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Spenser books in order

Robert B. Parker

Spenser is a series of 21 books by Robert B. Parker: 4,421 pages in the 17 with a known length, about 81 hours of reading. Shown in publication order; no numbering is on record.

21
books
4,421
pages in 17 of them
81 hours
to read those 17
163 days
at 30 minutes a day
The Godwulf Manuscript 1973 3.5 h Mortal Stakes 1975 5.3 h Promised Land 1976 5.4 h The Judas Goat 1978 3.7 h Early Autumn 1980 4.1 h
Looking for Rachel Wallace 1980 length not known
Ceremony 1982 3.7 h A Catskill Eagle 1985 5.7 h Pale Kings and Princes 1987 4.7 h Crimson Joy 1988 3.9 h
Pastime 1991 length not known
Double Deuce 1992 4.1 h Paper Doll 1993 4.1 h Walking Shadow 1994 5.0 h Thin Air 1995 5.4 h Small Vices 1997 5.6 h Potshot 2001 5.8 h Bad Business 2004 5.8 h School Days 2005 5.4 h
Chasing the Bear 2009 length not known
Lullaby 2012 length not known

Bar height shows length. Books without a number have no number in our records.

The books

  1. The Godwulf Manuscript 1973 3.5 h

    Spenser earned his degree in the school of hard knocks, so he is ready when a Boston university hires him to recover a rare, stolen manuscript.

  2. Mortal Stakes 1975 5.3 h

    Everybody loves a winner, and the Rabbs are major league.

  3. Promised Land 1976 5.4 h

    Cape Cod businessman Harvey Shepard is in over his head.

  4. The Judas Goat 1978 3.7 h

    Private eye Spenser returns to take on the terrorists who killed his client's wife and daughters in a London bombing, chasing them across Europe to the Montreal Olympics and a…

  5. Early Autumn 1980 4.1 h

    Parker's "Spencer" novels continue in the crime fiction genre populated by classic authors like Chandler, JD MacDonald, etc. They also feature some of the most amusing bits of…

  6. Looking for Rachel Wallace 1980 length not known

  7. Ceremony 1982 3.7 h

    Spenser tracks down a young high school dropout who has run away from home to a life of prostitution.

  8. A Catskill Eagle 1985 5.7 h

    Spenser loves just one woman, even though she's the one he's just lost.

  9. Pale Kings and Princes 1987 4.7 h

    Spenser is called in to investigate the murder of a reporter working on a story about the cocaine trade.

  10. Crimson Joy 1988 3.9 h

    A serial killer is on the loose in Beantown and the cops can't catch him.

  11. Pastime 1991 length not known

  12. Double Deuce 1992 4.1 h

    When two people are shot outside of a housing project, Spenser and Hawk must battle street gangs and lethal drug dealers in order to track the killer.

  13. Paper Doll 1993 4.1 h

    Loudon Tripp hires Spenser to investigate his wife's murder, and Spenser soon uncovers high-class scandals and a corpse who might not be dead after all.

  14. Walking Shadow 1994 5.0 h

    With an unbroken string of bestselling suspense novels behind him, Robert B. Parker is nothing if not world-class.

  15. Thin Air 1995 5.4 h

    When a Boston police detective's adored young bride, Lisa St. Claire, disappears without a trace, he enlists Spenser's help in tracking her down.

  16. Small Vices 1997 5.6 h

    Ellis Alves is a bad kid from the 'hood with a long, long record, but did he really murder Melissa Henderson, a white coed from ritzy Pemberton College?

  17. Potshot 2001 5.8 h

    "Boston P.I. Spenser returns - heading west to the rich man's haven of Potshot, Arizona, a former mining town reborn as a paradise for Los Angeles millionaires looking for a place…

  18. Bad Business 2004 5.8 h

  19. School Days 2005 5.4 h

    Lily Ellsworth the grand dame of Dowling, Massachusetts hires Spenser to investigate her grandson Jared Clark's alleged involvement in a school shooting.

  20. Chasing the Bear 2009 length not known

  21. Lullaby 2012 length not known

How much is left

After The Godwulf Manuscript about 78 hours left, not counting 4 books of unknown length
After Mortal Stakes about 72 hours left, not counting 4 books of unknown length
After Promised Land about 67 hours left, not counting 4 books of unknown length
After The Judas Goat about 63 hours left, not counting 4 books of unknown length
After Early Autumn about 59 hours left, not counting 4 books of unknown length
After Looking for Rachel Wallace about 59 hours left, not counting 3 books of unknown length
After Ceremony about 55 hours left, not counting 3 books of unknown length
After A Catskill Eagle about 50 hours left, not counting 3 books of unknown length
After Pale Kings and Princes about 45 hours left, not counting 3 books of unknown length
After Crimson Joy about 41 hours left, not counting 3 books of unknown length
After Pastime about 41 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Double Deuce about 37 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Paper Doll about 33 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Walking Shadow about 28 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Thin Air about 23 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Small Vices about 17 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Potshot about 11 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length
After Bad Business about 5 hours left, not counting 2 books of unknown length

Reading the whole series

About 81 hours 3 minutes

17 of 21 books, 4,421 pages. Estimated at 250 words a minute.

163 days (about 24 weeks) at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.