Rizzoli & Isles reading order

A plan for the whole series

8 volumes, 3,282 pages, about 60 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 3 months.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 7, “The Keepsake” (by 29%). Plan your break after volume 6, before the series plans it for you.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2010. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

4 stages, with 3 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around February 3, 2027, 16 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 114 h18 daysby November 16, 2026

   • 1. The Surgeon2001 · 368 pages · 7 h
   • 2. The Apprentice2002 · 384 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 215 h20 daysby December 10, 2026

   • 3. The Sinner2003 · 411 pages · 8 h
   • 4. Body Double2004 · 414 pages · 8 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 14, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 315 h21 daysby January 3, 2027

   • 5. Vanish2005 · 416 pages · 8 h
   • 6. The Mephisto Club2006 · 429 pages · 8 h
6. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by January 13, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 416 habout 3 weeksby February 3, 2027

   • 7. The Keepsake2008 · 412 pages · 8 h
   • 8. The Killing Place2010 · 448 pages · 8 h
8. The end of the series

   February 3, 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 Apprentice (7.8, 115 ratings). Weakest: The Mephisto Club (7.6). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 6 and 7: 29%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2010. The last volume (7.7) scores close to the series average or above it.