Philip Kerr Books in Order
Philip Kerr has written 39 books, published between 1989 and 2019. The first book is March Violets (1989) and the newest is Metropolis (2019). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 39
- Published
- 1989–2019
- Confirmed
- 39 of 39 titles
- Pages on record
- 11,764 in 30 of 39 books
- Reading time
- 196–294 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 11,764 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 30 of 39 titles with a page count on record.
Bernie Gunther, a private investigator, is the figure Philip Kerr is known for. That sequence opens with March Violets (1989), The Pale Criminal (1990) and A German Requiem (1991), and the Second World War runs through its subjects. Kerr's catalogue holds 39 books, reaching Metropolis (2019), and takes in the Scott Manson novels, standalone thrillers and the Children Of The Lamp series written as P.B. Kerr.
How many Philip Kerr books are there?
Philip Kerr has 39 books, released between 1989 and 2019. They include 3 separate series.
Philip Kerr Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 39 Philip Kerr 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.
- 119892453/4
- 219902723/4
- 319913063/4
- 419923363/4
- 519932543/4
- 619954643/4
- 719964163/4
- 819984003/4
- 919994643/4
- 1019993743/4
- 1120023523/4
- 1220043553/4
- 1320053713/4
- 1420054643/4
- 1520064003/4
- 162006–3/4
- 172007–3/4
- 18One Small Step (As: P.B. Kerr)Philip Kerr Short Stories/Novellas as P.B. Kerr #12008 · confirmed 3/42008–3/4
- 1920084163/4
- 202008–3/4
- 2120094373/4
- 2220104403/4
- 232010–3/4
- 2420114403/4
- 252011–3/4
- 2620134653/4
- 2720134143/4
- 2820144003/4
- 2920142883/4
- 302014–3/4
- 3120153913/4
- 322015–3/4
- 3320154213/4
- 342016–3/4
- 3520164483/4
- 36The Most Frightening Story Ever ToldPhilip Kerr Standalone Novels #132016 · 308 pages · confirmed 3/420163083/4
- 3720175283/4
- 3820185113/4
- 3920193843/4
Philip Kerr series and characters in order
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
- Bernie Gunther books in order 14 books
- Bernard Gunther books in order 14 books
Philip Kerr 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.
Philip Kerr Standalone Novels
13 books13 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Children Of The Lamp in order
7 booksScott Manson in order
3 books- 1. January Window
- 2. Hand of God
- 3. False Nine
Philip Kerr Short Stories/Novellas as P.B. Kerr
2 books2 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Philip Kerr Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Philip Kerr books run from March Violets (1989) to Metropolis (2019), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Philip Kerr in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Philip Kerr books in order?
You only need to read Philip Kerr books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Philip Kerr
Start with the first book of the Philip Kerr series you want to read: Bernie Gunther starts with March Violets (1989) and Bernard Gunther starts with March Violets (1989). The earliest catalogued title overall is March Violets (1989).
What is the newest Philip Kerr book?
Metropolis (2019) is the newest Philip Kerr book released so far.
Is there a new Philip Kerr book coming?
No next Philip Kerr book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Philip Kerr has won
Wikidata records 6 awards for Philip Kerr. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Palle Rosenkrantz Prize2014Won
- Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel2010Wonfor If the Dead Rise Not
- RBA International Prize for Crime Writing2009Won
- CWA Historical Dagger2009Won
- Prix du Polar Européen2009Won
- Prix Mystère de la Critique1994Won
Philip Kerr at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Philip Kerr title on record dates from 2019, 7 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Philip Kerr books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 11,764 pages across the 30 of 39 books with a recorded length, a median of 400 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Philip Kerr books, 18 of 39, were published in the 2010s.
What the Philip Kerr books are about
34 of the 39 Philip Kerr books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: private investigators is tagged on 13 of 34. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Private investigators 13 of 34 books
- Gunther, bernhard (fictitious character) 10 of 34 books
- Bernhard Gunther (Fictitious character) 7 of 34 books
- Mystery & detective 6 of 34 books
- Thrillers 6 of 34 books
- Genies 5 of 34 books
- History 5 of 34 books
- Children's fiction 5 of 34 books
- Magic 5 of 34 books
- Mystery & detective, historical 5 of 34 books
- Brothers and sisters 4 of 34 books
- Germany 4 of 34 books