Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) was a prolific American novelist, who specialized in writing detective and western novels. Parker may be best known for his Spenser series, but that doesn’t mean he was a one-trick pony. His other series included Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, Cole & Hitch (Appaloosa) and a couple of Philip Marlowe novels. He also had a number of standalone novels and non-fiction books to his credit.

Robert B. Parker has had a number of his works adapted to other mediums. Spenser For Hire starring Robert Urich was produced by ABC, Jesse Stone films were turned into TV movies starring Tom Selleck and Appaloosa was made into a film starring Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris. Parker’s Spenser and Jesse Stone series will be continued by Ace Atkins and Michael Brandman, respectively. Below is a list of Robert B. Parker’s books in order of when they were first published:

Publication Order of Spenser Books

The Godwulf Manuscript (1973)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
God Save the Child (1974)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Mortal Stakes (1975)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Promised Land (1976)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Judas Goat (1978)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Looking for Rachel Wallace (1980)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Early Autumn (1981)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Savage Place (1981)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Ceremony (1982)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Widening Gyre (1983)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Valediction (1984)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Catskill Eagle (1985)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Taming a Sea-Horse (1986)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Pale Kings and Princes (1987)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Crimson Joy (1988)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Playmates (1989)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Stardust (1990)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Pastime (1991)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Double Deuce (1992)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Paper Doll (1993)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Walking Shadow (1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Thin Air (1995)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Chance (1996)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Small Vices (1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Sudden Mischief (1998)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Hush Money (1999)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Hugger Mugger (2000)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Potshot (2001)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Widow's Walk (2002)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Back Story (2003)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bad Business (2004)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Cold Service (2005)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
School Days (2005)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Hundred-Dollar Baby / Dream Girl (2006)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Now and Then (2007)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Rough Weather (2008)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Professional (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Painted Ladies (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Sixkill (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Silent Night (With: Helen Brann) (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Lullaby (By: Ace Atkins) (2012)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Wonderland / Spenser Confidential (By: Ace Atkins) (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Cheap Shot (By: Ace Atkins) (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Kickback (By: Ace Atkins) (2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Slow Burn (By: Ace Atkins) (2016)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Little White Lies (By: Ace Atkins) (2017)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Old Black Magic (By: Ace Atkins) (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Angel Eyes (By: Ace Atkins) (2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Someone to Watch Over Me (By: Ace Atkins) (2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bye Bye Baby (By: Ace Atkins) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Broken Trust (By: Mike Lupica) (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Jesse Stone Books

Night Passage (1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Trouble in Paradise (1998)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Death in Paradise (2001)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Stone Cold (2003)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Sea Change (2005)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
High Profile (2007)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Stranger in Paradise (2008)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Night and Day (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Split Image (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Killing The Blues (By: Michael Brandman) (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Fool Me Twice (By: Michael Brandman) (2012)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Damned If You Do (By: Michael Brandman) (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Blind Spot (By: Reed Farrel Coleman) (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Devil Wins (By: Reed Farrel Coleman) (2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Debt to Pay (By: Reed Farrel Coleman) (2016)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Hangman's Sonnet (By: Reed Farrel Coleman) (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Colorblind (By: Reed Farrel Coleman) (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Bitterest Pill (By: Reed Farrel Coleman) (2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Fool's Paradise (By: Mike Lupica) (2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Stone's Throw (By: Mike Lupica) (2021)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Fallout (By: Mike Lupica) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Sunny Randall Books

Family Honor (1999)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Perish Twice (2000)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Shrink Rap (2002)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Melancholy Baby (2004)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Blue Screen (2006)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Spare Change (2007)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Blood Feud (By: Mike Lupica) (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Grudge Match (By: Mike Lupica) (2020)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Payback (By: Mike Lupica) (2021)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Revenge Tour (By: Mike Lupica) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bad Influence (By: Alison Gaylin) (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Buzz Kill (By: Alison Gaylin) (2024)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch Books

Appaloosa (2005)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Resolution (2008)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Brimstone (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Blue-Eyed Devil (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Ironhorse (By: Robert Knott) (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bull River (By: Robert Knott) (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Bridge (By: Robert Knott) (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Blackjack (By: Robert Knott) (2016)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Revelation (By: Robert Knott) (2017)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Buckskin (By: Robert Knott) (2019)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Opium Rose (By: Robert Knott) (2025)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Wilderness (1979)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Surrogate (1982)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Love and Glory (1983)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
All Our Yesterdays (1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Gunman's Rhapsody (2001)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Double Play (2004)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Edenville Owls (2007)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Boxer and the Spy (2008)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Training with Weights (With: John R. Marsh) (1974)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Three Weeks In Spring (With: Joan H. Parker) (1978)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Year at the Races (With: Joan H. Parker) (1991)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Spenser's Boston (1994)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Philip Marlowe Books

The Big Sleep (By: Raymond Chandler) (1939)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Farewell, My Lovely (By: Raymond Chandler) (1940)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The High Window (By: Raymond Chandler) (1942)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Lady in the Lake (By: Raymond Chandler) (1943)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Little Sister (By: Raymond Chandler) (1949)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Long Goodbye (By: Raymond Chandler) (1953)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Playback (By: Raymond Chandler) (1958)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Poodle Springs (With: Raymond Chandler) (1989)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Perchance to Dream (1991)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Black-Eyed Blonde (By: Benjamin Black) (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Only to Sleep (By: Lawrence Osborne) (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Goodbye Coast (By: Joe Ide) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Second Murderer (By: Denise Mina) (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Young Spenser Books

Chasing the Bear (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Mysterious Profiles Books

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike (By: Robert Crais) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Jack Taylor (By: Ken Bruen) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Jack Reacher (By: Lee Child) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Charlie Parker (By: John Connolly) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Hieronymus Bosch (By: Michael Connelly) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Lincoln Rhyme (By: Jeffery Deaver) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Alex Delaware (By: Jonathan Kellerman) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Tess Monaghan (By: Laura Lippman) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Charlie Resnick (By: John Harvey) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus (By: Faye Kellerman) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Inspector Morse (By: Colin Dexter) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Dismas Hardy (By: John Lescroart) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bob Lee Swagger (By: Stephen Hunter) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Aloysius X. L. Pendergast (By: Douglas Preston) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Lou Boldt (By: Ridley Pearson) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Spenser (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt (By: Anne Perry) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
John Rebus (By: Ian Rankin) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Mallory (By: Carol O'Connell) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Jane Whitefield (By: Thomas Perry) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Ian Rutledge: A Mysterious Profile (By: Charles Todd) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Amos Walker (By: Loren D. Estleman) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Precious Ramotswe (By: Alexander McCall Smith) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Maisie Dobbs (By: Jacqueline Winspear) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Lincoln Lawyer (By: Michael Connelly) (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Ben Kincaid (By: William Bernhardt) (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Repairman Jack (By: F. Paul Wilson) (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Anthologies

The Best American Mystery Stories 1997(1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe(2011)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Boston Noir 2(2012)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Notes: Poodle Springs was finished by Robert B. Parker after Raymond Chandler died before finishing the novel. As of Lullaby, the Spenser series is written by Ace Atkins (with the exception of Silent Night, which is written by Helen Brann). Starting with Killing the Blues, the Jesse Stone series is written by Michael Brandman, except for Blind Spot by Reed Farrel Coleman. As of Ironhorse, the Cole & Hitch books are written by Robert Knott.

If You Like Robert B. Parker Books, You’ll Love…

Robert B. Parker Synopses: Gunman’s Rhapsody is a book about the famous gunslinger Wyatt Earp that takes place in 1879. It is not about the shootout like you’d expect from a movie, but instead is more of a character story of Wyatt Earp.

The Boxer and the Spy is a standalone title by Robert B. Parker. Terry Novak, fifteen, doesn’t know what to think when the body of a shy high school student is found washed up on the shore of a quiet New England beach town. It appears that the student committed suicide. He decides to conduct his own investigation with the assistance of his best friend Abby because something seems to be going on. They quickly realize that asking questions puts them in serious danger and will be difficult to survive.

Fortunately, a retired boxer by the name of George has been teaching Terry a few things about fighting. He teaches Terry to use his head and keep his feet planted, lessons that Terry takes to heart in more than one way. He’ll have to.

In Edenville Owls by Robert B. Parker, there is an evil presence in the air; Bobby can tell. Who is the man he observed quarreling with his pretty new English teacher? Although Bobby is aware that he ought to concentrate on his own matters, the circumstances are perplexing. What is happening in the world now that World War II is over? Particularly Bobby’s world. One example is Joanie. Why does it feel awkward to be her friend? The junior varsity Edenville Owls, his basketball friends who need a leader, are another group. Can they assist one another on and off the court in the same way that they can?

Spenser’s Boston by Robert B. Parker chronicles the history of Boston through the eyes of one of its most well-known residents, Spenser, the tough guy who is also sensitive and intelligent. It includes photographs and passages from the best-selling mystery novels.

Order of Books » Authors » Order of Robert B. Parker Books

3 Responses to “Order of Robert B. Parker Books”

  1. Teresa Vaughan: 4 years ago

    How should I read Jesse stone and sunny Randall to keep their relationship straight?

    Reply

  2. Pat dearmore: 10 years ago

    What Jesse Stone books were made into movies and in what order?

    Reply

    • Brandon: 9 years ago

      The movies were made in this order:

      Stone Cold
      Night Passage
      Death in Paradise
      Sea Change
      Thin Ice
      No Remorse
      Innocents Lost
      Benefit of the Doubt

      Night Passage is a prequel to Stone Cold, although I’m going to guess that the best way to watch the films is in the order they were produced, if it matters at all. Benefit of the Doubt doesn’t appear to be adapted from a novel.

      Reply

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