Stanley Hastings Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Detective | 1987 | Buy |
| Murder | 1987 | Buy |
| Favor | 1988 | Buy |
| Strangler | 1989 | Buy |
| Client | 1990 | Buy |
| Juror | 1990 | Buy |
| Shot | 1991 | Buy |
| Actor | 1993 | Buy |
| Blackmail | 1994 | Buy |
| Movie | 1995 | Buy |
| Trial | 1996 | Buy |
| Scam | 1997 | Buy |
| Suspense | 1998 | Buy |
| Cozy | 2001 | Buy |
| Fear of Failure | 2002 | Buy |
| Manslaughter | 2003 | Buy |
| Oh, What a Tangled Lanyard We Weave | 2006 | Buy |
| Hitman | 2007 | Buy |
| Deal Me In | 2007 | Buy |
| Caper | 2010 | Buy |
| Stakeout | 2013 | Buy |
| Death of a Vampire | 2013 | Buy |
| Clicker Training | 2013 | Buy |
| Safari | 2014 | Buy |
| A Fool for a Client | 2015 | Buy |
| The Naked and the Dead | 2020 | Buy |
| The Dead Client | 2020 | Buy |
The Stanley Hastings books are a long-running mystery series by Parnell Hall. Stanley Hastings is an aspiring actor who works as an investigator for an ambulance-chasing personal injury lawyer in New York City. He stumbles into murder cases despite being, as he often points out, not that kind of detective. The first book, Detective, came out in 1987.
Hall’s writing has a strong comedic voice, and the series earned him nominations for the Edgar, Shamus, and Lefty awards. The books are set in New York and follow Stanley through decades of cases that blend dry humor with genuine mystery plots.