Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shivering Bough | 1942 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 2 | Blue Geranium | 1944 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 3 | Stairway to an Empty Room | 1951 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 4 | Nets to Catch the Wind | 1952 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 5 | Beat Back the Tide | 1954 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 6 | End of the Line | 1955 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 7 | F.O.B. Murder | 1955 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 8 | One-Way Ticket | 1956 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 9 | Fools’ Gold | 1958 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 10 | The Watcher | 1959 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 11 | The Man Who Followed Women | 1959 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 12 | The Abductor | 1962 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 13 | The Grudge | 1963 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 14 | The Unloved | 1965 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 15 | The Man Who Cried All the Way Home | 1966 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 16 | Postcript to Nightmare | 1967 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 17 | A Collection of Strangers | 1969 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 18 | The Baxter Letters | 1971 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
| 19 | In a House Unknown | 1973 | Dolores Hitchens | Buy |
Dolores Hitchens published nineteen standalone novels over the course of her career, ranging from mystery and suspense to crime fiction. These books allowed her to explore darker territory than her series work, with novels like “The Abductor” (1962), “The Grudge” (1963), and “A Collection of Strangers” (1969) dealing with kidnapping, revenge, and psychological tension.
Her most famous standalone is “Fools’ Gold” (1958), which caught the attention of French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard. His 1964 film adaptation, “Band of Outsiders,” brought unexpected international recognition to Hitchens’ writing. The standalone novels show her versatility as a storyteller, moving freely between cozy and dark, between puzzle mysteries and character-driven suspense.