Order of Book Series
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Robert Goddard Books in Order

Robert Goddard has written 33 books, published between 1986 and 2025. The first book is Past Caring (1986) and the newest is This is the Day They Dream Of (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
33
Published
1986–2025
Pages on record
10,652 in 25 of 33 books
Reading time
178–266 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 10,652 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 25 of 33 titles with a page count on record.

See all 33 books in order Printable Robert Goddard checklist
Photo of Robert Goddard, author

Robert Goddard, an English novelist born in 1954, writes mystery and suspense. Past Caring (1986) was his first novel, and the catalogue has grown to 33 titles through to This is the Day They Dream Of (2025). Four series carry recurring figures: James "Max" Maxted, Harry Barnett, Umiko Wada and Inspector Taleb. Long Time Coming took the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback, and the Crime Writers' Association gave Goddard its Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2019.

How many Robert Goddard books are there?

Robert Goddard has 33 books, released between 1986 and 2025. They include 4 series and 22 titles listed outside any series.

Robert Goddard Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 33 Robert Goddard 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.

  1. Cover of Past Caring by Robert Goddard (1986)
  2. Cover of In Pale Battalions by Robert Goddard (1988)
  3. Cover of Into the Blue by Robert Goddard, book 1 of the Harry Barnett series (1990)
  4. Cover of Take No Farewell / Debt of Dishonour by Robert Goddard (1991)
  5. Cover of Hand in Glove by Robert Goddard (1992)
  6. Cover of Closed Circle by Robert Goddard (1993)
  7. Cover of Borrowed Time by Robert Goddard (1995)
  8. Cover of Out of the Sun by Robert Goddard, book 2 of the Harry Barnett series (1996)
  9. Cover of Sea Change by Robert Goddard (2000)
  10. Cover of Dying to Tell by Robert Goddard (2001)
  11. Cover of Days Without Number by Robert Goddard (2003)
  12. Cover of Play to the End by Robert Goddard (2004)
  13. Cover of Sight Unseen by Robert Goddard (2005)
  14. Cover of Never Go Back by Robert Goddard, book 3 of the Harry Barnett series (2006)
  15. Cover of Name to a Face by Robert Goddard (2007)
  16. Cover of Found Wanting by Robert Goddard (2008)
  17. Cover of Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard (2009)
  18. Cover of Blood Count by Robert Goddard (2010)
  19. Cover of Fault Line by Robert Goddard (2012)
  20. Cover of The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard, book 1 of the James "Max" Maxted series (2013)
  21. Cover of The Corners of the Globe by Robert Goddard, book 3 of the James "Max" Maxted series (2014)
  22. Cover of The Ends of the Earth by Robert Goddard, book 4 of the James "Max" Maxted series (2015)
  23. Cover of Panic Room by Robert Goddard (2017)
  1. 1
    Past Caring1986 · 528 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986528
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    In Pale Battalions1988 · 368 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988368
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Painting the Darkness1989 · 602 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989602
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Into the BlueHarry Barnett #11990 · 469 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990469
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Take No Farewell / Debt of Dishonour1991 · 553 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991553
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Hand in Glove1992 · 464 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992464
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Closed Circle1993 · 331 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993331
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Borrowed Time1995 · 397 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995397
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Out of the SunHarry Barnett #21996 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Beyond Recall1997 · confirmed 2/4
    1997–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Caught in the Light1998 · 448 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998448
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Set in Stone1999 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Sea Change2000 · 480 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Dying to Tell2001 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2001416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Days Without Number2003 · 448 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2003448
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Play to the End2004 · 368 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2004368
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Sight Unseen2005 · 448 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2005448
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Never Go BackHarry Barnett #32006 · 368 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006368
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Name to a Face2007 · confirmed 2/4
    2007–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Found Wanting2008 · confirmed 2/4
    2008–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Long Time Coming2009 · 420 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2009420
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Blood Count2010 · 464 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2010464
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Fault Line2012 · 402 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012402
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Ways of the WorldJames "Max" Maxted #12013 · 403 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2013403
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Intersection: Paris, 1919James "Max" Maxted #22013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Corners of the GlobeJames "Max" Maxted #32014 · 392 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2014392
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    The Ends of the EarthJames "Max" Maxted #42015 · 379 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2015379
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Panic Room2017 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2017384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    One False Move2019 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The Fine Art of Invisible DetectionUmiko Wada #12021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  31. 31
    This is the Night They Come for YouInspector Taleb #12022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  32. 32
    The Fine Art of Uncanny PredictionUmiko Wada #22023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  33. 33
    This is the Day They Dream OfInspector Taleb #22025 · confirmed 2/4
    2025–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Robert Goddard 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.

James "Max" Maxted in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Ways of the World
  2. 2. Intersection: Paris, 1919
  3. 3. The Corners of the Globe
  4. 4. The Ends of the Earth

Harry Barnett in order

3 books
  1. 1. Into the Blue
  2. 2. Out of the Sun
  3. 3. Never Go Back

Umiko Wada in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Fine Art of Invisible Detection
  2. 2. The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction

Inspector Taleb in order

2 books
  1. 1. This is the Night They Come for You
  2. 2. This is the Day They Dream Of

Standalone books

22 books

22 Robert Goddard titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Robert Goddard Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Robert Goddard books run from Past Caring (1986) to This is the Day They Dream Of (2025), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Robert Goddard in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Robert Goddard books in order?

You only need to read Robert Goddard books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Robert Goddard

Start with Past Caring (1986), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Robert Goddard book?

This is the Day They Dream Of (2025) is the newest Robert Goddard book released so far.

Is there a new Robert Goddard book coming?

No next Robert Goddard 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 Goddard at a glance

Still publishing
Robert Goddard published a book as recently as 2025.
Release pace
Robert Goddard books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
10,652 pages across the 25 of 33 books with a recorded length, a median of 403 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Robert Goddard books, 9 of 33, were published in the 2000s.

What the Robert Goddard books are about

29 of the 33 Robert Goddard books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: thrillers is tagged on 17 of 29. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.