Jo Nesbo Books in Order
Jo Nesbo has written 31 books, published between 1997 and 2026. The first book is The Bat (1997) and the newest is Kill Shot (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 31
- Published
- 1997–2026
- Confirmed
- 31 of 31 titles
- Pages on record
- 8,844 in 20 of 31 books
- Reading time
- 147–221 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 8,844 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 20 of 31 titles with a page count on record.
Crime fiction accounts for much of Jo Nesbo's catalogue, which holds 31 books published between 1997 and 2026. Harry Hole is the recurring character of the longest series credited to Nesbo, a run that opens with The Bat (1997) and takes in The Redbreast (2000), The Devil's Star (2003) and The Snowman (2007). Catalogue subjects list police, murder, investigation, serial murder investigation and Norway, along with humorous stories, inventors and flatulence from the Doctor Proctor books. Blood on Snow, standalone novels and short fiction complete the listing. Kill Shot (2026) is the newest title, and Nesbo continues to publish.
How many Jo Nesbo books are there?
Jo Nesbo has 31 books, released between 1997 and 2026. They include 3 separate series.
Jo Nesbo Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 31 Jo Nesbo books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119973743/4
- 219983673/4
- 320005763/4
- 420024743/4
- 52003–3/4
- 620055003/4
- 72007–3/4
- 820075283/4
- 920082653/4
- 1020084253/4
- 1120095173/4
- 122010–3/4
- 1320114703/4
- 1420123143/4
- 152013–3/4
- 1620135623/4
- 1720142073/4
- 1820144013/4
- 192015–3/4
- 2020163683/4
- 212017–3/4
- 2220174613/4
- 2320194513/4
- 2420205603/4
- 2520215283/4
- 262021–3/4
- 272023–3/4
- 2820234963/4
- 292024–3/4
- 302025–3/4
- 312026–3/4
Jo Nesbo series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Harry Hole books in order 14 books
Jo Nesbo books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Doktor Proctor in order
7 booksJo Nesbø Standalone Novels
4 books4 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Blood on Snow in order
2 booksKingdom in order
2 books- 1. The Kingdom
- 2. Blood Ties
Jo Nesbø Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Jo Nesbø Short Story
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Jo Nesbo Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Jo Nesbo books run from The Bat (1997) to Kill Shot (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Jo Nesbo in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Jo Nesbo books in order?
You only need to read Jo Nesbo books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
What order should you read Jo Nesbo books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with The Bat (1997), the first Harry Hole book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest Jo Nesbo book?
Kill Shot (2026) is the newest Jo Nesbo book released so far.
Is there a new Jo Nesbo book coming?
No next Jo Nesbo book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Printable Jo Nesbo Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 31 books in publication order is on the Jo Nesbo reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
Jo Nesbo at a glance
- Still publishing
- Jo Nesbo published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Jo Nesbo books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 8,844 pages across the 20 of 31 books with a recorded length, a median of 466 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Jo Nesbo books, 12 of 31, were published in the 2010s.
What the Jo Nesbo books are about
24 of the 31 Jo Nesbo books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 8 of 24. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Police 8 of 24 books
- Humor 7 of 24 books
- Harry Hole (Fictitious character) 6 of 24 books
- Inventors 6 of 24 books
- Norway 6 of 24 books
- Crime 5 of 24 books
- Adventure stories 4 of 24 books
- Children's fiction 4 of 24 books
- Murder 4 of 24 books
- Investigation 3 of 24 books
- Adventures and adventurers 2 of 24 books