h
16. Short breakA Room of One's Own · Virginia Woolf · 144 pp. · score 8.23 h, by April 17, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
17. 9
    Stage 911 h15 daysby May 1, 2027

    • 11. The Thirst2017 · 597 pages · 11 h
18. Short breakThe Prophet · Kahlil Gibran · 116 pp. · score 8.22 h, by May 5, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
19. 10
    Stage 1019 habout 4 weeksby May 31, 2027

    • 12. Knife2019 · 520 pages · 10 h
    • 13. Killing Moon2022 · 542 pages · 10 h
20. The end of the series

    May 31, 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: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.3) below the ending (7.8). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.

Best volume: The Redeemer (7.9, 80 ratings). Weakest: The Bat (7.0). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 5 and 6: 40%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2022. The last volume (7.8) scores close to the series average or above it.