Kay Scarpetta reading order

A plan for the whole series

23 volumes, 10,411 pages, about 190 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 months.

• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2016. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

12 stages, with 11 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around August 22, 2027, about 6 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 114 h18 daysby November 16, 2026

   • 1. Postmortem1990 · 364 pages · 7 h
   • 2. Body of Evidence1991 · 387 pages · 7 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 20, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 214 h19 daysby December 10, 2026

   • 3. All That Remains1992 · 400 pages · 7 h
   • 5. The Body Farm1994 · 387 pages · 7 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 314 h19 daysby December 31, 2026

   • 6. From Potter's Field1995 · 402 pages · 7 h
   • 7. Cause of Death1996 · 356 pages · 7 h
6. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by January 5, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 414 h19 daysby January 23, 2027

   • 8. Unnatural Exposure1997 · 367 pages · 7 h
   • 9. Point of Origin1998 · 397 pages · 7 h
8. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by January 27, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 516 habout 3 weeksby February 18, 2027

   • 10. Black Notice1999 · 415 pages · 8 h
   • 11. The Last Precinct2000 · 468 pages · 9 h
10. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by February 23, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 618 habout 3 weeksby March 19, 2027

    • 12. Blow Fly2003 · 504 pages · 9 h
    • 13. Trace2004 · 498 pages · 9 h
12. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by March 23, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 716 habout 3 weeksby April 13, 2027

    • 14. Predator2005 · 453 pages · 8 h
    • 15. Book of the Dead2007 · 440 pages · 8 h
14. Short breakA Room of One's Own · Virginia Woolf · 144 pp. · score 8.23 h, by April 18, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
15. 8
    Stage 89 h12 daysby April 30, 2027

    • 16. Scarpetta2008 · 500 pages · 9 h
16. Short breakThe Prophet · Kahlil Gibran · 116 pp. · score 8.22 h, by May 4, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
17. 9
    Stage 918 habout 4 weeksby May 29, 2027

    • 17. The Scarpetta Factor2009 · 501 pages · 9 h
    • 18. Port Mortuary2010 · 507 pages · 9 h
18. Short breakThe Screwtape letters · C. S. Lewis · 106 pp. · score 8.22 h, by June 1, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
19. 10
    Stage 1020 habout 4 weeksby June 28, 2027

    • 19. Red Mist2011 · 633 pages · 12 h
    • 20. The Bone Bed2012 · 480 pages · 9 h
20. Short breakA Short Stay in Hell · Steven L. Peck · 80 pp. · score 8.21 h, by July 1, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
21. 11
    Stage 1118 habout 4 weeksby July 26, 2027

    • 21. Dust2013 · 544 pages · 10 h
    • 22. Flesh and blood2014 · 464 pages · 9 h
22. Short breakThornhedge · Ursula Vernon · 122 pp. · score 8.22 h, by July 30, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
23. 12
    Stage 1217 habout 3 weeksby August 22, 2027

    • 23. Depraved Heart2015 · 512 pages · 9 h
    • 24. Chaos2016 · 432 pages · 8 h
24. The end of the series

    August 22, 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: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.2 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: The Body Farm (7.7, 85 ratings). Weakest: Blow Fly (7.5). The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2016. The last volume (7.5) scores close to the series average or above it.