Robert G. Barrett Books in Order

Robert G. Barrett has written 24 books, published between 1985 and 2009. The first book is You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids (1985) and the newest is High Noon in Nimbin (2009). Publication order is the reading order below. 20 of the 24 books listed here are in the Les Norton series, which has its own page: Les Norton books in order.

Books
24
Published
1985–2009
Pages on record
4,105 in 14 of 24 books
Reading time
68–103 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,105 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200300 words a minute, covering the 14 of 24 titles with a page count on record.

Les Norton, a fictional Australian character, anchors most of the books by Robert G. Barrett (1942–2012). Barrett's 24 catalogued titles run from You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids (1985) to High Noon in Nimbin (2009). The Les Norton stories combine crime and Australian humour. The Real Thing (1986), The Godson (1989) and The Day of the Gecko (1995) sit within the run.

How many Robert G. Barrett books are there?

Robert G. Barrett has 24 books, released between 1985 and 2009. 20 of them belong to the Les Norton series.

Robert G. Barrett Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 24 Robert G. Barrett books in the order they were published, 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.

  1. 11985
  2. 2
    The Real ThingLes Norton #21986 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986256
  3. 3
    The Boys from BinjiwunyawunyaLes Norton #31987 · 315 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987315
  4. 4
    The GodsonLes Norton #41989 · 346 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989346
  5. 5
    Between the Devlin and the Deep Blue SeasLes Norton #51991 · 230 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991230
  6. 6
    Davo's Little Something1992 · 323 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992323
  7. 71992
  8. 8
    And De Fun Don't DoneLes Norton #71993 · 513 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993513
  9. 9
    Mele Kalikamaka Mr. WalkerLes Norton #81994 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994240
  10. 10
    The Day of the GeckoLes Norton #91995 · 230 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995230
  11. 11
    Rider on the Storm and Other Bits and BarrettLes Norton #101996 · 216 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996216
  12. 12
    Guns 'N' RoseLes Norton #111996 · 277 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996277
  13. 13
    So What Do You Reckon?1997 · 268 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997268
  14. 14
    Mud Crab BoogieLes Norton #121998 · 295 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998295
  15. 15
    Goodoo GoodooLes Norton #131998 · confirmed 2/4
    1998
  16. 16
    The Wind and the MonkeyLes Norton #141999 · confirmed 2/4
    1999
  17. 17
    Leaving BondiLes Norton #152000 · confirmed 2/4
    2000
  18. 18
    The Ultimate Aphrodisiac2002 · confirmed 2/4
    2002
  19. 19
    Mystery Bay BluesLes Norton #162003 · confirmed 2/4
    2003
  20. 20
    Rosa-Marie's BabyLes Norton #172004 · confirmed 2/4
    2004
  21. 21
    Crime Scene CessnockLes Norton #182005 · confirmed 2/4
    2005
  22. 22
    The Tesla Legacy2006 · confirmed 2/4
    2006
  23. 232007384
  24. 24
    High Noon in NimbinLes Norton #202009 · 212 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2009212

Robert G. Barrett series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Robert G. Barrett 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.

Standalone books

4 books

4 Robert G. Barrett titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Robert G. Barrett books in order?

You only need to read Robert G. Barrett books in order within the Les Norton series, which holds 20 of the 24 Robert G. Barrett books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Robert G. Barrett

Start with You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids (1985), the first Les Norton book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.

What is the newest Robert G. Barrett book?

High Noon in Nimbin (2009) is the newest Robert G. Barrett book released so far.

Is there a new Robert G. Barrett book coming?

No next Robert G. Barrett book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Robert G. Barrett at a glance

Died
Robert G. Barrett died in 2012, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Robert G. Barrett on record dates from 2009.
Release pace
Robert G. Barrett books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
4,105 pages across the 14 of 24 books with a recorded length, a median of 272 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Robert G. Barrett books, 12 of 24, were published in the 1990s.

What the Robert G. Barrett books are about

23 of the 24 Robert G. Barrett books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 5 of 23. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Mystery & detective 5 of 23 books
  • Les Norton (Fictitious character) 3 of 23 books
  • Social life and customs 2 of 23 books